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i 


Gc 

977.701 

Sco8d 

v.l 

1143011 


OENEALCGY  COLLECTION 


3  1833  01086  1380 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2009  with  funding  from 

Allen  County  Public  Library  Genealogy  Center 


http://www.archive.org/details/historyofdavenpo01down 


HISTORY 


OF 


DAVENPORT 


AND 


SCOTT  COUNTY 

IOWA 


Harry  E.  Downer 


ILLUSTRATED 


VOLUME  I. 


CHICAGO 

THE  S.  J.  CLARKE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1910 


1143011 
TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

>■'  THE   STORY   OF   THE   ROCKS. 


v^ 


From  creation  days — Preparation  of  the  earth  for  the  abode  of  man  by  gla- 
ciation  and  inundation — The  pre-glacial  topography — The  Mississippi  of 
ages  gone — The  age  of  the  great  ice — Scott  county's  perfect  drainage 
— A  wealth  of  building  stone — The  carboniferous  strata  which  have 
brought  wealth — Geological  section  of   Scott  county 17 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE   EARLIEST   DWELLERS. 

The  central  attraction  in  the  museum  of  the  Davenport  Academy  of  vSciences 
The  elusive  autochthon — The  mound  builder's  claims  to  interest — His 
textile  skill — Cotton  Mather  hazards  an  opinion — Mound  pottery  of 
all  kinds — Effigy  pipes,  especially  the  elephants — The  Bureau  of  Eth- 
nology and  the  Academy  of  Sciences — Prof.  Seyffarth's  conclusions..     31 

CHAPTER  III. 

INDIAN   OCCUPANCY. 

The  mini  in  Scott  county  in  early  days — Later  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  possess 
the  land — Davenport's  predecessors,  Oshkosh  and  Morgan — Morgan 
or  Ma-que-pra-um — The  great  Sac  town  on  Rock  river — Music  and 
dramatic  art — Black  Hawk's  narration  of  Indian  customs — The  annual 
hunting  trips — Honor  as  the  Indian  understood  it — The  Sioux  took 
home      their      scalps 47 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   WHITE    MAN    COMES. 

Pierre  Esprit  Radisson,  maker  of  paths,  philosopher  and  probable  explorer 
of  Iowa — Marquette,  Black-Gown,  and  Joliet  the  trader — Indian  elo- 
quence— Pewaria's  location — Pike,  the  Intrepid,  visits  this  locality — 
Captain  Many's  experience  with  the  British  band — It  is  easy  to  spell 
Wapsipinicon — The  Harris   family  compelled  to  land    61 


6  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  V. 

WARS    AND   TREATIES. 

A  battle  of  the  Revolution  fought  in  this  vicinity— A  polyglot  command  no 
loot  and  great  disappointment — First  flag  in  the  Mississippi  valley — The 
fight  at  Campbell's  island— The  battle  of  Credit  island— Official  re- 
ports—Treaties made  in  Davenport— Col.  J.  H.  Sullivan  writes  of  In- 
dian chiefs — Black  Hawk  war  ends   Indian  claims 69 

CHAPTER  VL 

THE    BARROWS    HISTORY. 

A  history  written  by  a  pioneer  at  the  request  of  other  pioneers — Re- 
ceived on  its  appearance  with  great  commendation — His  own  estimate 
of  the  gravity  of  his  commission — Some  incidents  which  have  been 
noted  since  the  Barrows  history  was  written — Biography  of  the  histo- 
rian^The  history  itself  without  omission,  erasure  or  comment — A  mon- 
umental    work 93 

CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    ISLAND   OF   ROCK    ISLAND. 

The  United  States  acquires  the  island  by  treaty — The  expedition  to  estab- 
lish a  fort — A  duel  by  the  way — Fort  Armstrong,  an  outpost  in  the 
wilderness — Eflforts  to  secure  an  army  and  arsenal — General  Rod- 
man's plans — Items  fabricated  at  the  arsenal — Cost  of  the  plant — Gen- 
eral Crozier's  estimate — Squatters'   claims 289 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THREE    BRIDGES    TO   THE    ISLAND. 

A  railroad  on  each  side  of  the  river  made  a  bridge  necessary — Charters  on 
injunctions — Acts  of  congress  and  court  interpretations — The  Rock 
Island  road  in  partnership  with  the  government — The  first  bridge  to  be 
thrown  across  the  Mississippi — River  interests  aroused — Abraham 
Lincoln      in  bridge  litigation — Presidential  visitors 325 

CHAPTER  IX. 

IOWa's    earliest    LIVING    RESIDENT. 

Capt.  Warner  L.  Clark  and  his  varied  experiences — Acquainted  with  many 
men  of  prominence — Has  remarkable  memory — Pioneer  customs — Capt. 
Clark's  home  town  the  first  to  be  platted  in  Scott  county — Description 
of  the  pioneer  cabin — Indian  neighbors — Incidents  of  Indian  life — 
Why  buflFalo  fell  behind  in  the  race 345 


CONTENTS  7 

CHAPTER  X. 

TOWNSHIPS    AND   TOWNS. 

History  of  the  townships  from  the  close  of  the  Barrows  history — Their 
record  in  patriotism  during  the  days  of  '6i — The  prosperity  that  has 
come  to  the  farmers  of  the  county — Rural  schools  and  churches — 
Township  officials — The  many  small  settlements  that  form  social  cen- 
ters in  the  county — Bettendorf — The  village  of  LeClaire 361 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Davenport's  first  citizen. 

Antoine  LeClaire,  prominently  identified  with  the  city,  territory  and  state — 
The  owner  of  a  half-dozen  sections  of  land  given  him  by  Indian  friends 
— Generous  to  all — Marguerite  LeClaire,  his  wife  who  shared  his 
pleasure  in  making  others  happy — A  tribute  by  Pere  Pelamourgues — 
LeClaire    and    Davenport — Names   inseparable 395 

CHAPTER  XII. 

PIONEER    LIFE. 

The  log  cabin  was  the  palace  of  the  pioneer— Chinked  logs,  covered  with 
clapboards — Rifle  and  spinning  wheel — Almost  anything  was  a  bed- 
room— Cooking  was  primitive  for  sharp  appetites — Welcome  for  the  way- 
farer— Prairie  fires  and  wolf  hunts — Amusements  for  the  frontier  peo- 
ple were  not  lacking — What  unremitting  toil  has  accomplished 407 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

TERRITORIAL  DAYS. 

William  B.  Conway  made  first  territorial  secretary  of  Iowa — Comes  to 
Davenport  and  meets  Antoine  LeClaire  and  George  Davenport — He  is 
governor  of  Iowa  and  Davenport  is  its  capital  city — A  caustic  letter  to 
the  state  council — The  indignant  reply  of  the  committee — Conway's  un- 
timely death  and  burial  in  this  city — A  valuable  citizen 419 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    GREAT    RIVER. 

The  glory  and  majesty  of  the  father  of  waters — Description  of  the  keel- 
boat — An  early  trip  from  Cairo  to  Galena — A  list  of  the  early  steam 
craft  that  breasted  the  currents  of  the  upper  river — Bringing  down 
the  logs — The  ferries  which  have  brought  people  into  Scott  county — 
The   long-awaited   Hennepin    canal 429 


8  ."  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XV. 

LIFE    ON    THE    FRONTIER. 

The  reminiscences  of  the  uioneer,  Judge  John  W.  Spencer — Life  among 
the  Sacs  and  Foxes — When  friendship  changed  to  distrust  and  enmity 
— Neighbor  Black  Hawk — Indian  agriculture  and  hunting  trips — ^The 
wars  of  1831-33 — Stillman's  defeat  and  the  flag  of  truce — The  merciless 
Sioux — A  neighbor  who  drew  the  long  bow 447 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

LOOKING    BACKWARD. 

J.  M.  D.  Burrows,  merchant,  miller,  packer,  handler  of  produce,  looks  back 
over  his  busy  life  and  tells  some  incidents — Davenport  a  hamlet  of  15 
houses — A  remarkable  career — Hummer  and  his  bell — Rev.  John  O. 
Foster  tells  of  boyhood  days  in  Rockingham — The  view  from  the 
Decker  home — A  relic  of  Credit  island  battle 475 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE   MEDICAL   PROFESSION. 

The  pioneer  physicians  of  Scott  county — Their  hardships  and  self  reliance 

— Many    of    them   practical    men    of   great    force    of    character — Reminis- 
cences of  Dr.  E.  S.  Barrows — Scott  County  Medical  Society — Minutes 
of  the  bygone  meetings — The    society    has    taken    advanced    ground 
while  conservative  in  character — Dr.   Preston  writes 495 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE   SCOTT    COUNTY    BAR. 

The  bench  and  bar  of  Scott  county — Early  lawyers,  many  of  them  men  of 
great  ability — The  earlier  courts — Supreme  court  sessions  in  Davenport 
— The  district,  circuit  and  county  courts — Members  of  the  bar  of  25 
years  ago — The  present  bar — Diverting  incidents  of  the  legal  record 
since  courts   were  established — Judge  Grant's   toothpick 517 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

ADMINISTRATION    OF    THE    COUNTY. 

The  conduct  of  the  county's  business  affairs — The  county  commissioners' 
court  and  its  work  of  organization — Road  districts  and  voting  places — 
County  judges — Board  of  supervisors — Officials  from  earliest  times  to 
the  present — A  record  for  reference — Growth  of  the  county  in  wealth 
and    population 547 


CONTENTS  •  9 

CHAPTER  XX. 

CHURCHES   AND   PARISHES. 

Davenport  the  city  of  the  diocese  of  Iowa  and  the  diocese  of  Davenport — 
The  handsome  cathedrals  and  other  sanctuaries  of  the  city — Sketches 
of  the  bishops  who  have  directed  church  work  from  Davenport — Sketches 
supplemental  to  those  appearing  in  the  Barnes  history — Davenport  a  city 
of     spires 571 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  CIVIL  WAR. 

Dred  Scott  in  Davenport — John  Brown  and  Coppoc  the  refugee — The  call  for 
troops — Iowa's  response — Local  enthusiasm — Scott  county  soldiers  in 
many  regiments — Proved  themselves  the  bravest  of  the  brave — Iowa 
drum  beat  heard  in  every  portion  of  the  south — The  honored  dead — 
Unappreciated    eloquence — Littler's    firemen — Some   clothes 619 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

PATRIOTIC    DAVENPORT. 

Military  headquarters — Camps  where  soldiers  were  trained — Minnesota  Sioux 
— Many  Confederate  prisoners  at  Rock  island  prison — The  routine  of 
prison  life — The  soldiers'  monument — Oration  of  General  J.  B.  Leake 
— Iowa  Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home — First  exercises  at  Oakdale — Company 
B  goes  to  fight  Spain — The  roll  of  honor — Company  roster  in  days  of 
Spanish-American     war , 669 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

CITY   OF   DAVENPORT. 

Always  noted  for  striking  beauty  of  situation — The  mayors  of  the  city  from 

the  beginning  to  the    1910  election — The  police   and   fire  departments — A 
splendid  street  car  service — Water  service  of  equal  merit — The  parks 
of  the  city — What  the  city  owes  and  owns — A  few  dollars  each  way  for 
each   man,   woman   and   child 685 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

A    GOOD    PLACE    TO    LIVE. 

Every  opportunity  to  grow  in  culture  and  usefulness  in  Davenport — Public 
buildings  provided  for  all  lines  of  interest — A  fine  line  of  helpful  institu- 
tions— Places  of  instruction  and  amusement — Hotels,  hospitals — Some- 
where for  everybody  to  stay — A  great  array  of  organizations  for  those 
who   believe  in   banding  together 711 


10  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER   XXV. 

THE   COMMERCIAL  SIDE. 

Cheap  fuel,  transmissibility  of  electrical  power  and  fine  shipping  facilities 
have  made  Davenport  a  great  manufacturing  center — The  thrift  of  the 
people  of  Scott  county  have  made  it  a  great  banking  center — The  growth 
of  manufacturing  interests  and  the  widening  of  the  field  supplied — Coun- 
try  banks    springing   up,    everywhere 753 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

AT  THE  COURT   HOUSE. 

The  handsome  palace  of  justice — Tablets  whereon  the  Pioneer  Settlers'  As- 
sociation have  inscribed  those  coming  to  Scott  county  before  1846 — 
Full  list  of  names — The  county  jail — -The  Scott  County  Agricultural 
Society — Description  of  the  first  fair — Baseball  when  the  pitcher  over- 
stayed his  time  in  the  box  and  gentlemen  caught  fly  balls 769 

CHAPTER  XXVn. 

PUBLIC  LIBRARIES,  OLD  AND  NEW. 

In  1839  the  citizens  moved  for  a  collection  of  books — Library  progress  from 
that  date  to  this  has  been  along  a  devious  path  of  hardship  and  discour- 
agement— Ladies  managed  the  library  for  years — Mr.  Watkins  tells  of 
years  of  devotion  to  the  ideal  of  a  public  library — Andrew  Carnegie, 
a  life  member,  sends  by  Mrs.  Maria  Purdy  Peck,  president  of  the  Dav- 
enport Historical  Association,  money  for  a  new  building 783 

CHAPTER  XXVHL 

SOME    OLD    HOUSES. 

Some  remain  and  others  have  given  way  to  better  ones — The  first  frame 
house  in  Iowa — The  first  house  in  Davenport — Dr.  John  Emerson's 
brick  residence — Many  old  residences  of  strong  historic  interest — Struc- 
tures that  incite  reminiscence — A  beautifully  written  sketch  of  the 
hospitable   homes   of   other   days 801 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE    GERMAN    IMPRESS. 

The  influence  of  German  immigrants  upon  the  social,  financial,  patriotic, 
commercial  and  artistic  life  of  the  United  States — From  the  general  to 
the  particular — What  German-Americans  have  done  for  the  prosperity, 
material  and  spiritual,  of  Davenport  and  Scott  county — A  trip  cross- 
country and  what  it  shows — German  organizations.  By  Adolph  Pe- 
tersen, Editor  of  "Iowa  Reform." 813 


CONTENTS  11 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

A    FORCEFUL    INFLUENCE. 

The  Germans  of  Davenport  and  the  Chicago  Convention  of  i860 — The  part 
those  who  opposed  knownothingism  played  in  the  party  preHminaries 
leading  up  to  the  republican  nomination  of  Abraham  Lincoln — The 
Davenport  resolutions  of  March,  i860 — German  strength  recognized 
throughout  the  land — With  Bates  out  of  the  race  Abraham  Lincoln 
the    strongest   Compromise   candidate 839 

By  F.  L  Herriott. 
Professor  of  Economics,   Political  and   Social  Science,   Drake    University. 

CHAPTER  XXXL 

Davenport's  baptism. 

Could  Rock  Island  be  Davenport? — Would  Davenport  have  been  Rock  Is- 
land ? — For  whom  was  Davenport  named  ? — There  seems  to  be  no  doubt 
that  Colonel  George  Davenport  was  so  honored — A  life  which  ranks 
with  the  heroes  of  romance  in  variety  and  thrilling  incident — One  of 
the  founders  of  the  city  that  bears  his  name — An  Indian  ceremony.  .  .  .   849 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

CLIMATOLOGICAL    CONDITIONS. 

Being  an  article  based  upon  weather  bureau  observations  covering  a  period 
from  1871  to  1909 — The  location  of  office  and  instruments — A  climat- 
ological  summary — Unusual  weather  phenomena — Warm  and  cold  pe- 
riods— Length  of  growing  seasons — Unusual  amounts  of  rainfall — Not- 
able  river  stages — Remarkable  flood  stage    877 

By  J.  M.  Sherier, 
Local  Forecaster,   Weather  Bureau. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

THE   PRESS. 

The  Archimedean  lever  that  moves  the  world  in  this  part  of  the  world  the 
present  press  which  ably  serves  Davenport  and  Scott  county — English 
and  German,  political  and  religious — Papers  of  bygone  days  which  did 
not  fill  a  wide  felt  want — The  papers  of  long  ago  and  their  news  service 
—The   Tri-City    Press    Club 885 

By  Ralph  W.  Cram. 
President  of  the  Tri-City  Press  Club. 


12  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE  RAILROADS. 

Strenuous  efforts  to  build  railroads  in  Scott  county's  early  years — Agitation 
to  the  eastward  and  westward — The  first  railroad  west  of  the  great 
river — A.  C.  Fulton,  a  man  ahead  of  his  times — Hiram  Price  as  pro- 
moter—The M.  &  M.,  C.  &  R.  I.,  D.  &  St.  L.,  C.  R.  I.  &  P.,  C.  B.  &  Q.. 
C.  M.  &  St.  P.,  also  the  I.  &  L — Fifty  years  an  engineer 899 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

EDUCATION. 

The  foundation  laid  by  early  statesmen — A  look  ahead — The  beginnings  of 
schools  in  Iowa — Those  who  taught  school  in  Davenport  in  the  thirties 
— Many  years  of  private  schools — Arrival  of  the  public  school  in  the 
fifties — Latter  day  schools — Magnificent  high  school — The  special 
branches — Schools  of  higher  education — Biography  of  J.  B.  Young  .  .  919 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE    SALAD    COURSE. 

In  this  chapter  may  be  found  almost  everything  aside  from  the  item  the 
reader  is  searching  for — There  are  some  things  that  will  prove  of  in- 
terest to  somebody — Other  things  that  everybody  knows — Some  inci- 
dents are  unusual  and  others  just  so-so — There  seemed  to  be  a  neces- 
sity for  this  sort  of  chapter 963 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

CHRONOLOGY. 

This  is  something  of  a  record  of  the  years  in  Scott  county  from  1832  to 
1910 — Other  things  have  happened  but  these  appear  notable,  as  the  list 
is  scanned  for  items  that  look  worthy  of  type — It  is  a  collection  of  short 
stories  somewhat  lacking  in  description  but  good  what  there  is  of  them  979 


FOREWORD. 

And  after  the  book  has  gone  to  the  printer,  the  author,  editor,  compiler  or 
whatever  or  whoever  he  may  be,  carries  in  a  preface  his  burden  of  regret  to  the 
pubHc  who  probably  expected  nothing  better,  and  in  dismal  remorse  tells  how  his 
plans  have  buckled,  his  roseate  visions  turned  to  leaden  hue,  his  budding  hopes 
chilled  and  filled  with  April  snows.  Not  in  this  book.  There  is  a  disposition  to 
acknowledge  that  prospectus  plans  covered  a  scope  a  trifle  wide  for  the  binding 
of  any  one  book  or  two  books,  but  there  is  a  belief  that  there  is  much  in  this  work 
that  will  be  new  to  the  reader,  and  that  it  merits  recognition  rather  for  what  it  con- 
tains than  for  what  has  been  omitted.  There  are  plenty  of  inconsistencies,  no 
doubt,  and  misstatements,  perhaps.  But  it  is  a  good  deal  to  expect  that  the 
writer  of  history  can  arrive  at  truth  in  incidents  wherein  principals  and  bystand- 
ers are  all  dead.  It  puzzles  any  one  who  drops  into  any  court  of  justice  to  sort 
the  truth  from  the  conflicting  testimony  of  witnesses  who  saw  the  self-same  thing 
happen  yesterday.  How  much  more  diflicult  is  the  task  of  the  assembler  of  facts 
for  a  local  history.  In  any  event  there  is  as  much  amusement  in  denying  as 
agreeing,  and  the  reader,  gentle  or  otherswise,  gets  his  money's  worth. 

If  there  have  been  matters  passed  over  without  mention  that  are  worthy 
extended  notice  in  any  history,  let  it  be  remembered  that  many  things  have  hap- 
pened in  Scott  county  since  Radisson  yearned  for  the  red  souls  of  its  inhabitants, 
and  that  the  comparative  estimate  of  values  is  the  sole  pleasure  of  the  writer  of 
history  and  may  be  exercised  by  anybody  who  can  find  a  publisher. 

Some  expert  who  has  given  the  matter  thought  says  no  man  has  a  right  to 
pen  history  unless  he  has  something  new  to  tell  or  a  new  way  of  telling  the  old. 
There  is  a  third  reason, — the  same  which  impelled  the  Galena  hotel  keeper  to 
charge  the  Prince  de  Joinville  $4.00  for  playing  one  tune  on  his  piano ;  the  same 
reason  which  caused  the  assistant  superintendent  of  a  New  Jersey  lunch  counter 
to  ask  $1.00  of  Bill  Nye  for  that  combination  of  sliced  ham  and  some  baker's 
absent  mindedness  known  on  the  road  as  a  boxing  glove. 

Schleiermacher,  the  great  philosopher,  draws  a  distinction  between  longitu- 
dinal and  transverse  views  of  any  series  of  historical  facts.  An  attempt  has  been 
made  in  this  work  to  combine  both  plans,  with  what  success  the  reader,  pugnacious 
or  otherwise,  may  judge. 

The  opportunity  offered  by  this  foreword  is  eagerly  embraced  to  acknowledge 
indebtedness.  First  of  all,  credit  for  the  finest  portion  of  this  work  must  go  to 
one  who  has  long  been  gone, — the  fine  old  pioneer,  surveyor,  linguist,  gentleman, 
Willard  Barrows,  and  in  lesser  measure  to  his  son,  B.  H.  Barrows,  once  of  Dav- 
enport, now  of  Omaha,  who  generously  gave  permission  for  reprinting  Willard 
Barrows'  history  in  these  words,  "I  not  only  do  not  see  any  objection  to  your 
using  any  of  my  father's  material  which  you  can  find,  but  I  should  be  very  glad 


14  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

indeed,  to  see  the  collection  of  his  historical  work  in  some  permanent  form,"  and 
finally  in  this  connection  the  writer's  personal  gratitude  is  expressed  to  the  pub- 
lishers of  this  work  for  being  willing  to  reprint  the  Barrows  history,  complete, 
unabridged,  unchanged,  without  modification  or  erasure,  an  adequate  recognition 
of  this  masterpiece  of  local  history  to  which  it  has  been  entitled  any  time  these 
fifty  years  and  which  has  not  been  before  accorded. 

By  way  of  tribute  to  the  memory  of  another  writer  gone  from  earth  it  should 
be  recorded  that  had  it  not  been  for  D.  N.  Richardson's  love  for  history,  his 
patient  untangling  of  historical  problems  and  his  abihty  to  coordinate  seemingly 
unrelated  facts,  supplemented  by  his  delightful  narration  of  matters  thus  ar- 
ranged, much  of  Scott  county  history  would  have  been  lost  beyond  recovery. 
There  are  many  others,  old  associates  on  the  Democrat,  the  Richardsons,  B.  F. 
Tillinghast,  J.  E.  Calkins,  Ralph  W.  Cram,  whose  chapter  on  the  Press  is  a  fea- 
ture of  this  work;  fellow  members  of  the  Press  Club,  W.  A.  Meese,  of  Moline, 
H.  P.  Simpson,  of  the  Rock  Island  Argus,  J.  E.  Hardman  and  Joe  Carmichael, 
of  the  Times,  Dr.  August  Richter  of  Der  Demokrat,  the  most  prolific  of  local 
historians,  Fred  B.  Sharon,  of  the  Messenger,  Adolph  Petersen  of  the  Iowa 
Reform,  whose  chapter  on  the  German  Impress  is  a  notable  portion  of  this  his- 
tory. When  this  is  read,  it  will  be  understood  by  the  distant  reader  why  Scott 
county  is  sometimes  spelled  Skat  county. 

The  permission  to  use  any  of  the  copyrighted  material  in  that  mine  of  local 
history  the  Half  Century  Democrat  is  only  an  added  instance  of  a  generosity 
which  has  never  failed  in  an  association  of  twenty-five  years. 

Thanks  are  due  to  Mrs.  Maria  Purdy  Peck  for  her  chapter  on  the  Public 
Library.  Those  who  know  this  gifted  writer  will  not  fail  to  identify  her  with 
the  Mrs.  W.  F.  Peck  who  took  such  large  part  in  making  library  history.  Prof. 
Frank  I.  Herriott,  a  resident  of  Scott  county  by  inheritance,  for  his  father  farmed 
near  Durant  before  the  citizens  of  Iowa  called  him  to  be  state  treasurer,  has  devel- 
oped something  in  regard  to  the  nomination  of  Abraham  Lincoln  that  has  escaped 
the  actual  dwellers  of  Scott  county.  For  this  analysis  of  a  hitherto  neglected 
incident  in  Iowa  political  history  he  has  our  gratitude. 

The  list  of  those  who  have  aided  in  producing  this  work  is  long  and  to  every 
one  thanks  are  due, — to  J.  B.  Young,  who  patiently  collected  material  for  the 
hitherto  unwritten  chapter  on  local  education,  to  J.  M.  Sherier  for  his  scientific 
and  interesting  chapter  on  climatology,  to  J.  H.  Paarmann,  curator  of  the  Dav- 
enport Academy  of  Sciences  and  Miss  Sarah  Foote-Sheldon,  corresponding 
secretary  of  that  institution,  to  Capt.  W.  L.  Clark,  for  his  interesting  interview. 
Col.  F.  E.  Hobbs,  commanding  Rock  Island  Arsenal,  Secretary  C.  A.  Steel  of 
the  Commercial  Club,  to  city  and  county  officials,  the  Davenport  Board  of  Park 
Commissioners,  to  Miss  Grace  D.  Rose,  librarian,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Louis  A.  Le- 
Claire,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  J.  McCullough,  Dr.  C.  H.  Preston,  C.  E.  Harrison,  W. 
C.  Mossman,  G.  E.  Hubbell,  Prin.  J.  A.  Hornby,  to  Supt.  F.  L.  Smart  and  Secre- 
tary J.  D.  McCoUister  of  the  Board  of  Education ;  and  finally  to  the  good  friend 
whose  name  has  been  omitted  and  whose  neglect  shall  seem  perfectly  inexcusable 
when  it  shall  be  made  apparent  by  sober  second  thought. 

H.  E.  Downer. 


CHAPTER  I. 
THE  STORY  OF  THE  ROCKS. 

FROM  CREATION  DAYS PREPARATION  OF  THE  EARTH  FOR  THE  ABODE  OF  MAN  BY  GLA- 

CIATION    AND  INUNDATION THE   PRE-GLACIAL  TOPOGRAPHY — THE    MISSISSIPPI 

OF  AGES  GONE THE  AGE  OF  THE  GREAT  ICE SCOTT  COUNTY^S  PERFECT  DRAINAGE 

A  WEALTH  OF  BUILDING  STONE THE  CARBONIFEROUS   STRATA  WHICH    HAVE 

BROUGHT  WEALTH GEOLOGICAL  SECTION  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY. 

When  the  six  great  creative  days  were  fully  ended  and  the  heavens  and  the 
earth  were  finished,  and  all  the  host  of  them,  when  the  evening  of  the  sixth  day 
brought  the  achievement  of  the  marvelous  work,  the  Book  records  that  the  Creator 
of  the  universe  rested  from  his  labors,  saw  everthing  that  he  had  made,  and  be- 
hold, it  was  very  good.  From  chaos,  formless  and  void,  had  come  through  omnis- 
cient plan  and  omnipotent  will  a  beautiful  planet,  fitted  for  the  home  of  man,  a 
sphere  which  swung  in  ether  in  perfect  poise  with  jarless  revolution  and  with 
certain  and  flawless  procession.  Upon  this  world  which  seemed  good  to  its 
Creator  appeared  continents,  seas,  islands  and  straits.  Had  there  been  a  spectator 
upon  a  neighboring  planet  when  this  earth  fresh  from  the  creative  process  took 
its  place  in  the  firmament,  to  him  the  western  continent  would  have  appeared 
but  an  island  circled  by  the  sea,  the  belt  of  land  which  was  to  be  in  after  years 
the  United  States  but  a  patch  of  greens  and  grays,  the  magnificent  Mississippi 
valley  a  blur  of  color  and  the  state  of  Iowa  an  indistinguished  item  in  the  har- 
monious whole.  Surely  the  abiding  place  of  our  love  and  pride  is  but  a  speck  in 
the  wide-unfolding  map  of  creation,  but  to  us  who  live  in  Iowa  there  is  nothing 
more  sure  than  this,  that  no  fairer  spot  exists  the  world  around  than  this  small 
portion  of  the  splendid  work  that  received  the  commendation  of  the  great  Archi- 
tect, and  to  those  who  live  in  Scott  county  there  is  also  the  surety  that  nowhere  in 
Iowa  has  the  Creator  more  kindly  planned  for  his  children  or  scattered  in  greater 
measure  the  blessings  of  his  good  will. 

For  the  story  of  the  preparation  of  the  world  to  be  the  abode  of  man  from 
fire  mist  to  finished  planet  we  must  go  to  the  geologists  and  learn  of  the  ages  of 
evolution  and  gradual  change  which  stretched  through  time  and  into  a  seeming 
eternity  measured  only  by  the  stupendous  span  of  the  great  creative  days  of  the 


18  •  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Almighty.  To  them  it  is  given  to  read  the  book  of  creation  in  the  everlasting  hills, 
to  glean  history  from  eroded  valleys  and  learn  in  stratifications  of  the  living 
things  which  enjoyed  life  in  this  region  when  it  was  under  seas.  Under  Iowa 
prairies  and  by  the  banks  of  Iowa  streams  have  been  found  most  illuminating 
records  of  the  ages  when  the  rocky  foundations  of  Iowa  were  being  laid  and  of 
the  later  ages  when  this  substructure  was  being  covered  by  glacial  drift  and  lev- 
eled in  prairied  sweep  from  great  river  to  great  river.  Prof.  Samuel  Calvin 
says:  "In  no  part  of  the  world  are  certain  chapters  of  the  Pleistocene  record 
clearer,  or  fraught  with  greater  interest  than  in  our  fair  Iowa."  This  geological 
eminence  Scott  county  shares  with  the  remainder  of  the  commonwealth,  but 
there  is  also  an  especial  distinction  all  our  own.  Prof.  W.  H.  Norton  writes  in 
the  report  of  the  Iowa  geological  survey :  "In  the  diversity  and  interest  of  its  de- 
posits of  glacial  drift,  Scott  county  is  hardly  surpassed  by  any  area  of  equal  size 
in  the  United  States.  Lost  pages  of  Pleistocene  history  are  here  recoverable,  and 
evidence  is  at  hand  which  may  help  to  solve  questions  of  long  dispute  in  glacial 
geology." 

In  its  long  preparation  for  human  habitation,  its  endowment  with  a  climate 
of  pleasing  and  healthful  variety,  soil  of  unexcelled  richness  and  water  in  abun- 
dance, this  favored  corner  of  the  earth  has  passed  through  a  most  remarkable  ex- 
perience. It  has  been  under  the  ice  not  once  but  four  times.  It  has  been  under 
the  sea  no  one  knows  how  many  times.  It  has  been  traversed  by  great  rivers. 
It  has  been  covered  by  strange  tropical  forests  and  through  its  savannas  have 
roamed  animals  of  strange  form  and  uncouth  appearance.  As  a  possible  human 
habitat  it  is  very  old. 

STRANGE  CLIMATIC  CHANGES. 

Wise  as  are  the  geologists  and  much  as  they  can  read  in  the  rocks  and  run- 
ning brooks  they  cannot  tell  us  what  changed  the  climate  of  Iowa  from  the 
warmth  and  grateful  fruitfulness  of  the  Carboniferous  period  to  the  frigidity  of 
glacial  days  which  chilled  and  killed  all  life,  the  stricken  land  with  its  vernal 
crown  of  grass  and  woods  finding  burial  under  ice  of  such  thickness  that  material 
brought  from  the  north  by  the  slowly  creeping  ice  sheet  was  deposited  as  soil  many 
yards  in  depth  upon  the  rocks  beneath.  What  disarrangement  of  ocean  currents, 
of  polar  winds  or  aberration  of  axis  inclination  or  orbit  was  responsible  we  do 
not  know,  but  there  is  told  in  the  rocks  and  soil  of  Scott  county  the  story  of 
fearful  storms  of  ice  and  snow  lasting  thousands  of  years  which  piled  the  ice  in 
mountain  semblance  in  a  grinding  glacier  sheet  that  made  soil  in  tremendous 
fashion  from  the  material  frozen  in  the  stream  of  ice  and  the  material  that  lay 
beneath.  And  this  cycle  of  growth  and  destruction  was  repeated  time  and  again. 
The  creative  plan  seems  to  have  contemplated  the  devastating  forces  of  storm, 
glaciation  and  inundation  in  the  preparation  of  the  richest  soils  and  most  beautiful 
arrangement  of  land  and  water  forms  in  this  region  most  fit  for  the  abode  of 
man. 

Scott  county  long  ago  attracted  the  attention  of  Scientific  men  through  the 
interest  and  importance  of  is  geologic  phenomena.  Within  its  narrow  borders 
outcrop  the  stratifications  of  three  great  geological  series — the  Silurian,  the  De- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  19 

vonian  and  the  Carboniferous.  These  formations  have  contributed  greatly  to  the 
county's  wealth  and  population  through  the  economic  value  of  the  industries 
arising  therefrom,  mines  of  coal  and  clay,  quarries  of  stone  for  lime,  for  building-, 
for  road  making  and  for  concrete  construction.  Even  as  here  within  the  county 
appear  these  three  great  geological  systems,  there  are  also  here  the  borders  of  the 
drift  of  three  of  the  continental  glaciers  which  invaded  Iowa.  Here  are  plains  o£ 
alluvium  and  glacial  drift  untouched  by  crumbling  erosion.  Here  are  other 
plains  scored  and  roughened  by  the  action  of  water,  rocky  gorges  chiseled  by 
rivers  in  their  geologic  youth  with  much  rough  work  ahead,  rolling  stretches  of 
frontal  loess  moraines, — all  contours  which  lend  variety  to  the  landscape  and  in- 
terest to  the  searcher  after  the  story  of  the  rocks.  Here  in  our  county  the  great 
Mississippi  and  its  tributary,  the  Wapsipinicon,  aided  by  the  smaller  streams 
which  flow  to  them  have  dissected  the  covering  of  the  underlying  rocks  mak- 
ing easy  the  examination  of  the  indurated  formations  thus  exposed  and  also  af- 
fording opportunity  to  study  the  Pleistocene  deposits.  The  opportunities  which 
nature  has  furnished  in  gorge  and  scarp  and  hillside  ledge  have  been  added  to  by 
mines  and  wells  and  quarries,  by  railway  cuts  and  the  grading  of  city  streets. 

In  1852  David  Dale  Owen  told  of  the  geologic  richness  of  this  county  in  pub- 
lishing the  results  of  his  surveys  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  paying  especial  at- 
tention to  the  fossils  of  Davenport  and  Buffalo.  A  few  years  later  Hall  and 
Whitney  gave  great  space  to  the  peculiar  features  of  Scott  county  in  the  published 
account  of  their  survey.  Out  of  thirty-three  species  of  Devonian  fossils  listed  in 
their  search  eighteen  were  credited  to  Scott  county  and  six  to  contiguous  Illinois 
territory.  The  Academy  of  Sciences  at  Davenport  has  a  great  collection  of 
the  fossils  of  the  county,  notable  contributors  being  A.  S.  Tiffany  and  Rev.  Dr. 
W.  H.  Barris.  The  rich  fauna  of  the  submerged  era  has  been  described  by 
Barris,  Worthen,  Meek  and  Lindahl.  Much  has  been  written  of  the  glacial 
deposits  of  the  county  by  McGee,  McWhorter,  Pratt,  Calvin,  Bain,  Leverett  and 
Udden.  and  of  the  older  formations  by  Barris,  Tiffany,  Calvin,  Norton,  Udden 
and  Keyes. 

CONSTRUCTIVE   AND   EROSIVE   FORCES. 

The  variation  in  the  topography  of  Scott  county,  even  as  elsewhere,  is  the 
result  of  two  differing  forces,  the  constructive  and  erosive.  To  the  former  be- 
long aggraded  stream  valleys,  the  uneroded  remnants  of  drift  plains  and  the 
hills  of  the  lowan  frontier  or  border,  of  one  of  the  great  glaciers  which  reached 
no  farther  south  than  the  northern  boundary  of  Scott  county.  All  other  relief 
forms  are  due  to  the  action  of  nmning  water,  to  rain  wash  or  the  composite  action 
Icnown  as  weathering.  The  lowan  frontier  separates  two  essentially  different 
topographies.  To  the  north  the  surface  is  modeled,  to  the  south  it  is  carved.  It 
has  been  decided  by  geologists  that  the  pre-glacial  surface  of  the  county  was  not 
dissimilar  to  its  present  condition  in  this  respect,  that  most  of  the  valleys  of  the 
streams  were  cut  before  the  soft  yellow  loam  which  everywhere  covers  the  sur- 
face was  laid  down,  as  it  descends  the  hill-sides  like  a  mantle  well  down  to  the 
creek  bottoms.  In  this  degree  the  topography  is  constructive  only,  modified  by 
erosive  influence  where  the  loess  has  been  dissected  by  a  water  course  of  minor 


20  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

importance.  Where  this  loess  is  of  sufficient  thickness  the  dissection  is  most 
intricate. 

There  have  been  discriminated  in  Scott  county  three  topographic  areas  of 
different  ages,  the  lowan  area,  the  IlHnoian  plain  and  Kansan  upland.  The 
lowan  area  is  one  of  extreme  geological  youth.  The  Illinoian  plain  is  but  slightly 
older,  the  original  plain  persisting  even  to  the  master  streams,  its  edge  being 
merely  nibbled  by  erosion.  From  an  inland  view-point,  the  channel  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi disappears  from  vision  and  the  eye  sweeps  a  level  range  that  takes  in  the 
corresponding  plain  in  Illinois  as  a  part  of  an  undivided  whole.  According  to 
the  map  of  the  United  States  geological  survey  one  may  travel  from  the  Green 
Tree  tavern  north  and  west  fourteen  miles  to  Walcott  and  not  have  changed  his 
elevation  above  sea  level  more  than  twenty  feet  in  traversing  the  distance.  The 
Kansan  upland  is  of  greater  age  and  shows  more  deeply  the  effects  of  erosion, 
the  streams  having  wider  valleys  and  the  hills  the  rounded  summits  which  tell 
of  age  and  the  wear  of  the  elements. 

The  fourth  glacial  invasion,  which  was  called  the  lowan,  reached  the  northern 
boundary  of  Scott  county  and  the  topography  of  the  northern  portion  of  the  county 
was  caused  by  this  glaciation,  the  southern  extension  of  the  lowan  drift  plain 
and  its  frontier  in  the  northern  row  of  townships  being  marked  by  the  charac- 
teristic formation  known  to  geologists  as  paha.  These  are  boat  shaped  hills 
composed  of  water-laid  sand  and  silt  and  in  part  of  glacial  deposit,  the  whole 
molded  into  characteristic  shape  by  the  ice,  the  longer  axis  trending  northwest- 
southeast.  Sometimes  the  paha  assume  the  form  of  long,  low  swells ;  sometimes 
they  are  individuated  into  separate  hills  several  of  which  may  be  strung  along  a 
common  axis.  As  the  composition  changes  from  loess  to  sand  the  form  changes 
to  the  irregular  hills  of  Butler  township,  and  the  long  sandy  ridge  of  the  Wapsi- 
pinicon  plain  in  Princeton  township.  Below  this  region  of  the  paha  the  county 
may  be  considered  as  at  one  time  c(!)vered  by  an  approximately  level  plain  of 
glacial  deposit  which  was  deeply  eroded  in  places  and  still  later  covered  by  the 
fairly  uniform  mantle  of  yellow  loess  or  loam  of  which  mention  has  already  been 
made. 

The  report  of  the  Iowa  geological  survey  for  this  county,  written  by 
Prof.  W.  H.  Norton,  has  a  paragraph  telling  of  the  appearance  of  things  in 
the  far-distant  days  before  the  coming  of  the  first  glacier :  "A  very  slight 
investigation  suffices  to  show  that  the  pre-glacial  topography  was  widely  differ- 
ent from  that  which  meets  the  eye  today.  Rivers  ran  hundreds  of  feet  below  the 
present  surface.  Hills  relatively  high  stood  where  the  level  prairie  now  stretches 
to  the  horizon.  Were  the  cover  of  drift  removed  from  the  underlying  rocks, 
their  surface  would  be  found  rugged  and  hilly,  deeply  scored  with  manifold  ra- 
vines, and  trenched  by  river  valleys  deeper  than  that  of  the  Mississippi,  and  as 
wide.  But  it  is  scarcely  practicable  to  draw  the  details  of  that  ancient  sur- 
face. For  the  most  part  we  must  rely  on  the  records  of  the  wells  which  have 
been  sunk  in  the  past  few  years.  It  is  a  familiar  fact  that  the  well  driller  finds 
the  distance  to  rock  far  from  equal  even  from  the  same  level.  In  one  section 
the  drill  grinds  on  the  native  rock  within  fifty  feet  from  the  surface ;  a  mile  or  so 
away,  rock  is  only  found  within  300  feet  from  about  an  equal  eleva- 
tion.    These  deep  depressions,  now  plastered  over  with  glacial  mud,  were  cut 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  23 

by  running  water.  They  are  not  local  discontinuous  pits.  They  join  and  form 
continuous  valleys  cut  out  by  ancient  rivers.  Accordingly  the  deepest  drift  wells 
are  not  found  in  clusters  but  in  lines." 

AN    ANCIENT    PRE-GLACIAL    RIVER. 

Perhaps  the  most  interesting  statement  in  Professor  Norton's  paragraph  has 
to  do  with  the  ancient,  pre-glacial  river  bed  larger  than  that  of  the  Mississippi 
as  we  know  it.  The  credit  of  the  discovery'  of  this  long  choked  water  way  has 
been  given  to  two  scientists  who  approached  it  from  different  quarters  and  traced 
it  with  comparative  corroboration — Udden  and  Leverett.  This  stream  seems  to 
have  left  the  present  bed  of  the  Mississippi  at  the  mouth  of  the  Maquoketa  river, 
to  have  come  past  Goose  lake  and  Brophy's  creek  to  the  valley  of  the  Wapsi- 
pinicon,  thence  across  Scott  county  in  broad  and  generous  fashion  by  Durant  and 
Wilton,  on  through  Muscatine  county  and  to  the  Mississippi  channel  again  near 
the  present  location  of  Fort  Madison.  The  magnificent  valley  of  this  noble  pre- 
glacial  stream  is  occupied  by  an  unambitious  affluent  of  the  Wapsipinicon  called 
Mud  creek,  a  stream  of  a  few  rods  width  at  its  mouth  and  having  a  depth  of  a 
few  feet.  This  broad  and  spacious  valley  is  bordered  by  hills  with  the  gentle 
slope,  indicating  age.  They  are  loess  covered,  as  is  the  flood  plain.  Near  Durant 
the  ancient  watercourse  occupied  a  valley  from  two  to  three  miles  in  width  and 
the  town  is  located  on  an  island  where  the  river  divided.  Three  miles  from  Du- 
rant is  found  the  almost  imperceptible  divide  which  separates  the  territory  now 
drained  by  Mud  creek  from  the  valley  of  Elkhorn  creek  a  tributary  of  the  Cedar 
river.  To  the  observer  who  follows  the  course  of  this  ancient  river  it  becomes 
easily  certain  that  the  two  creeks  which  occupy  this  river  valley  never  created  it. 

Some  have  surmised  that  in  this  channel  there  once  flowed  the  river  which 
in  bygone  ages  was  the  forerunner  of  the  Mississippi.  At  one  time  the  Illinoian 
glacier  encroached  upon  the  present  soil  of  Iowa  and  this  river  may  have  been 
pushed  over  from  its  former  bed  which  at  that  time  lay  to  the  eastward  of 
the  Mississippi  channel  as  we  know  it.  Later  the  lowan  glacier  crowded  the 
stream  back  to  the  eastward  and  the  Cleona  channel,  as  geologists  call  it,  was 
filled  by  glacial  deposits  from  this  later  invasion.  This  supposition  lacks  entire 
confirmation,  as  the  records  of  deep  wells  which  have  been  sunk  in  that  region 
furnish  proof  that  the  ancient  river  bed  antedates  the  Illinoian  glacier  by  a 
great  length  of  time.  It  is  to  this  deep  channel  of  this  ancient  river  that  Scott 
county  owes  its  richness  in  Pleistocene  history,  for  it  is  in  such  deep  valleys  where 
glaciers  must  deposit  and  where  they  can  least  erode  that  the  record  of  glacial 
days  has  been  laid  down.  Perhaps  it  will  be  well  to  take  from  scientific  sources 
the  sequence  of  events  in  Iowa  during  the  age  of  the  Great  Ice. 

WHEN  THE  GLACIERS   CAME. 

First. — An  invasion  by  glacial  ice  from  the  north,  perhaps  an  extension  of  the 
Kewatin  ice  sheet  whose  center  of  dispersion  lay  west  of  Hudson  bay.  Little  is 
known  of  the  till  deposited  by  this  invasion,  and  it  is  termed  for  the  present  the 
Pre-Kansan  drift  sheet. 


24  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Second. — A  stage  of  deglaciation,  the  Aftonian,  during  which  the  glaciers  re- 
treated, probably  beyond  the  limits  of  the  state. 

Third. — A  second  and  more  formidable  invasion  by  the  Kewatin  glacier  which 
pushed  the  ice  front  south  to  the  Missouri  river.  This  stage  and  the  drift  sheet 
then  deposited  are  known  as  the  Kansan. 

Fourth. — A  second  stage  of  deglaciation,  the  Yarmouth,  during  which  the  land 
left  bare  by  the  retreat  of  the  ice  far  to  the  south  weathered  into  rich  soils  of 
prairie  and  forest. 

Fifth. — A  third  ice  invasion,  the  Illinoian,  entering  Iowa  from  the  east  and 
occupying  a  narrow  strip  of  country  along  the  Mississippi  extending  from  the 
Wapsipinicon  south  nearly  to  the  Des  Moines. 

Sixth. — A  third  stage  of  deglaciation,  the  Sangamon,  during  which  the  drift 
sheet  left  by  the  retreat  of  the  Illinoian  ice  weathered  into  soil  and  was  covered 
with  peat  swamps,  savannas  and  forests. 

Seventh. — A  fourth  ice  invasion,  the  lowan,  coming  from  the  north  and  extend- 
ing on  its  eastern  margin  as  far  south  as  Scott  county.  Southward  from  the 
front  of  the  lowan  ice  was  laid  down  in  some  manner,  at  present  undetermined, 
a  silt  called  the  lowan  loess. 

Eighth. — A  fourth  stage  of  deglaciation  and  soil  formation,  the  Peorian. 

Ninth. — A  fifth  ice  invasion,  the  Wisconsin,  confined  in  Iowa  to  the  central 
portions  of  the  state,  and  extending  as  far  south  as  Des  Moines. 

Of  the  nine  stages  just  enumerated  records  of  all  are  believed  to  exist  in  Scott 
county  with  the  exception  of  the  last  two,  the  Wisconsin  and  the  Peorian. 

From  the  deep  wells  which  have  been  sunk  in  the  Cleona  channel  came  the 
dense,  f^aky  bluish-black  till  which  is  characteristic  of  the  Pre-Kansan.  Overlying 
this  and  under  the  drift  of  the  Kansan  are  heavy  layers  of  sand  and  gravel.  The 
Kansan  till  which  overlies  the  gravel  in  these  wells  comes  to  the  surface  as  the 
Kansan  upland  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county.  It  is  a  mixture  of 
boulders,  cobbles,  pebbles,  sand,  rockmeal  and  clay,  the  grist  of  the  glacial  mill. 
This  dumping  of  glacial  freight  is  a  thorough  mixture.  In  a  cut  on  the  line  of 
the  Burlington,  Cedar  Rapids  and  Northern  road  west  of  Davenport.  Professor 
Norton  counted  these  "erratics,"  and  found  fifty-one  per  cent  granitoids,  thirty- 
seven  per  cent  carboniferous  sandstone  and  limestone,  ten  per  cent  greenstones 
and  two  per  cent  quartzites.  In  Liberty  township  nuggets  of  native  copper  have 
been  discovered  in  this  glacial  drift.  Inasmuch  as  the  rate  of  progress  of  modern 
glaciers  confined  to  narrow  channels  is  but  a  few  inches  a  year  the  time  it  must 
have  taken  the  diffused  Kansan  ice  sheet  to  bring  this  consignment  of  copper 
from  its  Lake  Superior  home  to  Scott  county  is  a  matter  to  wonder  upon. 

When  this  great  Kewatin  ice  sheet  retreated  from  Iowa,  Scott  county  was 
neglected  in  the  distribution  of  its  largess  of  gravel.  For  the  making  of  Scott 
county  roads  it  has  been  necessary  to  go  over  county  lines  and  import  the  Kansan 
gravels  in  which  other  portions  of  the  state  are  rich.  The  Kansan  glacier  left  to 
Scott  county  its  fine-ground  grist  of  blue  clay  which  in  time  bore  savannas  of 
grass  and  forests  of  trees.  These  buried  soils  with  their  vegetation  have  been 
noted  by  glaciologists  at  various  localities  in  the  county,  overlying  the  blue  clay  of 
the  Kansan  drift  and  under  the  yellow  clay  of  the  Illinoian. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  25 

It  was  only  a  narrow  strip  of  Iowa  which  was  comphmented  by  a  visit  from  the 
IlHnoian  glacier.  This  narrow  belt  stretches  along  the  Mississippi  from  the 
Wapsipinicon  to  Fort  Madison.  This  invasion  from  the  east  left  its  record  in  a 
peculiar  and  characteristic  till  which  has  been  brought  to  light  by  excavations  at 
Sixth  and  Harrison  streets,  at  Eighth  and  Marquette  streets  in  Davenport  and  in 
ravines  two  miles  south  of  Blue  Grass. 

The  latest  glacier  to  visit  Scott  county  hesitated  upon  the  northern  thresh- 
old, giving  to  the  northern  tier  of  townships  their  peculiar  topography  and  to 
the  whole  county  the  inexhaustible  mantle  of  fine  silico-argillaceous  silt  known 
as  the  lowan  loess.  Near  the  lowan  margin  it  attains  a  depth  of  forty  or  fifty  feet. 
Along  the  Mississippi  its  thickness  is  perhaps  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  and  in  the 
interior  of  the  county  fifteen  to  twenty  feet.  This  is  the  soil  which  has  ranked  in 
fertility  with  the  alluvium  of  the  bottom  lands  and  has  constantly  produced  wealth 
for  its  owners.    It  was  laid  down  in  glacial  waters  in  a  manner  not  yet  understood. 

The  drainage  of  Scott  county  may  be  considered  perfect,  as  no  portion 
within  county  borders  is  more  than  eleven  miles  from  one  of  the  master  streams, 
the  Mississippi  and  its  tributary  the  Wapsipinicon.  Something  more  than  one- 
half  of  the  territory  is  drained  by  the  affluents  of  the  Wapsie,  as  this  river  is 
locally  known.  Geologists  have  found  much  to  interest  them  in  tracing  the 
channels  of  the  mighty  Mississippi.  The  one  known  as  the  Cleona  channel  has 
already  been  mentioned.  Nearly  cotemporary  with  this  channel  they  place  the 
present  channel  from  Sabula  to  Clinton.  The  channel  now  known  as  the 
Marais  D'Ogee,  or  Meredosia  and  the  Rock  river  valley  is  so  recent  in  occupa- 
tion that  the  great  river  still  sends  a  portion  bf  its  water  by  that  route  at  time 
of  highest  flood.  A  slight  disturbance  of  present  conditions  would  be  sufficient 
to  send  the  great  stream  back  to  the  bed  which  it  so  lately  deserted,  speaking 
in  geological  phrase. 

THE    ROCKY   SUBSTRUCTURE. 

Students  of  geology  have  found  no  tr^ce  of  the  rocks  of  the  Azoic  age  in 
Scott  county.  The  deepest  wells  that  have  been  drilled  have  ended  in  the  strata 
of  sandstone  which  formed  the  bed  of  the  ocean  at  some  bygone  time.  The 
only  specimens  of  the  igneous  formations  are  the  boulders  and  cobbles  brought 
in  as  freight  by  some  predatory  glacier.  None  of  the  stratification  of  the  Lower 
Silurian  has  here  been  found  and  only  the  Niagara  limestone  of  the  Upper  Si- 
lurian system  of  the  Palaeozoic  group.  The  Devonian  system  is  represented  by 
the  Dielasma  beds,  the  Spirifer  Parryanus  beds,  the  Upper  Davenport,  Lower 
Davenport,  Independence  and  Otis.  The  Carboniferous  outcrops  in  the  upper 
coal  measures.  The  Pleistocene  system  of  the  Cenozoic  group  is  in  evidence  in 
the  glacial  drift  of  the  recurring  ice  invasions. 

The  great  w^ealth  of  building  stone  in  the  county  belongs  to  the  upper  or 
Gower  stage  of  the  Niagara  limestones,  the  lower  or  Delaware  stage  not  hav- 
ing been  found  locally.  In  Scott  county  there  are  two  distinct  types  of  the 
Gower  stone,  the  pure,  hard  crystalline  dolomite,  known  as  LeClaire  stone,  which 
is  free  from  chert  and  admirably  adapted  to  the  manufacture  of  lime  and  the 
light  buflF  granular  dolomite,  evenly  bedded  in  a  stratified  formation  lending  it- 


26  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

self  readily  to  building  purposes,  the  latter  known  as  Anamosa  stone.  The 
LeClaire  limestone  is  chemically  a  double  carbonate  of  lime  and  magnesia,  a 
pure  dolomite,  free  from  the  ordinary  argillaceous,  ferrous  and  siHcious  impuri- 
ties. Its  normal  color  is  a  light  bluish-gray,  varying  to  almost  white  and  also 
to  darker  shades.  While  not  well  adapted  for  building,  it  is  unsurpassed  in  the 
whole  geologic  category  for  the  manufacture  of  lime.  This  formation  nowhere 
in  Scott  county  reaches  the  thickness  of  the  Linn  county  beds  where  it  has 
been  observed  ninety  feet  thick. 

Very  valuable  to  the  resident  of  the  county  have  been  the  deposits  of  the 
soft  granular  Anamosa  stone.  It  lies  in  even,  horizontal  layers  and  is  ready  for 
laying  into  wall  with  a  minimum  of  work  in  quarrying.  This  formation  is  at 
its  best  in  this  county  in  the  region  about  LeClaire  where  the  stone  differs  little 
from  the  typical  quarries  near  Anamosa  except  in  less  frequent  lamination  and 
a  deeper  shade  of  buflf. 

The  Otis  limestone,  the  rarest  of  the  Devonian  system,  non-magnesian, 
dense,  of  the  finest  grain,  and  yielding  a  fair  quaUty  of  lithographic  material, 
is  found  in  Scott  county,  but  not  in  great  quantities.  The  Independence  shale, 
a  rough  brown  iron  stained  limestone,  crops  out  in  Pleasant  Valley  township 
in  layers  from  two  to  four  inches  thick  and  carrying  nodules  of  flint. 

It  is  in  the  Lower  Davenport  beds  of  the  Devonian  that  the  quarries  at 
Bettendorf  and  near  Camp  McClellan  have  been  operating.  It  is  through  the 
Lower  Davenport  beds  that  Duck  creek  cut  the  romantic  gorge  at  Devil's  Glen. 
This  same  formation  is  also  found  at  the  West  Davenport  quarries  where  it  is 
overlaid  by  the  upper  Davenport  beds.  The  workmen  can  tell  by  the  ring  of 
the  steel  when  they  have  reached  the  end  of  one  formation  and  are  beginning 
upon  the  other.  The  beds  of  the  upper  Davenport  are  rich  in  coral  fossils  while 
the  other  beds  are  non-fossil-bearing.  The  upper  Davenport  is  highly  fossilifer- 
ous,  certain  layers  being  a  coquina  of  brachiopod  shells  so  firmly  cemented  that 
fossils  are  disengaged  with  difficulty  and  rarely  in  good  condition.  The  entire 
thickness  of  the  beds  is  perhaps  fifteen  feet.  The  fossil  fauna  of  these  beds  have 
been  collected  with  great  pains  and  have  been  studied  for  many  years  by  members 
of  the  Davenport  Academy  of  Sciences.  In  its  publications  appear  lists  of  species 
with  descriptions  of  those  most  characteristic  of  this  locality.  There  have  been 
more  than  thirty  species,  Molluscan,  Crustacean  and  Crinoidean  noted  and 
classified  by  the  scientists  of  the  academy, 

ROCKS  CROWDED  WITH  FOSSILS. 

Along  the  river  road  near  Buffalo  may  be  found  culverts  built  of  rock  which 
is  fairly  crowded  with  fossils.  This  rock  comes  from  the  Cedar  Valley  lime- 
stone strata  which  has  made  the  region  about  Bufifalo  classic  ground  for  the 
paleontologist.  Large  collections  have  been  made  from  these  beds  including 
the  type  specimens  of  a  number  of  species.  There  is  a  fairly  well  defined  basal 
bed  some  thirty  feet  in  thickness  consisting  of  lime  stones  more  or  less  argil- 
laceous, and  calcareous  shales  normally  blue  in  color,  but  deeply  weathered  to 
buff  and  brown.  The  layers  which  have  attracted  the  most  attention  are  largely 
made  up  of  fragments  of  crinoid  stems.     This  stone  is  capable  of  high  polish 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  27 

and  slabs  so  finished  have  been  called  Buffalo  marble  by  those  not  over  particu- 
lar in  geologic  niceties. 

The  carboniferous  strata  of  Scott  county  are  separated  from  the  great  coal 
fields  of  Illinois  of  which  they  really  form  a  part  by  the  narrow  trench  of  the 
Mississippi  river  which  is  a  late  comer  into  these  regions  in  comparison  with 
the  coal  measures  which  were  laid  down  by  the  sea  in  the  long  gone  ages  of 
creation.  The  richest  deposits  lie  in  Buffalo  township,  although  there  are  val- 
uable outliers  in  other  portions  of  the  county,  largely  undeveloped  and  only 
awaiting  the  necessity  through  the  failure  of  other  sources  of  supply  for  being 
worked.  Carboniferous  deposits  have  been  found  in  so  many  wells  and  quar- 
ries that  it  is  not  difficult  to  theorize  that  practically  the  whole  county  once  lay 
beneath  the  Carboniferous  sea  and  was  covered  with  a  continuous  veneer  of  its 
offshore  silts.  In  his  report  Prof.  Norton  tells  of  the  uneven  surface  upon 
which  the  carboniferous  muds  and  sands  were  laid,  of  channels  and  caverns 
cut  by  running  water  in  the  Niagara  limestone  more  than  200  feet  deep.  "Since 
the  coal  measure  outliers  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county  rest  immediately 
and  unconformably  on  Silurian  strata,  we  may  infer  that  the  rocks  of  that  area 
had  formed  a  land  area  during  Devonian  times  and  had  been  sculptured  by 
running  water  with  a  maximum  relief  of  about  200  feet.  With  the  coming  in 
of  the  Des  Moines  stage  of  the  Carboniferous  a  progressive  depression  of  the 
land  from  the  south  northward  brought  in  the  Carboniferous  sea,  at  least  into 
the  deeper  valleys,  if  not  over  the  entire  surface."  Evidently  when  nature 
writes  her  book,  she  is  in  no  hurry  to  turn  a  page.  Here  is  the  record  of  one 
incident,  the  preparation  of  the  surface  for  the  carboniferous  transformation 
which  included  the  gathering  together  of  soil,  the  growth  of  tremendous  for- 
ests, their  inundation  and  burial  beneath  immense  weight  of  sand,  clay  and 
gravel,  where  pressure  and  heat  brought  forth  coal.  This  one  incident  com- 
prises the  carving  out  of  a  channel  by  running  water  in  limestone  strata  200 
feet  deep.  This  is  an  unimportant  incident  to  the  geologist.  Verily  the  crea- 
tions of  the  imagination  are  as  nothing  to  the  eternal  verities  of  the  student 
of  earth  structure. 

The  carboniferous  deposits  of  the  county  consist  chiefly  of  shales  with  some 
sandstone,  fire  clay  and  iron  stone,  argillaceous,  bituminous  limestones  and  dis- 
continuous seams  of  coal. 

SOME  DEEP  WELLS. 

Davenport  has  been  for  years  the  artesian  city  of  the  state,  through  the  num- 
ber of  deep  wells  which  have  been  bored.  These  range  in  depth  from  the  most 
shallow,  the  well  at  Witt's  bottling  works,  780  feet,  to  those  of  more  than  2,100 
feet  at  the  plant  of  the  Corn  Products  company.  These  deep  borings  have 
given  great  opportunity  to  study  the  portion  of  the  earth's  crust  upon  which 
we  live.  Prof.  J.  A.  Udden,  of  Augustana  college,  Rock  Island,  has  collected 
and  collated  a  vast  amount  of  information  from  the  records  of  fourteen  wells  dug 
in  the  three  cities  of  Davenport.  Rock  Island  and  Moline,  and  has  constructed 
from  the  data  a  geological  section  which  must  so  nearly  approximate  the  truth 
that  there  is  no  room  for  doubt. 


28  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Formation                                                                           Thickness  Kiev.  A.  T. 

14  Devonian 55  5^0 

13  Niagara    340  160 

12  Maquoketa    223  —63 

II  Galena    244  —307 

10  Trenton    lOO  —40?  ■  • 

9  Shale    41  —443 

8  Sandstone    7^  —524 

7  Shale    66  —590 

6  Lower    Magnesian    80a  — 1,390 

5  Sandy    Shale    35  —1427 

4  Arenaceous    Limestone    27  — 1,452 

3  Sandstone    ••••• I45  — 1>597 

2  Calcareous  Shale   75  —1,672 

I  Sandstone    97  —1,769 

Numbers  1-5  are  referred  by  Professor  Udden  to  the  Potsdam,  and  numbers 
7-9  are  included  in  the  St.  Peter. 

The  sinking  of  so  many  deep  wells  in  Davenport  has  seemed  a  curious  feature 
of  municipal  growth  to  strangers,  inasmuch  as  there  tiows  before  the  doors  of 
the  city  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  pure,  sweet,  soft  water,  which  is  furnished  to 
Davenport  citizens  by  a  pumping  plant  of  great  excellence  and  in  a  condition  of 
sparkling  limpidity  after  being  treated  in  a  filter  of  such  quality  and  completeness 
that  it  is  known  the  world  around.  It  is  simply  that  large  consumers  have  found 
it  economical  to  sink  the  wells  rather  than  to  pay  the  water  rates  made  necessary 
by  the  expense  of  transforming  river  water  into  the  product  marketed. 

At  Linwood  near  Buffalo  one  of  the  features  of  a  beautiful  picnic  park  upon 
the  shore  of  the  Mississippi  is  an  artesian  well,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  state. 
It  has  been  running  forty  years  from  a  depth  of  800  feet.  The  water  is  strongly 
sulphurated  and  in  the  past  attracted  to  a  sanitarium  there  located  many  health 
seekers.    The  vein  of  water  was  struck  while  drilling  for  oil. 


MOUND  POTTERY 
Collection  of  Davenport  Academy  of  Sciences 


CHAPTER  11. 
THE  EARLIEST  DWELLERS. 

THE  CENTRAL  ATTRACTION  IN  THE  MUSEUM  OF  THE  DAVENPORT  ACADEMY  OF  SCI- 
ENCES  THE  ELUSIVE  AUTOCHTHON THE  MOUND  BUILDER's  CLAIMS  TO  INTER- 
EST  HIS  TEXTILE  SKILL COTTON  MATHER  HAZARDS  AN  OPINION MOUND  POT- 
TERY OF  ALL  KINDS ^EFFIGY  PIPES,  ESPECIALLY  THE  ELEPHANTS THE  BUREAU 

OF    ETHNOLOGY    AND    THE    ACADEMY    OF    SCIENCES PROF.    SEYFFARTH's    CON- 
CLUSIONS. 

Occupying  the  place  of  honor  in  the  center  of  the  semicircular  hall  of  the 
Academy  of  Sciences  at  Davenport  are  relics  and  remains  of  a  departed  race 
who  may  be  considered  the  earliest  inhabitants  of  Scott  county.  For  lack  of 
better  name  we  call  them  Mound  Builders.  Long  years  ago  they  selected  this 
beautiful  location  as  their  home,  erected  their  habitations  and  means  of  de- 
fense, practiced  their  religion,  developed  their  civilization,  lived  their  lives  and 
departed.  No  one  knows  their  coming  and  no  man  can  tell  their  going.  Their 
racial  unity  is  a  matter  of  conjecture  and  the  title  by  which  they  called  them- 
selves is  a  mystery.  Mound  Builder  will  do  as  well  as  any  other  until  their 
hieroglyphics  can  be  unriddled  by  some  future  archaeologist.  Do  we  not  call 
the  Deutsch,  Germans,  and  the  Cymri,  Welsh?  The  Mound  Builder  has  no 
cause  for  quarrel.  There  is  no  written  history  to  teach  us  better,  not  even 
tradition  to  guide  to  definiteness.  The  archaeologist  or  anthropologist  who 
would  learn  of  primitive  Iowa  races,  their  origin  and  affiHations,  has  so  little 
to  guide  him  that  serious  conclusions  are  impossible.  Where  he  finds  an  early 
people,  there  is  sure  to  be  an  indication  that  these  have  been  preceded  by  others 
of  greater  antiquity. 

So  it  has  been  the  world  around.  This  historian  in  his  search  for  the  earliest 
inhabitant  is  constantly  finding  evidence  of  racial  occupation  antedating  the 
epoch  of  which  he  feels  he  has  some  knowledge.  The  Israelites  wandering  from 
their  native  land  found  each  country  people  by  an  older  race.  The  Aryans 
swarming  from  the  ancient  hive  in  central  Asia  discovered  unknown  peoples 
everywhere.  The  ancient  Hellenes  who  wore  the  golden  grasshopper  as  a 
badge  of  autochthons  or  those  who  sprang  from  the  soil  knew  of  the  deception 


32  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

they  sought  to  practise,  for  they  were  vigorous  invaders  who  had  displaced 
the  Pelasgians  of  still  more  ancient  days.  The  Latin  race  called  itself  aboriginal, 
and  yet  the  Etruscans  coming  to  the  delectable  peninsula  fought  and  displaced 
the  Pelasgians  who  there  abode.  Before  the  Babylonians  were  the  Assyrians ; 
before  the  Assyrians  the  Chaldeans. 

It  will  probably  never  be  known  who  were  the  first  settlers  of  Scott  county 
or  how  many  waves  of  immigration  rolled  across  these  hills  and  valleys.  The 
richest  of  soils  laid  down  by  glaciation  and  inundation  invited  to  occupancy. 
Scientists  tell  us  that  subsequent  to  the  glacial  epoch  man  followed  in  the  wake 
of  the  ice  as  it  receded  to  the  northward.  If  so,  the  historic  period  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  human  race  is  even  as  the  last  three  months  in  the  life  span  of  the 
man  of  three  score  years  and  ten  when  compared  with  the  period  of  conjec- 
ture which  precedes  it. 

THE  CHALLENGE  OF  THE   MOUNDS. 

Of  this  little  migrant  of  Eskimoid  type  we  know  nothing.  The  succeeding 
Mound  Builder  left  for  us  monuments  which  have  enabled  us  to  learn  some 
things  and  conjecture  much.  Here  in  Scott  county  he  left  objects  of  utility 
and  art,  also  written  tablets  which  fairly  challenge  this  later  civilization.  Here 
we  find  nearly  all  types  of  those  earthen  works  which  are  found  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  defensive  embankments,  sacred  enclosures, 
temples,  sacrificial  mounds,  sepulchral  mounds,  efiigy  mounds.  From  the  de- 
fences which  crown  the  bluffs  it  is  easy  to  argue  war  forced  upon  them  by  other 
migrants  who  in  their  final  triumph  swept  these  early  dwellers  from  this  rich 
territory  to  other  less  desirable  locations. 

From  the  testimony  of  the  mounds  it  seems  most  probable  that  this  first 
settler  in  Scott  county  was  an  agriculturist,  a  dweller  iiot  a  nomad,  a  mem- 
ber of  a  government  which  could  plan  and  execute  public  works  of  great  ex- 
tent, a  trader,  for  in  the  same  mound  appear  copper  from  Lake  Superior,  mica 
from  the  Alleghanies,  obsidian  from  Mexico,  pearls  and  shells  from  the  ocean 
shore.  He  was  a  potter  and  a  cunning  artificer  in  stone  and  ivory.  He  could 
fashion  metals  and  express  his  artistic  instincts  in  no  mean  manner.  He  met 
the  necessity  for  clothing  in  this  climate  by  preparing  the  skins  of  animals 
and  weaving  into  cloth  the  textile  fibres  which  were  ready  to  his  hand.  Dr. 
R.  J.  Farquharson,  a  Davenport  physician  who  studied  this  early  inhabitant  in 
conjunction  with  other  members  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences  noted  the  lumsual 
number  of  perfect  sets  of  teeth  found  in  the  mounds  examined.  In  a  paper 
published  in  the  Proceedings  he  says:  "These  teeth  are  invariably  without  any 
sign  of  decay,  of  almost  flinty  hardness,  and  very  much  worn  away,  apparently 
from  the  attrition  of  very  hard  particles  in  the  food,  probably  the  silicious  outer 
coats  of  some  kind  of  grain  or  seed."  This  same  gentleman  made  exhaustive 
research  in  the  literature  of  archaeology  and  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  the 
copper  axes  of  which  there  are  more  than  a  score  in  the  Academy  museum  are 
not  properly  instruments  but  treasures  or  insignia  of  rank.  Around  these  axes 
are  the  most  perfect  speciments  of  the  ancient  weaving  known  to  moderns. 
These  pieces  of  cloth  which  adhere  to  the  metal  have  been  preserved  by  the 


MOUND    POTTERY 

Collertion  of  Davenport  Academy  of  Sciences 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  35 

antiseptic  action  of  the  carbonate  of  copper  by  which  they  are  dyed  a  bright 
green  and  rendered  incorruptible.  It  is  noted  in  Dr.  Farquharson's  paper  as 
a  curious  circumstance  and  one  perhaps  possessing  value  that  the  woven  fabrics 
have  the  identical  texture  of  similar  fabrics  taken  from  the  lake  dwellings  of 
Robenhausen,  thus  connecting  two  prehistoric  peoples,  the  Mound  Builders  and 
the  Lake  Dwellers  of  Switzerland.  One  of  the  Davenport  specimens  of  ancient 
cloth  shows  a  great  advance  in  the  textile  art.  The  warp  is  composed  of  four 
cords,  that  is,  of  two  double  and  twisted  cords,  while  the  woof  is  composed  of 
one  such  doubled  and  twisted  cord,  which  passes  between  the  two  parts  of  the 
warp,  the  latter  being  twisted  at  each  change,  allowing  the  cords  to  be  brought 
close  tosrether  so  as  to  cover  the  woof  almost  entirely. 

1143011 

HAD  TIME  TO   BE  SICK. 

Dr.  Farquharson  examined  the  bones  exhumed  from  local  mounds  with  a 
professional  eye  and  found  evidence  that  these  ancient  inhabitants  had  some  of 
the  diseases  enjoyed  by  present  dwellers  in  Davenport  and  a  few  which  have 
passed  their  vogue  and  been  displaced.  From  the  osseous  record  of  ancient  dis- 
ease he  reasoned  that  these  prehistoric  Davenporters  were  people  of  such  ad- 
vanced civilization  that  invalidism  was  possible,  with  a  sufficient  food  supply  to 
maintain  the  sick  and  those  upon  whom  it  fell  to  nurse  them  back  to  health. 
There  must  have  been  leisure  to  combat  the  type  of  diseases  shown  by  these  spinal 
processes,  leisure  and  dwellings  warm  and  finely  habitable.  Otherwise  there 
could  not  have  been  the  recovery  and  subsequent  approach  to  old  age  which  these 
bones  show. 

These  deductions  lead  away  from  the  theory  held  by  many  scientists  that  the 
race  which  constructed  the  mounds  of  the  Mississippi  valley  were  the  ancestors 
of  the  latter  day  Indians.  Locally  there  seems  to  be  no  evidence  in  this  direction. 
The  Sacs  and  Foxes  who  lived  in  this  region,  when  questioned  by  the  pioneers 
among  the  white  settlers,  could  give  no  hint  as  to  the  people  who  created  the 
mounds  of  earth.     They  had  no  traditions  concerning  them. 

In  other  portions  of  the  United  States,  Indians  have  attempted  to  connect 
these  mounds  with  their  ancestry  and  their  contention  cannot  be  easily  disproved. 
There  was  variety  enough  to  the  dwellers  upon  this  continent  before  the  white 
man  came.  As  Marquis  de  Nadaillac  says :  "There  is  nothing  in  common  except 
the  name  given  by  Europeans  between  the  nomad  Indians  who  ranged  over 
immense  tracts  in  search  of  game  and  the  Indians  who  tilled  the  soil  and  cut 
canals  with  remarkable  skill  making  cultivation  possible  under  these  burning 
climes,  between  the  builders  of  Yucatan  whose  architectural  talent  is  evidenced 
in  the  ruins  they  left  behind  them,  and  the  Peruvians,  wdiose  heavy,  massive  monu- 
ments belong  to  a  different  family ;  between  the  Mound  Builders  whose  knowl- 
edge of  building  methods  was  limited  to  mounds  and  retrenchments  of  earth,  and 
the  Cliff  Dwellers  who  built  their  houses  like  birds'  nests  at  inaccessible  heights, 
or  the  people  who  lived  in  a  veritable  communism  in  the  pueblos,  those  hives 
which  strike  the  explorer  with  astonishment ;  between  the  nomads  we  have  men- 
tioned, whose  knowledge  of  signs  was  confined  to  souvenirs  of  war  or  the  chase 
rudely  sculptured  on  stone  or  cut  on  wood  or  to  simple  marks,  and  the  Mexicans 


36  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

who  possessed  a  complete  hieroglyphic  and  ideographic  writing."  There  was 
racial  range  enough  to  allow  for  almost  any  sort  of  progeny,  even  the  aboriginal 
yankees  of  whom  quaint  Cotton  Mather  wrote:  "The  natives  of  the  country 
now  possessed  by  the  New  Englanders  have  been  forlorn  and  wretched  heathen 
ever  since  they  first  herded  here,  and  though  we  know  not  how  or  why  these 
Indians  first  became  inhabitants  of  this  mighty  continent  yet  we  may  guess  that 
probably  the  devil  decoyed  these  miserable  savages  hither  in  hopes  that  the 
gospel  would  never  come  here  to  disturb  his  absolute  empire  over  them."  The 
Indian  estimate  of  Mather  and  his  friends  has  not  been  preserved,  but  it  was 
doubtless  not  a  whit  less  pungent.  The  Puritan  was  a  vindictive  friend  and  an 
implacable  neighbor. 

LOCAL  AMATEUR  SCIENTISTS. 

Members  of  the  Davenport  Academy  of  Sciences  have  studied  the  remains  of 
the  earliest  inhabitants  of  this  section  indefatigably  and  to  good  purpose.  Exca- 
vations were  made  in  local  mounds  and  some  at  greater  distance.  Splendid  work 
was  done  by  Capt.  W.  P.  Hall,  who  devoted  many  years  to  research  for  the 
benefit  of  the  academy.  He  traversed  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries  in  a  row 
boat,  earning  his  way  as  he  went,  devoting  his  life  to  archaeology  and  sending 
all  material  acquired  to  the  academy.  The  mounds  near  Cook's  point,  some  of 
them  within  the  corporation  limits  of  the  city  of  Davenport,  yielded  most  unique 
and  interesting  relics.  Other  mounds  at  Albany,  Illinois,  and  Toolesboro,  Iowa, 
yielded  a  rich  harvest  of  information.  Year  after  year  members  of  the  academy 
pursued  this  line  of  research  in  the  true  scientific  spirit  of  inquiry,  and  the  cam- 
paign added  greatly  to  the  world's  knowledge  of  a  primitive  people. 

In  the  x\cademy  museum  has  been  brought  together  the  most  valuable  and 
important  collection  of  Mound  Builders'  relics  in  the  world.  Some  of  the  items 
are  those  common  to  all  collections ;  others  are  unique  and  of  surpassing  interest. 
There  is  an  extensive  array  of  ancient  pottery,  and  a  wealth  of  stone  imple- 
ments. There  are  more  than  a  score  of  copper  axes,  there  are  fourteen  copper  awls 
and  300  copper  beads.  There  are  thirty-two  pipes,  a  large  portion  being  effig}'  pipes 
of  the  ordinary  types.  These  are  made  of  green  stone,  the  red  ]\Iinnesota  stone 
called  Catlinite  and  softer  sandstones  or  marls.  Some  of  the  sculptured  bird 
pipes  are  decorated  with  eyes  of  copper  and  of  pearl.  That  the  small  pearls 
utilized  were  drilled  with  delicacy  and  skill  in  manipulation  before  being  set, 
speaks  volumes  for  these  lapidaries  of  ancient  Davenport. 

Two  of  these  efifigy  pipes,  sculptured  to  the  similitude  of  an  elephant  by  some 
pre-historic  craftsman,  heirlooms  of  the  ancient  citizens  of  this  region,  brought 
great  fame  to  the  academy  some  twenty-five  years  ago.  The  government  bureau 
of  ethnology  at  that  time  championed  the  theory  that  the  race  which  constructed 
the  mounds  of  the  Mississippi  valley  were  the  ancestors  of  the  latter  day  Indians, 
while  another  school  of  archaeologists  contended  that  the  Mound  Builders  en- 
joyed a  civilization  so  much  higher  than  the  Indians  with  whom  we  are  acquainted 
that  the  hypothesis  of  the  government  scientists  was  impossible.  The  latter 
school  endeavored  to  trace  the  Mound  Builders  to  a  Mexican  origin  or  at  least 
a  common  ancestry.    Into  this  arena,  with  no  theory  to  maintain,  came  the  Daven- 


MOUND  BUILDERS'  PIPE 


CARVED  PIPES 


MOUND  BUILDERS'  PIPE 

Collection  of  Davenport  Academy  of  Sciences 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  39 

port  amateur  scientists  with  their  elephant  pipes  and  inscribed  tablets  bearing 
the  figure  of  the  elephant,  relics  whose  authenticity  would  lend  strong  corrobo- 
rative evidence  that  man  and  the  mastodon  were  contemporaneous  on  the  Amer- 
ican continent,  and  the  Mound  Builders  a  race  anterior  to  the  forbears  of  the 
American  Indian,  of  higher  type  and  more  advanced  civilization. 

PIPES  AND  TABLETS   DISCREDITED. 

Zealous  in  the  defense  of  its  theory,  the  bureau  of  ethnology  cast  reflections 
upon  the  genuineness  of  these  pipes  and  tablets  and  in  the  succeeding  investiga- 
tion and  discussion  by  scientific  bodies,  the  Davenport  academy  and  its  archaeo- 
logical treasures  became  known  around  the  world. 

It  was  fortunate  that  at  this  time  the  academy  had  for  its  president  a  gentle- 
man of  scientific  scholarship,  of  literary  abiUty  and  trained  by  his  profession  in 
the  collection  of  evidence  and  its  application,— Chas.  E.  Putnam.  His  rejoinder 
as  to  the  authenticity  of  pipes  and  tablets  and  the  honesty  of  the  people  who 
composed  the  Davenport  Academy  of  Sciences  attracted  world-wide  attention 
and  forever  fixed  the  character  of  research  entered  upon  by  the  Davenport  citi- 
zens who  formed  this  group  of  enthusiastic  amateurs  in  science. 

One  of  the  elephant  pipes  was  discovered  in  a  mound  in  Louisa  county  by 
Rev.  A.  Blumer,  a  Lutheran  clergyman,  and  by  him  donated  to  the  academy. 
The  other  pipe  was  obtained  by  Rev.  J.  Gass,  another  Lutheran  clergyman,  from 
a  farmer  whose  brother  had  plowed  it  up  in  Louisa  county  and  who,  unaware 
of  its  archaeologic  value,  had  used  it  for  his  after  dinner  smoke  for  some  years. 

Sharing  with  the  elephant  pipes  the  focal  warmth  in  this  round-the-world 
discussion  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  were  four  inscribed  tablets,  also  in  the 
Academy  museum.  Three  of  them  were  discovered  January  lo,  1877,  i"  a-  mound 
on  the  Cook  farm  near  the  Mississippi  river  and  adjoining  the  city  of  Davenport, 
the  leader  of  the  expedition  being  Rev.  J.  Gass,  the  Lutheran  clergyman  above 
mentioned,  at  that  time  in  charge  of  a  Davenport  congregation. 

The  two  larger  tablets  were  originally  the  two  sides  of  the  same  slab  of  slate, 
but  when  found  the  stone  was  separated  into  two  parts  on  the  plane  of  cleavage. 
This  double  tablet  and  a  smaller  one  were  covered  when  taken  from  the  mound 
by  a  coating  of  clay,  and  it  was  only  on  removal  of  this  protective  covering  that 
the  inscriptions  were  discovered.  This  larger  double  tablet  was  somewhat  in- 
jured by  a  stroke  from  an  excavating  spade.  It  is  an  irregular  quadrilateral, 
twelve  inches  long  on  the  unbroken  edge  and  from  eight  to  ten  inches  wide.  The 
smaller  tablet  is  in  shape  an  imperfect  square  about  seven  inches  on  each  side 
and  with  two  holes  bored  near  the  upper  corners,  apparently  for  the  purpose  of 
suspension.     It  is  also  of  slate. 

The  upper  inscribed  one-half  of  the  larger  slab  is  called  Tablet  I,  in  the  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  academy;  the  lower  half.  Tablet  II,  and  the  smaller  one  uncov- 
ered in  the  same  mound  Tablet  III.  Tablet  I  bears  the  depiction  of  a  sacrificial 
or  cremation  scene,  the  sketch  being  accompanied  by  hieroglyphics  to  the  num- 
ber of  ninety-eight.  Upon  Tablet  II  appears  a  scene  historical  or  mythical,  in 
which  appear  some  thirty  individuals  of  the  animal  kingdom — man,  bison,  deer, 
birds,  hares.  Rocky  mountain  goat,  fish,  prairie  wolf  and  some  figures  variously 


40  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

interpreted  as  she-moose,  tapirs  and  mastodons.  Tablet  III  is  a  calendar  stone 
whereon  are  depicted  four  concentric  circles,  the  smallest  of  an  inch  diameter,  the 
space  separating-  the  others  being-  approximately  three-fourths  of  an  inch. 

The  fourth  inscribed  stone,  called  Tablet  IV,  was  also  found  in  a  mound  on 
the  Cook  farm  by  Charles  E.  Harrison,  Rev.  J.  Gass  and  John  Hume.  At  the 
base  of  a  stone  pillar  of  rough  limestone,  the  top  of  which  was  only  a  few  inches 
below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  occupying  a  small  chamber  prepared  for 
its  preservation  was  found  an  inscribed  tablet  something  over  a  foot  long,  seven 
inches  wide,  and  an  inch  and  a  half  thick.  A  beautiful  quartz  crystal  was  found 
lying  upon  the  center  of  the  tablet  and  four  flint  arrows  geometrically  arranged 
were  upon  its  surface.  Upon  this  tablet  appears  an  uncouth  hiiman  figure  seated 
upon  or  astride  a  circle  with  radial  lines  extending  from  it,  apparently  intended 
to  represent  the  sun. 

PROBABLE  ACQUAINTANCE  OF   MAN  AND  MASTODON. 

These  important  additions  to  the  inscribed  rocks  of  America  naturally  aroused 
great  interest  in  the  scientific  world.  The  pictures  engraved  thereon  have  been 
held  to  indicate  that  these  ancient  Davenporters  or  their  ancestors  were  on  terms 
of  acquaintance  here  or  elsewhere  with  the  mastodon  who  roamed  the  earth 
when  it  was  much  younger  and  frolicked  over  Iowa  in  the  Aftonian  interim 
between  the  two  periods  of  glaciation  from  the  Kewatin  ice  sheet.  The  hiero- 
glyphics which  these  tablets  bear  are  doubtless  of  much  greater  value  and  their 
interpretation  would  advance  greatly  the  world's  knowledge  of  these  ancient 
peoples.  So  far  no  one  has  arisen  to  perform  this  great  service,  but  it  is  but  a 
few  years  since  they  were  brought  to  light.  Other  discoveries  will  be  made 
which  will  furnish  the  clue  to  the  mystery.  The  world  waited  long  for  the  ex- 
planation of  the  hieroglyphs  of  Eg}'pt ;  the  cuneiform  characters  were  long  un- 
solved and  patience  must  wait  upon  the  finding  of  the  Rosetta  stone  which  shall 
make  the  Davenport  tablets  legible. 

Of  the  comment  from  archaeologists,  one  citation  will  suffice.  In  the  third 
volume  of  the  Academy  Proceedings  appears  a  paper  by  Prof.  G.  SeyfTarth,  Ph. 
D.,  Th.  D.,  in  which  these  inscribed  tablets  are  called,  "the  first  discovered  pho- 
netic and  astronomic  monuments  of  the  primitive  inhabitants  of  the  country, 
which,  sooner  or  later  will  cast  unexpected  light  upon  the  origin,  the  history, 
the  religion,  the  language,  the  science  and  intellectual  faculties  of  our  ancient 
Indians."  It  will  be  noted  that  Prof.  SeyfTarth  uses  the  word  "Indian"  in  a  gen- 
eral sense  as  applying  to  all  former  inhabitants  of  this  continent. 

This  learned  Prof.  SeyflFarth,  author  of  numerous  accepted  works  of  archaeol- 
ogy, concluded  that  among  the  nearly  200  characters  which  appear  upon  the  four 
tablets  were  indications  of  syllable  writing  among  the  Mound  Builders.  He 
found  evidence  that  this  people  were  of  Asiatic  origin.  In  the  picture  of  Tablet  I 
he  saw  a  scene  of  sacrifice  to  the  sun,  moon  and  twelve  great  gods  of  the  starry 
firmament.  The  second  tablet  the  professor  considers  to  be  a  memorial  of  the 
Noachian  deluge,  "and  a  commentary  to  all  other  traditions  confirming  the  latter. 
It  makes  no  difference  whether  this  slab  was  engraved  in  America  or  in  that 


TABLETS  I,  II  AXD  III,  FRO,AI  DAVEXPORT  MOUXD 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  4a 

country  from  which  the  first  Indians  emigrated,  whether  it  was  the  work  of  that 
man  in  whose  grave  it  was  discovered,  or  was  a  sacred  relic  preserved  from 
generation  to  generation." 

Tablet  III  Prof.  Seyffarth  styles  "the  most  interesting  and  the  most  important 
tablet  ever  discovered  in  North  America,  for  it  represents  a  planetary  configura- 
tion, the  twelve  signs  of  the  Zodiac,  known  to  all  nations  of  old,  and  the  seven 
planets  conjoined  with  six  different  signs." 

Tablet  IV  the  savant  considers  to  be  the  record  of  a  great  eclipse  of  the  sun, 
the  figure  to  be  that  of  Mars,  god  of  war,  and  the  smaller  figures  etched  on  the 
upper  edge  of  the  tablet  to  be  an  eagle  and  a  wolf. 

At  the  close  of  his  extended  and  profound  article.  Prof.  Seyffarth  sums  up 
the  "reliable  results  obtained  by  the  unparalleled  Davenport  antiquities,  of  which 
the  following  are  the  most  important  ones : 

PROF.    SEYFFARTH's    RELIABLE   RESULTS. 

"i.  The  primitive  inhabitants  of  North  America  were  no  preadamites,  noi 
offsprings  of  the  monkeys,  but  Noachites. 

"2.  They  belonged  to  the  same  nation  by  which  Mexico  and  South  America 
were  populated  after  the  dispersion  of  the  nations  in  2780,  B.  C. 

"3.  The  literature  of  the  American  Indians  evidences  that  they  emigrated 
from  Japan,  or  Corea,  or  proper  China. 

"4.     They  must  have  come  over  prior  to  the  year  1579,  B.  C. 

"5.  Our  Indians,  as  well  as  those  of  Mexico  and  South  America  knew  the 
history  of  the  deluge,  especially  that  Noah's  family  then  consisted  of  eight  persons. 

"6.  The  primitive  inhabitants  of  America  were  much  more  civilized  than 
our  present  Indian  tribes. 

"7.  The  former  understood  the  art  of  writing,  and  used  a  great  many  of 
syllabic  characters,  based  upon  the  Noachian  alphabet,  and  wrote  from  the  left 
to  the  right  hand,  like  the  Chinese. 

"8.  They  were  acquainted  with  the  seven  planets  and  the  twelve  signs  of  the 
Zodiac,  and  they  referred  the  same  stars  to  the  same  constellations  as  did  the 
Chaldeans,  Egyptians,  Greeks,  Romans,  etc. 

"9.  They  had  solar  years  and  solar  months,  even  twelve  hours  of  the  day. 
They  knew  the  cardinal  points  of  the  Zodiac  and  the  cardinal  days  of  the  year. 

"10.  Their  religion  agreed  with  that  of  the  Babylonians,  Egyptians, 
Assyrians,  Greeks,  Romans,  etc.,  because  they  worshipped  the  planets  and  the 
twelve  gods  of  the  Zodiac  by  sacrifices.  Compare  Isaiah  H,  7:  'Babylon  hath 
been  a  golden  cup  in  the  Lord's  hand  that  made  all  the  earth  drunken ;  the 
nations  have  been  drunken  of  her  wine ;  therefore  the  nations  are  mad.'  Plu- 
tarch, De  Is.,  p.  ^yy :  'There  are  no  different  deities  to  be  found  among  the 
Greeks  and  the  barbarian  nations,  either  in  the  northern  or  southern  countries.' 
Quite  the  same  is  reported  by  Cicero,  Aristotle,  Diodorus,  Tacitus  and  other 
ancient  authors." 

Another  find  of  remarkable  stones  with  ancient  engravings  was  made  by  the 
energetic  preacher  archaeologist.  Rev.  J.  Gass,  in  a  creek  bed  in  Cleona  town- 


44  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

ship,  Scott  county,  and  a  description  appears  in  tlie  Academy  Proceedings  for 
1877.  Two  of  the  stones  were  brought  to  the  academy  and  placed  in  the  museum. 
The  other  relics  were  too  cumbersome  for  the  enthusiastic  divine's  dredging 
facilities. 


COPPER  AXE  AXU  CLOTTf 
From  a  INlound 


REPLICA     IX     LIMESTOXE 

CEDAR   POST 
Erected  at  Col.  George  Davenport's  grave 

by    his    Indian    friends,    soon   after   his 

murder,  July   4,   1845. 


A  XEARER  VIEW  OF  REPLICA  AT  COL. 
DAVEXPORT'S  GRAVE 


CHAPTER  III. 
INDIAN  OCCUPANCY. 

THE  ILLINI  IN  SCOTT  COUNTY  IN  EARLY  DAYS LATER  THE  SACS  AND  FOXES   POSSESS 

THE    LAND ^DAVENPORT's   PREDECESSORS,    OSKOSH     AND     MORGAN MORGAN    OR 

MA-QUE-PRA-UM THE  GREAT  SAC  TOWN  ON  ROCK  RIVER MUSIC  AND  DRAMATIC 

ART BLACK   HAWK's   NARRATION   OF   INDIAN    CUSTOMS THE    ANNUAL    HUNT- 
ING TRIPS HONOR   AS   THE    INDIAN    UNDERSTOOD    IT THE    SIOUX    TOOK    HOME 

THEIR  SCALPS. 

It  is  altogether  probable  that  the  invading  foe  against  whom  the  Mound 
Builder  threw  up  the  fortifications  which  crowned  the  bluffs  of  Davenport  was 
the  American  Indian  and  that  his  occupancy  of  this  region  stretched  from  the 
disappearance  of  the  first  inhabitant  until  the  coming  of  the  all-conquering  white 
man.  Here  the  red  man  had  his  home  and  enjoyed  all  the  blessings  of  soil, 
climate,  healthfulness  and  nearness  to  transportation  that  made  this  region  at- 
tractive to  the  race  that  dispossessed  him.  His  chapter  in  local  annals  is  iden- 
tical with  that  of  his  brethren  in  other  portions  of  the  continent.  He  made  futile 
protest  and  fell  back.  He  opposed  standards  of  right  and  wrong  he  considered 
unjust  to  the  weaker.  He  fought  in  unavailing  sort  for  his  home  and  the 
graves  of  his  ancestors.  The  story  has  been  told  a  thousand  times  in  words 
of  eloquent  sympathy.     It  needs  neither  paraphrase  nor  added  incident. 

The  first  Indians  seen  upon  Iowa  soil  were  the  Illini.  This  tribe  was  scat- 
tered after  having  almost  suffered  extermination  by  the  allied  tribes  whicH  fol- 
lowed Pontiac.  chief  among  these  the  Sacs  and  Foxes.  These  Indians,  origin- 
ally tribally  distinct  became  practically  one  through  an  offensive  and  defensive 
alliance,  through  similar  customs  and  intermarriage.  The  traditions  of  the 
Sacs  or  Sauks  and  of  the  Foxes  or  Reynards,  as  they  were  called  by  the  French 
explorers,  point  to  the  land  between  Quebec  and  Montreal  bordering  the  St. 
Lawrence  river  as  the  early  home  of  these  Indians.  Ou-sakis.  the  first  designa- 
tion of  the  Sacs  means  yellow  earth,  and  Musquakie,  the  original  name  of  the 
Foxes  means  red  earth. 

Of  these  two  tribes  the  Foxes  first  came  west  and  settled  on  the  banks  of 
the  Wisconsin  river  which  bears  their  name.     The   Sacs  driven   from  Canada 


48  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

by  the  warring  Iroquois  settled  near  Lake  Michigan  in  the  Green  bay  countr\^ 
near  the  Foxes.  Their  name  persists  in  near-by  river,  bay  and  city — Saginaw. 
The  time  of  this  migration  from  Canada  has  not  been  determined,  but  was 
probably  in  the  hrst  half  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Marquette's  map  of  1673 
locates  the  Foxes  on  the  Fox  river  and  about  this  date  Father  Claude  AUouez 
commenced  his  work  among  them,  in  this  location. 

It  was  early  in  the  eighteenth  century  that  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  were  driven 
from  Wisconsin  by  the  allied  iSIenominees,  Ottawas  and  Chippewas,  aided  by 
the  French  whose  ill  will  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  had  gained  by  exacting  tribute 
from  them.  While  the  French  attacked  the  village  from  covered  boats  upon 
the  river  the  Indian  allies  closed  in  simultaneously  from  the  surrounding  woods, 
and  those  who  escaped  slaughter  were  glad  to  flee  to  the  banks  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. This  was  about  1722.  In  this  new  location  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  con- 
tinued to  war  upon  other  tribes,  the  Chippewas,  the  Sioux,  Pawnees,  Winneba- 
goes  and  Mascoutins.  So  successful  were  they  in  their  forays  that  they  won 
rank  among  the  most  fierce  and  w^arlike  of  the  tribes.  The  territory  claimed  by 
them  was  indeterminate  in  boundary  but  large  in  extent,  and  was  upon  both 
sides  of  the  Mississippi,  the  Sacs  generally  occupying  the  territory  east  of  the 
great  river  and  the  Foxes  that  to  the  westw-ard. 

TOWNS  OF  THE  SACS  AND  FOXES. 

The  largest  town  of  the  dual  tribe  was  the  Sac  settlement  on  the  north  bank 
of  the  Rock  river  about  two  miles  from  its  mouth.  It  was  settled  about  1730, 
and  grew  in  population  until  it  was  probably  the  largest  Indian  community 
on  the  western  continent.  Its  population  has  been  given  as  8,000  by  some 
writers.  It  had  probably  less  than  half  that  number,  but  an  Indian  town  of 
3,000  is  in  a  class  by  itself.  Late  writers  have  given  it  the  name  of  Sau-ke-nuk, 
but  to  the  pioneers  it  was  known  as  the  Sac  village  or  Black  Hawk's  village. 

On  the  site  of  Princeton,  in  Scott  county,  was  one  of  the  three  principal 
villages  of  the  Fox  nation,  noted  in  the  journal  of  Zebulon  M.  Pike.  On  the 
ground  where  Davenport  now  stands  there  was  another  Fox  village  of  con- 
siderable size.  Here  tradition  locates  a  large  and  populous  village  from  the  be- 
ginning of  Indian  occupation.  When  the  first  white  trappers  visited  this  point, 
they  were  told  by  the  Indians  that  this  had  been  a  favorite  abiding  place  for  the 
Indians  since  their  ancestors  had  journeyed  from  the  eastward.  At  one  time 
the  Indian  Davenport  was  known  as  Oskosh.     Later  it  was  called  Morgan. 

The  head  warrior  of  the  Fox  village  when  it  was  called  Morgan  was  Ma- 
que-pra-um  and  the  principal  chief  Poweshiek.  This  splendid  aboriginal  Daven- 
port mayor  was  a  native  of  Iowa,  born  in  1797,  of  fine  stature,  weighed  250 
pounds  and  was  altogether  a  striking  specimen  of  his  race.  His  name  meant 
Roused  Bear.  Those  who  knew  him  call  him  a  man  of  great  energy,  a  wise 
counselor  and  the  soul  of  honor.  He  remembered  a  kindness,  and  his  word 
could  be  relied  upon.  .At  the  close  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  he  was  made  head 
chief  of   the   Fox   trilje.   ranking  in   importance   and   influence  both   Appanoose 


^^# 

Wi 

M 

1 

w 

1 

BLACK  HAA'STv 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  51 

and  Wapello,  in  1837  he  had  his  village  near  the  present  site  of  Iowa  City. 
The  next  year  he  accompanied  the  Indian  agent,  Gen.  Joseph  M.  Street  to  select 
a  location  for  a  Sac  and  Fox  agency  upon  the  Des  Moines  river.  When  his 
tribe  moved  west,  Poweshiek  made  his  home  near  the  present  location  of  Des 
Moines.  From  there  he  went  south  to  Grand  river  and  later  with  reluctance 
accompanied  his  tribe  to  the  distant  Kansas  reservation,  whence  some  years 
later  a  dissatisfied  remnant  returned  to  their  old  Iowa  home  and  purchased  an 
abiding  place  in  Tama  county  where  they  now  live,  known  as  the  Musquakies. 

AGRICULTURAL  INDIANS. 

Down  to  the  time  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  which  put  an  end  to  Indian  oc- 
cupancy of  this  region  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  lived  for  the  most  part  by  agricul- 
ture, having  approximately  1,000  acres  in  cultivation  in  this  immediate  vicinity. 
They  made  annual  hunting  trips  and  journeys  to  secure  sugar  and  lead,  but 
for  the  greater  part  of  the  year  they  resided  in  this  choice  spot  upon  the  Feather 
of  Waters  where  they  found  life  so  pleasant.  In  1805  when  Pike  made  his  trip 
up  the  Mississippi  river  he  estimated  the  Sac  population  altogether  at  2,850, 
the  Fox  population,  1,750.  Twenty  years  later  the  secretary  of  war  made  an 
estimate  of  4,600  for  both  tribes.  In  1831,  just  before  the  Black  Hawk  war 
there  were  5,000,  this  number  including  those  of  the  tribe  living  in  Missouri. 

In  1829  a  commission  appointed  by  President  Jackson  ascended  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  from  St.  Louis  to  treat  with  the  Indians  of  the  upper  Mississippi 
valley  for  a  transfer  of  mineral  lands.  This  commission  consisted  of  Gen. 
McNeil  of  the  army,  Col.  Menard  whose  home  was  Kaskaskia,  and  Caleb  At- 
water,  a  resident  of  Circleville,  Ohio,  a  literary  man  of  note  and  a  close  ob- 
server. After  reaching  civilization  Mr.  Atwater  wrote  the  history  of  the  ex- 
pedition under  title,  "Remarks  Made  on  a  Tour  to  Prairie  du  Chien,  Thence  to 
Washington  City,  in  1829."  He  visited  Quasquawma's  village  of  Fox  Indians 
while  making  a  stay  at  Keokuk  which  he  called  the  half-breed  capital,  and  told 
of  the  construction  and  arrangements  of  the  Fox  wigwams  which  he  afterwards 
found  were  typical  of  such  dwellings  among  the  Indians  of  this  region. 

"Landing  from  our  canoes,"  writes  Mr.  Atwater,  "we  went  to  Quasquaw- 
ma's wigwam  and  found  him  and  several  of  his  wives  and  children  at  home. 
These  Indians  had  joined  the  United  States  during  the  late  war.  The  wigwam 
we  visited  was  a  fair  sample  of  all  we  saw  afterwards  in  the  Indian  country, 
and  was  covered  with  white  elm  bark,  fastened  on  the  outside  of  upright  posts 
fixed  in  the  ground,  by  ropes  made  of  barks  passed  through  the  covering  and 
tied  on  the  inside  around  the  posts. 

quasquawma's  MANSION. 

"I  should  suppose  that  this  dwelling  was  forty  feet  long  and  twenty  wide,  that 
six  feet  on  each  of  the  sides  within  doors  was  occupied  by  the  place  where  the 
family  slept.  Their  beds  consisted  of  a  platform  raised  four  feet  from  the  earth, 
resting  on  poles,  tied  at  that  height  to  posts  standing  upright  in  the  ground 
opposite  each  other  and  touching  the  roof.  On  these  poles  so  fastened  to  the  posts 


52  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

were  laid  barks  of  trees  and  upon  these  barks  were  laid  blankets  and  the  skins 
of  deer,  bear,  bison,  etc.  These  were  tlie  beds.  Between  these  beds  was  an 
open  space  perhaps  six  or  eight  feet  in  width  running  the  whole  length  of  the  wig- 
wam. In  this  space  fires  were  kindled  in  cold  and  wet  weather  and  here  at  such 
times  the  cooking  was  carried  on  and  the  family  warmed  themselves,  ate  their  food, 
etc.  There  was  no  chimney,  and  the  smoke  either  passed  through  the  roof  or 
out  at  the  doors  at  the  end  of  the  wigwam.  On  all  the  upper  waters  of  the 
Mississippi  no  better  dwelling  is  to  be  found  among  the  Indians.  Quasquawma 
was  reposing  himself  on  his  bed  of  state  when  we  went  into  his  palace  and  the 
only  person  at  work  was  one  of  his  wives  at  tJie  door  dressing  a  deer-skin.  He 
appeared  to  be  about  sixty-five  years  of  age ;  perhaps  even  older." 

At  another  place  in  this  quaintly  worded  narrative  Mr.  Atwater  has  these 
paragraphs :  "The  Sauks  and  Foxes  were  so  useful  to  us  as  auxiliaries  that  I 
feel  grateful  to  them  and  make  a  few  remarks  on  their  principal  men  who  were 
with  us. 

"Keokuk  the  principal  warrior  of  the  Sauks  is  a  shrewd,  politic  man,  as  well 
as  a  brave  one  and  possesses  great  weight  of  character  in  their  national  coun- 
cils. He  is  a  high-minded,  honorable  man  and  never  begs  of  the  whites.  While 
ascending  the  Mississippi  to  join  us  at  the  head  of  his  brave  troops  he  met, 
arrested  and  brought  along  with  him  to  Fort  Crawford  two  United  States  soldiers 
who  were  deserting  from  the  garrison  when  he  met  them.  I  informed  him  that 
for  this  act  he  was  entitled  to  a  bounty  in  money ;  to  which  he  proudly  re- 
plied that  he  acted  from  motives  of  friendship  toward  the  United  States  and 
would  accept  no  money  for  it. 

"Morgan  is  the  principal  warrior  of  the  Foxes  and  resides  at  Dubuque's 
mine  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Mississippi.  Though  less  versatility  of  talent 
belongs  to  him  than  Keokuk  possesses,  yet  he  is  a  brave  man  and  fond  of  war. 
More  than  a  year  before  we  were  in  that  country  this  Indian  general  had  gone 
to  the  Sioux  country  and  killed  a  woman  and  three  children  of  that  nation, 
which  act  produced  the  war  then  raging  between  the  two  nations.  This  act 
has  since  been  dreadfully  avenged  by  a  large  party  on  some  twenty  individuals  of 
the  Foxes." 

Inasmuch  as  it  was  this  warrior  who  gave  his  name  to  the  Indian  village 
upon  the  site  of  Davenport  prior  to  the  Black  Hawk  war  it  would  have  been 
pleasant  if  Mr.  Atwater  could  have  brought  us  some  braver  deeds  than  the 
scurvy  r>ne  he  mentions.  Later  Morgan  represented  the  Fox  nation  at  the  treaty 
ground  and  Mr.  Atwater  lias  many  compliments  for  his  oratory.  This  chief  was 
later  called  Ma-que-pra-um  although  the  name  of  his  Scotch  father  Morgan  was 
given  to  the  Indian  Village. 

ATWOOD  FOUND  ARTISTIC  QUALITIES. 

In  his  stay  among  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  Commissioner  Atwood  noted  some 
qualities  that  escaped  other  travelers  and  historians,  namely  the  ability  in  narra- 
tive chant  anrl  song,  also  the  dramatic  instinct  and  talent  possessed  by  these 
former  citizens.     Let  him  tell  of  these: 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  53 

"The  Sauks  and  Foxes  who  have  resided  near  Rock  Island  where  the  French 
located  themselves  seventy  years  since  have  tunes  evidently  of  French  origin  and 
love  song-s  of  considerable  length.  These  Indians  have  among  them  what  answers 
to  the  Italian  improvisatori  who  make  songs  for  particular  occasions,  and  one 
of  them  makes  it  his  business  to  take  off  with  great  effect  the  warriors  when 
they  boast  of  their  exploits  in  the  intervals  in  the  music  and  dancing  at  the  war 
dances.  He  is  a  great  wag,  and  dresses  himself  in  a  manner  as  grotesque  as 
possible.  On  his  head  on  such  occasions  he  fixes  two  horns  of  the  antelope 
and  nearly  covers  his  face  with  bison  hair  dyed  red. 

"The  tune  he  usually  sings  his  song  in  contains  only  three  or  at  most  five 
notes,  but  is  as  good  a  song,  probably,  and  the  music  quite  equal  to  the  poetry 
and  music  used  by  Thespis  in  the  infancy  of  tragedy  among  the  Greeks.  Whether 
these  improvisatori  are  of  Indian  or  European  origin  I  cannot  certainly  say, 
though  from  the  circumstance  of  their  existence  among  most  of  the  Indian 
tribes  nearly  or  quite  all  the  way  to  the  Rocky  mountains  and  high  on  the  Mis- 
souri river  1  am  induced  to  believe  those  improvisatori  derive  their  profession, 
as  they  have  their  origin,  from  the  natives  of  the  country. 

"That  the  Sauks  and  Foxes  have  a  considerable  number  of  .songs  suited  to  a 
great  many  occasions  in  their  own  language,  I  know,  and  have  heard  them  sung 
frequently,  and  regret  that  my  avocations  prevented  my  taking  them  down  in 
writing  at  the  time  they  were  sung.  When  no  farther  advanced  in  the  civilized 
life  than  these  tribes  are  I  doubt  much  whether  the  Greeks  and  Romans  had  more 
jxDetry  or  better  than  the  aboriginals  have  at  this  moment.  As  to  music,  the 
Romans  were  inferior  in  the  days  of  Augustus  to  the  Sauks  and  Foxes  of  the 
upper  Mississippi. 

"Among  the  Indians  of  the  upper  Mississippi,  the  Sauks  and  Foxes  are 
decidedly  the  best  actors,  and  have  the  greatest  varieties  of  plays  among  them. 
Their  war  dances  may  be  viewed  as  tragedies  in  the  rudest  state,  and  those 
dances  wherein  both  sexes  appear  are  truly  comedies  of  no  mean  cast,  consider- 
ing their  origin  and  authors.  Each  person  who  acts  is  painted  and  dressed  in  a 
manner  entirely  proper  for  the  part  to  be  personated  by  the  actor  or  actress.  To 
see  a  play  acted  of  a  ludicrous  cast  of  character  I  have  seen  a  thousand  Indians 
present  who  were  highly  delighted  with  the  acting.  Thunders  of  applause  fol- 
lowed some  antic  prank,  while  a  visible  displeasure  would  sometimes  punish  a 
failure  to  act  well.  To  raise  up  a  company  of  good  players  among  them,  they 
only  need  a  settled  state  of  society,  fixed  habitations  and  an  acquaintance  with  the 
use  of  letters.  To  accomplish  for  them  individuals  or  society  must  do  it.  not  the 
United  States  government  whose  vast  advances  of  money,  goods,  etc..  never 
reach  their  object  in  a  way  to  be  of  much  service  to  them. 

"As  to  the  tunes  of  most  of  the  Indians,  it  is  scarcely  necessar}'  to  add  that 
they  are  dull  and  monotonous,  because  with  only  from  three  to  five  musical  notes 
they  must  necessarily  be  so.  Yet  even  such  tunes  stmg  by  some  soft,  clear, 
melodious  voices  both  of  males,  and  especially  of  females,  the  music  in  them  is 
quite  agreeable  and  even  enchanting." 

The  annual  hunting  trip  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  which  lasted  through  the 
winter  months,  was  made  necessary  by  the  scarcity  of  large  game  in  this  region 


54  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COLXTV 

during  the  later  Indian  occupancy.  Bailey  Davenport  gives  1816  as  the  latest 
date  when  buffalo  were  seen  here  in  any  numbers.  In  July  of  that  year  he  is 
quoted  as  saying,  "large  herds  were  driven  into  the  Mississippi  river  from  the 
Davenport  side,  and  large  numbers  of  them  killed,  so  that  jerked  buffalo  meat 
was  plenty,  the  Indians  trading  it  to  all  who  wanted  it.  The  same  year  a  drove 
of  cattle,  500.  was  driven  in  from  Kentucky,  and  reached  the  island  after 
swimming  the  Rock  and  Illinois  rivers." 

BL.VCK    H.\WK  TELLS  OF   I.\DL\.V   CUSTOMS. 

In  a  most  interesting  autobiog^-aphy  of  Ma-ka-tai-she-kia-kiak,  the  Black 
Sparrow  Hawk,  the  chief,  commonly  known  as  Black  Hawk,  dictated  to  Antoine 
LeClaire  and  edited  by  J.  B.  Patterson  this  noted  warrior  relates  graphically  the 
manners  and  customs  of  his  people.     A  few  extracts  are  not  out  of  place : 

"Marriages. — Our  women  plant  the  corn,  and  as  soon  as  they  get  done  we 
make  a  feast  and  dance  the  crane  dance  in  which  they  join  us,  dressed  in  their 
best  and  decorated  with  feathers.  At  this  feast  the  young  braves  select  the  young 
woman  they  wish  to  have  for  their  wife.  He  then  informs  his  mother,  who  calls 
on  the  mother  of  the  girl,  when  the  arrangement  is  made  and  the  time  appointed 
for  him  to  come.  He  goes  to  the  lodge  when  all  are  asleep  (or  pretend  to  be), 
lights  his  matches,  which  have  been  provided  for  the  purpose,  and  soon  finds 
where  his  intended  sleeps.  He  then  awakens  her.  and  holds  the  light  to  her  face, 
that  she  may  know  him — after  which  he  places  the  light  close  to  her.  If  she 
blows  it  out,  the  ceremony  is  ended,  and  he  appears  in  the  lodge  the  next  morning 
as  one  of  the  family.  If  she  does  not  blow  out  the  light,  but  leaves  it  to  bum 
out.  he  retires  from  the  lodge.  The  next  day  he  places  himself  in  full  view  of 
it  and  plays  his  flute.  The  young  women  go  out.  one  by  one.  to  see  whom  he  is 
playing  for.  The  tune  changes,  to  let  them  know  that  he  is  not  playing  for  them. 
When  his  intended  makes  her  appearance  at  the  door,  he  continues  his  courting 
tune  until  she  returns  to  the  lodge.  He  then  gives  over  playing  and  makes  an- 
other trial  at  night,  which  generally  turns  out  favorable.  During  the  first  year 
they  ascertain  whether  they  can  agree  with  each  other,  and  can  be  happy — if  not, 
they  part,  and  each  looks  out  again.  If  we  were  to  live  together  and  disagree, 
we  should  be  as  foolish  as  the  whites.  Xo  indiscretion  can  banish  a  woman  from 
her  parental  lodge — no  difference  how  many  children  she  may  bring  home,  she 
is  always  welcome — the  kettle  is  over  the  fire  to  feed  them. 

■'Dances. — The  crane  dance  often  lasts  two  or  three  days.  Wlien  this  is  over. 
we  feast  again,  and  have  our  national  dance.  The  large  square  in  the  village  is 
swept  and  prepared  for  the  purpose.  The  chiefs  and  old  warriors  take  seats  on 
mats  which  have  been  spread  at  the  upper  end  of  the  square — the  drummers  and 
singers  come  next,  and  the  braves  and  women  form  the  sides  leaving  a  large 
space  in  the  middle.  The  drums  beat  and  the  singers  commence. 
A  warrior  enters  the  square,  keeping  time  with  the  music.  He  shows 
the  manner  lie  started  on  a  war  party — how  he  approached  the  enemy 
— he  strikes,  and  describes  the  way  he  killed  him.  All  join  in  applause.  He  then 
leaves  the  square  and  another  enters  and  takes  his  place.  Such  of  our  young 
men  as  have  not  been  out  in  war  parties  and  killed  an  enemy  stand  back  ashamed 
— not  being  able  to  enter  the  square.     I  remember  that  I  was  ashamed  to  look 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  55 

where  our  young-  women  stood  before  I  could  take  my  stand  in  the  square  as  a 
warrior. 

"What  pleasure  it  is  to  an  old  warrior  to  see  his  son  come  forward  and  relate 
his  exploits — it  makes  him  feel  young  and  induces  him  to  enter  the  square  and 
'fight  his  battles  o'er  again.' 

"This  national  dance  makes  our  warriors.  When  I  was  traveling  last  summer 
on  a  steamboat  on  a  large  river,  going  from  New  York  to  Albany,  I  was  shown 
the  place  where  the  Americans  dance  their  national  dance,  (West  Point)  where 
the  old  warriors  recount  to  their  young  men  what  they  have  done,  to  stimulate 
them  to  go  and  do  likewise.  This  surprised  me.  as  I  did  not  think  the  whites 
understood  our  way  of  making  braves. 

"Labors,  Wars,  Feasts,  etc. — When  our  national  dance  is  over,  our  corn 
fields  hoed,  and  every  weed  dug  up,  and  our  com  about  knee  high,  all  our  young 
men  would  start  in  a  direction  toward  sundown,  to  hunt  deer  and  buffalo — being 
prepared,  also  to  kill  Sioux,  if  any  are  found  on  our  hunting  grounds,  a  part  of 
our  old  men  and  women  to  the  lead  mines  to  make  lead,  and  the  remainder  of  our 
people  start  to  fish  and  get  mat  stuflf.  Every  one  leaves  the  village  and  remains 
about  forty  days.  They  then  return,  the  hunting  party  bringing  in  dried  buffalo 
and  deer  meat,  and  sometimes  Sioux  scalps,  when  they  are  found  trespassing 
upon  our  hunting  grounds.  At  other  times  they  are  met  by  a  party  of  Sioux  too 
strong  for  them  and  are  driven  in.  If  the  Sioux  have  killed  the  Sacs  last,  they 
expect  to  be  retaliated  upon,  and  will  fly  before  them,  and  vice  versa.  Each  party 
knows  that  the  other  has  a  right  to  retaliate,  which  induces  those  who  have  killed 
last  to  give  way  before  their  enemy,  as  neither  wish  to  strike  except  to  avenge 
the  death  of  their  relatives.  All  our  wars  are  predicated  by  the  relatives  of  those 
killed,  or  by  aggressions  upon  our  hunting  grounds. 

"The  party  from  the  lead  mines  bring  lead,  and  the  others  dried  fish  and  mats 
for  our  winter  lodges.  Presents  are  now  made  by  each  party ;  the  first  giving  to 
the  others  dried  buffalo  and  deer,  and  they  in  exchange  presenting  them  with 
lead,  dried  fish  and  mats.  This  is  a  happy  season  of  the  year — having  plenty  of 
provisions,  such  as  beans,  squashes  and  other  produce  with  our  dried  meat  and 
fish,  we  continue  to  make  feasts  and  visit  each  other  until  our  com  is  ripe.  Some 
lodge  in  the  village  makes  a  feast  daily  to  the  Great  Spirit.  I  cannot  explain 
this  so  that  the  white  people  would  comprehend  me,  as  we  have  no  regular  stand- 
ard among  us.  Ever)'  one  makes  his  feast  as  he  thinks  best,  to  please  the  Great 
Spirit  who  has  the  care  of  all  beings  created.  Others  believe  in  two  Spirits,  one 
good  and  one  bad,  and  make  feasts  for  the  Bad  Spirit,  to  keep  him  quiet.  If  they 
can  make  peace  with  him,  the  Bad  Spirit  will  not  hurt  them.  For  my  part,  I  am 
of  opinion,  that  so  far  as  we  have  reason  we  have  a  right  to  use  it  in  determining 
what  is  right  and  wrong,  and  should  pursue  that  path  which  we  believe  to  be 
right,  believing  that  'whatever  is  is  right.'  If  the  Great  and  Good  Spirit  wished 
us  to  believe  and  do  as  the  whites,  he  could  easily  change  our  opinions,  so  that  we 
would  see  and  think  and  act  as  they  do.  We  are  nothing  compared  to  His  power, 
and  we  feel  and  know  it.  We  have  men  among  us  like  the  w^hites  who  pretend 
to  know  the  right  path,  but  will  not  consent  to  show  it  without  pay.  I  have  no 
faith  in  their  paths,  but  believe  that  every  man  must  make  his  own  path." 


56  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

FINE   SENSE  OF    HONOR. 

In  this  same  autobiography  Black  Hawk  relates  an  incident  which  gives  an 
insight  into  Indian  character  and  discloses  a  nobility  and  integrity  not  often  cred- 
ited to  the  red  man :  "Our  nation  now  had  some  difficulty  with  the  lowas.  Our 
young  men  had  repeatedly  killed  some  of  them,  and  the  breaches  had  always  been 
made  up  by  giving  presents  to  the  relations  of  those  killed.  But  the  last  council 
we  had  with  them  we  promised  that  in  case  any  more  of  their  people  were  killed 
by  ours,  instead  of  presents  we  would  give  up  the  person  or  persons  who  had 
done  the  injury.  We  made  this  determination  known  to  our  people,  but,  not- 
withstanding this,  one  of  our  young  men  killed  an  Iowa  the  following  winter. 

"A  party  of  our  young  people  were  about  starting  for  the  Iowa  village  to  give 
the  young  man  up,  and  I  agreed  to  accompany  them.  When  we  were  ready  to 
start,  I  called  at  the  lodge  for  the  young  man  to  go  with  us.  He  was  sick,  but 
willing  to  go,  but  his  brother,  however,  prevented  him,  and  insisted  on  going  to 
die  in  his  place  as  he  was  unable  to  travel.  We  started,  and  on  the  seventh  day 
arrived  in  sight  of  the  Iowa  village,  and  within  a  short  distance  of  it  we  halted 
and  dismounted.  We  all  bid  farewell  to  our  young  brave  who  entered  the  vil- 
lage singing  his  death  song  and  sat  down  in  the  square  in  the  middle  of  the  vil- 
lage. One  of  the  Iowa  chiefs  came  out  to  meet  us.  We  told  him  that  we  had 
fulfilled  our  promise,  that  we  had  brought  the  brother  of  the  young  man  who  had 
killed  one  of  his  people — that  he  had  volunteered  to  come  in  his  place,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  brother  l^eing  unable  to  travel,  from  sickness. 

"We  had  no  further  conversation,  but  mounted  our  horses  and  rode  off.  As 
we  started,  I  cast  my  eye  toward  the  village,  and  observed  the  lowas  coming  out 
of  their  lodges  with  spears  and  war  clubs.  We  took  the  backward  trail  and 
traveled  until  dark — then  encamped  and  made  a  fire.  We  had  not  been  there 
long  before  we  heard  the  sound  of  horses  coming  toward  us.  We  seized  our 
arms,  but  instead  of  an  enemy  it  was  our  young  brave  with  two  horses.  He  told 
me  that  after  we  had  left  him  they  menaced  him  with  death  for  some  time — then 
gave  him  something  to  eat.  smoked  the  pipe  with  him,  and  made  him  a  present 
of  the  two  horses  and  some  goods  and  started  him  after  us.  When  we  arrived 
at  our  village,  our  people  were  much  pleased,  and  for  their  noble  and  generous 
conduct  on  this  occasion  not  one  of  the  Iowa  people  has  been  killed  since  by  our 
nation." 

So  in  simple  words  and  without  comment,  an  Indian  narrates  this  local  inci- 
dent, which  is  so  ethically  admirable  that  it  is  worthy  an  epic  setting.  There  is 
no  finer  subject  in  literature. 

AX    INDIAN   Dl'KI.  OF   IX1NC,  AC.O. 

Many  stories  of  Indian  days  are  told  by  early  residents  of  Scott  county  and 
by  local  historians,  I)arrows,  Wilkie  and  others.  In  his  history,  "Davenport, 
Past  and  Present."  published  in  1858.  Franc  B.  Wilkie  relates  the  story  of  a  duel 
fought  in  the  spring  of  1837  on  Willow  island,  now  within  the  limits  of  the  city 
of  Davenport,  between  two  Winnebago  Indians,  one  armed  with  a  shot  gun.  the 
other  with  a  rifle.    The  quarrel  which  led  to  the  aflfair  took  place  upon  the  Illinois 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  57 

shore,  but  the  combatants  and  friends,  for  some  reason  or  no  reason,  repaired  to 
this  side  of  the  river  to  settle  the  afTair  in  an  aboriginal  adaptation  of  the  code 
duello. 

When  the  duelists  had  been  disposed  and  the  word  given,  the  knight  of  the 
scatter  gun  made  hasty  entrance  into  the  happy  hunting  grounds  while  the  rifle- 
man made  good  his  escape  to  his  Rock  river  home.  From  this  place  of  safety 
he  voluntarily  returned  to  certain  death,  impelled  by  recognition  of  the  claims 
of  retributive  justice  demanded  by  the  kinsman  of  the  brave  who  fell  on  Willow 
island.  Down  Rock  river  he  came  in  a  canoe  paddled  by  his  own  sister,  and, 
rounding  the  point,  proceeded  to  Rock  island,  singing  his  death  song  as  he  came. 
As  he  kneeled  upon  the  edge  of  a  shallow  grave  already  dug  for  him  avenging 
knives  found  his  heart  and  stilled  his  song  of  farewell. 

ANTOiNE    LE  Claire's    indian    friends. 

During  the  latter  years  of  Antoine  LeClaire's  life,  large  parties  of  Indians 
were  wont  to  come  to  Davenport  and  camp  near  his  handsome  home  which 
crowns  the  central  blufif  and  commands  the  finest  panoramic  view  in  all  Daven- 
port. Here  they  would  stay  and  make  him  a  visit  somewhat  longer  than  would 
be  sanctioned  by  prevailing  notions  of  etiquette,  but  never  too  long  for  this  best 
and  most  hospitable  friend  of  the  red  man.  When  the  news  of  the  murder  of 
Col.  Davenport  reached  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  in  their  western  home,  these  Indians, 
alarmed  for  the  safety  of  Mr.  LeClaire,  sent  a  large  party  to  Davenport,  and 
these  friends,  encamping  near,  guarded  the  LeClaire  home  day  and  night  with 
deep  solicitude  and  unremitting  care  that  no  evil  might  befall  this  family  so  much 
beloved  by  them. 

In  1837  the  small  settlement  of  Davenport  had  the  disquieting  news  of  an 
impending  descent  by  a  war  party  of  hostile  Sioux.  It  was  at  the  time  when  a 
party  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  had  gathered  here  to  receive  an  annuity  from  the 
government.  When  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  learned  that  their  ancient  enemies,  the 
Sioux,  were  camped  in  the  timber  where  Oakdale  cemetery  is  now  located,  war 
paint  was  hastily  streaked  upon  enraged  countenances  and  every  warrior  saddled 
his  pony  and  started  after  Sioux  scalps.  But  alas  for  those  Davenporters  who 
followed  hurriedly  to  enjoy  a  bit  of  genuine  frontier  warfare,  the  Sioux  had 
taken  alarm  and  had  departed  with  their  scalps  still  serving  to  enhance  their  own 
peculiar  beauty. 


IMKK    KIVER    DAM 


CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  WHITE  MAN  COMES. 

PIERRE  ESPRIT  RADISSON,  MAKER  OF  PATHS,  PHILOSOPHER  AND  PROBAHLE  EXPLORER 
OF  IOWA MARQUETTE,  BLACK-GOWN,  AND  JOLIET  THE  TRADER — INDIAN  ELO- 
QUENCE  PEWARIA's  LOCATION — PIKE,  THE  INTREPID,  VISITS  THIS  LOCALITY 

CAPTAIN   MANY's  EXPERIENCE  WITH   THE  BRITISH    BAND — IT  IS  EASY  TO  SPELL 
WAPSIPINICON THE  HARRIS  FAMILY  COMPELLED  TO  LAND. 

Into  this  earthly  paradise  where  the  red  man  tilled  the  soil,  hunted  the  bison 
and  fished  in  the  sparkling  waters  of  the  rapidly  flowing-  rivers,  came  a  discordant 
element,  the  dominant  race,  the  white  man  from  the  Atlantic  shore  and  from 
over-seas.  It  is  uncertain  what  first  white  man  saw  Iowa,  "the  beautiful  land." 
This  honor  has  been  freely  given  to  the  priest  and  the  trader,  Marquette  and 
Joliet,  but  it  seems  altogether  probable  that  the  pioneer  of  the  pioneers,  the  ex- 
plorer of  the  unexplored,  was  the  intrepid  Pierre  Esprit  Radisson,  who  came 
to  the  new  world  in  1651,  a  youth  of  sixteen,  was  captured  the  following  year  by 
the  Iroquois,  adopted  into  the  Mohawk  tribe,  escaped  and  returned  to  Europe  in 
1652.  Again  he  came  to  New  France  in  1654  and  with  his  brother-in- 
law,  Medart  Chouart  Groseilliers,  accompanied  some  trading  Algonquins  to  the 
country  beyond  Lake  Superior.  By  his  prowess  at  the  head  of  an  Algonquin 
war  party,  he  won  Algonquin  adoption  and  an  invitation  to  make  his  home  with 
them.  But  Radisson  planned  otherwise.  "But  our  mind  was  not  to  stay  here," 
writes  he,  "but  to  know  the  remotest  peoples,  and  because  we  had  been  willing  to 
die  in  their  defense  these  Indians  consented  to  conduct  us." 

This  band  of  explorers  crossed  the  Wisconsin  and  came  to  the  Mississippi, 
described  by  Radisson  as  "a  mighty  river,  great,  rushing,  profound,  and  compar- 
able to  the  St.  Lawrence."  This  imaginative  Frenchman  was  greatly  impressed  by 
the  beauty  of  this  portion  of  the  Mississippi  valley.  To  quote  him,  "The  country 
was  so  pleasant,  so  beautiful  and  so  fruitful,  that  it  grieved  me  to  see  that  the 
world  could  not  discover  such  enticing  countries  to  live  in.  This  I  say,  because 
the  Europeans  fight  for  a  rock  in  the  sea  against  one  another,  or  for  a  sterile 
land,  where  the  people  by  a  changement  of  air  engender  sickness  and  die.  Con- 
trariwise, these  kingdoms  are  so  delicious  and  under   so  temperate  a  climate. 


62  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

plentiful  of  all  thing's,  and  the  earth  brings  forth  its  fruit  twice  a  year,  that  the 
people  live  long  and  lusty  and  wise  in  their  way.  What  a  conquest  would  this 
be,  and  at  little  or  no  cost.  What  pleasure  should  people  have  instead  of  misery 
and  poverty.  Why  should  not  men  reap  of  the  love  of  God  here  ?  Surely,  more 
is  to  be  gained  converting  souls  here  than  in  differences  of  creed  when  wrongs 
are  committed  under  pretense  of  religion.  It  is  true,  I  confess,  that  success  here 
is  difficult,  but  nothing-  is  gained  without  labor  and  pains." 

So  fared  forth  this  peregrinating  philosopher,  traversing  the  great  northwest 
ten  years  before  Marquette  and  joliet,  twenty  years  before  La  Salle.  He  visited 
the  prairie  tribes  of  the  Mississippi.  He  traveled  far  to  southward  and  westward, 
reaching  regions  where  the  sun  was  hot  and  the  reaping  twice  a  year,  where  the 
Indians  told  of  other  white  men  who  had  knives  like  the  French  and  wore  beards. 
His  party  was  near  the  Spanish  of  the  south.  Then  they  came  back  to  Three 
Rivers  by  the  Dakotas  and  Canada. 

Did  Radisson  cross  Iowa  in  his  wanderings  ?  Perhaps  he  did.  There  is  no 
one  to  say.  His  career  of  adventure  was  so  marred  by  shifting  political  alle- 
giance and  religious  apostasism  that  no  one  seems  called  upon  to  defend  his  claim 
to  priority  or  do  him  honor  in  any  way. 

M.XROUETTE  AND  JOLIET. 

The  story  of  the  voyage  of  Marquette  and  Joliet  has  been  told  so  many  times 
that  but  brief  reference  to  it  will  be  made.  These  explorers  left  the  mission  of 
St.  Ignatius  at  Michimillimackinac  May  4,  1673.  reached  the  village  of  the 
Mascoutins  June  7th  and  after  portage  to  the  Wisconsin  river  proceeded  down  that 
stream,  reaching  the  Mississippi  and  a  view  of  Iowa  June  17th.  On  June  the  25th 
occurred  the  incident  which  intimately  connects  these  explorers  with  this  state. 

(^n  that  day  they  discovered  a  footpath  leading  to  a  village  of  the  lUini  In- 
dians, and  following  it  received  a  welcome  hospitable  in  intent  and  eloquent  in 
expression.  Said  the  head  man  of  the  village,  advancing  to  meet  them,  "How 
beautiful  is  the  sun,  O  Frenchmen,  when  thou  comest  to  visit  us.  All  our  town 
awaits  thee,  and  thou  shalt  enter  all  our  cabins  in  peace."  After  smoking  the 
calumet  in  ceremonial  greeting,  Marquette  and  Joliet  were  conducted  to  the 
village  of  the  g-reat  sachem  of  the  lUini  where  great  honor  was  shown  them  in  a 
feast,  addresses,  more  smoking  of  the  calumet,  invitations  to  remain,  and,  in 
default  of  their  acceptance,  a  farewell  by  some  600  of  the  tribe,  who  accompanied 
them  to  the  river  bank  and  bade  them  a  safe  and  pleasant  journey. 

There  have  been  many  who  have  endeavored  to  locate  this  occurrence  at  the 
site  of  Davenport,  and  this  contention  has  received  the  approval  of  a  number  of 
historians.  Indeed,  there  is  much  to  lend  probability  to  this  theory.  Upon  the 
fac-simile  of  the  original  Marquette  map  preserved  at  St.  Mary's  college,  Mon- 
treal, the  town  of  Peouarea,  or  Pewaria.  where  this  welcome  occurred,  was  shown 
about  midway  of  the  southwest  bend  of  the  river  on  the  eastern  border  of  Iowa. 
This  corresponds  fairly  well  with  the  location  of  Davenport. 

Much  as  it  would  please  to  add  this  incident  to  the  rich  history  of  this  loca- 
tion, there  seems  to  be  ample  proof  that  Peouarea  was  farther  down  the  river.  In 
fact,   this    geographical    point    seems    to   have   been    definitely    settled   by   Prof. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Laenas  Gifford  Weld,  of  the  State  University  of  Iowa,  in  an  article  in  the  Iowa 
Journal  of  History  and  Politics,  issue  of  January  i,  1903,  wherein  he  discusses 
the  location  of  this  opening  incident  in  the  history  of  our  commonwealth  with 
scientific  thoroughness,  differing  with  the  writers  who  place  Peouarea  at  Daven- 
port or  near  Keokuk,  and  settling  upon  the  mouth  of  the  Iowa  river  as  the  place 
where  the  feet  of  these  white  men  first  pressed  Iowa  soil. 

The  latitude  of  Peouarea,  as  given  on  Marquette's  map,  would  fix  its  location 
in  Lee  county,  but  Professor  Weld  shows  that  the  latitudes  of  all  the  important 
points,  such  as  the  mouths  of  large  rivers,  marked  on  this  maps  are  uniformly 
wrong,  except  one,  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas  river,  also,  that  the  error  is  uni- 
formly one  degree  and  that  this  constant  error  must  have  resulted  from  some 
defect  in  the  instruments  with  which  the  observations  were  taken.  The  Mar- 
quette map  was  wonderfully  well  drawn,  probably  by  Joliet,  who  was  an  experi- 
enced cartographer,  and  for  some  years  chief  hydrographic  officer  of  New 
France.     A  comparison  with  modern  maps,  shows  its  marvelous  accuracy. 

IDEAL   ADDRESS  OF   WELCOME. 

It  is  hard  to  surrender  the  theory  that  Peouarea  is  ancient  Davenport.  In 
his  address  of  welcome,  the  Illini  sachem  set  a  mark  of  eloquence  and  sincerity 
in  greeting  not  often  reached  by  more  recent  Iowa  burgomasters.  Read  it  again 
for  its  beauty  and  poetry : 

"I  thank  thee,  Blackgown,  and  thee,  Frenchman,"  addressing  M.  Jollyet,  "for 
taking  so  much  pains  to  come  and  visit  us.  Never  has  the  earth  been  so  beautiful, 
nor  the  sun  so  bright  as  today.  Never  has  our  river  been  so  calm,  so  free  from 
rocks  which  your  canoes  have  removed  as  they  passed.  Never  has  our  tobacco 
had  so  fine  a  flavor,  nor  our  corn  appeared  so  beautiful  as  we  behold  it  today. 
Here  is  my  son  that  I  give  thee  that  thou  may'st  know  my  heart.  I  pray  thee  to 
take  pity  on  me  and  all  my  nation.  Thou  knowest  the  Great  Spirit  who  hast 
made  us  all;  thou  speakest  to  him  and  hearest  his  word;  ask  him  to  give  me  life 
and  health,  and  come  and  dwell  with  us,  that  we  may  know  him." 

Pretty  smooth  diction  that  for  a  savage,  if  anyone  should  care  to  notice  such 
things.     Perhaps  savagery  lies,  sometimes,  in  the  point  of  view. 

After  the  visit  of  Marquette  and  Joliet,  there  is  nothing  of  historical  incident 
on  record  until  almost  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when  a  detachment 
of  Colonial  soldiers,  coming  to  chastise  the  ever-troublesome  British  Indians, 
located  near  the  mouth  of  Rock  river,  fought  an  almost  unknown  battle  of  the 
Revolutionary  war.  In  this  interim  of  many  years  the  only  white  visitors  were 
the  French,  eager  to  offer  Christianity  to  the  Indian  and  utilize  him  as  a  hunter. 
Under  the  persuasions  of  the  French,  and  through  the  temptation  of  the  proffered 
barter,  local  Indians  neglected  their  natural  means  of  livelihood  and  turned  away 
from  agriculture  to  bring  in  skins  and  furs  for  the  traders  who  made  journeys 
among  them. 

After  the  transfer  of  the  Louisiana  purchase  to  the  United  States,  expeditions 
were  organized  for  the  exploration  of  the  Mississippi  valley  and  the  northwest  that 
the  government  might  be  definitely  informed  as  to  the  new  territory  conveyed  so 
readily  by  Napoleon.    Lewis  and  Clarke  made  their  historic  journey  through  the 


64  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

northwest  to  the  Pacitic  ocean.  The  exploring  party  given  the  duty  of  learning  of 
the  Mississippi  river  and  adjoining  territory  was  placed  in  charge  of  Lieut. 
Zebulon  M.  Pike  of  the  regular  army.  To  him  was  delegated  many  duties,  and  a 
journal  noting  the  fulfillment  of  his  assignment  tells  how  he  noted  sites  for  inland 
forts,  smoked  the  peace  pipe  with  the  tribes  along  the  river,  moved  for  peace  be- 
tween the  warring  Sioux  and  Ojibways,  and  kept  close  watch  of  the  operations 
of  the  British  traders  who  did  not  cease  their  exploits  on  this  side  the  border  until 
after  the  second  war  with  England. 


riKES   VISIT   TO   D.WENPORT. 

This  expedition  left  St.  Louis  in  1805  and  August  27th  of  that  year  he  camped 
at  Davenport.  His  journal  for  that  day  reads :  "Embarked  early ;  cold  north  wind  ; 
mercury  ten  degrees ;  the  wind  so  hard  ahead  that  we  were  obliged  to  row  the  boat 
all  day.  Passed  one  peroque  of  Indians,  also  the  Riviere  du  Roche  (Rock  river) 
late  in  the  day.  Some  Indians  who  were  encamped  there  embarked  in  their  canoes 
and  ascended  the  river  before  us.  The  wind  was  so  very  strong  that  although  it 
was  down  the  stream  they  were  near  sinking.  Encamped  about  four  miles  above 
the  Riviere  du  Roche  on  the  west  shore.  This  day  passed  a  pole  on  the  prairie 
on  which  five  dogs  were  hanging.     Distance  twenty-two  miles." 

Elsewhere  in  this  book  reference  is  made  to  this  custom  of  the  Indians, 
this  utilization  of  dogs  for  votive  ofiferings,  a  rancid  custom  at  best,  and  one 
which  did  greatly  ofifend  the  exploring  Saxon  nose.  The  days  of  the  rapids 
pilots  had  not  yet  arrived, — Wash  Hight,  the  Lancasters  and  Colemans  were 
not  at  hand  and  Pike  entered  upon  rocky  navigation  when  he  negotiated  the 
rapids.  He  tells  the  story.  "August  28.  About  an  hour  after  we  had  em- 
barked we  arrived  at  the  camp  of  James  Aird  a  Scotch  gentleman  of  Michi- 
millimackinac.  He  had  encamped  with  some  goods  on  the  beach  and  was  re- 
pairing his  boat,  which  had  been  injured  in  crossing  (descending)  the  rapids 
of  the  Riviere  du  Roche,  at  the  foot  of  which  we  now  were.  He  had  sent  three 
boats  back  for  the  goods  left  behind.  Breakfasted  with  him  and  obtained  con- 
siderable information.  Commenced  ascending  the  rapids.  Carried  away  our 
rudder  in  the  first  rapid,  but  after  getting  it  repaired  the  wind  raised  and 
we  hoisted  sail.  Although  entire  strangers  we  sailed  through  them  with  a  per- 
fect gale  blowing.  Had  we  struck  a  rock  in  all  probability  we  would  have  bilged 
and  sunk.  But  we  were  so  fortunate  as  to  pass  without  touching.  Met  Mr. 
Aird's  boats,  which  had  pilots,  fast  on  the  rocks.  Those  shoals  are  a  continued 
chain  of  rocks  extending  in  some  places  from  shore  to  shore  about  eighteen  miles 
in  length.  They  afiford  more  water  than  those  of  the  river  De  Aloyen  but  are 
much  more  rapid." 

CAMPED  ON    ROCK  I.SLAND. 

Mr.  Aird  probably  served  Lieut.  Pike's  breakfast  at  Stubbs'  eddy  that  morn- 
ing. What  a  perfect  instance  of  greenhorn's  luck  that  ascent  of  the  rapids  was. 
With  all  the  confidence  born  of  ignorance  Pike  did  a  trick  that  no  experienced 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  65 

voyageur  would  have  dared  to  attempt.  After  wintering  in  the  north  the  ex- 
pedition returned.     The  journal  noted  his  approach  to  this  vicinity: 

"April  25.  Obliged  to  unship  our  mast  to  prevent  its  rolUng  overboard  with 
the  swell.  Passed  the  first  Reynard  village  (near  the  head  of  Rock  river  rapids 
on  the  lowan  side)  at  12  o'clock;  counted  eighteen  lodges.  Stopped  at  the  prairie 
in  descending  on  the  left  about  the  middle  of  the  rapids  where  there  is  a  beautiful 
cove  or  harbor  (Watertown,  Rock  Island  county,  Ills.).  There  were  three 
lodges  of  Indians  here,  but  none  of  them  came  near  us.  Shortly  after  we  had 
left  this  observed  a  barge  under  sail  with  the  United  States  flag,  which  upon 
our  being  seen  put  to  shore  upon  the  Big  (now  Rock)  island,  about  three  miles 
above  Stony  (Rock)  river,  where  I  also  landed.  It  proved  to  be  Capt.  Many 
of  the  Artillerists  who  was  in  search  of  some  Osage  prisoners  among  the  Sacs 
and  Reynards.  He  informed  me  that  at  the  (large  Sac)  village  of  Stony 
Point  (near  the  mouth  of  Rock  river)  the  Indians  evinced  a  strong  disposition 
to  commit  hostilities ;  that  he  was  met  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  by  an  old  In- 
dian who  said  that  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  were  in  a  state  of  intoxica- 
tion, and  advised  him  to  go  up  alone.  This  advice,  however  he  had  rejected. 
That  when  they  arrived  there  they  were  saluted  by  the  appellation  of  the  bloody 
Americans  who  had  killed  such  a  person's  father,  such  a  person's  mother,  brother,' 
etc.  The  women  carried  off  the  guns  and  other  arms  and  concealed  them. 
That  he  then  crossed  the  river  opposite  the  village  and  was  followed  by  a  num- 
ber of  Indians  with  pistols  under  their  blankets.  That  they  would  listen  to  no 
conference  whatever  relating  to  the  delivery  of  the  prisoners  but  demanded  in- 
solently why  he  wore  a  plume  on  his  hat,  declared  that  they  looked  on  it  as  a 
mark  of  war,  and  immediately  decorated  themselves  with  their  raven's  feathers, 
worn  only  in  cases  of  hostility.  We  regretted  that  our  orders  did  not  permit 
of  our  punishing  the  scoundrels,  as  by  a  coup-de-main  we  might  easily  have 
carried  the  village.  Gave  Capt.  Many  a  note  of  introduction  to  Messrs.  Camp- 
bell, Fisher,  Wilmot  and  Dubuque,  and  every  information  in  my  power.  We 
sat  up  late  conversing." 

It  is  easy  to  imagine  that  these  two  brother  soldiers  had  much  to  talk  about 
in  their  bivouac  in  the  wilderness.  They  doubtless  would  have  enjoyed  a  brush 
with  the  annoying  British  band  of  Indians  on  Rock  river  who  had  not  forgotten 
the  burning  of  their  town  by  American  soldiers  twenty-five  years  before,  who  rec- 
ognized no  treaty  of  peace  ending  the  colonial  war  for  independence,  who  dug  up 
the  tomahawk  in  the  War  of  1812  at  the  battles  of  Credit  Island  and  Campbell's 
Island  and  who  consistently  refused  to  be  friendly  tmtil  they  were  almost  an- 
nihilated in  the  Black  Hawk  war. 

THE  WHITE  POTATO  RIVER. 

In  the  notes  to  the  record  of  Pike's  expedition,  the  editor.  Dr.  Elliott  Coues, 
has  a  smile  over  the  river  which  forms  the  northern  boundar}-  of  Scott  county. 
To  quote  him:  "At  4  p.  m..  Pike  passed  on  the  left  or  Iowa  side  a  river  whose 
name  is  perhaps  the  most  remarkable  thing  about  it — Wabisapenicun,  Pike's 
map;  Wabisipinekan,  Pike's  text  farther  on;  Wabisapincim.  Lewis  and  Clarke's 
map  of   1814;  Wapisipinicon,  Long's;  Wabezipinkan,  Nicollet's;  Wabesapinica, 


66  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Feather.stonhaugh's;  Wapsipinicon.  Owens'  and  United  States  engineers';  Wap- 
sipinecon.  G.  L.  O.  Xo  two  original  authors  agree  and  when  one  tries  to  copy 
another  he  is  hable  to  be  foiled  by  his  printer."  And  with  all  of  Dr.  Coues' 
orthographical  pinwheeling  he  does  not  come  within  a  mile  of  the  spelling  our 
own  historian  Barrows  derived  from  the  Indian  words. 

D.WENPORT   IN    1 824. 

Xot  long  after  came  the  troops  wlio  built  Fort  Armstrong  and  under  the 
guns  of  the  fort  a  small  settlement  sprang  up  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  river. 
It  was  much  later  when  Antoine  LeClaire  and  his  French  retainers  came  to 
the  Iowa  side  and  threw  together  a  shanty  in  the  Indian  village  of  Morgan  upon 
the  site  of  Davenport. 

In  the  summer  of  1882  Capt.  R.  S.  Harris  of  Dubuque  paid  a  visit  to  Dav- 
enport and  told  of  roaming  through  the  pleasant  upland  where  now  the  business 
portion  of  Davenport  is  located  in  the  spring  of  1824.  His  father  had  gone  to 
Galena,  then  the  metropolis  of  Illinois,  the  preceding  year  and  being  well  set- 
tled had  sent  for  his  family.  Mrs.  Harris  and  the  children  were  on  their  way 
up  the  river  in  a  keelboat  to  join  him.  The  wind  favoring  they  were  making 
a  fine  dash  for  the  rapids  but  when  the  boat  was  just  even  with  Fort  Armstrong 
the  travelers  were  alarmed  by  a  cannon  shot  which  whistled  in  their  direction, 
A  second  shot  closely  following  the  first  dispelled  any  idea  the  keelboat  com- 
pany might  have  had  that  the  first  shot  was  an  accident.  Running  up  a  flag  of 
truce  the  keelboat  made  for  the  Davenport  shore  and  there  moored,  a  deputation 
putting  out  for  the  fort  in  a  rowboat  to  assure  the  garrison  that  they  were  no 
trespassers  but  law-abiding  citizens  in  search  of  the  remainder  of  the  family. 
The  Harris  family  and  their  keelboat  stayed  at  this  shore  a  day  and  a  half  dur- 
ing which  time  the  boys  ransacked  the  thickets  and  undergrowth  which  covered 
the  site  of  Scott  county's  metropolis  searching  for  anything  edible  or  portable. 
Four  years  after  this  incident  Capt.  Harris  shipped  on  the  steamer  "Galena" 
as  engineer.  In  1830  he  took  command  as  captain  and  was  on  the  river  for  thirty 
vears  thereafter. 


CHAPTER  V.  j 

WARS  AND  TREATIES. 

A  BATTLE  OF  THE  REVOLUTION    FOUGHT   IN   THIS  VICINITY A   POLYGLOT  COMMAND 

— NO  LOOT  AND  GREAT  DISAPPOINTMENT FIRST  FLAG  IN  THE  MISSISSIPPI  VAL- 
LEY  THE    FIGHT    AT    CAMPBELL's    ISLAND THE     BATTLE     OF     CREDIT     ISLAND 

— OFFICIAL  REPORTS TREATIES    MADE    IN    DAVENPORT COL.    J.     H.    SULLIVAN 

WRITES  OF  INDIAN  CHIEFS BLACK   HAWK  WAR  ENDS  INDIAN   CLAIMS. 

From  the  time  when  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  established  themselves  in  this  vicinity 
about  1730,  the  Sacs  on  Rock  river  near  its  mouth  and  the  Foxes  later  on  the 
site  of  Davenport,  until  the  American  war  for  independence,  there  is  little  or 
nothing  of  incident  to  note.  In  the  war  of  the  Revolution  these  Indians  became 
the  allies  of  Great  Britain  through  their  friendship  for  the  traders  and  the  Sacs 
and  Foxes  formed  a  part  of  the  expedition  which  took  part  in  a  general  attack 
upon  the  Spanish  and  American  country  about  St.  Louis.  Spain  had  declared 
war  upon  England  in  1779,  so  it  was  possible  for  every  man  in  the  Mississippi 
valley  to  be  considered  an  enemy  of  the  British  crown.  The  expedition  joined 
by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  had  Pencour  (St.  Louis)  as  its  objective  point  and  was 
commanded  by  a  British  trader  named  Hesse,  formerly  of  the  Sixtieth  regiment. 
Dropping  down  the  river  from  Prairie  du  Chien  this  organization  of  soldiers, 
traders,  servants  and  Indians  was  joined  here  by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  and  upon 
May  26,  1780,  the  settlement  of  Pencour  was  attacked,  but  a  stubborn  resistance 
prevented  its  capture.  Crossing  the  river  an  unsuccessful  attack  was  made  upon 
Cahokia.  There  the  British  and  Indian  foray  into  the  enemy's  country  came 
to  an  end  and  the  invaders  returned  to  the  northern  country  in  disorganized 
detachments. 

AN   IRISHMAN  FULL  OF  FIGHT. 

At  Cahokia  and  in  command  of  the  Illinois  country  was  Lieut.  Col.  John 
Montgomery,  whom  early  historians  have  called  "an  Irishman  full  of  fight." 
His  official  title  was  "commander-in-chief  of  the  Virginia  troops  in  the  county 
of  Illinois."     In  response  to  a  call  for  reinforcements  Col.  George  Rogers  Qark 


70  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

came  across  country  from  Fort  Jefferson  on  the  Ohio,  arriving  the  day  before 
the  attack  upon  St.  Louis.  Before  returning  to  Fort  Jefferson,  Col.  Clark  gave 
Montgomery  orders  to  follow  the  enemy  up  the  Illinois  to  Lake  Peoria  and  then 
striking  across  the  country  to  attack  and  destroy  the  villages  of  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes  in  this  vicinity.  Thus  was  brought  about  this  local  engagement  of  the  war 
of  tlie  Revolution,  the  most  northern  in  the  Mississippi  valley. 

With  ardor  Col.  Montgomery,  the  fighting  Irishman  of  the  historians,  gath- 
ered together  a  motley  force  and  pursued.  His  command  was  made  up  of  Span- 
iards from  St.  Louis  and  vicinity,  two  companies  of  fifty  men  each,  two  com- 
panies from  the  French  settlements  in  Illinois  and  the  remainder  American 
soldiers, — in  all  350  men.  There  was  very  little  of  the  pomp  and  circumstance 
of  war  about  this  expedition  and  very  little  glory,  either,  for  the  battle  of  Rock 
River  is  not  mentioned  in  any  history  and  were  it  not  for  the  tireless  search  of 
William  A.  Meese.  the  Tri-cities'  premier  historian,  the  whole  matter  would  be 
even  now  buried  in  the  archives  of  Virginia.  It  was  there  he  unearthed  the 
correspondence  which  j^ives  to  this  locality  connection  with  the  war  for  American 
independence. 

KR.WE  EVEN  IN  ORTHOGRAPHY. 

Capt.  Montgomery  had  but  slight  acquaintance  with  the  spelling  book,  but 
he  had  other  information  more  necessary  in  war  times  and  a  spirit  of  patri- 
otism above  question.  Back  in  1779  we  find  him  writing  to  George  Rogers 
Clark,  "I  can't  tell  what  to  do  in  regard  of  clothing  for  the  soldiers,  as  the  goods 
you  sent  me  is  gone,  and  I  would  be  glad  that  if  it  is  in  your  power  to  send  a 
relefe  to  me  for  the  soldiers,  if  it  is  onley  as  much  as  will  make  them  a  little 
jump  jacote  and  a  pear  of  overalls  I  think  they  mite  scufifle  threw."  There's  a 
fine  spirit  of  determination  for  you.  There  was  more  than  one  Valley  Forge 
in  the  Revolutionary  war.  One  year  later  these  same  troops  were  given  a 
chance  to  "scuffle  threw"  greater  difficulties.  Patrick  Henry,  governor  of  Vir- 
ginia, wrote  to  Col.  Clark  that  it  would  be  well  to  withdraw  his  troops  from  the 
Illinois  villages  as  he  "need  expect  no  help  or  supplies  from  the  state."  Yet  in 
spite  of  his  distance  from  any  base  of  supplies  and  the  precarious  nature  of  his 
maintenance  Capt.  Montgomery  remained  in  command  of  his  district  and  gave 
a  good  account  of  himself. 

In  a  letter,  under  date  of  February  22,  1783,  to  the  Honorable  Board  of  Com- 
missioners for  the  -Settlement  of  Western  Accounts  Montgomery  writes:  "In 
the  spring  of  1780  we  were  threatened  with  an  invasion.  Gen.  Clark  being 
informed  of  it  hurried  his  departure  with  a  small  body  of  troops  to  the  falls 
of  the  Ohio,  when  receiving  other  expresses  from  the  Spanish  commandants 
and  myself  luckily  joined  me  at  Cohos  (Cahokia)  time  enough  to  save  the 
country  from  impending  ruin,  as  the  enimy  appeared  in  great  force  within  twenty- 
four  hours  after  his  arrival.  Finding  that  they  were  likely  to  be  disappointed  in 
their  design  they  retired  after  doing  some  mischief  on  the  Spanish  shore,  which 
would  have  prevented  if  unfortunately  the  high  wind  had  not  prevented  the  sig- 
nals being  heard.  In  a  few  days  a  number  of  prisoners  and  disarters  left  the 
enimy.   confirming  the   report   that  a  body  of   near   thousand   English   and    In- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  71 

dian  troops  ware  on  their  march  to  the  Kentucky  country  with  a  train  of 
artillery  and  the  general,  knowing  the  situation  of  that  country,  appeared  to  be 
alarmed,  and  resolved  to  attempt  to  get  there  previous  to  their  arrival.  At 
the  same  time  he  thought  it  necessary  that  they  enimy  was  retreating  up  the 
Illinois  river  should  be  pursued  so  as  to  attack  their  towns  about  the  time  they 
might  have  been  disbanded,  distress  them,  convince  them  that  we  would  retaliate 
and  perhaps  prevent  their  joining  the  British  emisarys  again.  Previous  to  my 
knowledge  of  the  above  resolution  I  had  informed  General  Clark  of  my  desire 
of  leave  of  absence  for  some  time,  in  order  to  return  to  my  family.  It  was 
then  that  he  informed  me  of  his  resolution ;  and  that  the  public  interest  would 
not  permit  of  my  request  being  granted,  that  I  must  take  command  of  the  ex- 
pedition to  Rock  river,  while  he  would  attempt  to  interrupt  the  army  marching 
to  Kentucky,  and  if  they  got  there  before  him,  except  they  weakened  the  coun- 
try too  much  he  would  raise  an  army  and  attempt  to  play  them  the  same  game 
in  the  Miamai  country,  as  he  hoped  I  would  go  towards  Miskelemachnor,  and  if 
we  should  be  tolerably  sucksessful  and  the  business  properly  arranged  I  might 
absent  myself  for  four  or  five  months  in  the  fall  or  winter. 

PROCEEDED  TO  THE  BUSINESS. 

'"After  giving  me  instructions,  he  left  Kohos  the  4th  of  June  with  a  small 
escort  for  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  on  his  rout  to  Kentucky.  I  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  the  business  I  was  ordered  and  marched  350  men  to  the  lake  opening 
on  the  Illinois  river,  and  from  thence  to  the  Rock  river,  destroying  the  towns  and 
crops  proposed,  the  enimy  not  dareing  to  fight  me,  as  they  had  so  lately  been  dis- 
banded, and  they  could  not  raise  a  sufficient  force." 

Col.  Montgomery  makes  no  mention  of  the  Rock  river  engagement,  probably 
considering  it  only  one  incident  in  the  campaign,  but  James  Aird,  the  trader,  who 
dealt  with  the  Indians  at  Credit  island,  told  Lieut.  Pike  that  the  Sacs  rallied  an 
army  of  700  warriors  in  defense  of  the  Black  Hawk  village  and  if  there  was  not 
something  of  a  fight  it  is  a  strange  circumstance,  for  the  Indians  outnumbered 
the  attacking  party  two  to  one  and  the  Sac  was  a  fighting  man  whatever  the  odds 
either  way.  In  any  event,  the  raid  as  against  the  Black  Hawk  village  was  suc- 
cessful, as  Mr.  Aird  spoke  of  the  discomfiture  of  the  Indian  defenders  and  the 
burning  of  the  village. 

The  French,  who  composed  a  portion  of  this  expedition  of  retaliation,  ex- 
pected much  loot  and  were  grievously  disappointed.  A  letter  from  one  of  the 
Cahokians  to  M.  Mottin  de  la  Balme,  pensioner  of  the  King  of  France,  French 
colonel,  etc.,  indicates  their  disgruntled  attitude : 

"Oh,  Colonel  Clark,  aflfecting  always  to  desire  our  public  welfare  and  under 
pretext  of  avenging  us.  soon  formed  with  us  and  conjointly  with  the  Spaniards 
a  party  of  more  than  300  men  to  go  and  attack  in  their  own  village  the  savages 
who  had  come  to  our  homes  to  harass  us,  and  after  substituting  Colonel  Mont- 
gomery to  command  in  his  place,  he  soon  left  us.  It  is  then  well  to  explain  to 
you.  sir.  that  the  Virginians,  who  never  employed  any  principle  of  economy,  have 
been  the  cause,  by  their  lack  of  management  and  bad  conduct,  of  the  non-success 
of  the  expedition,  and  that  our  glorious  projects  have  failed  through  their  fault; 


72  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

for  the  savages  abandoned  their  nearest  villag-es  where  we  have  been,  and  we 
were  forced  to  stop  and  not  push  further,  since  we  had  almost  no  more  provisions, 
powder  and  balls,  which  the  Virc^inians  had  undertaken  to  furnish  us." 

In  a  letter  written  by  Capt.  John  Rogers,  who  commanded  one  of  the  com- 
panies in  this  expedition,  he  speaks  of  reaching-  the  "river  de  la  Rouze,"  which  is 
a  new  variant  on  the  name  of  Rock  river.  Here,  he  says,  "we  burn  the  towns 
of  Saux  and  Reynards."  H  the  Foxes  shared  in  this  castigation,  it  is  possible 
that  the  town  on  the  site  of  Davenport  shared  in  the  hostilities.  But  of  this  there 
is  no  record,  or,  at  least,  none  has  been  discovered. 


THE  FIRST  OF  MANY  TRE.\TIES. 

Soon  after  the  events  narrated,  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  made  their  first  treaty 
with  the  United  States  at  Fort  Harmar  on  the  Muskingum  river  in  Ohio.  Bounda- 
ries were  agreed  upon  and  protection  and  friendship  extended  by  the  United 
States  to  these  tribes. 

In  1804  the  treaty,  given  in  full  elsewhere,  was  made  at  St.  Louis.  Four 
years  later  adventurers  began  to  enter  the  Indian  country,  led  by  reports  of  their 
richness  in  minerals.  A  fort  was  built  in  Iowa  on  Indian  soil,  a  clear  violation 
of  the  treaty  of  St.  Louis,  and  this  was  resented  by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes.  Black 
Hawk  led  a  war  party  which  made  an  unsuccessful  attack  upon  this  fort. 

Black  Hawk  was  consistent  in  his  allegiance  to  Great  Britain,  in  his  refusal  to 
recognize  the  treaty  which  closed  the  war  of  the  Revolution  or  the  treaty  of  St. 
Louis.  In  his  autobiography  he  tells  of  his  parley  with  Pike  in  1805.  "Some 
time  afterward  a  lx)at  came  up  the  river  with  a  young  American  chief,  at  that 
time  Lieutenant,  and  afterward  General  Pike,  and  a  small  party  of  soldiers 
aboard.  The  boat  at  length  arrived  at  Rock  river  and  the  young  chief  came  on 
shore  with  his  interpreter.  He  made  us  a  speech  and  gave  us  some  presents,  in 
return  for  which  we  gave  him  meat  and  such  other  provisions  as  we  could  spare. 
We  were  well  pleased  with  the  speech  of  the  young  chief.  He  gave  us  good  ad- 
vice, and  said  our  American  father  would  treat  us  well.  He  presented  us  an 
American  flag  which  we  hoisted.  He  then  requested  us  to  lower  the  British 
colors,  which  were  waving  in  the  air,  and  to  give  him  our  British  medals,  prom- 
ising to  send  us  others  on  his  return  to  St.  Louis.  This  we  declined  to  do,  as  we 
wished  to  have  two  fathers." 

THE    FIRST    FLAG. 

Here  we  have  the  record  of  the  first  United  States  flag  in  the  upper  Missis- 
sippi valley,  the  first  flinging  to  the  breeze  of  the  stars  and  stripes  in  all  this  re- 
gion. How  long  Black  Hawk  and  his  braves  lived  under  the  starry  banner  or 
how  much  they  respected  it,  owing  to  their  divided  allegiance,  no  one  knows. 
Any  love  that  Pike  inspired  for  the  "American  father"  was  dissipated  at  the  out- 
break of  hostilities  l>etween  this  country  and  Great  Britain,  known  as  the  war 
of  1812.  and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  lined  up  with  the  enemy. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  73 

WAR  OF    l8l2. 

Throughout  this  war  a  portion  of  the  Fox  and  Sac  tribes  at  Rock  island  re- 
mained hostile  to  the  United  States.  The  first  incident  of  the  war  which  af- 
fected the  region  in  the  vicinity  of  Rock  island  was  Governor  Clark's  expedition 
to  Prairie  du  Chien.  The  following  account  of  this  expedition  is  taken  from 
"Western  Annals,"  by  James  H.  Perkins: 

About  the  first  of  May  Governor  Clark  fitted  out  five  barges,  with 
fifty  regular  troops  and  140  volunteers,  and  left  St.  Louis  on  an 
expedition  to  Prairie  du  Chien.  On  the  13th  of  June,  Governor  Clark,  with 
several  gentlemen  who  accompanied  him,  returned  with  one  of  the  barges,  hav- 
ing left  the  officers  and  troops  to  erect  a  fort  and  maintain  the  position.  No 
Indians  molested  the  party  till  they  reached  Rock  river,  where  they  had  a  skir- 
mish with  some  hostile  Sauks.  The  Foxes  resided  at  Dubuque  and  professed 
to  be  peaceable  and  promised  to  fight  on  the  American  side.  Twenty  days  before 
the  expedition  reached  Prairie  du  Chien  the  British  trader  Dixon  left  that  place 
for  ^lackinac  with  eighty  Winnebagoes,  120  Follsavoine,  and  100  Sioux,  probably 
as  recruits  for  the  British  army  along  the  lake  country.  He  had  gained  infor- 
mation of  the  expedition  of  Governor  Clark  from  his  Indian  spies,  and  had  left 
Captain  Deace  with  a  body  of  Mackinac  fencibles  with  orders  to  protect  the 
place.  The  Sioux  and  Renards  (Foxes)  having  refused  to  fight  the  Americans, 
Deace  and  his  soldiers  fled.  The  inhabitants,  also  fled  into  the  country  but  re- 
turned as  soon  as  they  learned  they  were  not  to  be  injured.  A  temporary  defense 
was  immediately  erected.  Lieutenant  Perkins,  with  sixty  rank  and  file  from  Major 
Z.  Taylor's  company  of  the  Seventh  regiment,  took  possession  of  the  house 
occupied  by  the  Mackinac  Fur  Company,  in  which  they  found  nine  or  ten  trunks 
of  Dixon's  property,  with  his  papers  and  correspondence.  A  writer  in  the 
"Gazette"  says : 

FORT  SHELBY   IS  BUILT. 

"The  farms  of  Prairie  du  Chien  are  in  high  cultivation.  Between  two  and 
three  hundred  barrels  of  flour  may  be  manufactured  there  this  season,  besides  a 
vast  quantity  of  corn.  Two  of  the  largest  boats  were  left  in  command  of  Aide- 
de-Camp  Kennerly  and  Captains  Sullivan  and  Yeizer,  whose  united  forces  amount 
to  135  men.  The  regulars,  under  command  of  Lieutenant  Perkins,  are  stationed 
on  shore  and  are  assisted  by  the  volunteers  in  building  the  new  fort." 

This  was  called  Fort  Shelby.  On  his  return  the  people  of  St.  Louis  gave  the 
governor  a  public  dinner  and  expressed  their  hearty  gratulations  for  the  success 
of  the  enterprise. 

About  the  last  of  June  Captain  John  Sullivan,  with  his  company  of  militia 
and  some  volunteers  whose  term  of  service  had  expired,  returned  from  Prairie 
du  Chien  and  reported  that  the  fort  was  finished,  the  boats  well  manned  and 
barricaded ;  that  the  Indians  were  hovering  around  and  had  taken  prisoner  a 
Frenchman  while  hunting  his  horses.  The  boats  employed  carried  a  six-pounder 
on  their  main  deck  and  several  howitzers  on  the  quarters  and  gangway.  The 
men  were  protected  by  a  musket-proof  barricade.     On  the  6th  of  August,  the 


74  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Gazette  (our  authority  in  these  details)  states:  "Just  as  we  had  put  our  paper  to 
press  Lieutenant  Perkins,  with  the  troops  which  composed  the  garrison  at  Prai- 
rie du  Chien,  arrived  here.  Lieutenant  Perkins  fought  the  combined  force  of 
British  and  Indians  three  days  and  nights  until  they  approached  the  pickets  by 
mining.  Provisions,  ammunition  and  water  expended,  when  he  capitulated;  the 
ofificers  to  keep  their  private  property  and  the  whole  not  to  serve  until  duly  ex- 
changed.    Five  of  our  troops  were  wounded  during  the  siege." 

In  a  letter  from  Captain  Yeizer  to  Governor  Clark,  dated  St.  Louis,  July  28, 
1814,  we  find  the  following  facts:  Captain  Yeizer  commanded  one  of  the  gunboats 
a  keelboat  fitted  up  in  the  manner  heretofore  described.  On  the  17th  of  July, 
at  I  130  o'clock,  from  1,200  to  1.500  British  and  Indians  marched  up  in  full  view 
of  the  fort  and  the  town  and  demanded  a  surrender,  "which  demand  was  posi- 
tively refused."  They  attacked  Mr.  Yeizer's  boat  at  3  o'clock,  at  long-shot 
distance.  He  returned  the  compliment  by  firing  round-shot  from  his  six-pounder, 
which  made  them  change  their  position  to  a  small  mound  nearer  the  boat.  At  the 
same  time  the  Indians  were  firing  from  behind  the  houses  and  pickets.  The  boat 
then  moved  up  the  river  to  head  of  the  village,  keeping  up  a  constant  discharge  of 
firearms  and  artillery,  which  was  answered  by  the  enemy  from  the  shore.  The 
enemy's  boats  then  crossed  the  river  below  to  attack  the  Americans  from  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river.  A  galling  fire  from  opposite  points  was  now  kept  up 
by  the  enemy  on  this  boat,  until  the  only  alternative  was  left  for  Captain  Yeizer 
lo  run  the  boat  through  the  enemy's  lines  to  a  point  five  miles  below,  keeping  up 
a  brisk  fire.  In  the  meantime  another  gun-boat  that  lay  on  shore  was  fired  on 
until  it  took  fire  and  was  burnt.  In  Captain  Yeizer's  boat  two  ofificers  and  four 
privates  were  wounded  and  one  private  killed.  The  British  and  Indians  were  com- 
manded by  Colonel  McCay,  (Mackey)  who  came  in  boats  from  Mackinac,  by 
Green  bay  and  the  Wisconsin,  with  artillery.  Their  report  gives  from  160  to 
200  regulars  and  "Michigan  fencibles,"  and  about  800  Indians.  They  landed 
their  artillery  below  the  town  and  fort  and  formed  a  battery,  atacking  rhe  forts 
and  the  boats  at  the  same  time.  After  Captain  Yeizer's  boat  had  been  driven 
from  its  anchorage  sappers  and  miners  began  operations  in  the  bank,  150  yards 
from  the  fort.  Lieutenant  Perkins  held  out  while  hope  lasted.  In  the  fort  were 
George  and  James  Kennerly,  the  former  an  aid  to  Governor  Clark,  the  latter  a 
lieutenant  in  the  militia. 

BATTLE  OF  Campbell's  island. 

At  this  time  General  Benjamin  Howard  was  in  command  of  the  military  district 
extending  from  the  interior  of  Indiana  to  the  frontier  of  Mexico.  After  the 
return  of  Governor  Clark  from  Prairie  du  Chien,  and,  as  it  appears,  prior  to  the 
receipt  of  news  of  the  engagement  at  that  place.  General  Howard  fitted  out  an 
expedition,  under  the  command  of  Captain  John  Campbell,  First  United  States 
infantry,  to  proceed  to  Prairie  du  Chien  and  strengthen  the  garrison  at  that 
place.  The  expedition  consisted  of  forty-two  regulars,  sixty-six  rangers  and 
about  twenty-one  other  persons,  including  boatmen,  women  and  the  sutler's  es- 
tablishment. This  expedition  left  St.  Louis  early  in  July,  1814,  and  proceeded 
up  the  river  in  three  keel-boats  as  far  as  Rock  island,  near  which  place  it  was 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  77 

attacked  by  the  Indians  and  nearly  destroyed.  The  following  account-  of  this 
expedition  is  taken   from   Governor   Reynolds'   "Life  and  Times." 

Lieutenant  Campbell  commanded  the  boat  with  the  regulars,  and  Captain 
Stephen  Rector  and  Lieutenant  Riggs  the  other  two  barges,  manned  by  the 
rangers.  The  expedition  reached  Rock  island  in  peace,  but  the  Sac  and  Fox 
Indians,  in  great  numbers,  swarmed  around  the  boats  but  still  professed  peace. 
The  barge  commanded  by  Rector  was  navigated  mostly  by  the  French  of  Ca- 
hokia,  and  were  both  good  sailors  and  soldiers ;  and  the  same  may  be  said  of 
the  company  under  Lieutenant  Riggs,  except  as  to  the  knowledge  of  naviga- 
tion. The  boats  lay  still  all  night  at  or  near  the  Sac  and  Fox  villages  at  Rock 
island,  and  the  Indians  were  all  night  making  hollow  professions  of  friendship. 
Many  of  the  French,  after  the  battle,  informed  me  that  they  knew  the  Indians 
would  attack  the  boats,  and  accordingly  they  informed  Lieutenant  Campbell,  but 
he  disbelieved  them.  The  French  said  that  the  Indians  wanted  them  to  leave  the 
Americans  and  go  home.  They  would  squeeze  the  hands  of  the  French  and  pull 
their  hands  down  the  river,  indicating  to  leave.  The  Indians  disliked  to  fight  their 
old  friends  the  French. 

The  fleet  all  set  sail  in  the  morning  and  above  Rock  island  the  wind  blew  so 
hard  that  Campbell's  boat  was  forced  on  a  lee  shore  and  lodged  on  a  small  island 
near  the  mainland,  known  from  this  circumstance  as  "Campbell's  Island."  The 
Indians,  commanded  by  Black  Hawk,  when  the  wind  drifted  the  boat  on  shore, 
commenced  an  attack  on  it.  The  boats  of  Rector  and  Riggs  were  ahead  and  could 
see  the  smoke  of  the  fire  arms,  -but  could  not  hear  the  report  of  the  gims.  They 
returned  to  assist  Campbell  but  the  wind  was  so  high  that  their  barges  were  almost 
unmanageable.  They  anchored  near  Campbell  but  could  not  reach  him,  the  storm 
raged  so  severely.  When  Campbell's  boat  was  driven  ashore  by  the  wind  he 
placed  out  sentinels  and  the  men  commenced  cooking  their  breakfast ;  but  the 
enemy  in  hundreds  rushed  on  them,  killing  many  on  the  spot,  and  the  rest  took 
refuge  in  the  boat.  Hundreds  and  hundreds  of  the  warriors  were  on  and  around 
the  boat  and  at  last  set  it  on  fire.  Campbell's  boat  was  burning  and  the  bottom 
covered  with  the  dead,  the  wounded  and  blood.  They  had  almost  ceased  firing 
when  Rector  and  his  brave  men  most  nobly  came  to  the  rescue.  Campbell  him- 
self lay  wounded  on  his  back  in  the  bottom  of  his  boat  and  many  of  his  men 
dead  and  dying  around  him.  Riggs'  boat  was  well  fortified  but  his  men  were 
inexperienced  sailors.  Rector  and  company  could  not  remain  inactive  spectators 
of  the  destruction  of  Campbell  and  men,  but  in  a  tempest  of  wind  raised  their 
anchor  in  the  face  of  almost  a  thousand  Indians  and  periled  their  lives  in  the 
rescue  of  Campbell.  No  act  of  noble  daring  and  bravery  surpassed  the  rescue  of 
Campbell  during  the  war  in  the  west.  The  rangers  under  Rector  were  mostly 
Frenchmen  and  were  well  acquainted  with  the  management  of  a  boat  in  such  a 
crisis.  Rector  and  his  men  were  governed  by  th6  high  and  ennobling  principles 
of  chivalry  and  patriotism.  Rector's  boat  was  lightened  by  casting  overboard 
quantities  of  provisions  and  then  many  of  the  crew  actually  got  out  of  the  boat 
into  the  water,  leaving  the  vessel  between  them  and  the  fire  of  the  enemy  and 
pushed  their  boat  against  the  fire  of  the  warriors  to  Campbell's  boat,  which  was 
in  possession  of  tlie  Indians.     This  was  a  most  hazardous  exploit  for  forty  men, 


78  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

forcing  their  barge  to  a  burning  boat  in  possession  of  the  enemy,  nearly  a  thousand 
strong,  and  taking  from  it  the  wounded  and  living  soldiers,  together  with  their 
commander. 

WOUNDED   MEN   ARE  RESCUED. 

A  salt-water  sailor  by  the  name  of  Hoadley  did  gallant  service  in  this  daring 
enterprise  by  his  superior  knowledge  of  the  management  of  a  vessel.  Rector  took 
all  of  the  live  men  from  Campbell's  boat  into  his ;  and  his  men,  in  the  water, 
hauled  their  own  boat  out  into  the  stream.  The  Indians  feasted  on  the  aban- 
doned boat  of  Campbell.  Rector  had  his  boat  crowded  with  thie  wounded  and 
dying  but  rowed  night  and  day  until  they  reached  St.  Louis.  It  was  supposed 
the  boat  of  Riggs  was  captured  by  the  enemy;  but  the  vessel  was  strongly  for- 
tified so  that  it  lay,  as  it  were,  in  the  hands  of  the  Indians  for  several  hours  ;  the 
enemy  having  possession  of  the  outside  and  the  whites  of  the  inside ;  but  the  wind 
in  the  evening  subsided  and  Riggs  got  his  boat  ofT  without  losing  many  men.  It 
was  a  general  jubilee  and  rejoicing  when  Riggs  arrived  at  St.  Louis ;  the  hearts 
of  the  people  swelled  with  patriotic  joy  to  know  that  the  lives  of  so  many  brave 
soldiers  were  saved  by  the  courage  and  energies  of  Rector,  Riggs  and  their  troops. 
I  saw  the  soldiers  on  their  return  to  St.  Louis  and  the  sight  was  distressing.  Those 
who  were  not  wounded  were  worn  down  to  skeletons  by  labor  and  fatigue. 

TO  DAVENPORT   FOR  DISTRIJ5UTI0N. 

Writing  of  this  engagement  Black  Hawk,  in  his  autobiography,  tells  of 
the  disposition  of  the  spoils  of  war.  He  first  emptied  the  cargo  of  whiskey,  "bad 
medicine,"  several  barrels,  in  the  river ;  next,  to  quote  him,  "I  found  a  box  full  of 
small  bottles  and  packages  which  appeared  to  be  bad  medicine  also,  such  as  the 
white  medicine  men  kill  the  white  people  with  when  they  get  sick,  this  I  threw 
into  the  river."  The  ammunition  intended  for  Fort  Shelby  fell  into  Black 
Hawk's  hands,  also  boat  loads  of  guns,  clothing  and  provisions  which  were 
brought  to  the  Fox  village  on  the  site  of  Davenport  for  distribution.  The  same 
day  of  the  Campbell's  island  fight.  Fort  Shelby,  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  surrendered 
to  an  overwhelming  force  of  British  and  Indians,  the  name  changed  to  Fort  Mc- 
Kay and  the  command  given  to  Captain  Thomas  G.  Anderson. 

The  National  Intelligencer  of  August,  1814,  states  the  number  of  killed  and 
wounded  in  this  engagement  to  have  been  thirty-six.  Capt.  Campbell  and  Dr. 
Abram  Stewart,  surgeon's  mate,  were  also  wounded,  the  former  seriously.  After 
this  disaster  and  the  return  of  the  survivors  to  St.  Louis,  another  and  larger 
expedition  was  fitted  out,  the  object  of  which  was  to  punish  the  Indians  at  Rock 
island  and  to  establish  and  maintain  a  fort  at  or  near  that  place.  The  detach- 
ment was  under  the  command  of  Brevet  Major  Zachary  Taylor,  Seventh  United 
States  infantry,  afterward  president  of  the  United  States,  and  consisted  of  334 
oflficers  and  men  (regulars,  militia  and  rangers).  There  were  only  forty  of  the 
regular  troops  and  it  is  presumed  that  these  belonged  to  the  Seventh  United 
States  infantry. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  79 

BATTLE  OF  CREDIT  ISLAND. 

August  2 1  St  the  British  were  informed  by  the  Fox  Indians  that  another  expe- 
dition, larger  than  the  preceding  ones,  had  left  St.  Louis  for  the  upper  river.  Six 
days  later,  Captain  Anderson  sent  Lieutenant  Duncan  Graham  to  meet  this  new 
force  with  a  command  of  thirty  British  soldiers,  a  brass  three-pounder  and  two 
swivels,  with  instructions  to  harass  the  Americans  and  if  possible  compel  a  return 
to  St.  Louis.  Thus  was  brought  about  an  engagement  within  the  corporate  limits 
of  the  city  of  Davenport  and  known  as  the  battle  of  Credit  Island.  The  unwieldly 
nature  of  the  keel  boats,  the  inadequate  means  of  propulsion  or  maneuver, 
brought  disaster  to  the  American  arms.  These  were  not  battle  ships  but  rather 
transports  and  of  the  most  primitive  sort.  The  issue  of  the  conflict  brought  no 
reproach  to  the  ofificer  in  command,  Major  Taylor,  later  the  hero  of  the  Mexican 
war  and  president  of  the  United  States. 

ST.   LOUIS  TREATY  REAFFIRMED. 

Under  date  of  Fort  Madison,  September  6,  1841,  Mayor  Taylor  reports  to 
Gen.  Howard : 

Sir:  In  obedience  to  your  orders  i  left  Fort  Independence  on  the  2d  ult.,  and 
reached  Rock  river,  our  place  of  destination,  on  the  evening  of  the  4th  inst.,  with- 
out meeting  a  single  Indian  or  any  occurrence  worthy  of  relation.  On  my  arrival 
at  the  mouth  of  Rock  river  the  Indians  began  to  make  their  appearance  in  con- 
siderable numbers ;  running  up  the  Mississippi  to  the  upper  village  and  crossing 
the  river  below  us.  After  passing  Rock  river,  which  is  very  small  at  the  mouth, 
from  an  attentive  and  careful  examination  as  I  proceeded  up  the  Mississippi  I 
was  confident  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  enter  its  mouth  with  our  large  boats. 
Immediately  opposite  its  mouth  a  large  island  commences,  which,  together  with 
the  western  shore  of  the  Mississippi,  was  covered  with  a  considerable  number  of 
horses ;  which  were  doubtless  placed  in  those  situations  in  order  to  draw  small 
detachments  on  shore.  But  in  this  they  were  disappointed  and  I  determined  to 
alter  the  plan  which  you  have  suggested — which  was  to  pass  the  different  villages 
as  if  the  object  of  the  expedition  was  Prairie  du  Chien — for  several  reasons: 
first,  t-hat  I  might  have  an  opportunity  of  viewing  the  situation  of  the  ground  to 
enable  me  to  select  such  a  landing  as  would  bring  our  artillery  to  bear  on  the 
villages  with  the  greatest  advantage.  I  was  likewise  in  hopes  a  party  would  ap- 
proach us  with  a  flag,  from  which  I  expected  to  learn  the  situation  of  aflfairs  at 
the  Prairie,  and  ascertain  in  some  measure  their  numbers  and  perhaps  bring  them 
to  a  council,  when  I  should  have  been  able  to  have  retaliated  on  them  for  their 
repeated  acts  of  treachery ;  or,  if  they  were  determined  to  attack  us,  I  was  in 
hopes  to  draw  them  some  distance  from  their  towns  toward  the  rapids,  ran  down 
in  the  night  and  destroy  them  before  they  could  return  to  their  defense.  But  in 
this  I  was  disappointed — the  wind  which  had  been  in  our  favor,  began  to  shift 
about  at  the  time  we  passed  the.  mouth  of  Rock  river;  and  by  the  time  we  reached 
the  head  of  the  island,  which  is  about  a  mile  and  a  half  long,  it  blew  a  perfect 
hurricane,  quarterly  down  the  river,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  we  made  land  at 
a  small  island  containing  six  or  eight  acres  covered  with  willows,  near  the  middle 


8u  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

of  the  river,  and  about  sixty  yards  from  the  upper  end  of  the  island.  In  this 
situation  1  determined  to  remain  during  the  night,  if  the  storm  continued;  as  I 
knew  the  anchors  of  several  of  the  lx>ats  in  that  event  would  not  hold  them  and 
there  was  a  great  probability  of  their  being  drifted  on  sand-bars,  of  which  the 
river  is  full  in  this  place,  which  would  have  exposed  the  men  very  much  in  getting 
them  off.  even  if  they  could  have  prevented  their  filling  with  water.  It  was  about 
4  o'clock  in  the  evening  when  we  were  compelled  to  land,  and  large  parties  of 
Indians  were  on  each  side  of  the  river,  as  well  as  crossing  in  different  directions 
in  canoes,  but  not  a  gim  w^as  fired  from  either  side.  The  wind  continued  to 
blow  the  whole  night  with  violence,  accompanied  with  some  rain,  which  induced 
nie  to  order  the  sentinels  to  be  brought  in  and  placed  in  the  bow  of  each  boat. 
.\bout  daylight  Captain  Whitesides'  boat  was  fired  on  at  the  distance  of  about  fif- 
teen paces  and  a  corporal  who  was  on  the  outside  of  the  boat  was  mortally 
wounded.  My  orders  w^ere  if  a  boat  was  fired  on  to  return  it,  but  not  a  man  to 
leave  the  boat  without  positive  orders  from  myself.  So  soon  as  it  got  perfectly 
light,  as  the  enemy  continued  about  the  boat,  I  determined  to  drum  them  from  the 
island,  let  their  numbers  be  what  they  might — provided  we  were  able  to  do  so.  I 
then  assigned  to  each  boat  a  proper  guard,  formed  the  troops  for  action,  and 
pushed  through  the  willows  to  the  opposite  shore;  but  those  fellows  who  had  the 
lx)ldness  to  fire  on  the  boats,  cleared  themselves  as  soon  as  the  troops  were  formed, 
by  wading  from  the  island  we  were  encamped  on  to  the  one  just  below  us.  Cap- 
tain Whitesides,  who  was  on  the  left,  was  able  to  give  them  a  warm  fire  as  they 
reached  the  island  they  had  retreated  to.  They  returned  the  fire  for  a 
few  moments  when  they  retreated.  In  this  affair  we  had  two  men  badly 
wounded.  When  Captain  Whitesides  commenced  the  fire,  I  ordered  Captain 
Rector  to  drop  down  with  his  boat  to  ground  and  to  rake  the  island  below  with 
artillery,  and  to  fire  on  every  canoe  he  should  discover  passing  from  one  shore 
to  the  other  which  should  come  within  reach.  In  this  situation  he  remained  about 
one  hour,  and  no  Indians  making  their  appearance,  he  determined  to  drop  down  the 
island  about  sixty  yards  and  destroy  several  canoes  that  were  laying  to  shore. 
This  he  effected,  and  just  on  setting  his  men  on  board  the  British  commenced  a 
fire  on  our  boats  with  a  six,  a  four  and  two  swivels,  from  behind  a  knoll  that 
completely  covered  them.  The  boats  were  entirely  exposed  to  the  artil- 
lery, which  was  distant  about  350  paces  from  us.  So  soon  as  the  first 
gim  fired  I  ordered  a  six-pounder  to  be  brought  out  and  placed,  but,  on  recollect- 
ing a  moment,  I  found  the  boat  would  be  sunk  before  any  impression  could  be 
made  on  them  by  our  cannon,  as  they  were  completely  under  cover,  and  had  al- 
ready brought  their  gims  to  bear  on  our  boats — for  the  round-shot  from  their 
six  passed  through  Lieutenant  Hempstead's  boat  and  shattered  her  considerably. 
1  then  ordered  the  boats  to  drop  down  which  was  done  in  order  and  conducted 
with  the  .i,'-reatest  coolness  by  every  officer,  although  exposed  to  a  constant  fire 
from  their  artillery  for  more  than  half  a  mile.  So  soon  as  they  commenced  firing 
from  their  artillery  the  Indians  raised  the  yell  and  commenced  firing  on  us  in  every 
direction,  whether  they  were  able  to  do  us  any  damage  or  not.  from  each  side  of 
the  river.  Captain  Rector,  who  was  laying  to  the  shore  of  the  island,  was  attacked 
the  instant  the  first  gun  was  fired,  by  a  very  large  party,  and  in  a  close  and 
well-contested  contest  of  about  fifteen  minutes  they  drove  them,  after  giving  three 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  81 

rounds  of  grape  from  his  three-pounder.  Captain  Whitesides,  who  was  near- 
est to  Captain  Rector,  dropped  down  and  anchored  nigh  him,  and  gave  the 
enemy  several  fires  with  his  swivel;  but  the  wind  was  so  hard  down  stream  as 
to  drift  his  anchor.  Captain  Rector  at  that  moment  got  his  boat  off,  and  we  were 
then  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  Indians  for  two  miles,  which  we  returned  with 
interest  from  our  small  arms  and  small  pieces  of  artillery,  whenever  we  could 
get  them  to  bear.  I  was  compelled  to  drop  down  about  three  miles  before  a 
proper  place  presented  itself  for  landing,  as  but  few  of  the  boats  had  anchors 
sufficient  to  stop  them  in  the  river.  Here  I  halted  for  the  purpose  of  having 
the  wounded  attended  and  some  of  the  boats  repaired,  as  some  of  them  had  been 
injured  by  the  enemy's  artillery.  They  followed  us  in  their  lx>ats  until  we  halted 
on  a  small  prairie  and  prepared  for  action,  when  they  returned  in  as  great  a 
hurry  as  they  followed  us. 

I  then  collected  the  officers  together  and  put  the  following  questions  to  them : 
Are  we  able,  334  effective  men — offi'cers,  non-commissioned  officers 
and  privates — to  fight  the  enemy  with  any  prospect  of  success  and 
effect,  which  is  to  destroy  their  villages  and  corn  ?  They  were  of  opinion  the  enemy 
was  at  least  three  men  to  one,  and  that  it  was  not  practicable  to  effect  either  ob- 
ject. I  then  determined  to  drop  down  the  river  to  the  Lemoine  without  delay,  as 
some  of  the  ranging  officers  informed  me  their  men  were  short  of  provisions,  and 
execute  the  principal  object  of  the  expedition  in  erecting  a  fort  to  command  the 
river.  This  shall  be  effected  as  soon  as  practicable  with  the  means  in  my  power, 
and  should  the  enemy  attempt  to  descend  the  river  in  force  before  the  fort  can 
be  completed  every  foot  of  the  way  from  the  fort  to  the  settlements  shall  be 
contested. 

In  the  affair  at  Rock  river  I  had  eleven  men  badly  wounded,  three  mortally, 
of  whom  one  has  since  died.  I  am  much  indebted  to  the  officers  for  their  prompt 
obedience  to  orders,  nor  do  I  believe  a  braver  set  of  men  could  have  been  col- 
lected than  those  who  composed  this  detachment.  But,  sir,  I  conceive  it  would 
have  been  madness  in  me,  as  well  as  a  direct  violation  of  my  orders,  to  have 
risked  the  detachment  without  a  prospect  of  success.  I  believe  I  should  have  been 
fully  able  to  have  accomplished  your  views,  if  the  enemy  had  not  been  supplied  with 
artillery,  and  so  advantageously  posted  as  to  render  it  impossible  for  us  to  have 
dislodged  him  without  imminent  danger  of  the  loss  of  the  whole  detachment. 
Za.  Taylor,  Brevet  Major,  Commanding  Detachment. 

CREDIT    ISLAND. 

The  larger  of  the  two  islands  referred  to  in  the  above  communication  by 
Gen.  Zachary  Taylor,  a  short  time  after  the  battle  referred  to  by  him  had  at- 
tached to  it  the  name  of  "Credit"  island,  which  name  has  subsequently  been  often 
changed  to  suit  the  whims  or  fancies  of  its  several  owners. 

Just  below  Davenport  this  beautiful  island  is  situated  and  contains  some  200 
acres,  once  well  wooded  and  now  partially  farmed.  It  is  a  very  creditable 
sort  of  island,  indeed  well  known  all  the  country  around.  It's  a  queer  sort  of 
name  for  an  island,  yet  nothing  discreditable  as  to  name  or  condition.  It  came 
honestly  enough  by  it  and  this  is  how : 


82  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

In  the  early  days  of  this  section,  as  far  back  as  1815  to  1830,  the  Great  Amer- 
ican Fur  Company  did  a  thrifty  business  in  this  locality,  selling  goods  to  the  In- 
dians and  taking  pay  in  peltries.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  Indians  to  go  on  ''tick." 
They  were  good  pay  masters,  it  is  said,  but  giving  cash  down  was  no  part  of  their 
commercial  training.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  a  good  deal  so  with  people  of 
today  who  are  not  purely  savage.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  noble  redman,  as  soon 
as  his  delicate  wives  had  gotten  the  com.  beans,  and  papooses  gathered  in  the  fall, 
to  put  out  on  their  annual  winter  hunt  after  furred  animals,  but  they  had  no  am- 
munition at  that  time  of  year,  having  used  it  all  the  previous  season.  Besides, 
their  personal  wardrobe  was  out  of  repair  and  their  squaws  and  daughters  de- 
sired something  stunning  for  the  winter  gaieties.  Cnder  the  circumstances  what 
could  an  Indian  or  even  a  white  savage  do  but  to  "run  his  face?"  What  would 
you  do  yourself?    You  would  use  your  credit,  if  you  had  any;  so  did  the  Indian. 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  traders  to  appear  along  in  September,  and  for  the 
better  protection  of  their  goods  and  chattels  and  horses  from  unforeseen  stamped- 
ing invasion,  they  almost  invariably  betook  themselves  to  the  island  in  question. 
There  they  were  visited  in  canoes  by  the  Indians,  who  swarmed  hither  from  all 
the  country  round  about  to  trade.  The  traders  would  erect  temporary  stores  in 
which  were  exposed  for  sale  or  barter  vast  quantities  of  goods  of  every  descrip- 
tion— dry,  hard  and  liquid — that  were  considered  useful  or  ornamental  in  the 
proud  savage's  home.  The  average  Indian's  word  was  considered  gilt-edged,  and 
on  four  and  six  months'  promises,  generally  bought  all  the  powder,  lead,  guns, 
traps  and  dry  goods  desired,  conditioned  upon  paying  a  rousing  good  price  in 
peltries.  So  the  business  was  all  done  on  credit  and  from  the  long  duration  of 
the  custom  here  recited  the  beautiful  island  below  Davenport  gained  the  well 
known  name  of  Credit  island. 

THE   BRITISH   ACCOUNT. 

After  this  digression,  by  way  of  description  of  the  battle  ground  mentioned  in 
Gen.  Taylor's  letter,  we  will  hark  back  to  the  aforesaid  "battle  of  Credit  Island," 
and  give  the  other  side  of  the  story  as  related  in  a  letter  to  his  superior  officer. 
Captain  Thomas  G.  Anderson,  in  which  Lieutenant  Duncan  Graham,  at  the  head 
of  the  P.ritish  contingent,  had  the  following  to  say : 

Rock  River,  September  7,  1814. 
Capt.  Thomas  G.  Anderson  : 

Sir: — I  mentioned  to  you  in  my  letter  of  the  4th  inst.,  by  the  information  I 
had  from  the  Indians,  that  the  enemy  were  within  thirty  leagues  of  this  place  on 
their  way  up.  As  soon  as  I  found  out  their  strength  I  concluded  the  place  of  their 
destination  must  be  La  Prairie  du  Chien.  The  rapids  was  the  only  place  where 
we  could  attack  such  a  force  to  any  advantage.  On  the  5th  inst..  we  moved  to  the 
west  side  of  the  island,  and  took  our  position  at  the  narrowest  part  of  the  chan- 
nel, the  only  place  where  they  could  pass  at  tliat  point.  We  were  determined  to 
dispute  the  road  with  them,  inch  by  inch. 

They  appeared  in  sight  at  4:00  o'clock,  p.  m.,  with  a  strong  fair  wind.  There 
were  eight  large  boats,  four  of  which  were  equal  in  size  to  the  one  that  made  her 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  85 

escape  from  the  Prairie.  The  largest  of  them  had  a  large  white  tlag  flying  at  her 
mast  head.  When  they  came  to  the  head  of  Credit  islanrl,  about  two  miles  from 
us.  a  storm  of  rain,  thunder  and  lightning  came  on.  and  the  wind  shifted  to  the 
opposite  point  of  the  compass,  which  compelled  them  to  pass  the  remainder  of  the 
day  and  that  night  here.  All  the  women  and  children  were  sent  to  the  island.  I 
took  all  the  Sioux  with  us  to  cover  the  guns  in  case  of  being  obliged  to  retreat, 
as  they  promised  they  would  rather  be  killed  to  the  last  man  than  give  up  the 
guns. 

I  told  the  Sauks  in  case  the  enemy  should  attempt  to  land  at  their  village  to 
retreat  to  the  island  and  then  we  would  return  and  attack  them.  The  6th.  at  break 
of  day.  some  of  the  Sauks  came  to  us  and  requested  that  we  should  attack  them 
immediately,  as  the  wind  was  against  them  and  some  of  their  boats  were  aground. 
We  crossed  to  the  mainland  at  the  Foxes'  village.  There  we  left  our  boats  and  went 
as  quickly  as  possible  through  the  prairie  unperceived  by  the  enemy  until  we  were 
on  the  beach  opposite  to  them.  Here  we  had  a  close  view  of  them.  I  had  no 
idea  of  the  enormous  size  of  their  boats  before.  They  lay  with  their  broad  sides 
close  to  a  low,  sandy  beach.  The  largest  of  them  had  six  port-holes  open  on  the 
side  next  to  us.     The  channel  was  about  600  yards  broad. 

We  were  on  an  elevated  spot  but  no  covering.  I  requested  the  Indians  not  to 
waste  their  ammunition  firing  at  the  boats,  and  save  it  in  case  the  enemy  should 
attempt  to  land.  They  did  so.  Finding  they  could  not  make  up  matters  with  the 
Sauks.  as  they  had  killed  one  of  their  sentinels  in  the  night,  they  took  down  the 
white  flag  and  put  up  the  bloody  in  its  place,  which  I  believe  to  be  a  signal  of 
no  quarters.  It  was  then  7  :oo  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Everything  being  ready, 
we  opened  a  brisk  fire  from  the  three-pounder  and  two  swivels  on  our  boats.  In 
about  three-quarters  of  an  hour  the  largest  of  their  boats,  which  was  ahead  of  the 
others,  after  having  about  fifteen  shots  through  her,  began  to  push  off  and  dropped 
astern  of  the  rest,  and  made  the  best  of  her  way  down  the  current.  The  others 
soon  followed  her.  We  kept  firing  at  them  along  the  bank,  as  far  as  the  ground 
would  permit  us  to  drag  the  guns,  but  they  soon  got  out  of  our  reach.  They  went 
on  about  a  league  and  put  to  shore.  I  thought  they  might  intend  to  throw  up 
some  breastworks  and  make  a  stand  at  that  place.  I  sent  immediately  for  the 
boats  to  go  with  all  the  Indians  to  endeavor  to  dislodge  them  from  there.  By  the 
time  we  were  ready  to  embark  some  of  the  Indians  that  followed  returned  and 
informed  us  that  it  appeared  to  them  that  the  Americans  had  committed  the 
bodies  of  some  of  their  men  to  a  watery  grave,  well  knowing  if  they  buried  them 
on  shore  they  would  be  torn  to  pieces.  They  then  got  up  their  sails,  the  wind  be- 
ing fair,  and  made  the  best  of  their  way  off.  As  the  enemy  landed  at  that  place 
the  Indians  say  there  were  about  a  thousand  men.  I  think  their  number  to  be 
between  six  and  eight  hundred. 

If  we  had  had  a  larger  supply  of  ammunition  and  provisions  we  might  have 
harassed  them  as  far  as  the  rapids  of  the  river  Des  Moines,  but  having  only  a 
scanty  supply  of  the  one  and  entirely  destitute  of  the  other,  we  were  obliged  to 
give  up  pursuing  them  any  further.  Although  we  have  not  been  able  to  capture 
any  of  their  boats  they  have  been  completely  repulsed  and,  I  have  every  reason  to 
believe,  with  a  considerable  loss,  as  out  of  fifty-four  shots  that  we  fired  at  them, 
there  were  only  three  or  four  that  did  not  go  through  their  boats.    The  action  lasted 


86  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

about  an  hour.  One  of  the  swivels  was  served  by  Lieut.  Brisbois,  and  the  other 
by  Colin  Campbell,  which  they  executed  with  credit  to  themselves;  and  all  at- 
tached to  the  expedition  behaved  themselves  in  a  manner  worthy  of  veteran  troops, 
for  they  seemed  to  vie  with  each  other  who  would  be  the  foremost,  notwithstand- 
ing they  were  entirely  exposed  to  the  enemy's  shot,  and  I  am  happy  to  say  that 
not  a  man  was  hurt.  It  is  to  the  skill  and  courage  of  Sergeant  Keating,  on  whom 
everythinjj  depended,  that  we  owe  our  success,  and  no  praise  of  mine  can  bestow 
on  him  what  he  deserves.  .As  the  Indians  had  no  communication  with  the  enemy 
I  have  not  been  able  to  find  out  who  commanded  the  American  expedition. 

(iOVKRNOR   RKVNOLDS'    XARR.ATION. 

In  his  "Life  and  Times"  Governor  Reynolds  gives  a  spirited  account  of  this 
battle  which  was  fought  in  the  suburbs  of  Davenport ;  a  battle  which  it  is  hoped  will 
be  duly  commemorated  by  the  people  of  Iowa  even  as  the  site  of  the  en- 
gagement on  Campbell's  island  has  been  marked  by  the  people  of  Illinois.  Gov- 
ernor Reynolds  had  a  brother  in  the  Credit  island  fight  and  doubtless  received 
from  him  details  of  the  narration.  It  is  interesting  to  note  in  what  particulars 
the  three  accounts  agree  and  in  what  points  there  are  disagreements.  The  Cap- 
tain Rector.  Governor  Reynolds  mentions,  was  a  cousin  of  the  hero  of  the  Camp- 
bell's island  fight.  Verily.  "The  Rector  family  never  knew  what  fear  was."  This 
is  the  account : 

"Nothing  uncommon  occurred  until  they  reached  Rock  island,  where  they  met 
British  soldiers  cannon  and  swarms  of  Indians.  The  English  had  captured  our 
garrison  at  Prairie  du  Chien  and  had  the  whole  country  in  possession  north  of  the 
settlements  near  the  present  city  of  Alton. 

"Our  white  enemy  was  at  Rock  island  with  many  regulars,  six  pieces  of  can- 
non and  hordes  of  Indian  warriors.  Major  Taylor,  with  his  usual  sound  judg- 
ment anchored  his  fleet  out  in  the  Mississippi  about  one  half  mile  above  the  mouth 
of  Rock  river  and  not  far  from  Three  Willow  islands.  It  was  supposed  that  the 
English  had  ordered  the  Indians  to  occupy  these  islands  in  great  numbers  in  the 
night,  as  they  swarmed  with  the  red  warriors  at  daylight.  The  English  had  in 
the  night  planted  cannon  in  battery  at  the  edge  of  the  water  so  as  to  destroy  our 
boats  in  the  morning.  It  was  the  English  calculation  that  the  cannon  would  de- 
stroy our  boats  and  the  men  would  have  to  swim  to  the  islands  where  the  Indians 
would  kill  them.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  circumvent  the  Americans.  Taylor 
ordered  all  his  forces  except  twenty  men  on  each  boat  to  proceed  to  the  islands 
and  destroy  the  Indian  warriors  on  them.  This  order  was  executed  with  great 
vigor  and  efficiency  and  the  Indians  were  either  killed  or  drove  to  the  lower  island  ; 
but  in  the  meantime  the  British  cannon  opened  a  tremendous  fire  on  our  boats 
that  cau-^ed  the  soldiers  to  rush  back  to  the  boats  to  save  them  from  the  cannon 
balls  which  were  piecing  them  in  every  direction.  British  officers  were 
moimted  on  horseback  giving  commands  to  the  cannonades  and  many  regu- 
lars and  hundreds  of  Indians  obeying.  The  boats  were  unable  to  resist  the 
cannon  and  almost  every  shot  told  on  them.  In  the  battle  some  Indian  canoes 
were  seen  on  the  lower  island  and  Captain  Rector  was  ordered  with  some 
men  to  scour  the  island.     He  did  so  and  drove  the  Indians  back  into  the  willows; 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  87 

but  the  enemy  reinforced  and  in  turn  drove  Rector  back  to  the  sand  beach  again. 
In  this  sortie  from  his  boat  Rector  was  elegantly  dressed  in  military  costume  with 
a  towering  feather  in  his  cap  and  a  sword  drawn,  leading  his  men  to  the  charge. 
In  this  exposed  situation  with  hundreds  of  gims  fired  at  him  he  moved  on  un- 
daunted as  if  he  were  in  his  mess-room  with  his  comrades.  The  Rector  family 
never  knew  what  fear  was.  The  boats  under  Taylor  were  ordered  to  retreat 
down  the  river;  but  just  as  Rector's  boat  got  under  way  it  grounded  and  stuck 
fast.  The  Indians  surrounded  it  and  it  was  with  the  utmost  hard  fighting  they 
were  kept  out.  All  the  boats  had  left  except  Captain  Samuel  Whitesides.  who  saw 
the  imminent  danger  of  Rector  and  with  true  courage  and  kindness  of  heart  re- 
turned to  save  his  brother  soldiers.  If  Whitesides  had  not  returned,  Rector  and 
all  his  men  were  doomed  to  destruction.  Rector's  boat  being  saved  all  descended 
the  river  until  they  were  out  of  reach  of  the  cannon,  when  Major  Taylor  called  a 
council  of  his  officers. 

"It  was  ascertained  that  there  were  more  than  i,ooo  Indians  at  and  near  Rock 
island  and  a  detachment  of  British  regulars  with  six  field  pieces ;  and  the  eflFective 
American  soldiers  were  only  334  in  number.  This  showed  the  force  of  the  enemy 
to  be  more  than  three  to  one  over  the  Americans. 

"Under  all  circumstances  it  was  considered  imprudent  and  improper  to  at- 
tach such  superior  forces  and  the  whole  fleet  descended  the  river  to  the  site  where 
Warsaw  now  stands.  At  this  point  Fort  Edwards  was  built  and  Fort  Johnson 
a  few  miles  above  was  burned.  After  the  erection  of  Fort  Edwards  the  troops 
remained  three  or  four  weeks,  but  the  major  part  of  them  descended  the  river  to 
St.  Louis  and  were  discharged  the  i8th  of  October,  1814. 

"Thus  ended  this  expedition  which  pretty  much  closed  the  war  in  the  West. 
Scarcely  any  further  Indian  depredations  were  committed  and  the  troops  were 
generally  disbanded.  On  the  24th  of  December,  1814,  peace  was  concluded  at 
Ghent  in  Europe;  but  the  act  was  not  known  for  some  months  thereafter. 

"I  saw  in  the  harbor  of  St.  Louis  the  boats  that  were  in  Taylor's  battle  at 
Rock  island  and  they  were  riddled  with  the  cannon  balls.  I  think  the  balls  were 
made  of  lead ;  at  any  rate  they  pierced  the  boats  considerably." 

ST.   LOUIS  TREATY   REAFFIRMED. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  Sept.  13,  1815,  at  Portage  des  Sioux,  a  treaty 
was  made  between  the  United  States  and  the  Sacs,  which  reaffirmed  the  St. 
Louis  treaty  of  1804  and  those  of  the  Sac  tribe  at  this  treaty  represented  agreed 
to  keep  entirely  separate  from  the  Sacs  of  Rock  river,  the  British  band  who, 
under  Black  Hawk,  had  joined  the  British  in  the  war  just  ended.  The  following 
day,  the  Foxes  entered  into  a  similar  agreement.  May  13th  the  Rock  river  Sacs 
also  entered  into  treaty  with  the  government  at  St.  Louis,  affirming  the  treaty  of 
1804  and  this  time  Black  Hawk  "touched  the  goose-quill." 

In  a  treaty  held  at  Washington,  August  4,  1824.  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  relin- 
quished all  title  to  lands  in  Missouri,  and  the  southeast  corner  of  Iowa,  known  as 
the  "half-breed  tract,"  was  reserved  for  the  use  of  the  half-breeds  of  the  Sacs 
and  Foxes,  they  holding  title  in  the  same  manner  as  Indians. 


88  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

August  19,  1825,  a  treaty  was  held  at  Prairie  du  Chien  in  which  the  boundary 
line  between  the  Sioux  and  Sacs  and  Foxes  was  determined.  In  1830  these 
tribes  conveyed  a  strip  of  twenty  miles  on  each  side  of  the  boundary  line  to  the 
United  States  as  a  neutral  strip  in  the  interest  of  peace  between  these  ancient 
enemies,  the  Sioux,  Sacs  and  Foxes. 

THE    BLACK    HAWK    PURCHASE. 

In  1832.  September  21st.  General  Winfield  Scott  and  Governor  Reynolds  nego- 
tiated with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  and  Winnebagoes  for  the  purchase  of  6,000,000 
acres  of  land  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi  known  as'  the  "Black  Hawk 
Purchase."  This  treaty  was  held  near  Farnam  and  Fifth  streets.  This  incom- 
parable domain  was  purchased  at  an  expense  computed  to  be  9  cents  an  acre. 
At  this  treaty,  400  acres  on  the  Iowa  river,  including  Keokuk's  village,  was  not 
transferred  and  was  afterward  known  as  "Keokuk's  Reserve." 

In  1836  Governor  Henry  Dodge,  of  Wisconsin  territory,  negotiated  a  treaty 
by  which  this  reserve  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  United  States  and  the  Sacs  and 
Foxes  moved  to  a  reservation  on  the  Des  Moines  river,  where  an  agency 
was  established  for  them.  This  site  is  now  occupied  by  the  town  of  Agency  City, 
in  Wapello  county.  Here  Keokuk,  Appanoose  and  Wapello,  chiefs  of  the  united 
tribes,  had  large  farms  under  cultivation. 

In  1837  a  treaty  was  held  at  Washington  in  which  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  con- 
veyed to  the  government  a  tract  of  1,250,000  acres,  lying  west  of  the  Black  Hawk 
purchase  and  adjoining  it.  This  piece  of  land  had  a  breadth  of  twenty-five  miles 
in  the  center  and  ran  off  to  a  point  at  both  ends.  At  this  treaty  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
relinquished  all  title  to  any  lands  in  Iowa,  and  in  1842,  at  a  final  treaty  held  at 
Agency  City,  John  Chambers,  acting  for  the  United  States,  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
closed  accounts  with  the  government  by  relinquishing  title  to  all  lands  west  of 
the  Mississippi.  .\11  the  lands  east  of  the  great  river  they  had  parted  with  in 
earlier  treaties. 

JOWA  RESERVF^.  PURCHASED. 

The  treaty  of  1836  was  held  at  Davenport.  The  site  is  in  doubt.  Some  of  the 
older  citizens  place  it  on  East  River  street,  on  the  height  between  Bridge  and 
Mississippi  avenues :  others  say  where  Prospect  park  is  located.  Dr.  E.  S.  Bar- 
rows, who  was  present  at  the  treaty,  gave  the  former  location.  He  used  to  say 
that  Black  Hawk's  camp  was  on  the  hills  later  known  as  Camp  McClellan  and 
now  McClellan  Heights.  At  that  time  the  water  in  the  river  was  so  low  that  the 
Indians  in  passing  to  the  trading  point  on  the  island  waded  the  river  except  for  a 
rod  or  two  in  the  channel  where  their  ponies  swam. 

Col.  J.  H.  Sullivan,  well  known  as  the  mayor  of  Rockingham,  was  also  present 
at  the  signing  of  this  treaty,  and  wrote  to  Ohio  relatives  of  the  occurrence.  A 
copy  of  a  Zanesville  paper  preserves  his  graphic  description.    The  extract : 

"We  have  been  permitted  to  make  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  for 
publication  from  our  talented  and  enterprising  friend  Col.  John  H.  Sullivan,  of 
Rockingham.  Wisconsin  territory,  to  his  father  of  this  place,  dated  Oct.  2,  1836, 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  89 

after  visiting  the  treaty  ground  where  the  Sac  and  Fox  chiefs  with  a  few 
hundred  of  their  braves  and  principal  men  were  assembled  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Mississippi  opposite  Ft.  Armstrong  on  Rock  island  for  the  purpose  of  selling 
to  the  U.  S.  government  the  whole  of  the  reserve  on  the  Iowa,  containing  250- 
000  acres,  and  which  were  disposed  of  at  the  rate  of  75  cents  an  acre.  The  two 
bands  of  Foxes  under  Poweshiek  and  Wapello  were  encamped  on  the  Wisconsin 
side  of  the  Mississippi,  opposite  and  about  half  way  up  Rock  island.  The  en- 
campment was  on  a  slope  of  the  bluff  and  at  a  little  distance  looked  quite  pic- 
turesque, as  the  Indians  flitted  about  the  bulrush  and  bark  tents,  arrayed  in  their 
showy  green  or  red  blankets,  looking  for  all  the  world  when  you  gave  a  glance  at 
their  horses  browsing  on  the  bluff  tops,  like  a  picture  of  an  Arab  encampment, 
glowing  with  the  bright  and  gorgeous  colors  of  orientalism ;  but  when  you  came 
nearer,  all  the  glory  vanished.  Your  eye  would  go  to  scrutinizing  the  tents  with 
all  the  dirty  paraphemaHa  of  skinning,  jerking  meat  and  general  cooking  opera- 
tions. 

"About  a  half  a  mile  above  this  encampment  lay  the  far  more  neatly  arranged 
tents  of  the  Sacs — which  was  Black  Hawk's  band  but  is  no  more.  It  is  called  his, 
but  alas,  poor  old  man,  the  scepter  has  departed  from  Judah,  has  no  voice  in 
council — no  authority  in  the  tribe.  This  encampment  was  made  immediately  on 
the  bank  of  the  river,  on  a  kind  of  promontory,  and  the  tents  were  arranged 
around  in  the  form  of  a  crescent.  Above  them  and  fronting  the  hollow  of  the 
crescent  was  erected  the  council  lodge.  At  one  end  was  placed  Gov.  Dodge, 
Capt.  Boone  and  Lieut.  Lea — the  commissioners — together  with  General  Street, 
the  Indian  agent ;  and  the  Indian  traders  fronting  them — and  on  each  side  of  the 
council  house  were  arranged  the  tawny  warriors,  decked  out  in  the  most  impos- 
ing finery.  The  mass  of  the  warriors  and  braves  were  standing ;  the  chiefs  and 
headmen  sitting  in  front  of  the  standing  phalanxes,  all  listening  with  dignified 
attention  to  the  propositions  of  the  governor  and  as  each  sentence  was  inter- 
preted to  them,  signifying  their  approbation  by  the  interjectional  'Heigh.' 

DISTINGUISHED  RED  MEN. 

"Who  is  that  sitting  in  front  upon  the  ground  with  an  air  of  a  good  deal  of 
nonchalance,  but  who  is  not  forgetful  of  propriety  and  of  the  proper  mode  of 
commanding  respect,  amid  all  this  apparent  indifference  ?  That  is  Wapello  Powe- 
shiek, the  chief  of  the  most  numerous  but  of  the  poorest  band  of  all.  He  has  not 
management  enough  to  keep  his  band  in  as  thrifty  a  state  as  the  rest.  Who  is 
that  blear  eyed  young  looking  fellow,  to  whom  Keokuk  is  looking  as  if  he  were 
watching  his  emotions  ?  That  is  Appanoose,  a  very  talented  but  dissipated  chief. 
What  fellow  is  that  with  uncombed  and  unshorn  hair— his  naturally  fierce  coun- 
tenance rendered  hideous  by  his  smearing  it  fantastically  with  black  and  black 
only  ?  That  is  Pashi-pa-ho,  or  the  stabbing  chief,  so  named  from  the  many  assas- 
sinations he  has  committed.  He  is  of  the  purest  princely  blood  of  any  Uving 
chief  in  the  two  nations.  I  need  not  ask  who  that  next  one  is.  That  nobiUty  of 
countenance,  fine  contour  and  talented  expression  only  belong  to  Keokuk.  See, 
he  rises.  He  is  going  to  speak.  x\s  he  steps  out  from  the  other  Indians,  you  see 
still  more  strikingly  the  difference  between  him  and  the  ordinary  Indians.     His 


90  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

form  is  of  the  largest  class— tall  without  seeming  to  be  so — full  and  portly  with- 
out the  slightest  tendency  to  corpulency.  His  chest  and  shoulders  and  right  arm 
were  bare  save  the  necklace  of  bear's  claws,  and  the  large  snake  that  was  en- 
circling and  pendent  from  his  right  arm.  His  left  arm,  passing  through  the  folds 
of  his  blanket,  brought  that  article  of  dress  close  to  his  form,  without  checking 
the  freedom  of  sinister  limb.  In  the  left  hand  he  sported  a  fine  pongee  silk  hand- 
kerchief. The  large  snake  skin,  which  was  lined  with  some  rich  material  and  had 
attached  to  it  a  number  of  little  bells  that  gave  forth  a  tinkling  sound  at  every 
gesture,  added  no  little  grace  and  impressiveness  to  elocution.  He  advanced  with 
stately  step— the  massy  trappings  of  his  white  buckskin  leggins  half  concealing, 
half  disclosing,  set  off  his  finely  formed  and  comparatively  small  foot  to  consid- 
erable advantage.  He  advanced  to  the  governor's  stand  and  shook  hands  with 
him  preparatory  to  opening  his  address.  He  then  retreated  half  a  dozen  steps 
and  fixing  his  keen  eyes  on  the  governor  commenced.  As  he  advanced  with  the 
subject,  his  broad  and  massive  chest  swelled  with  the  force  of  thought  and  feel- 
ing, and  his  voice  rang  clear  as  a  trumpet.  He  was  fluent  in  words,  energetic  and 
graceful  in  action. 

"The  result  was  the  sale,  as  I  have  stated,  of  the  entire  Iowa  reservation." 

WHITE  PEOPLE  IN  UNDISTURBED  POSSESSION. 

An  account  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  which  marked  the  end  of  the  red  man's 
claim  to  local  territory  would  naturally  close  this  chapter,  but  anything  which 
could  here  be  written  is  told  in  succeeding  chapters.  When  the  treaties  which  fol- 
lowed the  Black  Hawk  war  had  been  signed  the  white  people  were  left  in  undis- 
turbed possession.  As  to  the  merits  of  bargain  and  sale,  conquest  and  dispos- 
session the  perspective  of  time  will  make  all  things  clear. 


KMKAM  K  '1(J  (lAKDAIJ-:  (  K.MK'l'KKV 


riMriM      Ill,  I 


;  \i.  \  ii;\\  (ii-  DANKXi'oirr  KiioM  tiik  kock  [slaxd  siioki 


ISLAM)  AlUIMKNT.   \\\:^\    KA  I  l.i;(  »AI)   111; 


CHAPTER   VI. 
THE  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

A  HISTORY  WRITTEN  BY  A  PIONEER  AT  THE  REQUEST  OF  OTHER  PIONEERS RECEIVED 

ON  ITS  APPEARANCE  WITH  GREAT  COMMENDATION HIS  OWN  ESTIMATE  OF  THE 

GRAVITY  OF  HIS   COMMISSION SOME    INCIDENTS    WHICH     HAVE    BEEN     NOTED 

SINCE  THE   BARROWS    HISTORY  WAS   WRITTEN BIOGRAPHY   OF  THE   HISTORIAN 

THE  HISTORY  ITSELF  WITHOUT  OMISSION,  ERASURE  OR  COMMENT — A   MONU- 
MENTAL WORK. 

Of  all  the  counties  of  Iowa,  Scott  county  is  peculiarly  fortunate  in  that  its  early 
history  was  written  down  while  yet  the  incidents  were  fresh  in  the  memories 
of  those  who  had  made  that  history  by  one  who  brought  to  that  task  every  quali- 
fication necessary  to  the  work, — Willard  Barrows.  This  gifted  gentleman  came 
to  this  region  as  a  government  surveyor,  camped  among  the  Indians  and  learned 
their  language  and  traditions,  entered  into  comradeship  with  the  hardy  pioneers 
in  this  outpost  of  civilization,  here  made  his  home  and  became  one  of  Davenport's 
most  beloved  and  honored  citizens.  After  the  town  had  existed  long  enough 
to  have  "old  settlers"  an  organization  was  formed  among  them  and  Willard 
Barrows,  the  scholarly  pioneer,  student,  linguist  and  finished  gentleman  was  re- 
quested to  prepare  a  history  of  the  county.  The  work  was  to  his  taste  and  he 
entered  thereon  with  enthusiasm.  The  authentic,  delightful  and  circumstantial 
record  of  pioneer  days  which  is  reproduced  entire  in  this  work  was  the  result. 

Barrows'  History  of  Scott  County  appeared  serially  in  the  Davenport  Ga- 
zette, beginning  in  the  issue  of  June  30,  1859  and  ending  March  i,  i860.  The 
history  was  reprinted  in  the  Annals  of  Iowa,  the  official  organ  of  the  Iowa  State 
Historical  society,  the  first  installment  appearing  in  the  issue  of  January,  1863. 
Other  portions  appear  in  subsequent  issues  of  1863  and  1864.  The  author 
brought  to  date  in  this  second  publishing  almost  all  paragraphs  in  which  such 
editing  was  necessary. 

VERIFICATION  AND  CORRECTION. 

In  the  interim  between  these  two  printings  of  the  history  suggestions  as  to 
corrections  of  fact  were  invited  by  the  author  and  all  criticisms  were  investi- 


94  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

gfated  and  correction  made  where  necessary.  Owing  to  these  circumstances  this 
record  of  early  days  became  well  nigh  perfect  in  narration,  and  was  hailed  with 
delight  by  all  those  interested  in  Scott  county  and  in  Iowa  history.  The  Gazette 
commented  as  follows  in  the  issue  of  March  i,  i860.  "As  a  local  history  these 
sketches  cannot  be  too  highly  estimated.  A  great  many  interesting  and  even  im- 
portant facts  which  were  fast  passing  into  oblivion  have  been  placed  on  imper- 
ishable record.  The  first  tracings  of  civilization  here  have  been  mapped.  The 
early  trials  and  struggles  of  the  pioneers — the  gradual  gathering  of  strong 
hearts  and  vigorous  forms  from  far  distant  places — the  redeeming  of  prairie 
and  wilderness — the  opening  of  farms  and  the  founding  of,  villages — and  the 
process  of  development  from  the  home  of  the  Indian  to  the  home  of  a  population 
of  26,000  people  surrounded  by  all  the  elements,  of  plenty,  wealth,  civilization 
and  Christianity  are  well  depicted  in  this  history  of  Scott  county.  Our  com- 
munity owes  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  the  author  for  his  earnest  and  assiduous  labors, 
opposed  as  they  were  at  times  by  most  perplexing  obstacles  in  gathering  the 
material  for  this  book  and  presenting  them  to  the  public  in  so  pleasant  a  form. 
He  does  not  claim  perfection  for  the  result,  but  we  claim  for  him  that  he  has 
done  his  duty  well  and  faithfully  and  that  he  is  probably  the  only  competent  man 
in  the  county  who  could  or  would  have  devoted  so  much  time  and  labor,  and 
without  pecuniary  reward  to  an  enterprise  in  which  he  has  no  more  personal  or 
selfish  interest  than  many  other  citizens.  His  sketches  have  been  read  with  great 
interest  by  old  and  new  settlers,  and  at  home  and  abroad." 

OTHER   COMMENTS. 

A  writer  at  Grinnell  voiced  an  appreciation  of  Mr.  Barrows  as  the  historian 
of  Scott  county  through  his  long  residence,  personal  participation  in  many  of  the 
scenes  and  incidents  and  intimate  acquaintance  with  all  old  settlers,  the  sources 
from  which  his  information  was  taken.  This  writer  also  notes  Mr.  Barrows' 
habits  of  close  observation,  peculiar  taste  for  conducting  researches,  extending, 
to  the  far  past,  and  his  ability  to  tell  the  results  of  his  observation  and 
investigation. 

A  Muscatine  paper  of  later  date  speaks  of  Mr.  Barrows  as:  "One  of  Scott 
county's  citizens,  an  old  settler  of  whom  the  state  is  justly  proud,  who  furnished 
the  first  and  best  county  history."  The  Iowa  Religious  News-Letter,  Ehibuque, 
1863,  the  only  religious  journal  in  the  state  at  the  time,  adds  its  word,  "Fortunate 
would  it  be  for  the  state  if  every  county  could  find  so  faithful  and  painstaking  a 
historian." 

HIS  OWN  ESTIMATE. 

Light  is  thrown  on  Willard  Barrows'  estimate  of  the  importance  of  his  mis- 
sion as  historian  and  his  devotion  to  this  work  which  he  considered  a  duty  laid 
upon  him  by  his  fellow  citizens  by  his  response  at  the  third  annual  festival  of 
the  Pioneer  Settlers'  association,  February  22,  i860,  to  a  toast,  "The  historian 
of  Scott  county, — his  indefatigable  research  in  the  gathering  of  facts,  statistics 
and  incidents,  and  his  untiring  industry  in  combining  them  in  the  indelible 
record  of  types  have  created  a  living  memory  of  the  pioneer  history  of  Scott 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  95 

county  with  which  the  name  of  the  historian  must  ever  be  connected."  In  re- 
sponding Mr.  Barrows  said,  in  part:  "The  crude  and  imperfect  material  which 
has  been  compiled  may  be  of  service  to  the  future  historian  when  the  great 
valley  of  the  Mississippi  shall  have  put  on  her  strength  and  beauty,  when  her 
vast  plains  shall  be  dotted  over  with  the  habitations  of  man,  and  the  commerce 
of  a  great  people  be  seen  floating  upon  the  bosom  of  our  noble  river.  It  will  be 
then,  sir,  that  the  living  memories  of  the  pioneers  of  Scott  county  will  stand 
forth  amid  the  splendor  of  coming  ages  and  receive  their  just  meed  of  praise. 

"To  this  glorious  result  we  have  all  here  tonight  contributed.  Alike  have 
we  borne  the  heat  and  burden  of  a  pioneer  life.  It  was  you,  pioneer  fathers 
and  mothers  of  Scott  county, — it  was  you  that  first  planted  the  seeds  of  this  his- 
tory. It  is  you  that  make  up  this  history.  It  was  you  that  covered  up  the  last 
footprints  of  the  Indian  upon  the  soil  of  Scott  county,  and  reared  the  altars  of 
civilization  upon  the  ruins  of  barbarism.  As  I  look  around  me  here,  tonight,  and 
behold  the  familiar  faces  of  old  and  tried  friends,  how  well  do  I  remember  the 
trials  and  conflicts  of  our  early  history. 

"The  material,  sir,  for  the  future  historian  of  Iowa  will  be  rich  and  abundant, 
and  although  we  cannot  point  to  a  Mt.  Nebo,  a  Lebanon  or  a  Zion,  or  to  rivers 
made  sacred  by  the  presence  of  patriarchs  and  prophets,  yet  we  have  our  own 
lovely  plains  with  their  Eden-like  beauty,  and  the  deep  rolling  Mississippi  for 
our  Ganges,  our  Euphrates  and  our  Nile.  We  have  no  Plymouth  Rock  made 
memorable  by  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  no  battlefields  upon  which  the 
proud  monument  rears  its  lofty  head.  But  we  can  stand  upon  our  own  native 
bluffs  and  contemplate  with  wonder  and  admiration  the  never  tiring  waves  of 
that  mighty  river  whose  tributaries  drain  a  country  greater  in  extent  than  the 
empire  of  Alexander,  and  which  bears  upon  its  bosom  a  commerce  greater  than 
that  of  all  the  rivers  tributary  to  Imperial  Rome. 

THE  GLORY    OF  THE  WEST. 

"Think  you,  sir,  that  the  'rock-bound  coast'  of  New  England  should  become 
more  memorable  by  the  footprints  of  the  Pilgrims  than  the  landing  of  Marquette 
and  Joliet,  i86  years  ago  upon  the  soil  of  Scott  county?  Were  the  scenes  enacted 
in  Plymouth  harbor  more  thrilling  or  important  in  their  results  than  the  discovery 
of  the  Mississippi  valley  ?  Should  the  rock  that  was  immortalized  by  having  been 
pressed  by  the  Pilgrims'  feet  have  cast  around  it  a  greater  halo  of  glory  than 
the  presence  of  these  pioneers  upon  the  very  ground  upon  which  we  this  night 
celebrate?  For  we  believe  it  was  here  that  the  village  of  Pewaria  stood  when 
Marquette  and  Joliet  first  landed  among  the  tribes  of  the  Illini. 

"Yes,  Mr.  President,  Scott  county  has  a  history,  a  varied  and  a  thrilling  one, 
and  for  me  to  feel  that  I  have  aided  even  by  my  feeble  efforts  in  handing  its 
records  down  to  posterity  is  requital  enough  for  all  the  labor  bestowed  by  me." 

Across  the  gulf  of  fifty  years  the  thoughts  of  the  present  dwellers  in  Scott 
county  may  well  go  back  in  grateful  appreciation  to  this  fine  old  writer  of  an 
early  day  who  made  certain  the  record  of  events  of  pioneer  times  and  laid  the 
foundations  for  the  love  of  Scott  county  and  pride  in  Scott  county,  imperishable 
in  all  who  know  its  splendid  history. 


96  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

It  is  remarkable  that  in  only  one  particular  has  the  verity  of  the  Barrows  his- 
tory been  seriously  called  in  question.  In  his  admirable  history  of  Davis  county 
Captain  Hosea  B.  Horn  speaks  of  Mr.  Barrows  locating  the  grave  of  Black 
Hawk  in  Wapello  county  as  an  error,  claiming  that  it  was  over  the  line  in  Davis 
county  and  citing  proof  from  those  living  near — proof  that  seems  indisputable. 
This  historian  gives  the  name  of  the  doctor  who  took  Black  Hawk's  bones  from 
-his  grave  as  Turner  and  his  residence  as  Lexington,  Van  Buren  county. 

Since  the  printing  of  the  Barrows  history  many  items  of  early  days  have 
come  to  the  surface.  It  is  probable  that  he  knew  of  many  of  these  but  felt  the 
limitations  put  upon  him  by  his  publishers.  He  resisted  the  temptation  to  go  too 
far  aheld  and  widen  the  scope  of  his  work  into  a  state  history.  He  makes  men- 
tion of  the  neighboring  county  of  Muscatine  because  the  early  settlers  of  Musca- 
tine county  had  much  to  do  with  those  of  Scott  county.  Montpelier,  at  the 
mouth  of  Pine  creek,  was  the  first  postoffice  in  that  county  and  letters  were  di- 
rected to  Iowa  postoffice.  Black  Hawk  purchase,  Wisconsin  territory.  Benjamin 
Nye  landed  at  the  "Mouth  of  Pine"  in  1834,  had  a  store  and  owned  the  town  with 
Major  Gordon.  Muscatine  had  a  variety  of  early  names,  Kasey,  Newburg,  Bloom- 
ington  and  then  Musquitine,  the  spelling  given  by  Stephen  Whicher  who  wrote 
the  petition  upon  which  Judge  Grant  made  the  change  of  name.  Fairport  was 
originally  called  Salem,  and  was  laid  out  in  1836  by  Alfred  Lyon  &  Co. 

The  William  Gordon  who  is  mentioned  as  one  of  the  proprietors  of  Iowa, 
the  town  also  known  as  JMouth  of  Pine,  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  Daven- 
port. He  left  St.  Louis  in  1843  on  an  expedition  up  the  Mississippi  river  and 
nothing  definite  was  afterwards  learned  of  him.  There  were  rumors  that  he  had 
been  seen  in  California.  Gordon  was  a  Tenneseean,  son  of  Capt.  Gordon  who 
commanded  a  company  of  scouts  under  General  Jackson  in  the  Creek  war.  He 
was  liberally  educated  and  had  represented  the  American  Fur  Company  in  the 
Rocky  mountains.  He  was  about  fifty  years  of  age  when  he  disappeared.  Gordon 
was  an  elegant  and  engaging  conversationalist,  spicy,  original  and  humorous.  He 
lived  in  a  house  near  the  present  site  of  the  Lorenzen  building.  The  dash  of  ec- 
centricity in  his  makeup  was  shown  in  his  never  sleeping  in  a  bed,  but  lay  even 
when  ill  on  buffalo  robes  spread  on  the  floor  with  his  feet  to  the  fire.  His  love 
for  women  in  general  brought  him  into  difficulties.  Once  he  was  knocked  down 
with  a  club  and  stabbed  by  an  irate  husband  and  did  not  recover  for  months. 

A    FUTURE   STATE    CAPITAL. 

This  town  of  Iowa  caught  the  fancy  of  Lieutenant  Albert  M.  Lea,  who  in- 
vestigated the  Black  Hawk  purchase  for  the  government  and  published  a  map 
with  notes  in  1836  the  date  that  Davenport  was  incorporated.  He  must  have 
made  investments  there  for  early  issues  of  Andrew  Logan's  Iowa  Sun  show 
display  advertising  of  Albert  Lea,  offering  lots  in  this  coming  metropolis  of  the 
West.  In  his  map  Lieutenant  Lea  extols  in  extravagant  phrase  the  prospects 
of  this  small  settlement :  "This  will  be  the  point  of  deposit  for  the  trade  of  the 
country  included  between  the  Iowa,  Wabesapineca  and  Mississippi,  and  for  the 
disembarkation  of  emigrants  for  that  reason.  Should  the  seat  of  the  future  gov- 
ernment of  Iowa  be  located  on  the  Mississippi,  it  will  probably  be  fixed  at  Iowa, 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  97 

owing-  to  the  central  position  and  commercial  advantage  of  the  place,  and  if  it 
be  located  in  the  interior,  it  must  be  near  the  Iowa  river,  as  the  weight  of  popu- 
lation will  be  there,  and  then  the  town  of  Iowa  will  be  the  nearest  port  on  the 
Mississippi  to  the  capital  of  the  state."  The  prophetic  lieutenant  liked  Buffalo 
and  Clark's  ferry,  and  allowed  that  with  a  better  bank  for  landing  a  ferry  boat 
Buffalo  would  run  a  great  race  with  Iowa  for  the  location  of  the  metropolis. 

Lieutenant  Lea  cast  a  jaundiced  horoscope  for  Davenport,  just  struggling 
for  a  place  on  the  map.  He  calls  it  a  town  "just  laid  out  on  a  reserve  belonging 
to  Antoine  LeClaire.  It  is  nearly  opposite  to  the  lower  end  of  Rock  Island, 
about  350  miles  from  St.  Louis  by  river,  and  situated  on  high  ground  with  a 
beautiful  range  of  sloping  hills  running  in  the  rear  of  it.  The  town  of  Stephen- 
son, the  mouth  of  Rock  river,  the  picturesque  w^orks  on  Rock  Island  and  Le- 
Claire's  house  and  plantation  are  all  within  full  view  of  this  point.  Its  situation 
is  certainly  delightful,  as  far  as  beauty  and  health  are  concerned;  but  there  is 
doubt  as  to  convenience  in  landing.  Its  position  near  the  foot  of  the  rapids  where 
navigation  is  much  obstructed  will  cause  it  to  be  resorted  to  as  a  place  of  ship- 
ment both  for  persons  and  freight.  Water  power,  building  stone  and  bitumin- 
ous coal  are  convenient  and  abundance  of  excellent  timber  is  to  be  found  on  the 
hills  and  creeks  of  the  vicinity. 

"The  town  has  been  laid  out  on  a  liberal  scale  with  a  view  to  its  becoming  a 
large  city.  Three  public  squares  have  been  reserved  from  sale,  one  of  which  it  is 
supposed  by  the  proprietors  will  be  occupied  by  the  public  buildings  of  the  future 
state  of  Iowa ;  for  they  confidently  predict  that  the  seat  of  government  of  this 
forthcoming  commonwealth  will  be  no  other  than  the  city  of  Davenport  itself. 
Nous  verrons." 

If  Albert  Lea  kept  his  eye  on  Davenport  for  a  few  years  he  saw  this  city 
the  capital  of  the  territory  of  Iowa,  at  least  when  Governor  Conway  came  to 
town.    But  that  is  another  story  to  be  taken  up  in  a  later  chapter. 

This  same  traveler,  Lieutenant  Lea,  made  sage  opinion  that  all  Parkhurst 
needed  was  people  and  houses  to  be  quite  a  town.  There  were  neither  there 
when  he  saw  the  location  of  the  handsome  settlement  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
rapids  now  called  LeClaire. 

SUEL  FOSTER^S  PEDESTRIAN  TRIP. 

Suel  Foster,  for  many  years  an  honored  resident  of  Muscatine  wrote  this 
story  of  early  days  when  every  acre  of  Iowa  soil  fronting-  on  the  Mississippi  was 
considered  by  somebody  an  appropriate  and  probable  site  for  the  state  capitol. 
"In  April,  1836,  I  was  living  at  Rock  Island,  Illinois.  In  May  the  town  of  Daven- 
port was  laid  out  on  government  land,  joining  on  the  west  of  LeClaire's  reserve. 
In  June  of  that  year  I  took  a  short  journey  in  the  Black  Hawk  purchase,  as  it 
was  then  called.  I  do  not  think  the  name  of  Iowa  had  been  given  to  it  then,  for 
it  was  the  new  western  wild  district  of  Michigan  territory.  I  passed  thirty 
miles  down  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi  river,  a  beautiful,  flat  limestone 
shore  most  of  the  way,  and  I  have  never  found  any  part  of  the  West  so  prolific 
of  town  sites.  I  had  to  pick  my  way  along  among  town  lot  stakes  much  of  the 
wav. 


98  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

"The  first  town  was  Davenport;  the  second,  four  miles,  Rockingham;  the 
third,  one  mile,  Monte  Video ;  the  fourth,  five  miles,  New  Buffalo ;  the  fifth,  six 
miles,  Iowa.  This  town  was  laid  out  by  Captain  Robert  E.  Lee  and  William  Gor- 
don, (the  same  Lee  afterwards  the  great  Rebel  general).  The  sixth,  one  mile  was 
Montpelier;  the  seventh,  four  miles,  Salem;  the  eighth,  one  mile,  Wyoming;  the 
ninth,  four  miles,  Geneva;  the  tenth,  three  miles,  Bloomington ;  the  eleventh, 
half  a  mile,  Newburgh.  At  that  time  Stephen  T.  Mason  was  governor  of  our 
Michigan  territory.    We  had  no  counties. 

"I  recollect  the  names  of  several  of  the  mayors  of  these  cities — Antoine 
LeClaire.  of  Davenix)rt ;  John  H.  Sullivan,  of  Rockingham;  Capt.  Benjamin  Clark 
of  New  Buffalo;  Capt.  Robert  E.  Lee,  of  Iowa.  He  was  absent  at  that  time, 
surveying  the  route  of  the  great  river,  United  States  engineer,  which  river  has 
flowed  ever  since  in  the  old  channel  which  Lee  marked  out.  The  mayor  of 
Montpelier  was  Benjamin  Nye;  Salem,  James  and  William  Chambers;  Wyoming, 
Samuel  Collier ;  Geneva,  Dr.  Eli  Reynolds ;  Bloomington,  now  Muscatine,  John 
Vanater;  Newburgh,  G.  W.  Kasey.  All  the  intermediate  cities  between  Daven- 
port and  Muscatine  are  now  (1885)  in  the  suburbs  of  these  two  cities." 

Mr.  Foster  purchased  a  claim  in  Muscatine  and  the  deed  showed  the  style  of 
description  necessary  in  transferring  realty  before  government  surveys  were 
made.  John  Vanater's  cabin  was  made  the  point  of  departure  and  measure  in 
describing  the   160-acre  claim  purchased. 

THE  NAMING  OF  DAVENPORT. 

To  Mr.  Barrows'  statement  that  the  city  of  Davenport  was  named  for  Col. 
George  Davenport  is  added  the  testimony  of  Rev.  Elnathan  Gavit,  who  preached 
the  first  sermon  in  this  city  back  in  1837,  it  having  come  to  Mr.  Gavit's  notice 
that  in  the  New  York  campaign  of  1885,  the  candidate  for  governor,  Ira  L. 
Davenport  was  spoken  of  in  the  eastern  press  as  the  son  of  Ira  Davenport  who 
"had  invested  in  Iowa  lands  when  that  state  was  in  its  infancy,  and  the  town  of 
Davenport  owed  its  name  to  this  fact,"  a  letter  was  written  covering  the  subject. 
Mr.  Gavit  says:  "As  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  church  and  a  member  of  the 
Ohio  conference  and  as  a  missionary  to  the  Northwestern  territory  I  landed  with 
my  family  and  in  company  with  Captain  Stanton  Sholes  and  his  family  upon  Rock 
island  in  the  spring  of  1835,  and  by  the  kindness  of  Colonel  George  Davenport 
we  secured  a  log  house  in  which  we  lived  until  we  were  enabled  to  provide  a  home 
of  our  own.  Mr.  Sholes.  my  brother-in-law,  having  purchased  an  interest  in  the 
town  of  Davenport,  in  company  with  myself,  we  erected  the  first  frame  house  in 
that  place,  which  is  still  standing  (1885)  not  far  from  the  margin  of  the  river. 
In  this  house  I  preached  the  first  sermon,  formed  the  first  class,  and  established 
the  first  Sabbath  school,  and  married  the  first  couple  in  what  is  now  the  beautiful 
and  flourishing  city  of  Davenport,  and  have  some  knowledge  of  the  early  com- 
mencement of  this  place,  and  for  whom  it  was  named.  I  have  no  misgivings  in 
stating  that  the  town  of  Davenport  in  the  state  of  Iowa  was  named  for  Colonel 
George  Davenport,  of  Rock  Island,  and  for  no  other  person  or  family  by  the 
name  of  Davenport,  east  or  west,  north  or  south,  living  or  dead,  politically,  relig- 
iously or  otherwise.     I   not  only  have  this  testimony  in  person   from  Colonel 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  99 

George  Davenport  himself  but  also  from  Mr.  A.  LeClaire,  the  earliest  proprietor 
of  this  villag-e,  and  that  he  himself  suggested  the  name  in  honor  of  his  personal 
friend,  Colonel  Davenport,  and  that  his  influence  and  popularity  at  home  and 
abroad,  and  especially  in  St.  Louis,  would  contribute  largely  to  the  sale  of  lots 
and  increase  the  popularity  of  the  place,  which  was  not  only  a  compliment  to  Mr, 
George  Davenport,  but  was  a  wise  conclusion,  financially." 

Two  years  later  this  pioneer  clergyman  paid  a  visit  to  Davenport  and  told  of 
his  appointment  by  the  Ohio  conference  to  labor  among  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  in 
a  circuit  which  embraced  everything  between  the  Missouri  state  line  and  St. 
Anthony's  falls.  From  his  log  cabin  home  on  Rock  island  nothing  of  civilization 
was  to  be  seen  on  the  Iowa  shore  except  the  small  house  of  Antoine  LeClaire. 
Mr.  Gavit  traveled  his  extensive  circuit  on  horseback  carrying  food  in  his  sad- 
dlebags and  bivouacking  at  night  on  the  prairie,  seeking  people  to  whom  he 
could  preach  the  scriptures.  When  he  reached  his  Davenport  home  he  preached 
to  the  soldiers  at  Fort  Armstrong,  Captain  Zachary  Taylor  and  Colonel  Daven- 
port being  in  his  congregation.  He  was  on  friendly  terms  with  Black  Hawk  and 
Keokuk.  While  the  family  resided  here  their  little  boy,  aged  four  years  died  and 
was  buried  in  the  cemetery  at  the  fort. 

DAVENPORT   ENTERTAINS   A    BISHOP, 

It  was  in  1837  that  the  Episcopalians  of  this  vicinity  entertained  Bishop  Chase 
upon  his  first  episcopal  visitation.  His  notes  have  been  preserved  and  tell  the 
story  of  his  coming  and  going  with  some  heartfelt  hopes  for  the  spiritual  health 
of  this  budding  community:  "July  13,  1837, — Came  to  that  most  pleasantly 
situated  and  rising  village,  Stephenson.  Was  received  most  kindly  by  good 
Mr.  Brackett.  July  14, — visited  a  sick  man,  and  in  the  evening,  preached  in  the 
school  house.  July  15, — again  visited  the  sick  and  at  3  o'clock  crossed  the  river 
Mississippi  and  preached  in  the  village  of  Davenport,  which  is  in  the  Wisconsin 
territory.  Returned  to  Stephenson.  July  16, — at  3  p.  m.,  crossed  the  Missis- 
sippi and  preached  in  the  Wisconsin  territory.  Same  night  returned  to  Stephen- 
son. Found  a  letter  of  invitation  to  preach  at  Rockingham  in  the  W.  T.  July 
17, — crossed  over  the  third  time  the  river  justly  called  the  'Father  of  Waters.' 
Rode  down  its  banks  to  R.,  that  rapidly  growing  place  to  which  I  had  been  so 
kindly  invited,  where  I  preached  in  the  afternoon.  In  reflecting  on  these  three 
villages — Stephenson,  Davenport,  and  Rockingham — my  mind  is  deeply  impressed 
with  their  importance  and  peculiar  advantages.  And  why  may  not  religion  be 
among  the  blessings  which  they  enjoy?  When  men  for  worldly  interest  flock  to- 
gether, as  they  do  in  these  places,  should  not  true  Christians  go  with  them  to 
promote  their  eternal  welfare?  Let  pass  a  few  years,  and  all  the  busy,  bustling 
first  settlers  of  these  beautiful  places  will  be  in  their  graves.  And  what  will  be 
the  character  and  destiny  of  those  who  occupy  their  places  if  nothing  more  be 
done  than  now  appears  to  form  their  manners  and  their  hearts  anew?  July  18 
— I  was  conveyed  across  the  Mississippi  and  up  to  the  mouth  of  Rock  river  by 
the  exertions  and  kind  assistance  of  Dr.  Barrows  and  other  gentlemen  of  Rock- 
ingham. The  same  friends  also  attended  me  for  some  distance  on  land  till  put 
on  a  trail  leading  to  home,  thence  bearing  southeast,  distant  sixty  miles." 


100  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

FIRST   DEATH    IN  DAVENPORT. 

Mr.  Barrows  speaks  of  the  death  of  Mrs.  Tannehill  in  1836  as  the  first  to  oc- 
cur in  the  village  of  Davenport.  It  is  not  a  matter  of  particular  importance  and 
probably  he  was  right,  but  another  writer  tells  of  a  death  which  preceded  the  one 
given  precedence  by  Mr.  Barrows.  It  was  the  demise  from  typhoid  fever  of  an 
Indianian  who  bivouacked  in  his  hooded  wagon  near  Fifth  and  Perry  streets 
while  he  was  doing  some  breaking  for  Antoine  LeClaire  near  where  the  Macaroni 
plant  is  now  situated.  When  the  kind  and  hospitable  folks  of  the  little  settlement 
learned  of  his  condition,  he  was  taken  to  a  log  cabin  near  Second  and  Scott 
streets  and  cared  for  until  he  died.  Rough  boards  were  nailed  together  for  a 
coffin  and  he  was  buried  on  the  edge  of  the  city,  where  the  first  burial  ground 
thus  begun  was  located — near  Sixth  and  Main  streets.  Here  in  the  midst  of  the 
city  he  rests,  his  grave  unmarked,  his  name  forgotten,  even  his  existence  uncertain. 

A  SUMMER  RESORT. 

The  LeClaire  house  built  in  1839  and  demolished  in  the  spring  of  1910  was 
the  scene  of  much  of  the  history  that  Mr.  Barrows  wrote.  In  its  palmy  days  it 
was  the  finest  hotel  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  attracted  guests  from  the  south. 
A  correspondent  of  the  New  Orleans  Delta  writes  in  the  '40s,  "The  LeClaire 
house  is  a  great  resort  for  the  people  of  St.  Louis  to  spend  three  or  four  months 
in  hunting  and  fishing.  The  prairie  grouse  which  is  as  large  as  a  common  hen 
affords  the  finest  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  the  gun.  Your  humble  con- 
tributor bagged  twenty-five  in  one  afternoon,  shooting  one  at  a  time  on  the  wing." 

UNIQUE   CELEBRATION. 

In  1840  this  little  settlement  of  a  few  hundred  ambitious  and  impulsive  souls 
was  visited  by  a  Chicago  newspaper  man  who  enjoyed  himself  and  wrote  some- 
thing for  his  paper  which  was  reprinted  in  the  Sun  of  October  24,  1840.  "We 
venture  to  say  that  the  LeClaire  house,  whether  we  consider  the  outward  struc- 
ture or  the  internal  finish,  or  even  furniture,  has  no  equal  in  this  state,  Missouri 
or  the  territories.  It  was  named  after  Mr.  LeClaire,  a  celebrated  Indian  trader 
who  had  done  much  with  another  trader  whose  name  the  town  bears,  for  the 
growth  and  beauty  of  the  place.  The  Iowa  Sun  is  published  here.  We  had  but 
very  little  time  to  take  any  notes  of  Davenport,  being  attracted  across  the  river 
by  its  splendid  illumination  in  honor  of  being  chosen  the  seat  of  justice  for  Scott 
county,  and  being  compelled  to  leave  early  the  next  morning.  But  our  short 
stay  was  a  very  pleasurable  one,  as  we  found  all  the  youth  and  beauty  of  the 
place  congregated  at  the  LeClaire  house  at  a  social  ball,  where  we  found  an  old 
friend.  Judge  Williams,  as  ready  to  play  or  dance  as  ever,  and  Messrs.  Parker, 
of  Scott,  Walworth,  of  Cedar,  and  Murray  of  Clinton,  all  canvassing  for  a  seat 
in  the  legislature.  We  also  found  there  Colonels  Dodge  and  Brophy,  late  of  the 
Patriot  army,  and  one  who  also  deserves  an  honorable  mention,  the  generous 
and  enterprising  LeClaire.  Between  so  many  ladies  educated  with  all  the  re- 
finements of  our  eastern  and  southern  cities  it  would  be  invidious  to  individualize. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  101 

But  ag-gregately  we  will  say  of  a  company  of  some  seventy-five  ladies  that  no 
town  of  the  size  of  Davenport  in  the  Union  can  produce  their  superiors  whether 
we  speak  of  their  mental  or  external  accomplishments.  And  hereafter  when  we 
hear  of  a  settler  of  Iowa  passing  by  Davenport  when  in  search  of  a  wife,  whether 
under  the  pretense  of  grace,  beauty,  intelligence  or  even  wealth,  we  shall  believe 
him  acting  from  necessity  and  without  honor  to  his  own  country." 

It  is  not  remarkable  that  the  gallant  newspaper  man  swayed  by  feminine 
"external  accomplishments"  should  have  been  previously  impressed  by  the 
illumination  over  the  county  seat  matter,  for  it  is  a  reminiscence  of  the  oldest 
settlers  that  it  was  a  unique  demonstration.  One  citizen  seldom  praised  for  gen- 
erosity set  fire  to  his  own  hay  stacks  under  the  influence  of  excitement  and 
danced  round  them  while  they  expressed  his  pleasure  over  the  result  of  the 
election.  Another  number  in  the  impromptu  program  of  illumination  was  the 
stacking  of  combustibles  on  a  large  sled  which  being  scooted  around  on  the 
sand  of  the  river  front  by  means  of  long  ropes  so  fascinated  and  bewildered 
the  citizens  of  Stephenson  that  the  river  was  dotted  with  skififs  bearing  the 
curious  citizens  of  the  sister  town  who  came  across  to  see  not  only  what  it  was 
all  about  but  also  how  in  the  world  it  was  done. 

ROYALTY  VISITS  THE  CITY. 

Mr.  Barrows  mentions  the  stay  of  Prince  Dejoinville  and  his  suite  at  the 
LeClaire  house  in  1841.  When  that  nobleman  returned  to  France  he  printed  a 
volume  of  American  travels  which  were  unusual  in  interest.  When  the  company 
were  here  they  told  of  the  cupidity  of  the  hotel  keeper  in  Galena,  the  Illinois 
metropolis,  who  charged  up  a  list  of  extras  which  made  the  distinguished  trav- 
elers feel  that  this  section  was  strictly  abreast  with  the  hotels  of  continental 
Europe.  One  item  was  $3,  for  the  use  of  the  hotel  piano  for  one  tune,  played 
with  indifferent  success. 

THE  FIRST  DUEL  ON  IOWA  SOIL. 

In  an  autobiography  of  Andrew  W.  Griffith,  of  Keokuk,  written  in  1882,  and 
unpublished,  hitherto  in  1882,  appeared  the  following  account  of  a  duel,  probably 
the  first  on  Iowa  soil,  of  which  he  was  an  eye  witness : 

"During  my  stay  in  Davenport  I  witnessed  the  only  duel  ever  fought  in  Iowa. 
There  were  two  young  men  from  Philadelphia  rusticating  between  Rock  Is- 
land and  Davenport,  a  Mr.  Charles  Hegner  and  a  Mr.  Sperry.  He,  Sperry,  was 
a  West  Pointer  out  rusticating.  Hegner  was  a  son  of  a  wealthy  liquor  mer- 
chant of  Philadelphia,  had  plenty  of  money  and  good  clothes.  There  were  also 
two  other  fine  looking  gentlemen  wintering  alternately  between  Davenport  and 
Rock  Island  by  the  name  of  John  Finch  and  a  Mr.  Ralston.  Finch  taught  writ- 
ing school  and  Ralston  was  a  gentleman  of  leisure.  They  all  met  at  a  party  at 
the  old  Rock  Island  House  in  the  town  of  Rock  Island.  The  difficulty  grew  out 
of  Mr.  Hegner's  and  Mr.  Ralston's  being  engaged  to  dance  the  same  set  with  a 
young  lady  by  the  name  of  Sophia  Fisher.  Mr.  Ralston  held  the  fort  and  Heg- 
ner challenged  him  to  fight  a  duel.     Ralston  accepted  and  selected  pistols  at 


102  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

twenty  paces,  the  battle  to  be  fought  on  Iowa  soil  on  the  bank  of  the  father 
of  waters  one  mile  below  what  was  then  the  town  of  Davenport,  but  now  in  the 
city,  at  sunrise  the  second  morning  following  the  challenge.  Mr.  Ralston  selected 
Finch  for  his  second  and  Mr.  Hegner  selected  Sperry;  Dr.  Craig  of  Rock  Is- 
land, surgeon.  Jack  Evans,  of  Davenport,  and  myself  being  anxious  to  see  the 
fun,  were  on  the  ground  at  sunrise,  found  the  combatants  on  the  ground,  thirst- 
ing for  blood.  They  took  their  positions,  when  xMr.  Ralston  offered  a  com- 
promise, but  nothing  but  blood  would  satisfy  Mr.  Hegner.     Mr.  Ralston  then 

replied:     'D n  you,  I  will  not  kill  you  but  I  will  wing  you.'     The  word 

was  given  and  both  fired.  Hegner  was  shot  in  the  right  arm  and  Ralston  was 
not  touched.  The  surgeon  dressed  the  wound,  the  duelists  shook  hands  and 
all  went  up  to  the  LeClaire  House  and  took  a  drink.  Then  the  fun  commenced 
with  the  officers  of  the  law.  They  got  after  them  for  fighting  on  Iowa  soil. 
The  combatants  flew  across  the  river.  There  the  officers  got  after  them  for 
passing  a  challenge.  Finally  they  run  them  out  of  the  country.  The  truth  as  to 
the  trouble  between  the  two  belligerents  was  that  Mr.  Ralston  was  a  little  better 
poker  player  than  Hegner.  John  Finch  is  now  living  in  Dallas,  Illinois.  Mr. 
Ralston  is  dead.     The  other  two  I  have  lost  track  of." 


NEWHALL  S  IMMIGRANT   PICTURE. 

The  rush  of  immigration  to  the  Black  Hawk  purchase  described  by  Mr.  Bar- 
rows might  be  illustrated  by  an  extract  from  a  little  work  called  "A  Glimpse  of 
Iowa  in  1846,  or  the  Emigrant's  Guide,"  written  by  J.  B.  Newhall,  an  early 
writer  who  did  much  to  attract  settlers  to  this  state.    These  paragraphs  are  his : 

"The  writer  of  these  lines  having  frequent  occasion  to  traverse  the  great 
thoroughfares  of  Illinois  and  Indiana  in  the  years  of  1836  and  1837,  the  roads 
would  be  literally  lined  with  the  long,  blue  wagons  of  the  emigrants,  slowly  wend- 
ing their  way  over  the  broad  prairies,  the  cattle  and  horsemen  and  dogs,  and  fre- 
quently men  and  women  forming  the  rear  of  the  van,  often  ten,  twenty,  thirty 
wagons  in  company.  Ask  them  where  their  destination  was,  and  they  would 
reply,  the  Black  Hawk  Purchase.  I  well  remember  on  a  beautiful  autumnal 
evening  in  1836  crossing  the  military  tract  in  Illinois.  The  last  rays  of  the  sun 
were  gilding  the  tree  tops  and  shedding  their  mellow  tints  upon  the  fleecy  clouds, 
as  my  horse  turned  the  sharp  angle  of  a  neighboring  thicket.  Here  I  encoun- 
tered a  settler  camped  for  the  night.  How  little  do  the  trans-Alleghanians 
know  of  such  a  scene.  I'll  try  to  give  them  the  picture,  not  coleur  de  rose,  but 
from  life,  breathing  and  real. 

"The  old  lady  had  just  built  her  campfire,  and  was  busily  engaged  in  frying 
prairie  chickens  which  the  unerring  rifle  of  her  boy  had  brought  to  the  ground. 
One  of  the  girls,  was  milking  a  brindle  cow,  and  that  tall  girl  yonder  with 
swarthy  arms  and  yellow  sunbonnet  is  nailing  the  coffee  mill  on  the  side  of  a 
scrub  oak  which  the  little  boy  had  blazed  out  with  his  hatchet.  There  sat  the  old 
man  on  a  log,  quietly  shaving  himself  by  a  six-penny  looking  glass  which  he 
had  tacked  to  a  neighboring  tree.  And  yonder  old  decrepit  man,  sitting  on  the 
low,  rush-bottomed  chair,  is  the  aged  grandsire  of  all ;  better  that  his  bones  be 
left  by  the  wayside  than  that  he  be  left  among  strangers.     He  sits  quietly  smok- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  103 

ing  his  pipe  with  all  the  serenity  of  a  patriarch — apparently  as  ready  to  shuffle 
off  this  mortal  coil  that  night  as  to  sit  down  to  his  prairie  chicken  supper.  What 
a  picturesque  group  for  the  pencil  of  a  painter;  yet  these  are  the  scenes  that 
we  frequently  witness  in  the  far  West.  This  is  emigrating.  'Tis  not  going 
away  from  home.  The  home  was  there,  that  night,  with  the  settlers  on  Camp 
creek,  under  the  broad  canopy  of  heaven,  by  that  gurgling  brook  where  the 
cattle  browsed,  the  dogs  barked,  and  the  children  quietly  slumbered." 

In  this  way  Scott  county  was  settled,  and  of  these  people  Willard  Bar- 
rows wrote. 

BIOGRAPHY   OF  WILLARD    BARROWS. 

In  the  initial  issue  of  the  Annals  of  Iowa  appeared  as  a  preface  and  intro- 
duction to  the  history  a  memoir  by  the  editor  which  will  serve  to  introduce  to 
present  day  readers  this  author  of  the  days  of  early  Iowa.    The  memoir  reads : 

"Willard  Barrows,  Esq.,  the  writer  of  the  following  history,  was  born  at 
Munson,  Mass.,  in  1806.  He  received  a  thorough  education  in  the  common  schools 
and  academies  of  New  England.  In  1827  he  settled  in  Elizabethtown,  New 
Jersey,  where  he  taught  school  for  several  years ;  and  was  married  in  1832. 
Selecting  the  pursuit  of  engineering  and  surveying  he  engaged  in  a  contract 
with  the  government  to  finish  the  surveys  of  the  Choctaw  Indian  purchase,  in 
the  cypress  swamps  and  cane  brakes  on  the  Yazoo  and  Sunflower  rivers,  in 
the  region  where  the  northwestern  army  and  navy  of  the  United  States  have 
lately  operated.  By  the  sudden  rise  of  the  Mississippi  river  which  overflowed 
all  the  country  except  the  ridges  his  party  was  cut  off  from  all  inhabitants  and 
supplies  during  the  winter  of  1836-7,  reducing  them  to  short  allowance  and 
even  to  the  fruit  of  the  persimmon  tree  and  the  flesh  of  the  opossum  for  food. 
All  other  animals  fled  except  that  a  hawk  or  an  owl  was  occasionally  killed. 
About  the  ist  of  March  the  flood  so  far  subsided  that  they  went  by  canoes  to 
Vicksburg  and  Natchez,  and  he  proceeded  to  Jackson,  Miss.,  to  report  there  to 
the  surveyor  general. 

"In  1837  he  was  occupied  in  the  first  surveys  of  Iowa  by  the  government  and 
spent  the  winter  on  the  Wapsipinicon  river.  And  in  July,  1838,  he  settled  with 
his  family  in  Rockingham,  five  miles  below  Davenport. 

'Tn  1840  Mr.  Barrows  surveyed  the  islands  of  the  Mississippi  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Rock  river  to  Quincy,  111.  In  1841-2  the  public  surveys  being 
suspended  he  engaged  in  farming,  and  held  the  offices  of  justice  of  the  peace, 
of  postmaster  and  notary  public  at  Rockingham,  in  which  he  continued  until 
1843  when  he  entered  upon  the  survey  of  the  Kickapoo  country  north  of  the 
Wisconsin  river.  There  the  Winnebago  Indians  stole  the  provisions  of  the  party, 
and  he  was  compelled  to  go  to  Prairie  du  Chien  for  supplies.  On  his  return 
his  way  was  obstructed  by  prostrate  timber  hurled  in  every  direction  by  a  ter- 
rific tornado  through  which  with  the  help  of  indolent  Indians  he  was  able  to 
cut  a  passage  only  two  and  one-half  miles  in  two  days.  Forced  to  send  his  provi- 
sions up  the  Kickapoo  by  the  Indians  in  canoes,  he  followed  on  by  land  till 
they  were  past  the  track  of  the  whirlwind.  The  supplies  were  landed  and  the 
Indians  dismissed.  He  then  carried  the  provisions  a  half  mile  and  concealed 
them.    The  next  day,  early,  he  took  a  bag  of  flour  and  a  little  pork  on  a  single 


104  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

pack-horse  and  hastened  to  reUeve  his  men  as  fast  as  he  could  through  the 
wilderness  over  the  'Sugar  Loaves  of  Wisconsin'  as  the  region  is  called  where 
Col.  Atkinson,  in  1832,  in  pursuit  of  Black  Hawk  and  his  Indian  warriors  was 
obliged  to  leave  his  wagons  and  baggage  with  the  loss  of  many  horses.  On  the 
fourth  day  he  came  upon  one  starving  man  of  his  party,  and  after  refreshing 
him  he  pressed  on  to  the  camp  where  the  rest,  neglecting  to  rescue  themselves 
when  they  were  able,  and  supposing  him  to  be  murdered  by  the  Indians  were 
sunken  in  despair.  Cheered  by  his  arrival  and  strengthened  with  food,  they 
all  started  for  the  depot  of  provisions  on  the  Kickapoo,  and  reached  the  place 
to  find  them  all  stolen  again  by  the  Indians.  The  only  means  of  saving  their 
lives,  then,  was  to  ascend  the  Kickapoo  to  a  ford  and  thence  go  to  Prairie  du 
Chien.  On  the  third  day  after  they  reached  a  settlement  where  they  stayed 
a  week  and  recruited,  and  when  arrived  at  Prairie  du  Chien  they  found  many 
articles  of  their  clothing  in  the  liquor  shops  that  the  Root  Indians  had  stolen 
and  sold.  Their  horses  had  previously  been  scattered  during  the  tornado,  so 
that  the  party  had  been  compelled  to  eat  their  two  dogs,  at  the  camp,  making 
soup  of  the  bones  and  nettles,  and  boiling  part  of  their  harness  for  food  instead 
of  horse  flesh. 

"Afterward  'Sir.  Barrows  traversed  northern  Iowa,  then  in  possession  of 
the  Indian  tribes  with  a  view  to  a  knowledge  of  the  region.  He  visited  the 
mission  school  then  at  Fort  Atkinson,  where  he  got  a  passport  over  that  sec- 
tion of  the  country  from  Rev.  Mr.  Lowrey,  then  in  charge  of  the  mission. 

"  'Barrows'  New  Map  of  Iowa,  with  Notes,'  was  published  in  1854  by  Doo- 
little  &  Munson,  Cincinnati,  and  it  was  considered  of  so  much  importance  that 
the  legislature  of  Iowa  ordered  copies  of  it  for  the  members  of  both  houses 
and  also  for  the  state  officers.  This  work  together  with  letters  published  in  the 
Davenport  Democrat  from  California  whither  he  went  in  1850  by  the  overland 
route,  enduring  almost  incredible  hardships  and  returning  by  Mexico  and  Cuba, 
and  also  some  communications  for  the  press  of  a  scientific  character  consti- 
tute along  with  the  history  that  here  follows  the  chief  literary  productions  of 
Mr.  Barrows,  all  descriptive  of  new  parts  of  our  country. 

"At  intervals  Mr.  Barrows  has  turned  his  attention  to  land  business  with 
success.  His  suburban  residence  and  grounds  are  conspicuous  to  every  person 
passing  in  the  cars  southwest  of  Davenport  where  he  enjoys  the  fruits  of  his 
past  activity  and  enterprise. 

"In  person,  as  is  indicated  by  his  portrait  in  this  number,  Mr.  Barrows  is 
full  and  portly.  In  manners  he  is  courteous  and  genial.  As  a  Christian,  'the 
highest  style  of  man,'  he  is  charitable  and  discreet.  And,  to  use  the  words  of 
the  author  of  'Davenport,  Past  and  Present'  to  which  the  reader  is  referred  for 
fuller  particulars  and  from  which  these  are  drawn,  'may  many  years  yet  be  his 
portion,  as  happy  and  pleasant  as  his  early  life  has  been  laborious  and  active.'  " 


w  ii.i.Ai;!)  i'.Ai;i;()\\> 


THE   WILLARD   BARROWS    HISTORY. 


BARROW'S  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY. 

INTRODUCTION. 

In  compliance  with  a  formal  request  of  the  curators  of  the  State  Historical 
society  I  have  undertaken  the  task  of  writing  a  full  history  of  Scott  county, 
Iowa,  or  more  particularly  facts  and  incidents  connected  with  its  early  his- 
tory. A  residence  of  twenty-five  years  in  this  county  has  given  me  an  opportunity 
for  observation  and  a  knowledge  of  the  proper  sources  from  which  to  obtain  infor- 
mation. 

Much  care  has  been  taken  to  gather  information  from  the  early  settlers  of 
the  county,  and  a  hearty  response  has  come  up  from  some  parts.  In  mai;iy  in- 
stances difference  of  opinion  has  arisen  as  to  dates  and  circumstances.  In  such 
cases  I  have  generally  taken  the  decision  of  the  majority. 

It  might  be  supposed  that  our  existence  as  a  county  is  so  brief,  not  twenty- 
eight  years,  that  the  incidents  connected  with  its  settlement  and  growth  would  be 
fresh  in  the  minds  of  all.  Such  may  be  the  case  with  much  of  our  history,  while 
some  important  facts  are  lost.  The  early  settler  seldom  finds  time,  if  he  has  the 
ability  to  record  passing  events,  save  in  the  memory.  The  unparalleled  rapidity 
with  which  the  west  has  marched  forward  to  greatness  and  power  is  a  sufficient  ex- 
cuse for  the  pioneer  historian,  when  he  fails  through  want  of  facts,  to  give  a 
full  and  perfect  account  of  his  first  struggles.  The  early  emigrant  to  a  new 
country  finds  that  all  his  time  and  energies  are  required  to  provide  even  for  the 
necessaries  of  life;  the  rude  cabin  must  be  raised,  for  a  temporary  abode  at 
least,  the  virgin  soil  must  be  broken  up  and  fenced,  and  numberless  little  requisites 
for  the  comfort  of  himself  or  family  crowd  upon  his  attention,  so  that  the  new 
beginner  is  most  emphatically  his  own  "hewer  of  wood  and  drawer  of  water." 

In  collecting  the  material  for  this  work  the  author  has  often  been  doubly 
repaid  for  his  labor  in  the  pleasant  meetings  he  has  had  with  many  an  "old 
settler,"  from  whom  the  whirl  and  bustle  of  life  has  separated  him  for  years. 
Such  reunions  are  sweet  and  profitable,  and  these  hardy  sons  of  toil,  meeting 
after  many  years  of  separation  like  old  soldiers  retire  to  some  shady  nook, 
there  recount  the  scenes  through  which  they  have  passed  and  "fight  their  battles 
o'er  again."  Although  the  trials  and  hardships  of  the  pioneers  of  Scott  county 
may  not  compare  with  the  early  settlement  of  Kentucky,  Ohio,  or  some  other 
western  states,  yet  there  are  many  incidents  connected  with  its  early  history  that 
are  worthy  of  record  and  should  be  gathered  before  they  pass  beyond  our  reach. 


THE   WILLARD   BARROWS    HISTORY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

GENERAL  REMARKS. 

The  county  of  Scott,  being  situated  on  the  Mississippi  river  and  having  a 
water  front  of  some  thirty-five  miles  upon  its  south  and  eastern  boundary,  has 
many  natural  advantages  not  found  in  more  inland  counties.  Upon  the  north  it  is 
bounded  by  the  Wau-bessa-pinnecon  Se-po,  which  in  the  Indian  language  signi- 
fies "the  place  of  white  potatoes."  The  name  is  derived  from  the  two  Indian 
words  "Waubessa,"  white  or  swan-like,  and  "Pinneac,"  a  potato,  Sepo  being  the 
Indian  name  for  river.  The  river  was  probably  so  named  from  the  fact  of  great 
quantities  of  the  wild  artichoke  being  found  in  that  region. 

This  stream  is  some  ten  or  twelve  rods  wide  with  a  swift,  clear  current  and  its 
banks  generally  skirted  with  timber.  Its  bottom  lands  are  from  a  half  to  a  mile 
or  two  wide  and  are  subject  to  annual  overflow,  affording  great  pasturage  for 
stock,  not  being  in  general  dry  enough  for  cultivation.  The  western  boundary 
of  the  county  is  upon  rich,  rolHng  prairie  extending  along  the  fifth  principal 
meridian,  separating  it  from  the  counties  of  Cedar  and  Muscatine. 

There  is  much  in  the  early  history  of  this  country  to  interest  and  excite  the 
antiquarian  and  lover  of  research.  Long  before  the  discovery  of  the  Great 
River  by  Marquette  and  Joliet  on  the  17th  of  June,  1673,  tradition  tells  us  that 
the  spot  of  ground  now  occupied  by  the  city  of  Davenport  was  a  large  and  pop- 
ulous Indian  village.  There  can  be  but  little  doubt  from  the  history  of  those 
early  pioneers  that  it  was  here  that  they  first  landed  in  their  voyage  down  the 
Mississippi  after  they  entered  it  from  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin  on  the  17th 
of  June. 

The  first  landing  made  by  them  on  record  was  on  the  21st,  four  days  after  they 
entered  the  Mississippi,  and  was  upon  the  western  bank,  where  say  they:  "We 
discovered  footprints  of  some  fellow  mortals,  and  a  little  path  (trail)  leading 
into  a  pleasant  meadow."  Following  the  trail  a  short  distance,  they  heard  the 
savages  talking,  and  "making  their  presence  known  by  a  loud  cry,"  they  were  led 
to  the  village  of  the  "Illinies." 

There  could  not  have  been  sufficient  time  between  the  17th  and  the  21st  for 
the  voyagers  to  have  descended  beyond  this  point  or  to  have  reached  the  lower 
or  Des  Moines  rapids,  which  some  historians  claim  to  have  been  the  landing 
place  spoken  of.     There  having  been  an  Indian  village  here  from  time  imme- 


no  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD    BARROWS    HISTORY. 

morial,  according  to  Indian  tradition,  fixes  the  fact  most  conclusively  that  it  was 
at  this  place,  Davenport,  that  the  soil  of  Iowa  was  first  pressed  by  the  foot  of  a 
white  man.  The  legends  of  the  Indians  are  full  of  historic  lore  pertaining  to  this 
beautiful  spot  comprising  Davenport,  Rock  Island  and  their  surroundings. 

Black  Hawk  was  ever  ready  to  tell  of  the  traditions  of  his  people,  and  often 
dwelt  with  much  interest  and  excitement  on  the  traditions  of  his  fathers.  He 
says  they  came  from  Gitche  Gammee,  "the  big  water,"  Lake  Superior,  and  In- 
dians that  are  yet  living  say  that  the  home  of  their  fathers  was  at  Saukie  creek 
that  empties  into  Lake  Superior,  and  that  as  they  traveled  westward  they  en- 
countered foes  whom  they  fought  and  conquered,  and  that  in  turn  they  were 
conquered  by  their  enemies,  and  tribe  fought  tribe  for  possession  of  the  land; 
until  they  reached  the  great  river,  the  Massa-Sepo,  which  signifies  "The  Father 
of  Rivers." 

The  tradition  of  the  Saukies,  who  have  always  lived  upon  the  prairies,  is  that 
their  name  means  "Man  of  the  Prairie,"  or  prairie  Indian. 

They  also  aver  that  their  friends,  the  Musquakies,  which  signifies  "Foxes," 
were  a  sly  and  cunning  people  and  united  with  them  for  strength  to  fight  their  ene- 
mies, the  tribes  of  the  Kickapoo  and  Illini,  and  that  they  have  ever  lived  in  peace 
as  one  tribe  and  one  people. 

These  were  the  Indians  in  possession  of  the  country  when  the  United  States 
assumed  jurisdiction  over  it  and  of  whom  it  was  purchased. 

There  were  many  traces  of  the  aborigines  existing  when  the  first  settlers 
came  to  Iowa.  Several  Indian  mounds  or  burial  places  of  quite  large  dimensions 
were  still  used  by  wandering  tribes  of  Indians  as  late  as  1835  ^^^  1836  situated 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  about  two  miles  below  this  city,  where  was  formerly 
the  farm  of  the  Hon.  E.  Cook.  Indian  graves  have  been  found  in  excavations 
about  this  city,  and  relics  of  ancient  date  discovered,  showing  that  this  spot  has 
been  the  home  of  the  red  man  for  centuries,  and  corroborating  the  testimony  of 
Black  Hawk  and  others  as  to  the  traditions  of  their  fathers. 

The  scenery  presented  in  ascending  the  Mississippi,  taking  in  the  whole  view 
from  the  point  of  the  bluff  below  Rockingham  as  far  up  as  Hampton,  on  the 
Illinois  shore,  is  one  of  unexcelled  beauty  and  loveliness.  Its  islands  dotting  the 
broad  expanse  of  waters,  the  scenery  of  the  bluffs  upon  the  Iowa  side,  and  Rock 
island  with  old  Fort  Armstrong,  have  been  admired  and  more  sketches  taken  of 
this  panoramic  view  by  home  and  foreign  artists  than  any  other  portion  of  the 
Mississippi  valley. 

Of  the  early  history  of  Scott  county  we  have  a  most  vivid  and  truthful  his- 
tory compiled  from  living  witnesses. 

At  the  close  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  in  1832,  there  were  no  settlers  upon  this 
side  of  the  river.  The  purchase  from  the  Sac  (or  Saukie)  and  Fox  tribe  of 
Indians  of  the  soil  of  Scott  county  was  made,  in  common  with  that  of  all  the 
river  counties  on  the  15th  of  September,  1832,  upon  the  ground  now  occupied  by 
the  depot  buildings  of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  R.  R.  Company  in  this  city. 
The  treaty  was  held  by  Gen.  Scott. 

The  cholera  was  raging  among  the  troops  at  Fort  Armstrong  at  the  time  and 
for  prudential  reasons  it  was  thought  best  to  meet  the  Indians  upon  this  side  of 
the  river. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  111 

THE    WILLARD    BARROWS    HISTORY. 

In  this  sale  the  Indians  reserved  a  section,  (640  acres)  and  presented  it  to 
Antoine  LeClaire,  Esq.,  their  interpreter.  This  reserve  was  located  upon  the 
river  between  Harrison  street  and  Bridge  avenue,  in  Fulton's  addition  to  the  city 
of  Davenport,  running  back  over  the  bluff  to  a  line  due  east  and  west,  a  few  rods 
this  side  of  Locust  street.  They  also  gave  Mr.'  LeClaire  another  section  of  land 
at  the  head  of  the  rapids  where  the  city  of  LeClaire  now  stands. 

The  treaty  of  Gen.  Scott  with  the  Indians  was  ratified  by  Congress  at  their 
session  in  the  winter  of  1833.  Thus  did  the  United  States  come  into  possession 
of  the  soil  of  Scott  county. 

Of  the  Indians  from  whom  it  was  purchased  and  of  the  tribes  who  had  been 
in  possession  in  early  days  we  should  like  to  give  a  more  extended  notice  than 
we  are  permitted  in  this  brief  history  of  Scott  county. 

The  Sacs  and  Foxes  were  provided  with  homes  in  Kansas,  where  they  now 
reside.  They  are  fast  dwindling  away,  and  but  a  remnant  is  left  of  the  tribes 
of  the  Winnebagoes,  the  Chippewas,  Pottawattamies,  Ottawas,  Menominees  and 
other  powerful  bands  that  were  in  possession  of  all  the  country  from  the  Lakes 
to  the  Missouri  at  the  termination  of  the  American  Revolution.  Where  the  sad 
remnants  of  any  of  these  tribes  are  found,  they  present  but  a  faint  resemblance 
of  their  former  greatness  and  renown  or  of  their  warlike  and  noble  bearing.  A 
few  squalid  families  may  be  found  loitering  about  the  frontier  towns,  made  beg- 
gars by  the  low  and  wasting  vices  of  the  white  man. 

But  their  destiny  is  written.  The  onward  march  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race 
tells  with  unerring  prophecy  the  fate  of  the  Red  man.  Already  have  his  haunts 
been  broken  up  in  the  quiet  dells  of  the  Rocky  mountains ;  already  have  the  plains 
of  Utah  drunk  the  blood  of  this  ill-fated  and  unhappy  race,  and  ere  long  his  re- 
treating footprints  will  be  found  along  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  hastening  to  the 
spirit  land,  the  "Great  Hereafter." 

We  now  enter  upon  our  history  more  in  detail,  considering  each  township, 
beginning  with  Buffalo. 


BIFFALO  PIBLTC  SCHOOL 


ITtST  OFFICK.    F.FFFALO 


THE   WILLARD   BARROWS    HISTORY. 


CHAPTER  11. 

FIRST  SETTLEMENT  OF  BUFFALO  TOWNSHIP. 

In  1833  Capt.  Benjamin  W.  Clark,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who  had  settled  and 
made  some  improvements  on  the  Illinois  shore  where  the  town  of  Andalusia  now 
is,  moved  across  the  Mississippi  and  commenced  a  settlement  upon  the  presenH 
site  of  the  town  of  Buffalo,  and  was  probably  the  first  settler  on  the  soil  of  Scott 
county.  He  had  been  captain  of  a  company  of  mounted  volunteer  rangers  in  the 
Black  Hawk  war  under  Gen.  Dodge.  Here,  in  Buffalo,  he  made  the  first  "claim," 
erected  the  first  cabin,  broke  the  first  ground,  planted  the  first  corn  and  raised  the 
first  produce  in  the  county.  His  nearest  neighbors  at  this  time  upon  the  Iowa 
shore,  then  called  the  "Black  Hawk  Purchase,"  were  at  Burlington  and  Du- 
buque. 

The  first  stock  of  goods  ever  opened  in  the  county  was  at  Buffalo  by  a  Mr. 
Lynde,  of  Stephenson,  now  Rock  Island.  The  first  orchard  planted  and  the  first 
coal  ever  discovered  and  dug  in  this  county  were  by  Capt.  Clark  in  1834.  The 
first  public  ferry  across  the  Mississippi  between  Burlington  and  Dubuque  was 
at  Buffalo,  and  for  several  years  "Clark's  Ferry"  was  the  only  place  of  crossing 
in  all  this  region  of  country.  In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1835  he  erected  a  pub- 
lic house  which  is  still  standing,  a  large  frame  building  two  stories  high,  which 
at  that  time  was  considered  a  great  enterprise.  He  brought  the  lumber  from 
Cincinnati  at  a  cost  of  $60  a  thousand  feet. 

In  1836  Capt.  Clark  laid  out  the  town  of  Buffalo,  it  being  the  first  town  reg- 
ularly laid  out  in  this  county.  He  succeeded  in  building  up  quite  a  village,  but 
there  was  much  need  of  flouring  and  lumber  mills,  and  in  1836  he  erected,  near 
the  mouth  of  Duck  creek,  the  first  saw  mill  in  the  county,  or  in  this  part  of  Iowa ; 
and  although  it  was  on  a  small  scale,  and  quite  inadequate  to  the  wants  of  the 
settlers  who  began  to  seek  homes  beyond  the  Mississippi,  yet  it  proved  of  the 
greatest  public  benefit  and  served  the  people  for  many  years. 

The  ferry  was  established  at  Buffalo  while  Capt.  Clark  lived  at  Andalusia  be- 
fore he  moved  across  the  river.  The  first  ferriage  collected  by  him,  after  he  had 
completed  his  flat-boat  was  attended  by  the  following  amusing  circumstance.  Late 
one  evening  a  company  of  French  traders,  who  were  returning  from  the  Iowa 
river  to  the  trading  post  on  Rock  island,  encamped  on  the  bank  of  the  river 


116  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD   BARROWS    HISTORY. 

where  the  hotel  now  stands  in  Buffalo.  They  heard  the  report  of  the  captain's 
intention  to  establish  a  ferry  across  the  river  at  this  point,  and  feeling  somewhat 
inclined  to  ridicule  such  an  enterprise,  they  called  loudly  for  the  ferry  boat,  say- 
ing that  they  had  a  drove  of  cattle  to  cross,  an  assertion  perfectly  ridiculous  in 
itself,  as  nothing  in  the  shape  of  cattle  nearer  than  buffalo  or  elk  had  ever  ap- 
peared upon  the  western  banks  of  the  Mississippi  river.  But  the  captain  was  not 
to  be  trifled  with.  He  had  made  ready  his  boat.  His  ferry  was  established,  and 
being  a  man  of  bold  and  most  unflinching,  uncompromising  sternness  and  perse- 
verance, he  rallied  his  men,  manned  his  boat  with  some  eight  men  and  boys  and 
very  quietly  crossed  over  to  answer  the  continued  calls  of  the  noisy  Frenchmen. 
It  was  a  very  dark  night,  and  as  the  oars  were  plied  to  the  ponderous  flatboat 
Capt.  Clark  stood  at  the  helm  steering  his  rude  craft  over  the  swelling  waves  of 
the  Mississippi  with  nothing  to  guide  him  but  the  blaze  of  the  campfire  and  noise 
of  the  company  on  the  Iowa  shore,  meditating  most  undoubtedly  in  a  frame  of 
mind  not  the  most  serene.  When  nearing  the  shore  the  traders  on  discovering 
him,  set  up  a  most  uncourteous  roar  of  laughter,  turning  the  whole  matter  off  as 
a  joke,  called  them  fools,  and  told  the  captain  they  had  nothing  to  ferry,  and  that 
he  might  return  to  the  Illinois  side.  But  Capt.  Clark's  anger  was  now  raised  to 
the  highest  pitch.  He  landed  his  boat  and  with  his  men  marched  into  the  camp 
of  the  insolent  Frenchmen  and  demanded  $10.00  as  a  fee  for  ferriage.  No  man 
who  knew  Capt.  Clark  ever  wanted  to  parley  with  him  when  his  usually  mild 
temper  was  aroused  by  insult.  The  party  soon  became  satisfied  that  under  the 
circumstances  it  was  their  best  pohcy  to  pay  up.  The  great  difficulty  now  was 
that  they  had  not  $10.00  in  the  company,  but  very  willingly  proffered  two  bolts 
of  calico,  which,  among  Indians  at  least,  was  considered  legal  tender.  This  was 
accepted  and  taken  as  the  first  ferriage  ever  received  in  Scott  county.  Capt 
Clark  and  his  party  returned,  having  taught  the  wild  traders  one  of  the  first 
lessons  of  civilization. 

Capt.  Clark  claimed  the  honor  of  being  the  father  of  the  first  white  child 
born  in  Scott  county.  This  son,  David  H.  Clark,  now  a  resident  of  Polk  county, 
in  this  state,  was  born  in  Buffalo,  the  21st  of  April,  1834. 

For  many  years  the  town  of  Buffalo  attracted  much  attention  and  bid  fair 
to  become  a  serious  rival  to  Stephenson,  then  just  merging  into  existence.  But 
Davenport  and  Rockingham  were  soon  laid  off  and  a  ferry  being  established  be- 
tween Davenport  and  Stephenson  by  Mr.  LeClaire,  travel  was  directed  to  that 
point  and  the  division  of  the  country  into  counties  left  Buffalo  in  no  enviable 
situation.  It  had  been  the  most  prosperous  town  in  this  region  of  country,  do- 
ing a  large  business  with  the  emigrants  to  the  territory  who  were  then  begin- 
ning to  settle  up  and  down  the  river  and  along  the  Cedar  valley,  furnishing  grain 
and  provisions  of  all  kinds  to  the  newcomers.  Capt.  Clark  spent  much  time  in 
showing  emigrants  the  country  and  assisting  them  in  making  claims,  and  prob- 
ably did  more  toward  the  early  settlement  of  this  country  than  any  other  man  that 
ever  came  into  it.    He  died  at  Buffalo.  October  25,  1839. 

To  show  the  prospects  of  Buffalo  as  a  point  of  interest  at  that  day  we 
might  relate  a  circumstance  that  occurred  in  reference  to  the  value  of  town  lots. 
After  Davenport  was  laid  out,  Major  Wm.  Gordon  and  some  others,  proprietors, 
called  on  Capt.  Clark  and  offered  him  an  even  exchange  of  forty  or  sixty  lots  in 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  117 

THE    WILLARD    HARROWS    HISTORY. 

Davenport  for  an  equal  number  in  Bufifalo,  but  the  captain  declined,  regarding 
it  as  a  poor  offer,  as  it  probably  looked  to  be  at  that  time. 

It  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  map  of  Scott  county  that  it  lacks  a  town- 
ship in  the  southwest  corner  (No.  78,  N.,  R.  i,  E.)  of  being  square.  As  it  has 
always  been  a  mystery  to  many,  particularly  to  the  new  comer,  why  this  township 
should  have  been  set  off  to  Muscatine  county,  while  it  so  naturally  belonged  to 
Scott,  I  will  here  explain. 

In  the  first  territorial  legislature  which  convened  at  Burlington,  in  December, 
1837,  an  act  was  passed  creating  the  boundaries  of  Scott  county,  as  well  as  many 
others.  Unfortunately  for  the  well-being  of  many  a  town  site  and  village  this 
honorable  body  had  too  many  speculators  in  town  lots  among  its  members.  Dr. 
Reynolds,  then  living  three  miles  above  Bloomington,  now  Muscatine,  being  a  mem- 
ber, had  laid  off  a  place  called  Geneva  upon  which  all  his  efforts  for  the  county 
seat  were  centered.  The  manner  and  extent  in  laying  off  the  counties  were  of 
course  to  decide  the  destiny  of  many  a  town  site  which  had  been  made  espe- 
cially for  the  county  seat.  The  object  of  Dr.  Reynolds  was  to  press  the  upper  line 
of  Muscatine  county  up  the  river  as  far  as  possible  so  as  to  make  Geneva  cen- 
tral and  lessen  the  chances  of  Bloomington  which  was  an  applicant  for  favor. 
The  Davenport  and  Rockingham  member,  Alex  W.  McGregor,  Esq.,  knew  that 
if  the  Scott  county  line  ran  too  far  down  the  river,  Buffalo,  then  a  rival  and  by 
far  the  most  populous  and  important  town  above  Burlington,  would  stand  too 
great  a  chance,  so  that  a  compromise  was  entered  into  and  this  township  was 
given  to  Muscatine  county  which  gives  to  our  county  its  present  ill-shaped  ap- 
pearance. 

Buffalo  with  all  her  just  claims  was  sacrificed  by  placing  her  in  the  lower 
end  of  the  county.  Dr.  Reynolds'  grand  scheme  was  frustrated,  for  Blooming- 
ton got  the  county  seat  for  Muscatine  county  and  Davenport  and  Rockingham 
"doubled  teams"  on  Buffalo,  got  the  county  seat  and  then  fought  for  choice  of 
location,  as  will  be  noticed  under  its  proper  head.  This  was  the  killing  stroke  to 
Buffalo.  Davenport  ultimately  received  all  the  benefits  derived  from  the  trick- 
ery and  corruption  of  legislative  enactments  while  Geneva,  Montpelier,  Salem, 
Freeport,  Mouth  of  Pine  and  some  half  dozen  more  towns  that  were  laid  out 
along  the  Mississippi  river  from  Muscatine  island  to  Davenport  "went  under" 
carrying  with  them  all  their  visionary  schemes  for  greatness  and  power. 

Buffalo  township  has  more  timber  land  than  any  other  in  the  county.  There 
are  thousands  of  acres  now  covered  with  a  growth  that  has  arisen  since  the  first 
settlement  that  will  cut  from  twenty  to  fifty  cords  of  wood  to  the  acre.  It  is  es- 
timated that  there  is  five  times  as  much  timber  in  Buffalo  township  as  there  was 
at  the  time  of  the  first  settlement  in  1834,  a  fact  showing  how  easily  timber  may 
be  produced,  if  cared  for,  and  the  annual  fires  kept  out  of  the  woodlands. 

There  is  another  very  important  item  to  appear  in  the  history  of  this  town- 
ship. Coal  was  first  discovered  here  in  1834  and  as  early  as  1835  and  1836  was 
dug  and  sold  to  steamboats  at  the  mouth  of  Bowling's  creek  which  empties  into 
the  Mississippi  about  half  way  between  Buffalo  and  Rockingham.  The  first 
bank  opened  was  about  half  a  mile  up  this  creek,  and  was  worked  to  consider- 
able extent  by  Dr.  A.  C.  Donaldson  who  settled  in  1837  near  its  mouth.  Still 
higher  up  this  creek,  some  three  miles.  Benjamin  Wright  and  Capt.  E.  Murray, 


118  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD   BARROWS    HISTORY. 

from  Zanesville,  Ohio,  opened  a  bank  in  1838  and  furnished  coal  to  Davenport  and 
Rockingham  for  15  cents  per  bushel,  and  from  that  day  to  this  mines  have  been 
opened  and  worked  in  almost  every  part  of  the  township  until  at  the  present 
time  more  than  twenty-five  coal  mines  are  open  and  ready  for  work.  The  most  ex- 
tensive now  in  operation  are  near  Buffalo  and  belong  to  Capt.  W.  L.  Clark  & 
Co.,  who  are  getting  out  about  1,000  bushels  per  day.  They  are  preparing  to 
lay  a  rail  track  to  the  river  and  when  completed  the  company  will  be  able  to 
deliver  on  the  bank  or  in  barges  from  2,500  to  4,000  bushels  per  day.  Their 
road  will  accommodate  many  other  banks  now  open  and  that  will  be  opened  along 
the  track.  The  coal  now  obtained  is  far  superior  to  that  formerly  dug  and  is 
said  to  be  a  better  article  for  making  steam  and  for  other  purposes,  giving  off 
more  flame  and  igniting  very  readily.  Experienced  steamboat  men  who  have 
examined  this  coal  and  used  it  say  that  1,000  bushels  of  it  will  go  further  and 
make  more  steam  than  1,200  bushels  of  the  Rock  river  coal. 

Capt.  W.  L.  Clark,  son  of  the  original  proprietor  of  Buffalo,  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Davenport,  but  holds  large  interests  of  lands  and  coal  banks  in  this 
county.  The  very  lands  claimed  by  his  father  in  1832  soon  after  the  Black 
Hawk  war  are  still  in  the  possession  of  Capt.  W.  L.  Clark. 

James  M.  Bowling  from  Virginia,  now  a  resident  of  Davenport,  settled  in 
Buffalo  township  the  4th  of  July,  1835,  at  the  mouth  of  Bowling's  creek.  He 
purchased  the  "claim"  of  one  Orange  Babbett,  the  quitclaim  deed  to  which  has 
recently  been  presented  to  the  State  Historical  society  by  Air.  Bowling.  This 
property  now  belongs  to  Capt.  Leroy  Dodge.  Mr.  Bowling  commenced  farming 
in  1835.  That  fall  he  went  back  to  Virginia,  married  and  returned  in  1836  with 
his  wife  and  two  sisters.  In  1837  he  had  the  prospect  of  a  fine  crop,  but  the 
Indians  who  still  loitered  about  the  country  were  encamped  upon  this  creek. 
In  June  there  were  some  500  Indians  living  near  him  and  very  troublesome.  They 
set  fire  to  the  prairie  and  burned  up  the  fence  surrounding  his  corn  which  was  at 
the  time  six  inches  high.  The  Indian  horses  then  ate  much  of  it  and  he  was  com- 
pelled in  the  heat  of  summer  to  cut  timber  and  make  rails  to  enclose  his  field 
again ;  but  notwithstanding  all  his  misfortune,  he  succeeded  in  raising  a  very 
good  crop.     The  Indians,  however,  were  a  constant  annoyance  to  him. 

In  his  absence  on  one  occasion  a  lot  of  Indians  came  to  the  house  and  Mrs. 
Bowling  having  the  door  fastened  by  putting  a  gimlet  over  the  latch,  with  his 
sisters,  remained  in  silence  for  some  time  until  they  pushed  out  the  chinking 
of  the  cabin  near  the  door  and  running  in  their  arms  pulled  out  the  gimlet,  when 
Mrs.  Bowling  and  sisters  braced  themselves  against  the  door  and  by  main  strength 
kept  them  at  bay  until  weary  of  the  effort  to  make  an  entry  they  left  the  premises. 
This  is  but  one  instance  among  many  of  the  trials  and  hardships  to  which  the 
first  settlers  were  exposed  and  through  which  they  passed  with  patience  and 
toil. 

Altliough  Buffalo  became  almost  extinct  after  her  defeat  and  downfall,  yet 
in  1855  it  was  resurveyed  and  mostly  purchased  by  the  Germans  who  settled  in 
and  around  the  town.  It  has  a  steam  mill,  three  stores,  an  Episcopal  church  organ- 
ized and  one  of  Disciples  or  Christians.  Both  societies  worship  in  the  school- 
house.  Buffalo  now  contains  about  500  inhabitajits  and  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  town  sites  on  the  Mississippi  river. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  119 

THE    WILLARD    BARROWS    HISTORY. 

Many  of  the  first  settlers  of  this  township  are  still  living  at  Buflfalo  enjoying 
in  affluence  the  sure  reward  of  their  early  struggles.  One  among  the  many  who 
have  retired  from  the  more  active  pursuits  of  life  and  now  enjoy  life's  comforts 
is  Capt.  Leroy  Dodge,  who  emigrated  to  Iowa  in  1836  from  the  state  of  New 
York.  He  was  for  many  years  a  pilot  on  the  Mississippi  and  then  commander  of 
steamboats.  Having  secured  some  400  acres  along  the  river  and  bluff  above 
Bufifalo,  he  built  him  a  pleasant  cottagie  on  the  banks  of  the  river  and  turned 
his  attention  to  agriculture,  principally  to  stock  raising,  of  which  he  has  some 
noble  specimens.  In  1852  he  represented  Scott  county  in  our  state  legislature. 
He  was  an  unflinching  democrat  and  loved  the  cause  of  human  rights. 

Among  others  who  settled  at  an  early  day  in  this  township  were  Joseph  and 
Matthias  Mounts,  Elias  Moore  and  Andrew  W.  Campbell.  Mr.  Campbell  was 
among  the  most  enterprising  of  the  early  settlers,  having  opened  a  large  farm 
on  the  bottom  land  of  the  river.  He  sold  it  to  Henry  C.  Morehead  at  an  early 
day  and  removed  to  the  prairie  near  where  the  town  of  Blue  Grass  now  is,  where 
he  opened  another  large  farm  that  now  belongs  to  his  heirs.  He  was  elected  in 
February,  1838,  one  of  the  county  commissioners,  it  being  the  first  election  ever 
held  for  officers  under  the  county  organization.  He  also  filled  other  places  of 
responsibility  and  trust.  Being  fond  of  travel  and  adventure,  he  frequently  took 
excursions  into  the  interior  of  Iowa  while  it  was  yet  in  the  possession  of  the 
Indians,  seeming  to  forget  all  business  cares  and  enjoy  very  much  the  solitude 
and  loveliness  of  our  western  wilds.  In  the  spring  of  1850  he  crossed  the  plains 
to  California  and  retumed  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  that  fall.  The  following  sum- 
mer he  again  set  forth  for  California  by  the  overland  route  in  company  with  a 
son  and  a  married  daughter  whose  husband  was  in  California.  His  health  had 
been  for  years  somewhat  impaired  and  his  constitution  broken.  On  Green  river, 
in  the  great  basin  of  the  Rocky  mountains  he  sickened  and  died,  and  his  bones 
are  left  to  moulder  in  the  cheerless  desert  with  no  lasting  monument  to  point  the 
weary  pilgrim  to  his  lonely  grave. 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 


CHAPTER  III. 

ROCKINGHAM  TOWNSHIP. 

In  ascending  the  river  from  Buffalo,  we  next  enter  upon  Rockingham  town- 
ship, the  settlement  of  which  began  simultaneously  with  that  of  LeClaire,  Prince- 
ton and  the  Groves.  This  township  comprising  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi  is 
somewhat  broken,  and  was  formerly  covered  with  heavy  timber.  The  bottom 
lands  that  are  above  overflow  are  excellent  farming  lands.  The  settlement  was 
begun  at  Rockingham  in  the  fall  of  1835.  Col.  John  Sullivan,  of  Zanesville,  O., 
James  and  Adrian  H.  Davenport,  Henry  W.  Higgins  and  others,  purchased  the 
claim  that  had  been  made  upon  the  present  site  of  Rockingham  which  is  directly 
opposite  the  mouth  of  Rock  river. 

Like  many  other  places  selected  in  those  days  for  town  sites,  Rockingham 
"possessed  many  advantages,"  the  most  prominent  of  which  was  that  it  would 
command  the  trade  of  Rock  river  which  at  that  time  was  supposed  to  be  navigable. 
It  was  laid  off  into  lots  in  the  spring  of  1836.  Its  location  upon  the  banks  of 
the  Mississippi  with  Rock  river  on  the  opposite  side  was  well  drawn  and  litho- 
graph maps  made  and  circulated  in  eastern  cities  and  presented  a  picture  of  much 
beauty.  For  a  while  it  was  a  place  of  considerable  importance.  Emigrants  un- 
acquainted with  the  annual  overflow  of  the  Mississippi  were  deceived.  To  the 
eye  in  low  water,  all  was  beautiful  and  many  a  settler  felt  happy  in  finding  so 
delightful  a  home  in  the  west.  But  with  the  rise  of  the  river,  its  vast  sloughs 
were  filled  and  the  embryo  city  became  an  island.  All  communication  with  the 
bluff  was  cut  off  by  a  slough  running  back  of  the  town  near  the  bluffs  so  deep, 
it  is  said,  that  keelboats  had  often  navigated  it  with  heavy  loads.  The  first 
overflow  was  considered  an  "uncommon  occurrence."  The  second  a  thing  that 
might  "never  happen  again,"  and  unknown  "to  the  oldest  inhabitants." 

In  Alarch,  1834,  Adrian  H.  Davenport  made  a  claim  on  Credit  island.  This 
island  containing  nearly  400  acres  belongs  to  Scott  county,  it  being  on  the  Iowa 
side  of  the  channel  of  the  Mississippi,  and  lies  just  above  the  mouth  of  Rock 
river  and  a  little  above  the  town  of  Rockingham.  The  early  French  traders  had 
a  trading  post  on  this  island  and  credit  was  here  first  given  to  the  Indians,  hence 
the  name  "Credit  island"  was  given  to  it.  Soon  after  the  settlement  of  Mr. 
Davenport  upon  this  island  he  was  joined  by  his  father,  Marmaduke  Davenport, 


122  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD    BARROWS    HISTORY. 

who  had  been  Indian  agent  at  Rock  island.  This  island  was  purchased  from 
the  government  by  Mr.  Davenport  and  is  now  owned  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Jenny  of  this 
city.  On  the  14th  of  August,  1834,  Mr.  Davenport  had  a  son  born  which  was 
the  second  white  male  child  born  in  the  county,  unless  one  of  Levi  Chamberlain's 
of  Pleasant  Valley  be  the  second.  This  child  of  Mr.  Davenport's  died  while 
young.  The  Davenports  in  the  selection  and  location  of  Rockingham  became 
proprietors  and  were  dry  goods  and  grocery  merchants  for  many  years. 

In  1850,  A.  H.  Davenport  and  his  father  removed  to  LeQaire  where  his  father 
died  in  1852,  much  respected  for  his  many  social  and  Christian  virtues.  Adrian 
H.,  his  son,  while  living  at  Rockingham  in  1838  received  the  appointment  from 
Gov.  Lucas  of  sheriff  of  Scott  and  Qinton  counties,  Qinton  being  attached  to 
Scott  for  judicial  purposes.  The  office  he  retained  for  twelve  years  and  filled  it 
with  great  fidelity  and  acceptance  to  the  people.  He  was  ever  a  democrat,  a 
man  of  untiring  energy  of  character  and  of  moral  worth.  By  his  removal  to  Le- 
Claire  in  1850  he  not  only  secured  to  himself  an  ample  fortune,  but  probably 
did  more  for  the  building  up  of  that  beautiful  and  enterprising  city  than  any 
other  man  in  it.  He  was  in  i860  mayor  of  the  city  of  LeClaire  and  will  be  more 
immediately  identified  when  we  come  to  speak  of  this  part  of  our  county. 

James  Davenport,  his  uncle,  and  the  one  more  particularly  interested  in  the 
laying  out  of  the  town  of  Rockingham,  removed  from  that  place  in  1848  to  Shulls- 
burgh,  Wisconsin,  about  fourteen  miles  from  Galena  where  he  has  been  largely  en- 
gaged in  mining.  Not  only  has  he  been  successful  in  his  new  employment  and  se- 
cured to  himself  ample  stores  of  this  world's  goods,  but  has  made  himself  useful  in 
trying  to  arrest  the  progress  of  intemperance  among  the  miners ;  employing  none 
but  sober  and  industrious  men  and  by  precept  and  example  teaching  with  humil- 
ity the  pure  principles  of  Christianity  before  which  irreligion  and  vice  have  very 
much  diminished. 

The  I  St  of  August,  1836,  Col.  Sullivan  returned  from  Zanesville  with  his 
family  and  some  emigrants  for  settlement.  The  town  on  the  ist  of  May  of  this 
year  contained  two  log  cabins,  one  being  occupied  by  A.  H.  Davenport  and  his 
family  and  the  other  by  Mr.  Foster.  Mr.  Sullivan  brought  with  him  a  small 
stock  of  goods  and  removing  his  store  from  Stephenson  where  he  had  been  trad- 
ing for  a  year,  he  erected  a  small  building  and  soon  opened  a  dry  goods  and  gro- 
cery store.  In  the  fall  and  winter  of  1836  Rockingham  contained  some  thirteen 
houses  and  about  100  inhabitants,  among  whom  were  Col.  Sullivan  and  family,  the 
Davenport  families,  Millington  and  Franklin  Easly,  Capt.  John  Coleman  and 
brothers,  William  Lingo,  Messrs.  Mountain  and  Cale.  John  Willis,  S.  S.  Brown, 
Henry  C.  Morehead,  David  Sullivan,  Etheral  and  J.  M.  Camp,  William  White, 
William  Dutro.  H.  W.  Higgins,  Cornelius  Harold,  Richard  Harrison,  James  B. 
McCoy  and  E.  H.  Shepherd.  Dr.  E.  S.  Barrows  located  here  in  the  fall  of  1836. 
He  was  the  first  practicing  physician  located  on  the  Iowa  side  of  the  river  be- 
tween Burlington  and  Dubuque.  For  many  years  his  practice  extended  over  a 
large  extent  of  country,  embracing  Qinton,  Cedar  and  Muscatine  counties.  In 
1843  he  removed  to  Davenport  and  continued  his  practice,  until  a  few  years  since 
he  retired  to  enjoy  in  quiet  the  fruits  of  his  early  labor.  He  has  ever  stood  at 
the  head  of  his  profession  and  has  been  president  of  the  "Iowa  State  Medical 
societv." 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  183 


THE   WILLARD   BARROWS    HISTORY. 


Of  the  early  settlers  of  Rockingham  many  are  still  inhabitants  of  Scott  county. 
Some  have  died  and  many  settled  in  other  portions  of  the  state.  We  should  like 
to  speak  more  in  detail  of  the  early  trials  and  difficulties  through  which  they 
passed ;  of  their  joys  and  sorrows,  of  disappointed  hopes ;  and  be  allowed  to  fol- 
low each  in  his  fortunes  since  the  days  of  old  Rockingham,  but  the  limit  of  this 
work  will  not  allow.  There  is,  however,  one  truthful  remark  that  may  be  writ- 
ten. No  village  of  the  "far  west"  at  that  day  could  boast  of  a  better  class  of 
citizens  or  those  of  whom  she  could  be  more  proud  than  Rockingham,  both  on 
account  of  their  high  toned  moral  character,  their  social  and  friendly  qualities 
and  for  their  kind  and  liberal  attentions  to  the  sick  and  to  the  stranger.  Many  a 
wanderer  from  the  home  circle  has  been  made  to  know  this,  when,  laid  upon  a 
sick  bed  in  a  far  western  village,  he  has  found  the  kindly  tones  and  skillful  hands 
of  woman,  in  his  sick  room,  and  had  at  the  same  time  substantial  proof  that  he 
was  not  forgotten  by  the  "sterner  sex." 

A  large  hotel  was  erected  by  the  proprietors  in  1836  and  kept  for  several  years 
by  H.  W.  Higgins  and  was  one  of  the  best  public  houses  west  of  the  Mississippi 
river.  It  is  still  standing,  and  is  occupied  by  W.  D.  Westlake,  Esq.  Capt.  John 
Coleman  still  lives  in  this  fallen  city,  the  last  of  the  first  settlers.  In  the  spring 
of  1837  two  more  dry  goods  stores  were  opened,  one  by  the  Davenports  and  one 
by  John  S.  Sheller  &  Co. 

During  the  years  of  1835,  1836  and  1837  a  few  settlers  made  claims  back  from 
the  river,  along  under  the  bluffs  and  on  the  edge  of  the  prairie.  Among  these  were 
David  Sullivan,  in  1835,  immediately  back  of  Rockingham  under  the  bluff.  His 
farm  extended  to  the  bottom  lands.  Rufus  Ricker  also  settled  the  same  year  and 
Rev.  Enoch  Mead  in  the  winter  of  1837.  The  Hon.  James  Grant  opened  a  large 
farm  in  1838  upon  the  edge  of  the  prairie  at  a  little  grove  called  at  the  time  "Pica- 
yune grove."  He  enclosed  320  acres,  much  of  which  he  put  under  cultivation. 
He  introduced  the  first  blooded  stock  into  the  county,  if  not  into  the  state,  and  did 
much  for  the  agricultural  interests  of  the  county  at  that  early  day.  The  stock 
introduced  by  Judge  Grant  at  that  time  has  been  of  immense  value  to  our  county, 
the  fruits  of  which  may  be  seen  in  the  herds  of  many  of  our  best  farmers. 

Among  those  who  settled  on  the  bluffs  and  on  the  edge  of  the  prairie  were 
Lewis  Ringlesby,  Esq.,  E.  W.  H.  Winfield,  John  Wilson,  more  particularly  known 
as  "Wildcat  Wilson."  from  having  often,  as  he  said,  "whipt  his  weight  in  wild 
cats,"  and  John  Friday  who  broke  the  first  ground  upon  the  bluffs,  seven  acres 
for  himself  and  four  for  Mr.  Winfield. 

Flour  in  the  winter  of  1836  was  from  $16  to  $20  per  barrel;  corn  meal,  $1.75 
per  bushel,  and  no  meat  of  any  kind  for  sale  at  any  price,  except  deer,  wild 
turkey  and  other  wild  game,  of  which  there  was  plenty  at  that  day  in  the  timber 
lands  of  the  bluff. 

John  W.  Brown,  Wm.  VanTuyl  and  John  Burnsides  also  made  claims  or  pur- 
chased them  on  Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiah-Sepo.  or  Black  Hawk  creek,  just  above 
Rockingham  in  1836.  John  Wilson  obtained  that  fall  two  bushels  of  seed  wheat 
from  John  Dunn,  who  had  settled  in  Allen's  Grove  which  seed  he  had  brought 
from  Ohio.  Mr.  Winfield  sowed  the  wheat  that  fall  and  cut  the  crop  the  follow- 
ing year  with  a  sickle.  Such  were  the  beginnings  in  agriculture  by  the  settlers  of 
1836. 


124  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD    HARROWS    HISTORY. 

At  this  early  day  business  of  all  kinds  was  dull  and  the  inhabitants  sought 
pleasure  and  pastime  in  hunting  and  fishing.  Enormous  specimens  of  the  finny 
tribe  were  taken,  and  to  the  newcomer  were  objects  of  surprise  and  curiosity. 
Catfish  were  taken  weighing  from  150  to  175  pounds.  I  caught  a  species  of  the 
pike  called  the  muskelunge  in  Sugar  creek  which  empties  into  Cedar  river  in 
June,  1837,  that  weighed  35K'  pounds  and  measured  5>4  feet  long.  The  same 
summer  E.  W.  H.  Winfield  caught  a  catfish  in  the  Mississippi  at  Rockingham  that 
weighed  175  pounds.  Having  hauled  it  up  in  front  of  the  hotel  it  was  soon  sur- 
rounded with  spectators.  A  little  daughter  of  H.  W.  Higgins  having  caught  a 
sight  of  the  monster  fish  through  the  crowd,  as  it  lay  floundering  on  the  ground, 
and  not  knowing  exactly  what  it  was,  or  the  exact  cause  of  the  excitment, 
started  off  upon  the  nm,  exclaiming,  "There,  now,  if  I  don't  go  and  tell  my  Pa. 
They  have  killed  our  old  sow."  The  river  and  the  forest  furnished  ample  sport 
as  well  as  food  for  the  early  settler.  Venison  was  often  purchased  for  2  or  3 
cents  per  pound.  Wild  turkeys  for  25  to  50  cents,  and  prairie  chickens  were  so 
plentiful  that  they  were  generally  given  away  by  the  sportsmen. 

In  the  summer  of  1837  a  steam  saw  and  flouring  mill  was  erected  by  Capt. 
Sullivan,  it  being  the  first  of  the  kind  built  in  Scott  county,  or  upon  this  side  of 
the  Mississippi  between  Burlington  and  Dubuque.  A  Methodist  church  was  or- 
ganized in  1836  and  in  the  fall  of  1837  Rev.  Enoch  Mead  gathered  a  small  church 
of  the  Presbyterian  order.  In  1840,  the  Rev.  Zachariah  Goldsmith,  an  Episco- 
palian, organized  a  church.  All  congregations  worshipped  by  turns  in  a  small 
church  building,  erected  by  common  subscription.  It  was  also  used  as  a  school 
house.  In  1838  Rockingham  contained  forty-five  houses  including  stores  and  work- 
shops, and  in  1839  there  were  four  dry  goods  and  three  grocery  stores,  beside 
a  drug  store  and  some  whiskey  shops.  Mechanics  of  nearly  all  trades  had  set- 
tled there,  but  the  financial  state  of  things  at  that  date  was  so  low  that  but  little 
was  done  in  the  way  of  trade. 

Scott  county  was  organized  and  named  after  Gen.  Winfield  Scott,  at  the  ses- 
sion of  the  legislature  of  Wisconsin  territory  which  met  at  Burlington  in  De- 
cember, 1837.  The  same  act  provided  for  holding  an  election  for  the  county 
seat  on  the  third  Monday  of  February,  1838.  Rockingham  and  Davenport  being 
the  only  points  to  be  voted  for,  the  polls  were  to  be  opened  at  the  Rockingham 
house  in  Rockingham  and  the  Davenport  hotel  in  Davenport,  and  at  the  house  of 
E.  Parkhurst,  in  the  town  of  Parkhurst,  now  LeQaire.  This  same  legislative  act 
also  provided  for  an  election  to  be  held  two  weeks  after  the  county  seat  elec- 
tion for  choice  of  county  officers,  at  which  last  election  Rockingham  elected  her 
candidates.  The  commissioners  were  B.  F.  Pike,  Alfred  Carter  and  A.  W.  Camp- 
bell, with  E.  Cook  for  county  clerk. 

The  great  importance  of  the  county  seat  election  is  apparent.  The  fortunate 
town  in  the  election  was  to  become  important  from  having  the  seat  of  justice. 
Great  preparations  were  made  for  a  spirited  contest.  The  matter  had  been  before 
the  legislature  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  locate  it  by  that  body,  but  a  scheme 
of  bribery  and  corruption  among  some  of  its  members  was  brought  to  light  and 
an  act  then  passed  to  leave  it  to  the  people.  The  leading  men  in  the  contest  upon 
the  Rockingham  side  were  Col.  Sullivan,  the  Messrs.  Davenport,  Dr.  E.  S.  Bar- 
rows, G.  B.  Sargent,  J.  S.  Shiller,  J.  C.  Higginson,  W.  Barrows,  H.  W.  Hig- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  125 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

gins,  Wm.  VanTuyl,  O.  G.  McLain,  Fitzpatrick,  Phipps,  Shepherd  and  others, 
besides  many  that  were  non-residents  of  the  town  who  lent  their  influence  and 
time  upon  the  occasion.  Davenport  had  her  LeClaire,  Col.  Davenport  and  sons, 
Judge  Mitchell,  James  Mcintosh  and  brother,  D.  C.  Eldridge,  John  Owens  and 
a  host  of  others,  men  of  means,  talent  and  influence. 

Rockingham  in  this  first  election,  if  conducted  on  fair  principles,  had  no  cause 
to  fear  the  result.  She  had  no  need  of  resorting  to  unfair  means  to  gain  the 
election.  The  southern  part  of  the  county  at  that  time  was  the  most  densely 
populated.  She  could  poll  more  votes  than  Davenport,  beside  which  the  LeClaire 
township  at  the  head  of  the  rapids  took  sides  with  Rockingham,  expecting  at 
some  future  time  to  effect  an  alteration  in  the  county  lines  on  the  north  so  as  to 
make  LeClaire  more  central  and  of  course  it  was  policy  to  vote  for  the  most 
southern  point  in  the  election. 

The  returns  of  the  election  were  to  be  made  to  Gov.  Dodge,  of  Wisconsin, 
we  then  belonging  to  that  territory.  The  act  specified  that  the  place  having  the 
largest  number  of  votes  should  be  declared  the  county  seat,  and  that  it  should 
be  the  duty  of  the  governor  upon  such  return  being  made  to  issue  his  proclamation 
accordingly.  Davenport,  well  knowing  her  weakness  and  want  of  "material  aid," 
entered  into  a  contract  with  a  man  by  the  name  of  Bellows  from  Dubuque  to  fur- 
nish voters  at  so  much  per  head,  board,  whiskey  and  lodging  to  be  furnished 
by  the  party  requiring  service. 

The  day  of  election  came  and  with  it  came  also  the  importation  of  voters 
by  the  "Bellows  express."  They  were  from  Dubuque  and  Snake  Diggings,  eleven 
sleigh  loads  of  the  most  wretched  looking  rowdies  and  vagabonds  that  had  ever 
appeared  in  the  streets  of  Davenport.  They  were  the  dregs  of  the  mining  district 
of  that  early  day;  filled  with  impudence  and  profanity,  soaked  in  whiskey  and 
done  up  in  rags.  Illinois  contributed  largely  by  vote  for  Davenport.  There 
was  no  use  in  challenging  such  a  crowd  of  corruption,  for  they  hardly  knew  the 
meaning  of  the  word  perjury,  so  they  were  permitted  to  vote,  unmolested.  Rock- 
ingham at  this  election,  whatever  she  may  have  done  afterwards,  observed  a 
strict,  honest  and  impartial  method  of  voting.  There  was  no  necessity  for  a  re- 
sort to  intrigue.  She  knew  her  strength  and  had  it  within  herself.  The  election 
being  over,  the  Dubuque  delegation  of  miners  returned  home  having  drunk  ten 
barrels  of  whiskey  and  cost  the  contracting  parties  over  $3,000  in  cash ! 

Davenport  polled  a  majority  of  votes.  The  rejoicing  was  most  enthusiastic. 
Bonfires  and  illuminations  were  exhibited  and  the  result  was  considered  a  great 
and  final  triumph.  But  while  these  rejoicings  were  going  on  in  Davenport,  Dr. 
E.  S.  Barrows  and  John  C.  Higginson  were  on  their  way  to  Mineral  Point,  Wis., 
to  see  Gov.  Dodge  with  documents  sufficient  to  prove  the  frauds  that  had  been 
perpetrated  at  Davenport.  LTpon  this  exposure  the  governor  refused  to  issue  his 
certificate  of  election. 

Thus  things  remained  until  the  legislature  met  in  June  at  Burlington,  at  which 
time  they  passed  an  act  for  another  election  for  the  county  seat  between  Daven- 
port and  Rockingham  to  be  held  in  the  following  August.  This  act  more  par- 
ticularly defined  the  manner  in  which  the  election  should  be  carried  on  and  voters 
were  required  to  have  a  residence  of  sixty  days.  The  returns  of  this  election  were 
to  be  made  by  County  Commissioners'  Clerk  E.  Cook,  Esq.  to  the  sheriff  of  Du- 


126  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD   BARROWS    HISTORY. 

buque  county,  and  he  was  to  count  the  votes  in  the  presence  of  the  county  com- 
missioners of  that  county.  The  place  having-  the  greatest  number  of  votes  was 
to  be  entered  upon  the  books  of  the  commissioners  and  such  place  to  become  the 
seat  of  justice. 

At  this  election  Rockingham  feeling  rather  sore  under  the  treatment  of  the 
last  election,  laid  aside  all  conscientious  scruples  in  relation  to  the  whole  matter, 
and  chose  to  fight  the  enemy  in  their  own  way,  well  knowing  that  act  by  its  word- 
ing did  not  require  legal  votes.  The  campaign  opened  with  vigor.  The  note  of 
preparation  was  sounded  and  contending  parties  summoned  to  the  field.  The 
county  was  canvassed  and  the  unstable  and  wavering  were  brought  into  the  ranks 
on  one  or  the  other  side.  Building  lots  were  proffered  and  accepted  for  in- 
fluence and  for  votes  in  both  places.  Col.  Sullivan  employed  many  extra  hands 
around  his  mill,  just  about  that  time.  The  struggle  was  harder  than  before  and 
the  corruption  much  greater,  though  carried  on  in  a  different  manner.  The  day 
of  election  came.  The  officers  appointed  to  attend  the  polls  were  either  not 
sworn  at  all  or  sworn  illegally,  so  that  in  case  of  defeat  a  plea  might  be  set  up 
for  a  new  election.  The  ballot  box  was  stuffed.  Illegal  voting  in  various  ways 
was  permitted.  Non-residents  of  Scott  county  swore  that  they  were  "old  settlers," 
while  the  poll  books  and  ballot  box  showed  a  list  of  names  that  no  human  tongue 
was  ever  found  to  answer  to. 

A  great  mystery  seemed  to  hang  over  the  Rockingham  polls.  They  had  been 
watched  by  the  Davenport  party,  and  yet  when  the  ballot  box  was  emptied  of  its 
contents,  it  showed  most  astonishing  results.  The  committee  sent  down  from 
Davenport  to  watch  the  polls  could  never  explain  where  all  the  votes  came  from. 
The  names  in  the  box  and  on  the  poll  books  agreed,  but  the  great  difficulty  seemed 
to  be,  that  the  settlement  did  not  warrant  such  a  tremendous  vote.  This,  how- 
ever, was  afterwards  explained  as  being  in  strict  conformity  with  the  oath  taken 
by  some  of  the  judges  or  clerks  of  the  election  which  was  that  they  should  "to 
the  best  of  their  ability  see  that  votes  enough  were  polled  to  elect  Rockingham  the 
county  seat." 

The  election  being  over,  the  returns  were  made  to  the  sheriff  of  Dubuque 
county  and  counted  in  the  presence  of  the  commissioners  as  provided  in  the  act, 
when  a  majority  was  found  for  Rockingham.  The  commissioners,  for  some  cause, 
failed  to  make  the  entry  upon  their  records  as  required  by  the  act,  but  during 
the  week  took  the  liberty  of  "purging  the  polls,"  throwing  out  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  votes  to  give  Davenport  the  majority  by  two  votes.  One  of  the  votes 
thus  thrown  out  was  that  of  John  W.  Brown,  who  settled  on  Black  Hawk  creek 
in  1835  s^nd  was  still  living  there. 

By  this  proceeding  Davenport  was  declared  the  county  seat.  Whereupon  the 
Rockingham  party  made  application  to  the  supreme  court  for  a  mandamus  di- 
rected to  the  county  commissioners  of  Dubuque  county,  requiring  them  to  make 
the  proj^er  entry  upon  their  records  of  the  election  in  Scott  county  in  accordance 
with  the  act  of  the  legislature. 

On  the  final  hearing  of  the  case  the  court  decided  that  they  had  no  original 
jurisdiction  over  the  case,  but  at  the  request  of  the  parties  the  case  having  been 
fully  argued  upon  its  merits,  the  court  examined  the  whole  question  and  gave 
an  opinion,  the  effect  of  which  was  that  Rockingham  was  the  county  seat. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  127 

THE  WILLARD   BARROWS  HISTORY. 

The  leg-islature  being  then  in  session  at  Burlington  passed  an  act  for  an- 
other election.  At  this  election  there  were  two  other  points  added  to  Davenport 
and  Rockingham  as  aspirants  for  the  county  seat.  One  was  "the  geographical 
center,"  now  Sloperville,  and  the  other  was  a  quarter  section  of  land  at  the" 
mouth  of  Duck  creek  called  "Winfield."  Before  the  election  the  geographical 
center  was  dropped.  Davenport  and  Rockingham  then  commenced  offering  town 
lots  and  money  for  the  use  of  the  county  in  case  the  county  seat  should  be  located 
upon  their  ground.  Thousands  of  dollars  and  donations  of  lots  and  lands  were 
made  and  bonds  given  to  secure  it  to  the  county  in  case  of  the  selection  of  the 
point  desired  by  either  party.  But  at  length  Rockingham  withdrew  her  claims 
upon  condition  that  Davenport  would  build,  free  of  expense  to  the  county,  a 
courthouse  and  jail  similar  to  those  in  Rock  Island,  which  she  entered  into  bonds 
to  do  and  the  election  was  left  for  decision  between  Davenport  and  the  "Duck 
creek  com  field,"  as  it  was  called. 

The  commissioners  elected  by  the  Rockingham  party  issued  an  order  for  a 
contract  to  build  a  jail  in  Rockingham,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  notice 
published  in  the  Iowa  Sun  of  May  12,  1840: 

NOTICE    TO    CONTRACTORS. 

Sealed  proposals  will  be  received  by  the  board  of  commissioners  of  Scott 
county  for  building  a  jail  in  the  town  of  Rockingham  until  the  first  day  of  July 
next,  on  which  day  the  proposals  will  be  opened  and  the  contract  let. 

A  plan  and  specifications  may  be  seen  by  calling  on  John  H.  Sullivan,  Esq., 
commissioner  to  superintend  the  erection. 

Proposals  to  be  endorsed :  "Proposals  for  erecting  a  jail  in  Scott  county" 
and  directed  to  "John  H.  Sullivan,  Esq.,  commissioner  to  superintend  the  erec- 
tion of  a  jail  in  Rockingham." 

By  order  of  the  board  of  commissioners  of  Scott  county,  Rockingham,  May 
12.  1840. 

Ebenezer  Cook,  Cl^k. 

Davenport  gained  the  election,  built  the  public  buildings  free  of  all  cost  to 
the  county,  according  to  her  contract,  and  thus  terminated  one  of  the  most  ex- 
citing questions  that  had  ever  disturbed  the  quiet  of  our  peaceful  community. 

The  battle  was  long  and  spirited.  The  contending  parties  withdrew  from  the 
bloodless  field  with  happy  triumph,  each  having  outgeneraled  the  other,  and 
found  that  even  when  a  victory  was  won,  the  laurels  are  not  always  sure.  A  peace 
treaty  was  held  at  the  Rockingham  hotel  in  the  winter  of  1840,  where  the  most 
prominent  actors  in  the  past  scenes  met  as  mutual  friends  and  buried  the 
hatchet  forever,  ratifying  the  treaty,  as  it  was  called,  by  a  grand  ball,  where 
more  than  forty  couples  mingled  in  the  dance  and  seemed  to  forget  at  once  all  the 
strife  and  bickerings  of  the  past,  and  seal  their  friendship  anew  with  earnest 
and  willing  hearts. 

During  the  whole  of  this  controversy,  singular  as  it  may  appear,  the  utmost 
good  feeling  and  gentlemanly  conduct  prevailed.  No  personal  feuds  grew  out 
of  it,  and  to  this  day  it  is  often  the  source  of  much  merriment  among  the  old 
settlers ;  and  is  looked  upon  only  as  the  freaks  and  follies  of  a  frontier  life. 


1:^8 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE   WII.LARD    I'.AKROWS    HISTORY. 

Rockingham  was  settled  by  a  class  of  people  noted  for  their  social  and 
friendly  virtues.  Nowhere  in  the  west  was  there  a  more  open-hearted  and  gen- 
erous people.  In  sickness,  of  which  there  was  much  at  an  early  day,  all  had 
sympathy  and  attention  and  the  most  cordial  good  feeling  prevailed  throughout 
the  whole  community.  They  were  united  in  every  good  work  and  enterprise  and 
always  ready  to  kindly  act. 

A  ferry  was  established  across  the  Mississippi  river  in  the  spring  of  1837  con- 
necting with  the  State  road  up  the  south  side  of  Rock  river,  which  brought  much 
travel  on  that  route. 

In  184s  the  town  began  to  decline.  Many  of  the  inhabitants  left  and  settled 
in  other  parts  of  the  country,  some  in  the  city  of  Davenport.  At  present  Rock- 
ingham is  a  deserted  village,  having  but  three  or  four  families  left  in  it,  the  build- 
ings having  been  moved  into  the  country  for  farm  houses  or  to  Davenport  for 
dwellings. 


K  i)i;i\  i;\\  AN   IN  ii;.ii;i;\  ai;n   I'ARK 


THE  WILLARD   RARROWS  HISTORY. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


DAVENPORT  TOWNSHIP. 


This  township  like  Rockingham  has  bluff  lands  that  are  somewhat  broken 
near  the  river  until  we  reach  a  point  three  miles  above  the  city  of  Davenport  where 
it  opens  out  into  a  beautiful  prairie  called  Pleasant  Valley.  The  bluff  or  timber 
line  between  the  river  and  prairie  is  from  one  to  two  miles  wide,  and  was  for- 
merly well  wooded. 

By  the  "bluffs"  of  the  Mississippi  river  we  do  not  mean  here  that  they  are 
an  abrupt  or  perpendicular  ascent,  but  a  gentle  rise  from  the  river  or  bottom 
lands,  not  so  steep  but  roads  may  be  constructed  up  almost  any  part  of  them. 
The  general  elevation  of  these  bluffs  or  high  lands  is  about  lOO  feet  above  the 
waters  of  the  Mississippi,  and  in  many  places  of  very  gentle  ascent  and  covered 
with  cultivated  fields  and  gardens  to  their  tops. 

But  Davenport  township  differs  from  all  others  upon  the  river  in  the  beau- 
tiful, rolling  prairies  immediately  back  from  the  river  after  passing  the  bluffs. 
These  prairies  are  not  broken,  as  is  common  with  those  that  approach  so  near 
the  river,  but  are  susceptible  of  the  highest  state  of  cultivation.  Back  of  the  city 
of  Davenport  the  slope  from  the  top  of  the  bluff  to  Duck  creek,  covered  as  it  is 
with  gardens  and  fields,  is  one  of  uncommon  beauty  and  richness,  and  the  farms 
that  now  cover  the  prairie  for  seven  or  eight  miles  back  cannot  be  excelled  in  any 
country. 

Duck  creek,  which  passes  through  the  whole  length  of  this  township,  rises  in 
Blue  Grass,  some  ten  miles  west  of  Davenport,  and  running  east  empties  into 
the  Mississippi,  five  miles  above  the  city,  its  course  being  up  stream,  parallel  with 
the  Mississippi  and  only  one  or  two  miles  distant  from  it.  It  affords  an  ample 
supply  of  water  for  stock,  and  is  never  dry  in  summer,  being  fed  by  numerous 
springs  along  its  course.  Its  Indian  name  is  Si-ka-ma-que  Sepo,  or  Gar  creek, 
instead  of  Duck  creek. 

But  before  entering  in  detail  upon  the  settlement  of  this  township,  there  is 
much  to  interest  and  engage  the  attention  of  those  who  may  desire  a  knowledge 
of  its  more  remote  history  which  although  but  little  known  is  interesting  and 
important.  As  has  already  been  observed  the  locality  of  Davenport  and  its  sur- 
roundings have  been  the  camping  ground  of  the  Indian  from  time  immemorial. 
Marquette  and  Joliet  the  first  discoverers  of  the  country,  189  years  ago,  found 


132  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THi;   VVILLARD    BARROWS    HISTORY. 

the  tribes  of  the  Illini  here  (See  Discoveries  and  Explorations  of  Mississippi 
River,  by  Shea,  vol.  i,  page  30;  also  Annals  of  the  West,  p.  31).  There  were 
three  villages  or  towns ;  the  main  one  at  which  they  landed  was  called  "Pewaria" 
where  we  suppose  Davenport  now  stands,  as  it  is  laid  down  upon  Marquette's 
original  map  on  the  west  side  of  the  "River  Conception,"  as  he  named  the  Mis- 
sissippi. This  map  is  a  fac-simile  of  the  autograph  one  by  Father  Marquette,  at 
the  time  of  his  voyage  down  the  river  in  June,  1673,  and  was  taken  from  the  origi- 
nal, preserved  at  St.  Mary's  college,  Montreal,  (See  Explorations  of  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  by  Shea,  p.  280.) 

Of  the  tribes  found  here  by  Father  Marquette,  and  among  whom  he  estab- 
lished a  mission,  little  is  known,  except  his  first  account  of  them,  as  they  have 
become  extinct.  The  tribes  of  the  "Illini"  aboriginal,  (Hall's  Sketches  of  the 
West,  vol.  I,  part  ii,  p.  142)  seem  to  have  been  very  numerous  at  that  time,  being 
scattered  over  the  vast  country  lying  between  Lake  Superior  and  the  Missis- 
sippi, for  we  find  that  Marquette  in  his  second  voyage  here  to  found  the  Mis- 
sion (Shea,  vol.  i,  p.  53)  was  accompanied  part  of  the  way  by  some  "Illinois 
and  Pottawattamies,"  "and  we  find  them  settled  at  that  day  upon  the  Illinois  river 
at  Peoria  and  LaSalle's  trading  post,  and  also  on  the  Kankakee,  and  as  low 
down  on  the  Mississippi  river  as  Cape  Girardeau.  They  seemed  to  be  less  war- 
like than  the  Iroquois  and  the  Wyandots,  and  roamed  at  pleasure  unmolested  over 
all  lands  and  among  all  tribes. 

The  Sacs  and  Foxes  came  from  the  northern  lakes,  but  at  what  date  it  is 
difficult  to  ascertain.  The  Foxes  were  originally  called  Outagamies,  Schoolcraft, 
(vol.  VI,  p.  193).  From  what  tribe  they  descended  is  not  known.  About  the 
seventeenth  century  we  find  them  with  the  Iroquois  committing  depredations 
upon  the  whites  among  the  great  lakes  of  the  north. 

"It  has  been  inferred,"  says  Schoolcraft,  (vol.  vi,  p.  193)  "from  their  language 
that  they  belonged  to  the  Algonquin  tribes,  but  at  an  early  day  were  ejected  from 
and  forsaken  by  them."  We  find  them  in  1712  with  the  Iroquois  making  an  at- 
tempt to  destroy  Detroit;  being  routed,  they  retired  to  a  peninsula  in  Lake  St. 
Qaire  where  they  were  attacked  by  the  French  and  Indians  and  driven  out  of 
the  country.  We  next  find  them  on  Fox  river  at  Green  bay.  Their  character 
seems  to  be  perfidious.  They  were  a  constant  annoyance  to  the  trapper  and  the 
trader,  ever  creating  difficulty  and  disturbance  among  the  other  tribes.  "Having 
been  defeated  at  the  battle  of  'Butte  des  Mortes,'  or  'Hill  of  the  Dead,'  with 
great  slaughter  the  remnants  of  the  tribe  fled  to  the  banks  of  the  Wisconsin." 
(Schoolcraft,  vol.  vi,  p.  191.)  We  have  no  further  notice  of  them  until  their 
settlement  upon  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries. 

"The  Sacs  and  Foxes  took  possession  of  the  lands  belonging  to  the  lowas, 
(Annals  of  the  West,  p.  713)  whom  they  partly  subjugated."  "The  Foxes  had 
their  principal  village  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi  at  Davenport."  "A  small 
Sauk  village  was  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Des 
Moines  river."  This  was  between  1785  and  1800.  The  Sauks  were  the  original 
occupants  of  Saginaw  on  Lake  Michigan,  and  were  allies  of  the  Foxes  in  1712, 
in  an  attempt  to  drive  the  French  out  of  Michigan. 

Thus  far  in  our  history  are  we  able  to  trace  the  immediate  occupants  of  our 
soil  prior  to  possession  by  the  United  States.     The  early  French  traders  found 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  133 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

a  village  of  Foxes  at  Dubuque  with  the  chief  "Piea-Maskie,"  and  another  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Wabesse-pinecon  river,  a  Sauk  village,  v^ith  "No-No"  as  chief.  But 
a  still  larger  village  of  Foxes  v^as  where  the  city  of  Rock  Island  now  stands, 
called  "Wa-pello's  village,"  while  the  main  Sauk  village,  "Black  Hawk's  town," 
was  on  Rock  river  between  Camden  and  Rock  Island.  The  traffic  with  the  In- 
dians was  carried  on  by  the  Canadian  French  in  IMackinaw  boats.  There  were 
no  established  trading  posts.  The  constant  wars  among  the  tribes  continued  to  di- 
minish their  numbers.  The  Sioux,  the  Chippewas,  the  Winnebagoes  and  the 
Menomenies  were  the  bitter  enemies  of  the  Sauks  and  Foxes.  They  were  ever 
lurking  upon  each  other's  trail,  and  never  letting  slip  an  opportunity  of  gathering 
a  few  scalps  in  revenge  for  some  fancied  wrong. 

In  the  spring  of  1828  the  Indian  agent  at  Prairie  du  Chien  by  request  of  the 
Sioux,  Winnebagoes  and  Menomenies.  then  allied  in  their  petty  wars,  sent  an 
invitation  to  the  chiefs  and  braves  of  the  Fox  village  at  Dubuque  to  meet  their 
enemies  in  council  and  forever  bury  the  tomahawk,  and  settle  all  differences 
existing  between  the  several  tribes.  The  Sacs  and  Foxes  were  becoming  re- 
duced in  numbers.  Their  faithless,  perfidious  and  treacherous  course  of  life 
among  all  the  nations  through  which  they  had  traveled,  from  the  great  lakes  of 
the  north  to  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  had  followed  them.  Their  warriors 
had  been  slain,  and  they  felt  their  strength  fading  away.  They  were  willing  now 
to  live  on  terms  of  peace  with  their  neighbors  and  very  readily  accepted  the  in- 
vitation. Piea-Maskie  was  their  chief.  Not  suspecting  the  treachery  of  their 
enemies,  all  the  principal  chiefs  and  braves  of  their  band  left  their  village  at  Du- 
buque, for  the  treaty  at  Prairie  du  Chien. 

The  Sioux  and  Winnebagoes  had  deceived  their  agent  and  only  laid  a  plot 
to  draw  the  Foxes  from  their  village  for  the  purpose  of  entrapping  them.  They 
therefore  sent  spies  down  the  river,  just  before  the  appointed  time  for  the  treaty, 
to  watch  the  movements  of  the  unsuspecting  Foxes.  On  the  second  night  after 
leaving  Dubuque  the  party  made  an  encampment  a  little  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Wisconsin  river  on  the  eastern  shore  anci  while  cooking  their  evening  meal  and 
smoking  around  their  campfires  without  the  least  suspicion  of  danger,  they  were 
fired  upon  by  more  than  100  of  their  enemies ;  a  war  party  that  had  been  sent 
down  for  that  purpose.  But  two  of  the  whole  number  escaped.  In  the  general 
massacre  that  followed  these  jumped  into  the  river  and  swam  to  the  western 
shore,  carrying  the  sad  news  of  the  murder  to  their  village.  This  produced  con- 
sternation and  alarm.  Such  treachery,  even  in  Indian  warfare,  was  startling. 
The  chiefs  and  brave  men  had  been  slaughtered  without  mercy  and  an  attack 
upon  their  village  might  be  expected.  Their  leaders  were  dead,  and  dismay  and 
confusion  reigned  throughout  the  camp. 

The  surviving  warriors  were  assembled  in  council  to  select  another  chief. 
A  half-breed  of  Scotch  descent  of  much  daring  and  bravery  named  Morgan  was 
elected  and  named  Ma-que-pra-um.  A  war  party  was  soon  formed  under  their 
new  leader  to  march  on  the  faithless  Sioux  and  avenge  the  death  of  their  chief 
and  brave  men.  The  preparations  were  soon  completed.  The  plot  was  laid.  All 
was  ready.  The  council  fire  was  again  lighted  and  the  warrior  band,  headed  by 
their  new  chief  sat  around  in  sullen  silence,  painted  and  hung  in  all  the  parapher- 
nalia of  an  Indian  warrior.    The  wail  and  lamentation  for  the  dead  were  changed 


134  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE   WILLARD   BARROWS    HISTORY. 

to  the  deep,  piercing  yell  of  the  savage.  All  the  dark  hatred  of  the  Indian  nature 
was  depicted  on  the  countenances  of  this  revengeful  group,  and  there  went  up 
a  shout,  the  war  cry  of  their  tribe,  such  as  the  rugged  clififs  and  hills  of  Dubuque 
had  never  heard  before  or  since.  With  blackened  faces,  chanting  the  death  song, 
they  entered  their  canoes  and  started  on  their  mission  of  blood. 

Arriving  in  the  vicinity  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  from  the  opposite  bluffs  the  spies 
of  the  party  discovered  the  encampment  of  the  foe,  almost  directly  under  the 
guns  of  the  fort.  The  setting  sun  was  just  gilding  the  walls  of  Fort  Crawford 
and  the  sentinel  on  its  ramparts  had  just  been  roused  from  his  listlessness  by  the 
beat  of  the  "tattoo ;"  the  Indians  lay  indolently  in  their  camp,  little  dreaming  of 
the  fate  that  awaited  them.  On  seeing  the  position  of  the  enemy  the  plan  of  at- 
tack was  soon  formed.  The  Foxes  lay  in  ambush  until  the  darkness  of  the  night 
should  shield  them  from  observation.  A  sufficient  number  was  left  with  the  ca- 
noes with  instructions  to  be  a  short  distance  below  the  fort.  The  warriors  then 
stripped  themselves  of  every  incumbrance  but  the  girdle  containing  the  tomahawk 
and  scalping  knife,  and  went  up  the  river  some  little  distance,  when,  about  mid- 
night, they  swam  the  Mississippi  and  stealthily  crawled  down  upon  the  encamp- 
ment. 

All  was  darkness  and  silence !  No  sentinel  watched  the  doomed  camp !  The 
smouldering  fire  of  the  first  wigwam  they  reached  revealed  to  them,  as  they 
threw  aside  the  curtained  door  an  Indian  smoking  his  pipe  in  meditative  silence. 
The  leader  chief  seized  him  and  without  noise  carried  him  outside  the  lodge  and 
slew  him  without  alarming  the  camp.  The  work  of  death  went  on  from  lodge  to 
lodge  in  stillness  and  silence  until  the  knife  and  hatchet  had  done  their  bloody 
work,  severing  not  only  the  scalp  but  many  of  the  heads  of  their  chieftains. 

The  work  was  done  and  with  one  loud,  wild  whoop  of  satisfaction  and  re- 
venge the  fort  was  awakened,  the  sentry  sent  forth  his  note  of  alarm,  while  the 
assailants  took  to  the  canoes  belonging  to  the  enemy,  rejoined  the  party,  and  with 
a  yell  of  triumph  were  far  down  the  Mississippi  before  the  officers  of  the  fort 
were  in  readiness  to  march.  With  the  trophies  of  victory  they  soon  reached  their 
village,  (lancing  the  "scalp  dance."  Packing  up  their  valuables  the  whole  tribe 
deserted  their  town  at  Dubuque,  descending  the  river  and  settled  where  the  city 
of  Davenport  now  stands. 

This  massacre  took  place  within  the  memory  of  some  now  living  here  who 
related  these  facts  to  the  author,  and  they  still  have  a  most  vivid  recollection  of  see- 
ing the  returning  band  as  they  came  down  past  Rock  Island  with  their  canoes  lashed 
side  by  side,  the  heads  and  scalps  of  their  slaughtered  enemies  set  upon  poles  still 
reeking  with  the  blood  of  their  victims.  They  landed  amid  the  most  deafening 
shouts  of  savage  triumph  and  celebrated  their  victory  with  the  Sacs,  singing  their 
war  songs  and  exhibiting  with  savage  ferocity  the  clotted  scalps  and  ghastly 
faces  of  the  treacherous  Sioux,  Winnebagoes  and  Menomenies.  of  whom  they 
had  killed  seventeen  of  their  best  chiefs  and  warriors,  besides  other  men,  women 
and  children  of  the  tribe.  From  that  event  until  the  removal  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
this  village  was  called  "Morgan,"  after  their  chieftain. 

This  brief  sketch  of  the  history  of  our  immediate  vicinity  before  the  dawn  of 
civilization  must  suffice.  The  Indian  who  possessed  the  soil  was  here  in  his  own 
right  by  whatever  means  he  possessed  it.     The  early  missionaries  had  taught  him 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  135 

THK  WII.LAKD   HARROWS   HISTORY. 

the  first  principles  of  Qiristianity.  He  believed  in  the  Great  Spirit.  He  wor- 
shipped no  idols,  nor  bowed  to  any  superior  but  the  great  "Manito."  They  had 
their  seers  and  prophets,  and  believed  in  a  tutelar  spirit.  They  made  no  sacrifice 
of  human  life  to  appease  the  wrath  of  an  offended  deity.  They  observed  their 
fasts  and  holy  days  with  blackened  faces  and  with  midnight  lamentations.  They 
believed  in  a  future  of  rewards  but  not  of  punishments,  and  were  ever  ready  and 
proud  to  sing  the  death  song  even  at  the  stake,  that  they  might  enter  the  elysian 
fields  of  the  good  hunting  ground.  They  never  blasphemed.  There  is  no  word 
in  their  language  by  which  to  express  it. 

The  Indian's  home  is  wherever  the  finger  of  destiny  points ;  yet  his  sym- 
pathies often  cluster  deeply  around  the  place  of  his  nativity  and  the  scenes  of 
his  earlier  life.  Thus  was  it  with  them  when  they  came  to  leave  their  home  upon 
As-sin-ne-Mee-ness,  (Rock  island)  and  the  As-sin-ne-Se-po,  (Rock  river).  In 
all  their  wanderings  from  the  great  lakes  on  the  north  to  the  Ohio  river  on 
the  south  and  the  Mississippi  on  the  west  they  had  never  found  a  home  like  this. 
The  bluffs  and  the  islands  furnished  them  animals  for  the  chase,  while  the  clear 
waters  of  the  As-sin-ne-Se-po  gave  them  the  finest  fish.  The  fields  yielded  them 
an  abundance  of  the  maize,  the  potato,  beans,  melons  and  pumpkins,  and  they 
were  as  happy  as  the  roving  spirit  of  their  nature  would  allow,  when  in  the  spring 
of  1814  the  white  man  came  and  with  the  din  of  preparation  for  work,  the  soli- 
tude was  broken  and  the  first  sounds  of  civilization  broke  upon  their  ears. 

Attempts  were  made  at  that  time  to  plant  forts  along  the  Upper  Mississippi. 
(Annals  of  the  West,  p.  743.)  The  only  means  of  transportation  was  by  armed 
boats.  Maj.  Zachary  Taylor,  (president  of  the  United  States  in  1850)  was  in 
command  of  one  of  these  boats.  He  left  Cap  au  Oris  (Cap  au  Grey)  in  August 
of  this  year  with  334  men  for  the  Indian  towns  at  Rock  island  with  instructions 
to  destroy  their  villages  and  cornfields.  (x'Vnnals,  p.  744.)  The  Indians  were 
located  on  both  sides  of  the  river  "above  and  below  the  rapids."  But  in  this  at- 
tempt he  was  frustrated  by  the  Indians  receiving  aid  from  neighboring  tribes 
and  some  British  allies  then  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  The  battle  was  severe  and 
lasted  some  three  hours,  commencing  on  the  rapids  above  at  Campbell's  island 

(P-745)- 

In  May,  1816,  the  Eighth  regiment  and  a  company  of  riflemen  in  command  of 
Col.  Lawrence  came  up  the  river  in  boats  and  landed  at  the  mouth  of  Rock 
river.  After  some  examination  the  lower  end  of  Rock  island  was  fixed  on  for 
a  site  to  build  a  fort.  On  the  loth  of  May  they  landed  on  the  island.  A  store 
house  was  first  put  up.  which  was  the  first  building  ever  on  the  island.  A  bake 
house  was  next  built,  and  then  Fort  Armstrong  was  commenced.  At  this  time 
there  were  about  10,000  Indians  in  and  around  the  place  on  both  sides  of  the 
river.  Col.  George  Davenport,  then  attached  to  the  army,  was  general  super- 
intendent. (See  biog.  Col.  D.  in  Davenport  Past  and  Present.)  The  Indians 
were  much  dissatisfied  and  complained  that  the  noise  made  by  the  white  man  in 
building  on  the  island  would  disturb  the  Great  Spirit  whose  residence  they  believed 
to  be  in  a  cave  at  the  foot  of  the  island. 

From  this  date  until  the  Black  Hawk  war  Rock  island  was  only  a  frontier 
military  post,  and  although  this  notice  does  not  come  strictly  into  the  history  of 
Scott  county,  yet  so  intimately  are  its  early  pioneer  scenes  connected  with  it,  that 


136  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD   BARROWS    HISTORY. 

it  seems  almost  indispensable  to  make  some  mention  of  it.  Tranquillity  had  in  a 
measure  been  restored  between  the  whites  and  the  Indians  when  the  Black  Hawk 
war  broke  out.     A  few  remarks  on  the  causes  of  this  war  may  not  be  uninteresting. 

Black  Hawk  had  ever  been  dissatisfied  with  the  treaty  made  at  St.  Louis  in 
1804  (American  State  Papers — 16 — 247  and  Land  Laws.  514)  by  Gen.  Harri- 
son for  their  lands  on  Rock  river,  and  upon  a  requisition  of  the  United  States 
to  surrender  these  lands  to  the  whites  for  settlement  Black  Hawk  refused.  He 
had  been  in  the  service  of  Great  Britain  in  the  War  of  1812  and  received  pay  and 
presents  annually.  He  openly  proclaimed  himself  and  party  British  subjects. 
(Annals,  p.  649.)  At  the  treaty  held  at  Portage  des  Sioux  in  1814  to  recognize 
and  re-establish  the  treaty  of  Gen.  Harrison  which  had  been  broken  on  the  part 
of  some  of  the  Indians,  by  the  part  they  took  in  the  War  of  1812,  Black  Hawk  and 
his  band  refused  to  attend.  It  appears  that  he  had  continued  depredations  on  the 
whites  after  peace  was  declared,  and  at  this  treaty,  a  "talk"  at  Portage  des  Sioux, 
the  commissioners  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  required  them  to  render  up 
and  restore  all  such  property  as  they  had  plundered  or  stolen  from  the  whites,  and 
in  default  thereof  to  be  cut  off  from  their  proportion  of  the  annuities,  which  they 
were  to  receive  for  their  lands  by  the  treaty  at  St.  Louis  in  1804.  This  was  one 
of  the  causes  that  led  to  the  Black  Hawk  war.  The  disaffected  portion  of  the 
tribe  under  Black  Hawk  were  for  resistance,  while  Keokuk,  the  chief  of  the 
peace  party,  had  signed  the  articles  of  treaty  with  his  principal  braves. 

There  was  a  general  dissatisfaction  among  all  the  tribes  of  the  Upper  Mis- 
sissippi at  this  time.  In  the  transportation  of  military  stores  and  traders'  goods 
in  boats  the  whites  were  often  attacked  and  they  had  to  go  armed.  Col.  Taylor 
had  an  engagement  in  person  with  several  hundred  Indians  among  the  islands 
just  below  this  city.  Being  overpowered  by  numbers  he  was  obliged  to  retire  with 
a  small  loss. 

In  the  treaty  which  ceded  the  lands  of  Rock  river  to  the  United  States  it  was 
stipulated  that  the  Indians  should  retain  possession  of  them  until  they  were 
brought  into  market  or  sold  for  actual  settlement.  This  gave  to  the  Indian  as 
much  right  as  a  fee  simple  title  until  1829,  at  which  time  the  lands  were  sold,  and 
Black  Hawk's  tower  between  Camden  and  Rock  Island  passed  into  the  hands  of 
the  whites.  On  his  return  from  hunting  in  the  spring  of  1830  he  was  informed 
for  the  first  time  that  his  home  had  passed  into  other  hands,  and  that  he  must  re- 
move with  the  rest  of  his  tribe  west  of  the  Mississippi.  This  he  refused  to  do  in 
the  strongest  terms.  He  visited  Canada  to  see  his  British  Father,  and  Gen.  (3ass 
at  Detroit,  who  advised  him  if  he  owned  the  land  to  remain  where  he  was.  that 
he  could  not  be  disturbed.     (Wilkie's  Davenport  Past  and  Present,  p.  23.) 

All  efforts  made  by  Keokuk  or  his  white  friends  to  induce  Black  Hawk  on  his 
return  to  remove  west  were  unavailing.  He  is  said  to  have  exhibited  more  at- 
tachment for  his  native  land  at  this  time  than  ever  before  or  after.  In  the 
spring  of  1831  his  people  commenced  planting  corn  at  his  village  and  the  whites 
who  had  laid  claim  to  it  ploughed  it  up.  This  aroused  all  the  native  fire  and  in- 
dignation of  Black  Hawk.  He  at  once  formed  his  plan  of  resistance.  He  threat- 
ened the  whites.  They  became  alarmed.  The  little  fort  at  Rock  island  was  too 
weak  at  such  a  remote  point  and  Gen.  Gaines  ordered  ten  companies  of  militia 
to  Fort  Armstrong.    A  conference  was  had  with  Black  Hawk,  but  he  still  refused 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  139 

THE  WILLARD   RARROWS   HISTORY. 

to  leave.  The  troops  marched  upon  his  town,  and  he  retired  across  the  river  and 
located  his  village  where  the  farm  of  the  Hon.  E.  Cook  was  formerly,  just  below 
the  city  of  Davenport.  Another  talk  was  then  had,  and  Black  Hawk  agreed  not 
to  cross  the  river  without  permission,  but  the  following  spring  he  is  found  press- 
ing his  way  up  Rock  river  with  his  whole  band  of  warriors,  men,  women  and 
children,  expecting  to  be  joined  by  other  tribes  and  his  friends  the  British  allies. 
But  in  this  he  was  disappointed,  and  being  pursued  by  General  Atkinson  with  600 
regulars,  he  fled  for  the  wilds  of  Wisconsin,  committing  depredations  and  mas- 
sacres along  his  route.    The  war  was  now  begun  in  good  earnest. 

On  the  15th  of  September,  1832,  the  Black  Hawk  war  being  ended  a  treaty 
was  held  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  by  Gen.  Scott  upon  the  ground  now  occupied 
by  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  Railroad  company  in  this  city.  At  this  treaty  a 
small  strip  of  land  only  was  ceded  to  the  United  States,  called  the  "Black  Hawk 
Purchase."  It  lay  along  the  Mississippi  river,  beginning  at  a  point  on  the  boun- 
dary line  between  Missouri  and  Iowa  which  is  now  the  southeast  corner  of  Davis 
county,  and  running  thence  to  a  point  on  Cedar  river  near  the  northeast  comer 
of  Johnson  county,  thence  in  a  northwest  direction  to  a  point  on  the  south  boun- 
dary of  the  Neutral  Grounds,  then  occupied  by  the  Winnebagoes,  and  thence 
with  said  line  to  a  point  on  the  Mississippi  river  a  short  distance  above  Prairie 
du  Chien,  it  being  only  about  sixty  miles  in  the  widest  place  and  contained  about 
6,000,000  acres.  The  Indians  peaceably  removed  from  it  on  the  ist  of  June, 
1833,  and  thus  gave  to  the  whites  free  access  to  this  beautiful  land. 

We  now  enter  into  details  upon  the  first  settlements  in  and  around  the  city 
of  Davenport.  The  beauty  of  its  location  has  been  often  descanted  upon.  It 
needs  no  pen  of  mine  to  describe  its  loveliness,  nor  the  rich  and  varied  landscape 
that  surrounds  it.  But  there  are  thoughts  that  crowd  upon  the  memory  as  we 
gaze  upon  its  unparalleled  growth  and  importance.  Let  us  review  for  a  moment, 
before  we  trace  its  history. 

Twenty-seven  years  ago  the  first  cabin  was  erected  by  the  white  man.  The 
retreating  footsteps  of  the  red  man  were  still  heard  over  these  bluflfs.  The  poles 
of  his  wigwam  still  stuck  along  the  banks  of  this  noble  river.  The  graves  of 
his  people  were  still  fresh  upon  the  brow  of  our  bluflFs,  and  the  cornhills  and 
playgrounds  of  his  children  have  been  covered  over  with  the  habitations  of 
man! 

This  mighty  river  that  once  bore  to  our  shores  the  frail  bark  of  a  Marquette 
and  Joliet  has  become  the  thoroughfare  of  nations.  Where  the  light  canoe  of  the 
savage  once  glided  in  safety,  the  Scu-ti-chemon,  (fire  canoe  or  steamboat)  of 
the  white  man  now  floats  with  majesty  and  splendor,  and  this  magnificent  river 
has  become  the  highway  of  a  mighty  nation.  The  Mackinaw  trading  boat  with  its 
French  voyageur  has  left  its  moorings  on  As-sin-ne-Man-ess,  (Rock  island,) 
and  old  Fort  Armstrong  that  had  stood  like  a  watchful  sentinel  on  the  jutting 
rocks  of  the  island  for  more  than  40  years  has  been  burned  down  by  sacrilegious 
hands. 

In  the  spring  of  1836  John  Wilson,  or  "Wild  Cat  Wilson,"  as  he  was  called, 
who  was  an  old  "claim-maker"  (he  and  his  boys  having  made  and  sold  the  one 
where  Rockingham  was  located  and  one  where  is  now  the  farm  of  Judge  Wes- 
ton,) commenced  making  a  claim  on  the  edge  of  the  prairie  on  the  Blue  Grass 


14(1  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WII.LARD    UAKROWS    HISTORY. 

road  from  Davenport,  where  the  farm  of  Mr.  Depro  now  is,  afterwards  the  Dr. 
I'.ardwell  place.  The  Indians  who  were  then  living-  on  the  Iowa  river  fre- 
quently came  in  here  to  the  trading  house  of  Col.  Davenport,  on  Rock  island. 
I1ic  trail  passed  directly  across  where  Wilson  was  making  his  claim.  He  was 
cuttini,'  trees  for  logs  and  had  some  two  or  three  yoke  of  oxen  hauling  them 
together  for  the  house,  when  a  company  of  Indians  came  along  on  their  way  to 
the  trading  house.  They  were  a  part  of  the  disaffected  band  of  Black  Hawk 
and  as  usual  felt  cross  and  bitter  toward  the  white  man  whoiTi.they  looked  upon 
as  an  intruder.  They  ordered  Wilson  to  desist  from  making  any  improvements ; 
told  him  that  he  should  not  live  there  and  that  he  must  leave.  "Old  Wild  Cat" 
who  was  used  to  Indians,  with  whom  he  often  had  difficulties  and  most  prob- 
ably with  some  of  this  very  band,  took  very  little  heed  of  what  they  said,  but 
urged  on  his  work  without  any  fear  of  trouble  from  them.  The  Indians  after 
remaining  at  Davenport  and  on  the  island  for  a  few  days  left  for  their  home 
full  of  whiskey  and  ripe  for  a  quarrel.  On  arriving  at  Wilson's  they  rode  up 
to  the  spring  near  which  the  house  was  building  (the  same  that  now  stands 
there,  used  as  a  stable).  They  got  off  and  turned  their  ponies  loose,  laid  off  their 
blankets  and  deliberately  prepared  for  a  fight.  Wilson  and  his  tw^o  sons  were  all 
there  were  of  the  whites.  Wilson  was  a  short  distance  in  the  woods,  chopping. 
The  attack  was  made  upon  James,  who  was  driving  the  team.  He  ran  for  his 
father  and  Samuel.  On  their  arrival  the  old  man  who  never  feared  Indian  or 
white  man,  bear  or  wild  cat,  pitched  in  for  a  general  fight.  The  Indians,  some 
twelve  or  fourteen  in  number,  soon  had  "Old  Wild  Cat"  down,  when  one  of  the 
boys  not  having  any  weapon,  unyoked  an  ox,  and  with  the  bow  knocked  down  two 
or  three  of  the  Indians,  which  released  the  father,  who  springing  to  his  feet,  caught 
his  axe  which  he  had  dropped  in  the  first  onset,  and  turning  upon  them,  he  struck 
an  Indian  in  the  back,  splitting  him  open  from  the  neck  nearly  to  the  small  of  the 
back.  This  dampened  the  ardor  of  the  savages  for  a  moment,  when  Wilson  call- 
ing on  his  boys  to  fight  and  raising  the  "Wild  Cat"  yell  he  made  at  them  again, 
when  they  gathered  up  the  wounded  Indian  and  fled.  He  soon  died,  and  the 
next  Sunday  the  Indians  gathered  in  great  numbers  in  the  neighborhood  of  Wil- 
son's, with  threatening  aspects. 

Wilson  with  his  boys  and  a  few  neighbors  was  forted  in  John  Friday's  cabin 
where  the  Indians  kept  them  nearly  all  day.  A  runner  was  sent  to  Mr.  LeClaire 
and  Col.  Davenport,  who  settled  the  matter  with  the  Indians  and  cautioned  them 
al)out  traveling  across  the  lands  of  "Old  Wild  Cat,"  telling  them  of  his  threats, 
that  he  would  scalp  the  first  "redskin"  he  caught  upon  that  trail.  The  Indians 
made  a  new  trail  from  Davenport,  running  farther  north  through  Little's  Grove, 
and  were  never  known  to  pass  Wilson's  after  that  affair. 

Wilson,  with  his  son  Samuel  was  hunting  and  trapping  in  the  autumn  of 
1840  on  the  "neutral  grounds"  belonging  to  the  Winnebagoes  when  a  party  of 
some  thirty  Indians  fell  upon  him  and  robbed  him  of  everything  he  had  except  a 
little  clothing.  Whether  he  was  known  by  these  Indians  or  whether  some  of 
the  Sacs  and  Foxes  were  present,  he  never  knew ;  but  they  took  his  team  with 
all  his  effects  and  followed  him  out  of  their  country.  Mr.  Wilson  died  a  few 
years  since  near  Moscow  on  the  Cedar  river  in  this  state. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNT^-  Ul 

Tin-:  vvii.LAki)  iiarrows  history. 

Georg-e  L.  Davenport,  Esq..  made  the  first  claim  in  Davenjjort  township  im- 
mediately after  the  treaty  in  1832,  which  was  before  the  time  expired  that  the 
Indians  were  to  give  possession  to  the  whites  (June  i,  1833).  ^'Ir.  Davenport 
has  been  familiar  with  the  Indians  from  boyhood,  was  adopted  into  the  Fox 
tribe  while  young  and  had  no  playmates  in  early  life  but  Indian  boys.  He 
learned  to  speak  their  language  and  was  an  expert  archer,  swimmer  and  racer, 
ever  ready  to  join  in  all  their  sports,  and  a  general  favorite  with  the  whole  tribe. 
This  explains  why  he  was  permitted  to  go  upon  the  lands  while  others  were  kept 
off  until  the  next  year;  for  many  emigrants  took  possession  in  the  autumn  of 

1832  after  the  treaty,  but  were  driven  off  and  had  to  await  the  time  specified 
in  the  treaty  for  possession,  viz.  the  ist  of  June,  1833. 

There  is  therefore  an  error  in  the  history  of  Buffalo  township  as  to  the  first 
claim  and  also  the  first  ferry.  Capt.  Clark  might  have  established  the  first  public 
ferry,  but  Col.  Davenport  had  a  flatboat  and  used  it  for  ferry  purposes  as  early 
as  1827,  running  between  the  island  and  main  shore,  carrying  pack  horses,  cattle 
and  goods  for  the  Indian  trade.  He  also  kept  a  wood  yard  on  the  island  after 
steamboats  began  to  run  here,  and  brought  wood  from  Maple  island  and  other 
places. 

The  claim  upon  which  Davenport  now  stands  was  first  made  in  the  spring  of 

1833  by  R.  H.  Spencer  and  a  Mr.  McCloud.  A  difficulty  arose  between  these 
men  in  respect  to  the  claim  or  some  portion  of  it,  when  to  end  the  dispute  An- 
toine  LeClaire  purchased  from  both  their  entire  interest  for  $100.  This  was  the 
first  transaction  in  real  estate  in  the  city  of  Davenport,  some  of  which  has  since 
been  sold  as  high  as  $200  a  foot.  This  claim  comprised  that  portion  of  the  city 
lying  west  of  Harrison  street,  being  outside  of  LeClaire's  reserve.  He  fenced 
in  and  cultivated  a  portion  of  it  near  the  bluff  embracing  the  ground  now  oc- 
cupied by  the  courthouse  and  jail.  The  early  settlers  will  very  readily  call  to 
mind  the  natural  state  of  the  ground  in  that  portion  of  the  city  lying  below  West- 
ern avenue.  Where  Washington  square  is  now  enclosed  filled  up  and  beautified 
there  was  a  quagmire  that  extended  westward  between  Second  and  Fourth 
streets  to  the  limit  of  the  city.  This  slough  that  headed  in  Washington  square 
was  caused  by  springs,  forming  soft,  spongy  ground,  impassable  for  man  or  beast ; 
and  until  1845  there  were  no  streets  opened  nor  crossings  from  Second  to  Fourth 
below  Western  avenue.  Some  of  the  residents  of  1837  and  1838  wall  recollect 
cattle  miring  in  this  slough,  and  one  or  two  instances  in  which  they  died  in  it. 
This  portion  of  our  city  is  now  largely  built  up  by  the  Germans  who  mostly  reside 
in  the  western  portion  of  our  city,  and  whose  industry,  energy  and  taste  have 
turned  this  lowland  into  beautiful  gardens  and  covered  it  with  homes  and 
workshops. 

In  the  autumn  of  1835  Antoine  LeClaire.  Maj.  Thomas  Smith.  Maj.  Wm.  Gor- 
don. Phihp  Hambaugh.  Alex.  W.  McGregor.  Levi  S.  Colton.  Capt.  James  May 
with  Col.  George  Davenport,  met  at  the  house  of  the  latter  gentleman  on  Rock 
island  to  consult  as  to  the  propriety  of  laying  out  a  town  upon  Mr.  LeClaire's 
claim  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi  river.  The  arguments  offered  in  favor 
of  such  a  project  were  :  the  unexampled  fertility  of  the  soil,  the  necessity  for  a 
town  at  some  future  day  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids,  the  unrivaled  beauty  of  the 
location,  its  healthy  position,  etc.     This  meeting  resulted  in  the  purchase  from 


143  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD    BARROWS    HISTORY. 

Mr.  LeClaire  of  all  the  land  west  of  Harrison  street  running  along  the  bluff  as 
far  west  as  Warren  street  and  thence  south  to  the  river  at  a  cost  of  $2,000.  The 
town  was  named  after  Col.  George  Davenport.  It  was  surveyed  by  Maj.  Gordon 
in  the  spring  of  1836,  who  is  said  to  have  performed  the  service  in  less  than  a 
day  with  his  mental  vision  very  much  obscured  by  a  certain  decoction  called 
by  the  Indians  scuti-appo,  the  "white  man's  fire  water."  From  some  of  the 
lines  which  I  have  had  occasion  to  trace  since  I  have  never  doubted  the  assertion. 

The  first  improvements  within  the  present  city  limits  were  made  by  Mr.  Le- 
Claire upon  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  M.  &  M.  R.  R.  depot,  in  the  spring 
of  1833.  But  nothing  in  the  way  of  fanning  or  the  more  substantial  improve- 
ments took  place  till  May,  1836,  when  Dr.  James  Hall  and  his  two  eldest  sons  took 
a  contract  from  Mr.  LeClaire  to  break  a  certain  amount  of  land  upon  his  "reserve" 
as  it  was  called.  This  tract  for  breaking  lay  east  of  Brady  street,  beginning  near 
the  present  corner  of  Brady  and  Second,  extending  up  Second  to  Rock  Island, 
and  as  far  back  as  Sixth  street.  This  was  contracted  for  at  $5  an  acre  except 
a  certain  portion  which  the  Halls  were  to  have  free  of  rent  and  $2.50  an  acre 
for  breaking,  which  they  planted  in  potatoes  and  corn,  obtaining  the  seed  from 
Fort  Armstrong,  paying  $1.25  a  bushel  for  potatoes.  The  next  year  this  same 
ground  was  rented  to  the  Halls  for  $15  an  acre,  upon  which  they  sowed  some 
wheat  and  raised  a  crop. 

The  first  public  house  or  tavern  was  built  upon  the  corner  of  Front  and  Ripley 
streets,  in  1836  by  Messrs.  LeQaire  and  Davenport,  and  opened  by  Edward 
Powers  from  Stephenson.  The  next  year  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  John  Mc- 
Gregor from  Kentucky. 

In  June,  1836  a  very  important  personage  arrived,  bringing  with  him  all  the 
ingredients  of  a  pioneer  whiskey  shop,  the  first  introduced  upon  the  soil  of 
Scott  county.  It  was  Capt.  John  Litch,  from  Newburyport,  N.  H.  He  had 
been  a  sea-faring  man,  was  far  advanced  in  life,  of  a  jovial  disposition,  full  of 
anecdotes  and  ever  ready  to  toss  ofif  a  glass  of  grog  with  anyone  who  desired  to 
join  him.  His  log  shanty  stood  on  Front  street  below  the  subsequent  site  of 
Burnell,  Gillett  &  Co.'s  mill.  Being  in  possession  of  the  captain's  account  book, 
or  log.  as  he  called  it,  it  may  interest  some  to  make  a  few  extracts ;  particularly 
as  to  the  cost  of  material  and  labor  at  that  day  for  building.  His  cabin  was  about 
16x20  feet.     It  was  afterwards  enlarged. 

June  30,  1836.     Paid  Hampton  for  logs,  &c $112.00 

Paid  for  nails  and  sundries 5.00 

For  raising  8  logs.  6  beams  and  sleepers 24.50 

Lime  and  hauling  rock   12.00 

Lumber  of  Shoals  &  Eldridge  (Capt.  Shoals  and  D.  C. 

Eldridge    14-44 

Lumber  of  Capt.   Qark   24.93 

Carpenters  and  joiners   63.50 

Nails  and  liquor 10.00 

Shingles,  gla^s,  sash  and  clear  stuff 29.47 

Underpinning  and  painting,  whitewashing,  &c 11. 00 

Locks,   butts   and   screws 3. 11 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  143 

THE  WILLARD   BARROWS  HISTORY. 

Horse  rack  and  sawing  corners  of  cabin 6.00 

Digging  cellar,  planking  and  timber 1905 


Cost  of  the  first  whiskey  shop $386.00 

Nov.  16.  R.  H.  Dr.  to  4  glasses  of  wliiskey,  25  cents,  4  lbs.  salt,  12 

cents    $     .-yj 

To  2  glasses  whiskey,  12  cents,  crackers  and  herring,  13,.        .25 

Dec.  3.  To  2  mackerel,  25  cents,  i  pt.  whiskey,  123/2  cents 373^ 

To  I  qt.  whiskey,  25  cents,  tobacco,  123/2  cents, 37^ 

J.  M.  Cr.  by  i  bbl.  flour 13.00 

By  3  days'  work,  $1  per  day, $  3.00 

Dr.  to  4  bbls.  of  lime,  $1.50  per  bbl 6.00 

June  3,  157.    Mr.  E. 

To  73  muskrats  at  22  cents,  4  minks,  25  cents, 16.06 

To  I  fisher  skin,  i  wolf,  i  badger,  and  i  coon  skin,  22 

cents    each,    88 

Cr.  by  2  bush,  com,  at  $1.25  per  bush 2.50 

But  flour  sold  as  high  as  $16  per  barrel  this  year;  pork  16  cents  a  pound  and 
corn  $2  a  bushel. 

The  eccentric  captain  dealt  in  almost  anything  and  everything  that  came  along, 
as  may  be  seen  by  his  "log  book,"  from  the  fine  furs  of  the  beaver  and  the  otter 
down  to  the  wolf  and  polecat.  In  the  provision  line  he  kept  everything  that 
could  be  had  from  pork  and  flour  down  to  pumpkins  and  turnips,  but  the  great 
attraction,  however,  the  great  leading  article  was  whiskey.  The  captain,  too, 
had  such  a  nice,  peculiar  way  of  making  the  "critter"  palatable  by  various  other 
ingredients  that  his  punches,  cobblers,  juleps  and  cocktails,  all  made  from  whiskey 
were  much  sought  after;  and  his  store  became  the  resort  of  not  only  those  who 
wished  to  purchase  the  necessaries  of  life,  but  the  professional  man,  the  politi- . 
cian,  the  claim  speculator,  the  old  discharged  soldier  and  the  Indian,  all  met  here' 
upon  one  common  level,  and  talked  over  all  matters  of  interest,  under  the  balmy 
influence  of  the  captain's  good  cheer.  His  was  the  only  store,  tavern,  saloon  or 
public  place  of  entertainment  in  the  town  or  county,  and  was  as  much,  perhaps, 
to  many  a  resort  of  necessity  as  a  place  to  quench  thirst.  Captain  Litch  died  on 
the  5th  of  March,  1841,  aged  fifty-five  years,  with  the  stigma  of  having  planted 
the  first  whiskey  shop  upon  the  soil  of  Scott  county. 

A  ferry  across  the  Mississippi  was  established  in  the  year  1836,  by  Mr.  Le- 
Claire,  who  was  appointed  postmaster  and  carried  the  mail  in  his  pocket  while 
ferrying.  It  is  said  that  his  percentage  due  on  his  first  quarter  was  75  cents. 
The  ferry  soon  passed  into  the  hands  of  Capt.  John  Wilson  who  ran  a  flatboat 
with  oars  until  1841,  when  it  was  supplied  with  a  horse  ferry,  and  in  1843  by  a 
steam  ferry  boat.  Capt.  John  Wilson,  who  for  so  many  years  owned  and  per- 
sonally had  charge  of  the  ferry,  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire.  He  pur- 
chased the  ferry  privilege  of  Mr.  LeClaire  in  the  spring  of  1837,  although  he 
had  been  engaged  in  it  the  year  previous  as  a  special  partner.  The  rights  and 
privileges  for  ferry  purposes  conveyed  to  Capt.  Wilson  by  Mr.  LeQaire  were  one 
mile  up  and  down  the  river  each  way  from  the  ferry  house,  then  standing  at  the 


144  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

TliE  WILLAKD   BARROWS    HISTORY, 

foot  of  Main  street,  for  the  sum  of  $i,ooo.  Many  will  remember  the  faithful 
services  of  the  old,  experienced  ferryman,  who  in  storm  or  tempest,  night  or 
day,  was  always  at  his  post,  in  summer  on  the  water,  in  winter  on  the  ice,  ready 
to  do  good  service,  ever  meeting  you  with  a  smile,  and  one  hand  always  ex- 
tended with  his  fingers  playing  to  receive  "that  dime."     He  died  of  cholera  in 

1853- 

The  first  white  male  child  born  in  Davenport  was  a  son  of  Levi  S.  Colton, 
in  the  autumn  of  1836,  who  died  at  the  Indian  village  on  the  Iowa  river,  in 
August.  1840.  The  first  female  child  was  a  daughter  of  D.  G.  Eldridge,  still  liv- 
ing. Alexander  W.  McGregor  opened  the  first  law  office  in  1836.  E.  M.  Gavitt, 
a  Methodist  minister,  preached  the  first  sermon  in  the  house  of  Mr.  D.  G.  El- 
dridge, corner  of  Front  and  Ripley  streets.  There  were  seven  deaths  this  year, 
the  first  being  that  of  Mrs.  Tanneyhill.  She  was  buried  upon  the  brow  of  the 
bluff  where  the  first  Baptist  church  now  stands,  on  Sixth  and  Main  streets,  where 
a  place  had  been  selected  as  the  burial  grounds  of  the  town.  Others  were  buried 
in  Mr.  LeClaire's  private  ground,  corner  of  Sixth  and  LeQaire  streets.  This 
spot  is  now  covered  with  improvements  (the  graves  all  having  been  removed,) 
and  is  occupied  by  the  family  residence  of  W.  Barrows,  Esq.  In  his  garden  was 
buried  Dr.  Emerson,  the  owner  of  the  celebrated  Dred  Scott,  who  accom- 
panied his  master  to  this  territory  while  he  was  in  the  army  at  Fort  Armstrong, 
and  it  was  upon  this  ground  that  the  suit  was  predicated  for  Dred's  freedom. 

In  September  of  this  year,  1836,  a  treaty  was  held  with  the  Sac  and  Fox  In- 
dians on  the  banks  of  the  river  above  the  city  where  the  house  of  Mrs.  Brabrook 
now  stands.  Governor  Dodge  was  commissioner  on  the  part  of  the  United  States 
to  secure  a  tract  of  land  upon  the  Iowa  river  called  "Keokuk's  Reserve."  There 
were  present  at  the  treaty  about  1,000  chiefs,  braves  and  warriors,  and  it  was 
the  last  assemblage  of  the  kind  ever  held  here  to  treat  for  the  sales  of  their  lands. 
Mr.  D.  C.  Eldridge  was  present  and  relates  the  scenes  at  this  treaty.  Keokuk  was 
head  chief  and  principal  speaker  on  this  occasion.  Black  Hawk  was  present,  but 
was  not  allowed  to  participate  in  the  treaty,  standing  alone  outside  of  the  groups 
with  his  son.  Nau-she-as-kuk  and  a  few  other  friends  were  silent  spectators. 
This  is  the  last  time  the  old  chief  ever  visited  this  vicinity  which  to  him  had  been 
one  of  the  dearest  spots  on  earth,  and  around  which  his  affections  had  clustered 
from  boyhood.  He  was  dressed  on  this  occasion  in  the  white  man's  style,  having 
on  an  old  black  frock  coat,  and  a  drab  hat  with  a  cane,  the  very  picture  of  disap- 
pointed ambition.  Like  the  withered  oak  of  his  native  forest,  torn  and  shattered  by 
the  lightning's  blast,  the  winter  of  age  upon  his  brow,  and  his  feeble  tottering  steps 
pressing  the  soil  he  so  much  loved,  he  stood,  a  representative,  a  noble  relic  of  his 
once  powerful  tribe,  in  meditative,  dismal  silence.  What  thrilling  recollections, 
what  heart  stirring  scenes,  must  have  passed  through  the  mind  of  the  aged  pa- 
triarch of  three  score  years,  and  what  deep  emotion  must  have  filled  his  soul  as 
he  reflected  upon  the  past,  and  desired  to  unburden  his  crowded  memory  of  the 
wrongs  of  his  people  toward  him.  But  he  was  not  allow^ed  to  speak.  He  had 
made  a  misstep  in  the  great  drama  of  life.  He  was  a  fallen  chieftain.  His  proud 
nature  would  not  allow  him  to  yield  and  take  a  lowly  seat  in  the  councils  of 
his  people,  and  so  he  stood,  the  silent  observer  of  the  final  contract  that  tore  him 
from  the  last  foothold  on  the  hunting  grounds  of  his  fathers.     The  saddened 


EARLY  H0:ME  OF  .1.  ^I.  D.  P.nU'vOWS 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  147 

THE  WJLLAkD    KAkROWS   HISTORV. 

memory  of  years  strugg-led  for  utterance,  but  the  great  chieftain  smothered  it 
with  stoical  indifference.    He  died  on  the  Des  Moines  river,  October  3,  1839. 

The  varied  accounts  of  the  death  and  burial  of  P.lack  Hawk  are  such  as  to 
induce  the  author  to  say  that  he  was  not  "buried  in  a  sitting  posture  in  the  banks 
of  the  Des  Moines  river,  where  he  could  see  the  canoes  of  his  tribe  as  they  passed 
to  the  good  hunting  ground,"  as  was  stated  in  some  accounts  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  Neither  was  he  buried  as  Schoolcraft  says:  (vol.  vi,  p.  554,  1857,)  "with 
all  the  rights  of  sepulture  which  are  only  bestowed  upon  their  most  distinguished 
men,"  and  that  "they  buried  him  in  his  war  dress  in  a  sitting  posture  on  an 
eminence,  and  covered  him  with  a  mound  of  earth."  He  sickened  and  died  near 
lowaville,  the  site  of  his  old  town,  on  the  Des  Moines  river,  in  Wapello  county 
of  this  state ;  and  was  buried  close  by,  like  Wapello,  another  chief  of  his  tribe, 
after  the  fashion  of  the  whites.  His  grave  was  some  forty  rods  from  the  river, 
at  the  upper  end  of  the  little  prairie  bottom  where  he  lived.  While  performing 
the  public  surveys  of  this  district  in  1843,  one  of  my  section  lines  ran  directly 
across  the  remains  of  the  wigwam  in  which  this  great  warrior  closed  his  earthly 
career,  which  I  marked  upon  my  map,  and  from  his  grave  took  bearings  to 
suitable  landmarks,  recorded  them  in  my  regular  field-notes  and  transmitted 
them  to  the  surveyor  general.  Black  Hawk's  war  club  was  then  standing  at  the 
head  of  his  grave,  having  been  often  renewed  with  paint  and  wampum,  after  the 

fashion  of  his  tribe.     At  a  later  period,  it  is  said  that  a  certain  Dr.  ,  of 

Warsaw,  Illinois,  disinterred  the  body,  and  took  the  bones  to  Warsaw.  Gov.  Lu- 
cas, learning  this,  required  their  return  to  him,  when  they  were  placed  in  the  hall 
of  the  Historical  society  at  Burlington,  and  finally  consumed  by  fire  with  the  rest 
of  the  society's  valuable  collections. 

At  the  close  of  this  year,  1836,  there  were  some  six  or  seven  houses  in  the 
original  limits  of  the  town,  and  the  population  did  not  exceed  100,  all  told ;  while 
Stephenson  had  some  500  inhabitants.  There  was  but  one  main  street  or  public 
road  leading  through  the  town.  This  was  up  and  down  the  river  bank,  or  Front 
street.  An  Indian  trail  which  afterward  became  a  public  road,  led  out  of  the 
city  nearly  where  Main  street  now  is,  passing  by  the  comers  of  Sixth  and  Main, 
following  the  top  of  the  ridge  near  the  present  residence  of  Mr.  Newcomb  and 
running  across  the  college  grounds  intersecting  Main  street  on  the  west  side  of 
the  square.  Another  Indian  trail  leading  from  the  town  was  from  the  residence 
of  Mr.  LeClaire  where  the  depot  now  stands  passing  up  the  bluff  where  LeClaire 
street  now  crosses  Sixth  and  entered  Brady  opposite  the  college  grounds.  Al- 
though a  treaty  had  been  made  with  the  Indians  and  they  had  sold  their  lands,  yet 
they  still  lingered  around  the  place  so  dear  to  them.  The  trading  house  of  Col. 
Davenport  was  still  kept  open  on  the  Island  and  furnished  supplies  for  them. 

No  portion  of  the  great  west  has  the  Indian  been  so  loth  to  leave  as  the  hunt- 
ing and  fishing  grounds  of  Rock  island  and  vicinity.  It  is  said  to  have  been  one 
of  the  severest  trials  of  Black  Hawk's  life  to  bid  adieu  to  the  home  of  his  youth 
and  the  graves  of  his  ancestors.  When  carried  past  Rock  island  a  prisoner  after 
his  defeat  and  capture  at  the  battle  of  Bad  Axe  he  is  said  to  have  wept  like 
a  child.  The  powder  horn  worn  by  him  at  his  last  battle  has  recently  been  ob- 
tained from  an  old  pioneer  soldier  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  and  presented  to  the 
State  Historical  society  by  R.  M.  Prettyman,  Esq.,  of  Davenport.     For  many 


148  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD    BARROWS    HISTORY. 

years  after  the  removal  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  to  their  new  home  beyond  the 
Mississippi,  parties  of  them  would  pay  an  annual  visit  and  even  now  one  sees 
the  ag-ed  warrior  walking-  over  our  city,  pointing-  out  to  his  children  places  of 
interest  now  covered  by  the  wigwams  of  the  white  man.  Even  the  fish  taken 
in  the  As-sin-ne-Se-po  (Rock  river)  were  considered  by  the  Indian  better  than 
any  caught  in  the  Mississippi  or  elsewhere.  When  the  order  came  for  their 
removal  it  was  with  bowed  heads  and  lingering-  steps  they  took  up  their  line  of 
march  toward  the  setting  sun,  the  children  of  destiny,  a  persecuted  race,  seeking 
an  asylum  from  the  oppression  of  the  white  man. 

In  May.  1837,  a  council  of  chiefs  was  held  at  the  trading  house  of  Col.  Daven- 
port, on  Rock  island,  to  consider  the  invitation  sent  to  them  by  President  Van 
Buren  for  a  deputation  to  visit  him  at  Washington.  At  this  "talk,"  Keokuk,  as 
chief  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  was  present,  and  a  large  number  of  underchiefs 
or  braves.  Among  them  were  Wapello,  Poweshiek,  Pash-apa-ho,  Nau-she-us- 
kuk,  son  of  Black  Hawk,  and  many  others.  At  the  same  time  a  band  of  Pot- 
tawattamie Indians,  then  on  their  way  to  their  lands  on  the  Missouri  river  were 
encamped  on  Black  Hawk  creek,  some  three  miles  below  this  city.  They  had 
stopped  to  rest  and  visit  their  friends,  the  Sacs  and  Foxes.  The  head  men  of 
this  band  were  invited  to  sit  in  council.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  being  present  with 
many  other  strangers  by  invitation  of  Col.  Davenport.  This  band  of  Pottawat- 
tamies  had  been  encamped  for  some  time  and  had  annoyed  the  few  settlers  along 
the  river  and  bluffs  by  stealing  their  hogs,  an  article,  by  the  way,  that  an  Indian 
is  very  fond  of.  The  inhabitants  had  sent  to  the  old  fort  at  Montrose,  where 
a  few  soldiers  were  still  quartered  for  assistance  to  remove  these  Indians.  As 
the  council  was  about  assembling  on  the  island  there  appeared  upon  this  side  of 
the  river  a  company  of  dragoons.  The  lieutenant  in  command  was  soon  sent 
across  the  river,  and  by  invitation  took  a  seat  in  council.  His  errand  was  soon 
made  known,  when  one  of  the  Pottawattamie  chiefs  arose  and  with  much  warmth 
denied  the  charge  of  stealing.  He  was  told  by  the  offtcer  that  he  must  prepare 
to  march  next  day.  But  he  told  the  lieutenant  in  insolent  language  that  he  would 
not  go,  that  he  had  no  provisions,  that  the  agent  had  cheated  him  out  of  the  annu- 
ities, and  that  the  whole  federal  combination  was  a  heap  of  impositions.  He  was 
soon  silenced  by  the  agent,  and  in  a  more  subdued  manner,  after  being  instructed 
to  go  by  the  fort  and  get  provisions,  he  told  the  lieutenant  that  a  part  of  his  band 
was  encamped  on  the  Wabesipinecon  river,  and  that  if  he  would  go  up  after  them, 
he  would  be  ready  to  accompany  them  on  his  return.  The  young  officer,  not 
being  up  to  Indian  tricks,  left  immediately  for  the  "Wapsie,"  in  pursuit  of  In- 
dians. Upon  his  return  a  few  days  after  he  very  frankly  acknowledged  that  he 
was  "sold"  and  on  looking  for  his  friend  the  chief,  he  only  found  the  smouldering 
ashes  of  his  campfire,  and  has  never  probably  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  him 
since. 

After  this  little  business  of  the  lieutenant  was  concluded,  the  council  was 
opened  in  due  form  by  smoking  the  calumet.  Keokuk,  as  usual,  was  the  principal 
speaker.  He  first  called  an  aged  warrior  or  chief  who  made  a  few  remarks  on 
being  again  permitted  to  meet  their  white  friends.  He  was  followed  by  Keokuk, 
who  slowly  rose  to  his  feet,  letting  drop  his  blanket  from  his  shoulders,  displaying 
his  calico  shirt  with  the  necklace  of  grizzly  bears'  claws  hung  around  his  neck, 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  149 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

and  a  proper  quantity  of  wampum.  His  manner  was  dignified.  All  eyes  were 
turned  upon  him,  and  a  smile  of  satisfaction,  if  such  a  thing  could  be  seen  on 
the  face  of  an  Indian,  could  be  traced,  as  this  great  orator  began  his  speech.  He 
alluded  in  brief  terms  to  the  friendly  relations  existing  between  the  president  and 
himself,  was  happy  to  hear  from,  and  much  pleased  with,  the  invitation  from  him 
for  a  visit.  He  then  entered  upon  the  importance  of  more  material  aid  from  his 
great  father.  This  was  done,  probably  to  please  his  people  and  maintain  his  popu- 
larity. As  he  warmed  up  with  the  subject  he  became  animated  and  even  eloquent. 
His  speech  was  clear  and  distinct.  He  spoke  fast,  so  much  so,  that  Mr.  Le  Claire, 
the  interpreter,  had  frequently  to  stop  him.  His  lofty  bearing,  his  earnest,  intel- 
ligent look  and  his  well-timed  gestures,  all  told  that  he  was  one  of  nature's  ora- 
tors. His  own  people  had  ever  looked  upon  him  as  a  man  destined  to  rule.  So 
powerful  in  argument  was  he  that  he  has  been  known  by  his  eloquence  in  debate 
to  completely  turn  the  multitude  from  their  first  purpose.  He  rose  from  ob- 
scurity to  the  chieftainship  of  his  tribe  by  the  force  of  his  talents,  and  was  often 
charged  by  his  red  brethren  with  having  white  blood  in  his  veins.  There  is  a 
mystery  hanging  over  the  death  of  this  celebrated  chief. 

The  Sacs  and  Foxes  on  their  removal  from  here  first  settled  on  the  Iowa 
river ;  and  after  the  second  purchase  they  removed  to  the  Des  Moines  river, 
where  they  remained  until  the  last  sale  of  their  lands  in  Iowa  when  the  govern- 
ment provided  them  with  a  home  in  Kansas.  They  are  now  located  on  the  wa- 
ters of  the  Neosha  and  Osage  rivers,  southwest  of  Fort  Leavenworth,  near  the 
Shawnee  and  Kansas  Indians,  and  have  a  tract  of  country  embracing  some 
435,000  acres.  There  are  about  1,600  in  both  tribes,  and  draw  from  the  United 
States  an  annuity  of  $50,000  for  their  support.  They  have  a  large  amount  of 
farming  lands  opened  for  cultivation  and  an  experienced  farmer  to  teach  them 
agriculture,  but  from  the  annual  reports  of  the  Indian  bureau  we  learn  that  their 
progress  is  slow,  and  their  unwillingness  to  send  their  children  to  school  ex- 
hibits a  decided  dislike  for  civilization  and  improvement.  Their  proud,  inde- 
pendent, restless  spirit  has  led  them  several  times  since  their  location  beyond  the 
Missouri  to  get  up  war  parties  for  a  descent  upon  the  Sioux  or  other  tribes, 
but  their  agent  has  been  as  prompt  to  put  them  down.  They  have  never  struck 
a  blow  since  their  residence  there.  Vast  sums  of  money  have  been  expended  on 
these  Indians  to  civilize  and  Christianize  them,  to  little  purpose.  Some  difficulties 
have  arisen  among  themselves,  since  the  death  of  Keokuk,  but  of  what  nature 
we  are  not  able  to  relate. 

Keokuk  remained  with  them  to  the  time  of  his  death.  Suspicion  rested  on  him 
in  the  minds  of  some  of  his  tribe  of  unfairness  in  the  distribution  of  the  annu- 
ities. He  is  said  to  have  had  a  quarrel  with  Wai-sau-me-sau,  a  son  of  Black 
Hawk,  on  the  subject  of  government  annuities.  Keokuk  was  charged  with  par- 
tiality toward  his  own  friends  and  the  whites.  An  effort  was  made  to  elect  a 
new  disbursing  chief,  when  the  whites  interfered,  and  no  change  was  effected. 

At  the  annual  payment  of  the  annuities  on  October,  1841.  the  long  smothered 
vengeance  in  the  hearts  of  Black  Hawk's  sons  broke  out  against  Keokuk  for  his 
treatment  of  their  father  after  his  downfall,  and  one  account  at  the  time  stated 
that  he  was  stabbed  by  Wai-sau-me-sau.     Another  is  that  he  was  poisoned,  but 


150  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  \\;iLL.\KD   BARROWS   HISTORY. 

certain  it  is  that  he  died  very  suddenly.  Nau-she-as-kuk,  the  other  son  of  Black 
Hawk,  died  at  their  reservation  in  Kansas,  in  1856,  of  delirium  tremens. 

There  are  other  incidents  that  occurred  during  the  year  1836  and  prior  that 
might  be  worthy  of  note.  One  that  I  recollect  was  a  fight  which  took  place  among 
a  band  of  Sacs  and  Foxes  who  were  encamped  on  the  bank  of  the  river  just 
below  Cannon's  mills.  They  had  been  supplied,  as  usual,  with  liquor  by  that  un- 
principled wretch,  the  frontier  whiskey  dealer,  until  all  were  drunk,  when  a  gen- 
eral quarrel  ensued ;  knives  and  tomahawks  were  at  once  resorted  to  and  many 
were  cut  severely  while  two  were  killed  outright.  In  ordinary  circumstances 
the  murderer  must  answer  with  his  life,  and  if  he  flees,  the  friends  and  relatives 
of  the  deceased  must  pursue  and  bring  the  offender  to  justice.  The  chief  of 
the  tribe  requires  his  surrender  at  the  hands  of  his  relatives  or  his  tribe,  but  in  a 
drunken  frolic  when  one  is  killed  no  one  is  charged  with  the  murder.  The  In- 
dian is  not  to  blame.  It  is  set  down  to  the  whiskey.  It  is  the  "che-moco  man's 
scuti-appo."  or  white  man's  firewater,  that  has  done  the  deed,  and  no  sacrifice  of 
blood  is  required  to  avenge  the  wrong. 

In  1841  while  making  some  explorations  in  the  Sioux  and  Winnebago  Indian 
country,  upon  the  head  waters  of  the  Waubsipinicon,  Cedar  and  Iowa  rivers, 
now  Minnesota,  I  stayed  a  few  days  at  the  village  of  "Chos-chunka,"  or  Big 
Wave,  a  chief  of  the  Winnebagoes.  One  beautiful  moonlight  night  the  Indian 
children  had  been  playing  with  unusual  life  and  gayety,  the  young  men  and 
maidens  had  roamed  at  large  around  the  village,  and  the  sports  and  moonlight 
games  had  made  the  wild  woods  echo  with  the  rude  and  sometimes  boisterous 
mirth  of  these  sons  of  the  forest.  Our  host  had  pointed  to  our  lodgings  in  one 
end  of  his  wigwam  and  all  had  retired  when  there  came  over  the  stillness  of  the 
night  one  of  those  Indian  yells  so  familiar  to  many  of  our  frontier  villages.  I 
knew  it  well,  and  as  two  drunken  Indians  approached  the  village,  a  stir  among 
its  inmates  was  heard,  as  one  and  another  crept  from  his  lodge  to  hear  the  news 
from  the  trading  house  or  some  border  whiskey  shop.  Chos  chunka  turned  on  his 
bed  and  with  his  long  pipe  stem  stirring  the  embers  he  soon  kindled  a  blaze,  lit 
his  pipe  and  fell  back  upon  his  pallet.  There  was  now  a  glimmering  light  from 
the  rekindled  embers,  so  that  from  beneath  my  blanket  I  could  see  all  that  passed 
within  the  wigwam.  The  noise  increased.  Footsteps  were  heard  passing  by  our 
lodge;  it  was  evident  the  Indians  were  gathering  for  a  "big  drunk."  Soon  the 
bear  skin  door  of  the  lodge  was  pushed  aside  and  one  of  the  wives  of  the  chief 
who  had  been  absent  a  few  moments  entered  and  whispered  something  in  his 
ear.  She  went  away  and  the  chief  resumed  his  pipe  and  lounged  upon  his  bear- 
skin bed.  The  wife  soon  returned.  l>earing  with  her  a  bottle  containing  the  ac- 
cursed poison  which  she  presented  to  Chos-chunka.  He  refused  and  bidding 
her  go  away  he  remained  upon  his  bed.  But  he  seemed  uneasy  and  at  last  arose 
and  sat  by  the  fire.  Again  his  squaw  brought  the  fatal  bottle,  of  which  she  had 
evidently  tasted,  and  again  he  refused  it,  when  she  threw  her  arms  around  his 
neck  and  placed  the  bottle  to  his  lips.  His  resolutions  were  all  overcome,  and 
he  drank,  then  bade  her  begone.  But  the  fatal  draught  had  been  taken  and  its 
fire  was  fast  passing  through  his  veins.  The  noise  in  the  adjoining  lodge  where 
the  festive  board  was  spread  had  now  become  loud  and  boisterous.  All  at  once 
the  chief  threw  aside  his  pipe  and  rushed  out  of  his  lodge. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  151 

TIIK    WIl.LARD    HARROWS    HISTORY. 

I  spoke  to  my  companions,  A.  W.  Campbell  and  the  interpreter,  when  wc 
at  once  arose  and  made  our  way  out  to  see  the  condition  of  things  among  the 
Indians.  I  had  messages  and  a  pass  or  permit  to  visit  the  country  from  Gov. 
Chambers,  endorsed  by  the  Indian  agent,  Rev.  David  Lowrey,  at  Ft.  Atkinson  on 
Turkey  river,  and  well  knew  that  under  ordinary  circumstances  I  was  safe  while 
a  guest  of  the  chief  and  under  the  protection  of  his  lodge.  I  well  knew,  too, 
that  it  was  the  courtesy  due  to  us  that  so  long  prevented  him  joining  the  festive 
party,  for  while  he  was  struggling  so  hard  between  whiskey  and  politeness  he 
turned  many  sorrowful  and  imploring  glances  toward  our  silent  couch.  We 
spent  but  a  short  time  looking  into  the  lodge  where  the  drunken  scene  was  fast 
preparing  for  a  bloody  ending.  As  we  stood  there  viewing  the  circle  of  Indians 
within,  a  dog  ran  across  the  ring,  when  a  drunken  Indian  struck  him  in  the  ribs. 
In  a  moment  the  owner  grappled  with  the  offender,  and  soon  the  melee  became 
general.  On  all  such  occasions  every  weapon  of  a  deadly  sort  is  hid  by  the 
squaws  before  the  commencement  of  the  frolic.  But  in  the  tussle  about  the  dog 
they  kicked  from  under  the  matting  a  hatchet.  The  infuriated  savage  caught 
it  with  all  the  avidity  of  an  avenger  of  blood,  and  with  one  stroke  cut  the  scalp 
from  the  other's  head  from  the  forehead  to  the  eye.  One  single  yell  was  heard, 
and  with  a  rush  one  side  of  the  wigwam  was  carried  away,  and  the  howling  of 
the  dogs  and  the  crying  of  the  squaws  soon  brought  the  whole  village  together. 
As  the  motley  group  poured  out  of  the  dilapidated  wigwam  we  soon  found  our 
way  back  to  the  lodge  of  the  chieftain  and  snugly  ensconced  ourselves  in  bed,  cov- 
ered up  head  and  ears,  peep-holes  excepted.  In  a  few  moments  Chos-chunka 
came  in  with  nine  of  his  braves  and  friends.  The  usual  circle  was  soon  formed 
and  the  bottle  began  to  pass,  but  in  the  midst  oi  their  revelry  the  chief  would  often 
caution  them  about  too  much  noise,  as  he  had  distinguished  friends  visiting  him 
and  they  must  not  be  disturbed.  That  they  were  "big  captains"  and  making  a 
picture  of  their  country  to  show  his  great  father,  the  president.  (I  was  surveying 
for  my  map  of  Iowa,  published  in  1845.)  In  their  drunken  carousal  I  could  see 
that  same  low,  vulgar,  nonsensical  merriment  which  is  often  exhibited  in  the  white 
man  on  similar  occasions.  They  told  their  love  stories  and  sang  their  bacchanalian 
songs,  until  one  after  another  fell  over  and  were  left  to  sleep  away  the  fumes 
of  that  drink  which  has  carried  thousands  of  these  ignorant  savages  to  the  grave. 

An  Indian,  when  he  once  tastes  liquor,  never  leaves  it  until  he  is  drunk  or  it 
gives  out.  He  comprehends  no  other  use  of  it  but  to  stupefy.  It  is  no  welcome 
beverage  to  him,  for  they  do  not  love  the  taste  of  it,  but  its  effects.  The  palate 
of  the  Indian  is  as  little  vitiated  as  that  of  a  child.  They  use  no  salt  nor  seasoned 
food,  and  their  taste  is  keen  and  remarkably  sensitive.  I  have  seen  the  Indian 
in  apparent  agony  by  drinking  whiskey,  which  is  generally  well  spiced  with  red 
pepper  and  gums  to  keep  up  its  strength,  and  I  have  seen  the  young  man  and 
maiden  held  by  main  strength  while  the  whiskey  had  been  administered  to  teach 
them  to  drink. 

The  next  morning  after  the  affray  above  narrated  I  visited  the  lodge  of  the 
wounded  Indian.  He  refused  in  sullen  silence  to  converse  upon  the  subject,  and 
would  only  say,  "too  much  scuti-appo."  No  hard  feelings  were  entertained 
towards  the  offender:  all  was  charged  to  the  whiskey  account. 


152  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

Among  the  settlers  at  the  close  of  the  year  1836  were  Antoine  LeClaire,  Philip 
Hambaugh,  Lewis  Hebert,  George  L.  Davenport,  L.  S.  Colton,  G.  C.  R.  Mit- 
chell, Maj.  Wm.  Gordon,  D.  C.  Eldridge,  Dr.  Emerson,  James  and  Robert  Mc- 
intosh, James  M.  Bowling,  Ira  Cook,  Sr.,  and  his  sons,  Wm.  L.,  Ebenezer,  John 
P.  and  Ira  Cook,  Jr.,  Adam  and  John  Noel,  John  Armil  and  sons,  James  and 
Walter  Kelly,  Dr.  James  Hall  and  sons,  Alexander  W.  McGregor,  his  father 
and  brother,  John  and  David  LeClaire,  Wm.   R.   Shoemaker,  Edward  Powers, 

James  R.  Stubbs,  Tannerhill,  William  Watts,  Frazer  Wilson  and 

others. 

There  were  only  seven  houses  or  cabins  erected  at  the  close  of  the  year,  most 
of  them  very  rude  structures,  built  of  poor  material  and  but  cheerless  abodes 
to  meet  the  coming  winter.  One  of  these,  the  first  public  house  built  in  the 
town,  was  situated  at  the  comer  of  Front  and  Ripley  streets  erected  by  Col. 
Davenport  and  Mr.  LeClaire,  and  kept  at  first  by  Edward  Powers,  now  of  Rock 
Island,  called  the  "Davenport  Hotel,"  but  afterwards  enlarged  and  known  as  the 
"U.  S.  Hotel."    The  building  is  still  standing. 

The  log  house  of  Capt.  Litch,  the  first  whiskey  shop,  has  been  torn  away  to 
give  place  to  more  substantial  buildings.  The  building  erected  by  Mr.  Shoals, 
afterwards  known  as  the  "Dillon  house,"  stood  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  on  the 
next  block  below  Burnell,  Gillett  &  Co.'s  mill.  This  has  been  destroyed  by  fire. 
The  rest  of  the  landmarks  of  1836  are  still  standing,  decaying  witnesses  of  the 
early  trials  of  the  pioneers  of  Scott  county. 

The  population  did  not  exceed  100.  But  little  ground  had  been  broken  and 
very  little  grain  of  any  kind  raised.  Supplies  had  to  be  obtained  from  Cincin- 
nati and  St.  Louis.  The  fort  on  Rock  island  had  been  abandoned,  and  the  sol- 
diers removed.  The  morning  reveille  and  the  evening  tattoo  had  ceased  to 
beat,  and  old  Fort  Armstrong  that  had  afforded  shelter,  and  protection  to  many  of 
the  immigrants  was  deserted ;  and  as  the  chilling  blast  of  December  fell  upon  the 
unprotected  settlers  many  an  anxious  heart  was  saddened  by  the  prospect  of  the 
coming  winter,  and  many  a  tear  wiped  in  silence  as  their  thoughts  went  back 
to  those  halcyon  days  of  unalloyed  happiness  in  the  land  of  their  nativity. 

The  survey  of  the  public  lands  in  Iowa  began  in  the  autumn  of  1836.  Scott 
county  survey  was  made  by  A.  Bent  and  son  from  Michigan,  United  States  depu- 
ties from  the  surveyor  general's  office  at  Cincinnati.  The  surveys  of  this  county 
were  completed  in  March,  1837.     It  contains  280,516  acres. 

All  lands  from  the  departures  of  the  Indians  until  they  were  offered  for  sale 
by  the  government  were  under  the  rule  of  "squatter  sovereignty."  Any  man  had 
a  right  to  select  for  himself  any  portion  of  the  public  domain  not  otherwise  ap- 
propriated for  his  home,  and  by  blazing  the  lines  bounding  his  "claim,"  in  timber 
or  staking  it  out  on  the  prairie  he  was  legally  possessed  of  title.  Societies  were 
formed,  or  "claim  clubs"  who  organized  themselves  to  protect  one  another  in 
their  rights.  The  secretary  kept  a  book  in  which  all  claims  had  to  be  recorded.  A 
territorial  law  existed  making  contracts  for  claims  valid,  and  notes  given  for 
such  were  collectible  by  law.  Great  speculations  were  carried  on  by  pioneer 
"claim  makers."  a  class  of  men  who  no  sooner  than  they  had  sold  one  claim  to 
some  newcomer  would  proceed  to  make  another  and  commence  improvements. 
These  claims  were  respected  and  held  in  peace  (when  properly  taken)  until  the 


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HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  155 

THE   WILLARD   BARROWS   HISTORY. 

sale  of  the  lands  by  government,  when  the  owners  were  permitted  to  purchase 
them  at  the  minimum  price  of  $1.25  per  acre. 

During  the  fishing-  season  of  this  spring  among  other  neighboring  tribes  that 
often  visited  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  to  fish  in  the  waters  of  the  As-sin-ne-Sepo, 
(Rock  river,)  a  small  band  of  Winnebagoes  were  encamped  on  Rock  island.  As 
usual  the  younger  and  more  profligate  of  the  tribe  were  hanging  around  the 
groceries  in  Stephenson  and  Davenport,  bartering  such  articles  as  they  possessed 
for  whiskey.  On  one  occasion  two  young  Indians,  being  crazed  by  too  large 
potations  from  the  whiskey  bottle,  quarreled,  and  one  struck  the  other,  an  in- 
dignity seldom  submitted  to  by  an  Indian,  drunk  or  sober.  The  next  day  they 
met  upon  the  little  willow  island  just  below  the  town  of  Davenport,  whether  by 
accident  or  by  common  consent  is  not  known,  but  the  quarrel  was  renewed  and 
carried  to  such  an  extent  that  one  of  them  was  killed.  No  whites  were  present, 
and  various  reports  were  made  by  the  Indians  as  to  the  manner  of  his  death.  One 
account  of  the  affair  was  that  the  difficulty  was  settled  by  a  duel,  after  the  fashion 
of  the  white  man,  one  of  the  parties  using  a  shotgun,  the  other  a  rifle.  If  it 
was  a  duel,  it  is  the  first  on  record  of  having  taken  place  among  the  Indians  of 
the  northwest.  The  shotgun  hero  was  buried  in  one  of  the  mounds  then  ex- 
isting on  the  banks  of  the  river  below  the  city  on  the  farm  of  Ira  Cook,  Esq.,  the 
site  of  Black  Hawk's  last  village.  There  was  another  Indian  buried  in  the  same 
mound  who  died  at  the  same  time,  having  been  bitten  by  a  rattlesnake  while  lying 
drunk  one  night.  They  were  placed  four  feet  apart  facing  each  other  buried  in 
dirt  as  high  up  as  the  waist,  holding  in  one  hand  the  paint,  and  in  the  other  the 
tomahawk.  The  graves  were  surrounded  with  poles  or  pickets  some  ten  feet 
high,  and  set  so  close  that  no  animal  of  any  size  could  get  to  the  bodies. 

The  survivor  fled  to  his  home  in  Shab-bo-nah's  grove  on  Rock  river  leaving  his 
friends  here  in  deep  distress  at  his  misfortune  and  the  dire  consequences  that 
must  unavoidably  follow,  according  to  Indian  custom.  The  fugitive  well  knew 
his  doom.  There  was  blood  upon  his  skirts.  The  relatives  of  the  deceased  de- 
manded his  return.  They  clamored  for  his  blood.  His  own  sister  and  some  of 
his  relatives  went  for  him,  and  found  him  in  his  wigwam  with  blackened 
face,  brooding  in  silence  over  his  act  of  blood,  feeling  that  the  Great  Spirit  was 
angry  with  him  and  that  no  sacrifice  was  too  great  to  appease  his  wrath.  The 
sister  plead  with  him  to  return  to  Rock  island  and  meet  his  fate,  and  thus  appease 
the  wrathful  spirit  of  the  departed  one.  One  bright  morning  in  May,  a  few  days 
after  the  murder,  the  quiet  camp  of  the  Indians  on  As-sin-ne-Maness  (Rock 
island)  was  awakened  by  the  doleful  chant  of  the  death  song.  A  few  canoes 
came  ghding  around  the  point  of  the  island  ;  among  them  was  that  of  the  murderer 
singing  his  last  song  this  side  the  good  hunting  ground.  His  canoe  was  paddled 
by  his  own  sister,  whom  he  tenderly  loved.  The  long  protracted  howl  of  the 
Indian  crier  soon  put  in  motion  the  whole  camp  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  From 
every  cave  and  eddy  along  the  banks  of  the  river  there  shot  forth  canoes  filled 
with  excited  natives  eager  to  participate  in  the  bloody  scene  about  to  be  enacted. 
A  circle  was  soon  formed  a  little  above  the  burying  ground  of  the  old  fort  at  the 
foot  of  the  island.  A  shallow  grave  was  dug  and  the  willing  but  trembling  cul- 
prit was  led  to  it  by  his  mourning  sister,  and  kneeling  on  one  side  of  it  the  nearest 
male  relative  of  the  deceased  approached  and  with  one  blow  of  the  tomahawk 


156  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS    HISTORY. 


his  death  song  was  hushed,  and  then  his  body  was  cut  in  pieces  by  the  surround- 
ing Indians. 

The  first  marriage  ceremony  in  town  took  place  in  the  spring  of  this  year. 
The  parties  were  Wm.  B.  Watts  and  a  niece  of  Antoine  LeClaire,  Esq.  Mrs. 
W^atts  died  a"  few  years  afterward  and  was  buried  in  Mr.  LeClaire's  private  burial 
ground.  This  spring  also  the  first  brickyard  was  opened  by  Mr.  Harvey  Leon- 
ard, from  Indiana,  on  Sixth,  between  Main  and  Harrison  streets.  Mr.  Leonard 
not  only  manufactured  the  brick  but  was  a  master  builder,  and  carried  on  the 
business  for  many  years.  In  1851  he  was  elected  sheriff,  an  office  which  he  held 
many  years. 

Among  the  improvements  introduced  at  this  early  day  in  the  mechanical 
.'ine  was  one  of  "Getty's  Patent  Metallic  Mills,"  owned  by  D.  C.  Eldridge.  This 
little  machine,  not  much  larger  than  a  cofife  mill,  did  w^onders  in  the  way  of 
cracking  wheat  and  corn.  Some  called  it  a  "flouring  mill,"  although  the  flour 
made  in  it  might  not  bear  inspection  at  the  present  day,  yet  tlie  hot  rolls  made 
from  it  when  placed  upon  the  table,  superseded  all  other  bread  then  in  use,  which 
consisted  principally  of  "corn  dodgers."  Its  propelling  power  was  a  horse, 
which  had  done  good  service  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  (or  that  of  1812).  We 
imagine  we  can  now  see  the  thing  in  operation,  down  on  Brimstone  corner  (Front 
and  Ripley  streets)  with  Joe  Topin,  the  old  discharged  soldier,  as  head  en- 
gineer, rolling  out  the  breadstuff  by  the  quart.  But  this  was  the  "day  of  small 
things." 

Some  trouble  occurred  this  year  among  claim  holders.  The  new  comers 
in  some  instances  were  unwilling  to  go  over  Duck  creek  to  take  claims,  and  con- 
sidered the  squatter  sovereignty  too  liberal  in  giving  to  each  man  320  acres 
while  none  of  it  was  improved.  Individuals  not  in  actual  possession  w^ere  liable 
to  have  their  claims  jumped.  Several  cases  of  this  kind  occurred  when  the  so- 
ciety which  had  been  organized  in  March  of  this  year  interfered  Having  tried 
one  man  by  the  name  of  Stephens,  who  had  jumped  a  claim  of  Maj.  Wilson's 
(now  of  Rock  Island,)  where  the  Ladies'  college  now  stands,  on  a  part  of  "Ful- 
ton's addition,"  and  he  refusing  to  vacate  the  premises,  on  application  of  the  major, 
the  sheriff  of  Dubuque  county  was  sent  for,  there  being  then  no  nearer  seat  of 
justice  than  Dubuque.  On  the  arrival  of  Sheriff  Cummings  he  found  Mr.  Stephens 
snugly  ensconced  in  the  major's  cabin,  armed  with  the  instruments  that  would 
terminate  life  if  properly  handled,  and  threatening  entire  annihilation  to  any  and 
all  who  might  dare  to  touch  him.  The  sheriff  soon  summoned  his  posse,  and  with 
them  came  a  yoke  of  oxen  which  were  soon  hitched  to  one  corner  of  the  log 
cabin,  and  as  the  timbers  beg'an  to  show  signs  of  parting  Mr.  Stephens  very  wil- 
lingly vacated  the  premises  and  was  shown  the  most  feasible  as  well  as  the 
quickest  route  to  Stephenson,  and  never  afterward  made  any  attempt  to  recover 
his  claim  on  this  side  of  the  river. 

At  the  close  of  1837  there  were  about  fifteen  or  sixteen  houses  in  the  town,  six 
new  ones  having  been  built  during  the  year,  and  the  town  numbered  about  160 
inhabitants.  The  autumn  of  this  year  was  delightful.  The  summer  was  not 
hot  nor  oppressive.  It  gently  merged  into  autumn,  and  winter  came  in  and  con- 
tinued mild  all  the  season.  I  was  in  camp  prosecuting  the  public  surveys  upon 
the  Waubsepinecon  river  from  the  17th  of  October  until  the  first  of  April  with  no 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  157 

THE    W If. LARD    MARROWS    HISTORY. 

Other  shelter  for  myself  and  men  than  a  canvas  tent,  and  was  detained  from  work 
but  three  days  during  the  whole  time  on  account  of  storms  or  cold  weather.  The 
snow  fell  that  winter  to  the  depth  of  three  or  four  inches  only.  The  Mississippi 
river  closed  on  the  13th  of  February.  On  the  first  day  of  April,  1838,  the  first 
boat  of  the  season  passed  down,  the  river  having  been  open  but  a  few  days. 
The  spring  was  mild  and  beautiful. 

The  immigrants  of  the  year  were  but  few,  compared  with  after  years. 
Among  them  were  Nathaniel  Squires,  John  Forrest,  Timothy  and  Thomas  EHl- 
lon  and  families,  Rev.  J.  A.  Pelamourgues.  Rodolphus  Bennet,  John  N.  Macklot, 
John  M.  D.  Burrows,  George  Thorne,  William  Eldridge,  Robert  NefT, 
Frank  Perrin,  A.  F.  Russell,  Samuel  Ringwalt,  Edward  Davis,  Seth  F.  Whit- 
ing, Ansel  Briggs,  Thos.  S.  and  David  Hoge. 

But  little  produce  was  raised  this  year.  Meat  was  scarce  except  wild  game. 
All  seemed  happy  and  well  pleased  with  the  country.  We  belonged  to  Wisconsin 
territory  and  lived  under  the  laws  of  Michigan.  Our  first  steps  toward  civiliza- 
tion and  improvement  had  been  taken,  the  beautiful  prairies  in  virgin  loveliness 
outside  of  our  present  city  limits  were  untouched  by  the  rude  hand  of  man. 
All  the  loveliness  and  beauty  of  Eden  could  scarcely  surpass  that  of  the  rolling 
prairies  of  Scott  county  at  that  day.  The  wild  flowers  were  far  more  numerous 
and  variegated  than  now,  richer  and  more  fragrant  in  their  wild,  untrodden  state 
than  since  reckless  man  has  trampled  under  foot  the  floral  kingdom  of  our 
once  lovely  prairies. 

Among  the  most  active  and  efBcient  young  men  of  this  day  was  Jonathan 
W^  Parker,  son  of  our  fellow  citizen,  Jonathan  Parker.  He  emigrated  in  the 
autumn  of  1836  from  Luzerne  county.  Pa.,  a  lawyer  by  profession,  having  studied 
under  Judge  Kidder  of  Wilkesbarre.  His  destination  was  Galena,  but  the  boat 
upon  which  he  had  taken  passage  from  St.  Louis  became  ice-bound  at  this  place 
and  laid  up  for  the  winter.  Having  spent  the  winter  here  and  becoming  attached 
to  the  place  he  finally  settled  here.  His  numerous  highly  interesting  letters, 
descriptive  of  the  country  and  published  in  the  east  did  much  to  induce  emigra- 
tion. He  was  a  botanist  and  spent  much  time  among  the  flowers  of  our  prairies. 
He  deHvered  the  oration  on  the  4th  of  July  of  this  year,  (1837.)  it  being  the  first 
celebration  of  any  kind  ever  held  in  the  city.  Col.  T.  C.  Eads  was  president,  Jona- 
than W.  Parker,  orator  and  Isaac  Hedges,  marshal  of  the  day.  Mr.  Parker  was  in 
our  territorial  legislature  at  Burlington  in  1839,  was  elected  president  of  the  coun- 
cil, and  did  much  in  framing  the  code  of  laws  for  the  territory.  He  held  at  various 
times  the  offices  of  justice  of  the  peace,  judge  of  probate  and  was  the  second  mayor 
of  the  city  of  Davenport.  He  left  here  in  1844,  traveled  considerably  through  the 
United  States,  changed  his  profession  for  that  of  medicine,  and  in  August,  1850, 
was  located  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  died  of  cholera  that  autumn,  at  the 
house  of  Dr.  Gatchel,  much  lamented  for  his  many  social  and  moral  virtues. 

There  are  many  incidents  which  transpired  among  the  settlers  of  1837  that 
would  be  interesting  to  narrate.  The  financial  troubles  of  the  east  were  keenly 
felt  here.  There  was  no  money,  no  credit,  nor  any  produce  to  bring  supplies  to 
the  infant  colony.  But  few  of  the  immigrants  brought  a  supply  of  money,  and  to 
many  the  approaching  winter  looked  dark  and  lowering.  The  Indians  that  still 
remained  here  could  furnish  a  supply  of  wild  game,  but  in  return  they  asked  for 


158  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

per-quash-i-con  (bread)  and  co-cosh  (pork)  and  pin-ne-ac  (potatoes).  The  small 
stocks  of  merchandise  were  exhausted,  so  much  so,  that  the  first  steamboats  in 
the  spring-  were  looked  for  with  great  anxiety.  Like  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  of  New 
England  looking  forth  from  the  "rock-bound  coast"  toward  the  land  of  their 
nativity,  they  sighed  for  the  "flesh  pots,"  and  remembered  the  "leeks  and  the  gar- 
lics" of  their  own  native  land. 

Well  do  the  "old  settlers"  of  Iowa  remember  the  days  and  years  from  the  first 
settlement  to  1840.  Those  were  days  of  sadness  and  often  of  distress.  The  en- 
dearments of  home  had  been  broken  up  in  another  land,  and  all  that  was  dear 
and  hallowed  on  earth,  the  home  of  childhood  and  the  scenes  of  youth  were 
severed,  and  we  sat  down  by  the  gentle  waters  of  our  noble  river,  and  often  "hung 
our  harps  upon  the  willows."  But  the  bright  prospects  of  the  future  led  us  on, 
and  with  hope  as  our  sheet  anchor  we  lived  upon  the  fruits  of  our  labor,  almost 
an  exiled  race  for  many  years.  No  splendid  cottage  was  then  our  home.  The 
rude  cabin  was  our  shelter  and  we  were  scarcely  protected  from  the  rains  of  sum- 
mer or  the  snows  of  winter.  No  luxuries  crowned  our  board,  but  we  rejoiced  in 
that  Providence  which  shaped  our  destinies  and  led  us  to  the  shores  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. We  loved  the  land  of  our  adoption.  We  loved  her  soil,  her  climate  and 
her  majestic  river,  upon  whose  banks  we  often  strayed  and  mingled  our  tears 
with  one  another.  The  pioneers  of  Scott  county  came  as  the  vanguard  of  that 
great  army  that  has  since  flooded  our  land.  They  came  to  build  for  themselves 
and  posterity-  a  glorious  destiny  amid  the  wilds  of  Iowa.  They  brought  no  sword, 
or  battle  axe,  but  the  plowshare  and  the  pruning  hook  were  their  only  weapons. 
They  had  no  history  to  point  them  the  way,  no  kind  friend  to  bid  them  welcome 
to  these  shores.  The  legends  of  the  Indian  could  only  tell  them  of  the  beauty  of 
the  land  they  came  to  possess,  and  instead  of  the  smiles  of  welcome  they  received 
only  the  frowns  of  the  savage. 

The  spring  of  1838  found  the  infant  settlement  laboring  under  many  dis- 
couragements. The  existing  topic,  the  all-absorbing  county  seat  question,  had 
helped  to  wear  away  the  winter.  Immigration  began  to  set  in  for  the  west  and 
the  drooping  spirits  of  the  inhabitants  revived.  Buildings  began  to  increase,  a 
church  or  two  were  organized,  a  school  opened,  and  things  began  to  wear  a 
brighter  aspect  as  the  genial  rays  of  the  sun  began  to  warm  vegetation  into  life. 
In  February  the  first  territorial  legislature  which  held  its  sessions  at  Burlington 
passed  an  act  organizing  Scott  county,  and  fixing  the  boundaries  thereof.  The 
memorable  19th  of  February  was  the  day  set  for  the  election  of  the  county  seat. 
An  act  also  was  passed  authorizing  the  election  of  a  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners, to  be  held  at  various  places  in  the  county  on  the  third  Monday  of  Feb- 
ruary. This  board  of  commissioners  were  to  do  all  the  business  of  the  county,  as 
judge  of  probate,  and  take  care  of  all  the  suits  at  law,  etc.  Maj.  Frazer  Wilson, 
now  of  Rock  Island,  had  received  the  first  appointment  of  sheriflf  from  the  ter- 
ritorial governor. 

Early  in  the  spring  Mr.  LeClaire  laid  out  his  "First  Addition  to  the  Town  of 
Davenport,"  upon  his  "reserve,"  as  it  was  called.  This  included  two  tiers  of 
blocks  forming  Harrison  and  Brady  streets,  running  back  as  far  as  Seventh 
street.  No  title  as  yet  in  fee  simple  had  been  obtained  by  the  proprietors  of  the 
town,  and  title  bonds  only  were  given  to  purchasers.     In  this  new  addition  to  the 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  159 

THE    WILLARD    BARROWS    HISTORY. 

town,  Mr.  LeClaire  could  give  clear  titles,  and  was  able  to  sell  lots  on  long  time 
to  actual  settlers.  This  put  new  life  into  the  inhabitants,  and  the  immigration 
coming  in  the  spring  was  much  larger  than  any  previous  year,  and  the  t(nvn  for 
the  first  time  began  to  make  progress  in  improvement. 

The  first  board  of  county  commissioners  elect  were  Benj.  F.  Pike,  now  in 
California,  Andrew  W.  Campbell,  who  died  on  Green  river,  in  Utah,  and  Alfred 
Carter,  who  died  in  Hickory  Grove  in  this  county,  in  1845.  The  legislature  also 
passed  an  act  incorporating  the  town  of  Davenport  and  at  the  April  election  Ro- 
dolphus  Bennet,  now  of  Princeton  in  this  county,  was  elected  mayor  and  Frazer 
Wilson,  recorder.  Dr.  A.  C.  Donaldson,  D.  C.  Eldridge,  John  Forrest,  Thomas 
Dillon  and  Capt.  John  Litch  were  elected  trustees.  These  were  the  first  officers 
of  this  township.  The  meeting  of  the  first  town  council  soon  followed  and  James 
M.  Bowling  was  appointed  treasurer,  William  Nichols  street  commissioner  and 
William  H.  Patton,  marshal.  The  first  seal  used  by  the  city  council  was  by  a  vote 
an  American  25  cent  piece. 

During  the  summer  the  first  brick  house  was  erected  by  D.  C.  Eldridge  and  is 
still  standing  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Third  and  Main  streets.  The  old  part 
of  the  Catholic  church  was  also  built  this  summer,  the  brick  work  by  Mr.  Noel 
and  the  carpenter  work  by  Nathaniel  Squires.  It  was  afterward  enlarged  and  is 
now  used  for  a  schoolhouse.  The  Rev.  J.  M.  Pelamourgues  was  placed  in  charge 
at  its  organization  and  is  still  a  faithful  watchman  over  the  congregation.  Re- 
ligious services  were  held  at  various  places  in  the  town,  as  opportunity  presented. 
The  first  regular  preaching  was  a  sermon  by  Rev.  Mr.  Gavitt,  of  Ohio,  at  the 
house  of  D.  C.  Eldridge. 

On  the  4th  of  July  of  this  year  we  were  separated  by  act  of  congress  from  the 
territory  of  Wisconsin,  and  organized  into  a  separate  territor)'.  Robert  Lucas  of 
Ohio  was  the  first  governor  who  made  the  following  appointments  for  Scott 
county :  Willard  Barrows,  notary  public  ;  Ebenezer  Cook,  judge  of  probate ;  Adrian 
H.  Davenport,  sherifif;  Isaac  A.  Hedges  and  John  Porter,  justices  of  the  peace. 
D.  C.  Eldridge  received  the  appointment  of  postmaster. 

At  the  first  election  under  the  new  territorial  law  in  September,  W.  W.  Chap- 
man was  elected  delegate  to  congress,  Jonathan  W.  Parker,  member  of  council, 
J.  A.  Birchard  and  Laurel  Summers  representatives.  Ginton  county  was  then 
attached  to  Scott  for  judicial  purposes. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  1838,  Andrew  Logan  from  Pennsylvania  arrived  with  a 
printing  press,  and  on  the  17th  of  September  following  issued  the  first  number 
of  the  "Davenport  Iowa  Sun,"  a  newspaper  which  at  that  day  was  put  forth  under 
many  discouragements.  Those  only  who  have  themselves  been  pioneers  in  such 
an  enterprise  can  realize  the  difficulties  attending  it.  For  the  two  first  years  Mr. 
Logan  had  no  assistance  but  his  two  little  sons,  the  eldest  of  which  was  but 
twelve  years  old.    The  motto  of  his  paper  was 

"And  man  went  forth  to  till  the  ground." 

His  press  was  of  the  more  antiquated  kind,  and  his  type  had  done  good  service 
at  other  places.  Yet  it  was  hailed  as  a  great  acquisition  to  the  embr^-o  towns  of 
Davenport  and  Rockingham,  for  it  was  presented  as  a  candidate  for  either  place. 
The  county  seat  question  was  then  at  its  highest  excitement  and  big  oflFers  were 
made  by  both  parties  for  its  location.     Davenport  was  the  successful  winner  of 


160  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD   BARROWS    HISTORY. 

the  prize.  The  machine  worked  off  the  Weekly  Sun  and  fought  with  great  energy 
the  battles  of  the  county  seat  question ;  the  principal  writers  aside  from  its  edi- 
tors were  John  H.  Thorington,  the  father  of  Hon.  James  Thorington,  on  the 
Davenport  side,  and  John  H.  Sullivan  for  Rockingham.  For  a  time  it  seemed  to 
flourish  amid  all  its  difficulties  and  often  would  its  rays  break  forth  from  the 
clouds  that  seemed  to  obscure  it  and  shine  with  much  brightness.  But  after  the 
county  seat  question  became  settled  and  a  more  modern  press  was  introduced  the 
"Sun  of  Davenport"  was  allowed  to  set,  realizing  in  the  fullest  extent  that 
"promises  to  printers  are  made  to  be  broken."  It  was  then  that  Mr.  Logan  put 
in  practice  his  motto,  for  he  "went  forth  to  till  the  ground."  About  six  miles 
from  town  on  the  Iowa  City  road  he  took  up  his  claim  and  was  emphatically 
the  pioneer  farmer  of  our  prairies,  there  being  at  the  time  but  one  house  between 
him  and  the  town.  He  has  ever  been  a  good  friend  to  the  interests  of  Scott 
county,  ever  carrying  with  him  the  good  will,  respect  and  esteem  of  all  who  have 
the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance.  We  learn  with  regret  that  he  has  recently  sold 
his  beautiful  prairie  home  and  is  about  to  remove  to  Marshall  county,  this  state. 

Numerous  public  roads  were  run  this  season  in  all  directions  from  the  town, 
leading  back  to  the  groves  and  to  the  Wabesipinicon  river,  where  a  few  settlers 
had  taken  preemption  claims.  The  first  district  court  met  here  in  October,  the 
Hon.  Thos.  S.  Wilson  presiding.  Several  attorneys  were  admitted  to  the  bar; 
but  little  business  was  done. 

The  amount  of  wheat  raised  this  year  in  the  county  was  about  2,000  bushels 
and  was  worth  twenty-five  cents  a  bushel.  Money  was  a  little  more  plenty 
than  the  year  before,  owing  to  the  immigration,  but  there  was  no  demand  for 
produce  and  no  buyers  for  shipment.  Potatoes  were  scarce  this  year  and  worth 
$1  a  bushel.  A  sawmill  was  in  operation  at  the  mouth  of  Duck  creek,  Capt. 
Clark's,  making  only  hard  lumber  which  sold  at  $35  a  thousand  feet.  All  pine 
lumber  was  brought  from  Cincinnati  and  was  worth  $50  a  thousand. 

The  Davenport  hotel  this  year  passed  into  the  hands  of  Samuel  Barkley,  from 
Pennsylvania.  A  milliner  shop  was  opened  by  Miss  M.  C.  Cooper  from  Balti- 
more. D.  C.  Eldridge  opened  a  carriage  and  blacksmith  shop  and  R.  H.  Kinney 
a  watch  and  jewelry  store.  Messrs.  LeClaire  and  Davenport  opened  a  large  store 
as  forwarding  and  commission  merchants.  The  first  land  sales  of  the  territory 
were  advertised  to  come  off  at  Burlington  on  the  19th  of  November  but  were  post- 
poned. The  village  contained  at  the  close  of  the  year  about  forty  houses  and  a 
population  of  near  100.  The  treasury  of  the  county  had  received  for  taxes  this 
year,  licenses  and  fines  less  than  $500,  and  expended  nearly  $800.  The  assessment 
on  property  was  sufficient  to  have  balanced  expenditures  but  there  was  but  about 
$250  ever  collected. 

The  river  closed  the  17th  of  December.  The  winter  was  mild  and  pleasant ; 
but  very  little  snow,  and  passed  much  pleasanter  than  the  previous  one.  There 
was  a  large  circle  of  young  people  and  a  cordial  good  feeling  existed  among 
them.  Parties  and  balls  were  numerous.  Sleighriding  upon  the  ice  was  a  great 
recreation.  Wolf  hunts  and  the  chase  for  deer  and  turkey  helped  to  fill  up  the 
drdary  days  of  winter.  Spring  opened  early,  the  river  breaking  up  on  the  last 
day  of  February.  Rafts  of  lumber  began  to  make  their  appearance  this  year 
from  the  pineries  of  Wisconsin  and  sold  at  $35  a  thousand  feet. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  161 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

The  local  difficulties  in  regard  to  the  county  seat  question  still  existed  and 
the  spring  of  1839  opened  with  a  prospect  of  another  warm  contest  for  the  seat 
of  justice.  The  second  session  of  the  district  court  was  held  in  May,  but  there  was 
no  business  before  it  of  consequence,  not  a  single  bill  of  indictment  being  found 
by  the  grand  jury  against  any  individual  in  Scott  county.  No  political  party 
lines  were  yet  drawn.  At  the  August  election  was  "Davenport  or  Rockingham." 
The  latter  elected  her  representatives.  Laurel  Summers  and  Joseph  M.  Robertson, 
against  the  Davenport  candidates,  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell  and  Abner  Beard.  The  two 
old  commissioners  were  elected,  A.  W.  Campbell  and  Alfred  Carter,  while  the 
Davenport  faction  elected  the  other  one,  John  Work  and  A.  F.  Russell  as  county 
surveyor.  Ira  Cook,  Sr.,  was  elected  treasurer  by  the  Rockingham  party,  with  the 
assessor  and  all  minor  officers. 

The  first  fire  department  of  Davenport  was  organized  the  27th  of  July  by  re- 
quiring every  man  who  occupied  a  house  to  keep  two  fire  buckets  always  in  readi- 
ness and  to  use  them  in  case  of  fire. 

The  Rev.  Asa  Turner,  now  of  Denmark  in  this  state,  in  traveling  through 
this  county  preached  and  lectured  on  temperance.  Through  his  exertions  a  tem- 
perance society  was  formed  the  6th  of  August  on  the  total  abstinence  principle 
receiving  at  its  first  organization  fifty-six  signatures.  Rodolphus  Bennet,  mayor 
of  this  city,  being  its  first  president.  The  society  commenced  with  about  eighty 
members. 

Three  other  churches  were  organized  this  summer  and  a  female  seminary 
started  by  the  Misses  O'Hara.  A  common  school  was  also  opened  by  a  Mr.  Blood. 
Capt.  Wilson  also  commenced  running  his  steam  ferryboat  this  fall.  The  first 
paint  shop  by  Riddle  &  Morton,  the  first  wagon  shop  by  Seth  F.  Whiting,  and  the 
first  drug  store  by  Charles  Lesslie.  were  opened  this  year. 

But  the  greatest  acquisition  to  the  town  this  year,  the  crowning  point  and  the. 
wonder  of  the  age  w^as  the  completion  of  the  LeClaire  House  at  a  cost  of  $35,000. 
The  stone  work  of  this  edifice  now  standing  on  the  corner  of  Alain  and  Second 
streets  (the  old  part)  was  done  by  Alexander  Brownlie  of  Long  Grove  in  this 
county,  the  brick  work  by  D.  C.  Eldridge  and  the  carpenter  work  by  Nathaniel 
Squires.  The  building  of  this  house  at  so  early  a  day  was  an  enterprise  the  equal 
of  which  is  seldom  undertaken.  The  progress  of  the  town  or  county  did  not  war- 
rant it,  yet  confidence  in  the  future  and  the  enterprising  spirit  of  Air.  LeClaire 
which  has  not  left  him  to  this  day  carried  forward  the  work  to  a  successful  com- 
pletion. Succeeding  years  found  this  house  filled  with  guests  from  the  south 
during  the  warm  season,  and  although  its  owner  has  ever  failed  to  reap  much 
benefit  directly  from  rents,  etc..  yet  it  has  been  a  source  of  profit  to  some,  an  ac- 
quisition to  the  town,  and  a  home  of  comfort  to  many  a  weary  traveler  on  his  first 
advent  into  Iowa. 

The  death  of  William  B.  Conway,  Esq.,  secretary  of  the  territory  occurred  on 
the  9th  of  November  of  this  year.  He  was  a  resident  of  Davenport  but  died 
at  Burlington  while  attending  to  his  official  duties  at  the  sitting  of  the  legisla- 
ture. His  body  was  brought  here  for  interment.  'A  public  meeting  was  held  and 
resolutions  passed  testifying  to  the  profound  regret  at  the  loss  of  so  valuable 
a  citizen  from  our  midst. 


162  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

In  the  fall  of  this  year  some  difificulties  arose  upon  our  southern  borders  in 
relation  to  the  boundary  line  between  Missouri  and  the  territory  of  Iowa, 
which  being  fanned  into  a  flame  created  quite  a  sensation  along  the  counties 
bordering  upon  the  Mississippi  river.  A  notice  of  this  farce  might  not  be  deemed 
here  out  of  place,  as  showing  how  trivial  a  circumstance  is  required  upon  the 
frontier  at  an  early  day  to  create  an  alarm  and  arouse  the  listless  energies  of 
a  naturally  lazy  people  who  for  want  of  a  more  active  and  useful  life  are  ever 
ready  to  enlist  in  any  enterprise  that  may  be  set  on  foot.  The  same  scenes 
occur  every  year  upon  our  western  border.  The  cry  of  "Indians"  is  all  sufficient 
to  rally  the  little  pioneer  settlement  and  from  the  smallest  circumstance  enormous 
depredations  and  savage  hostility  are  charged  upon  a  few  suffering  Indians  who 
may  be  lurking  upon  the  outposts  of  civilization  with  no  other  design  than  to 
procure  food  and  shelter  from  those  who  have  driven  the  game  beyond  their 
reach. 

I  can  no  better  portray  the  scenes  and  events  of  this  "Missouri  war,"  as  it 
was  called  than  by  quoting  from  the  graphic  pen  of  the  Hon.  John  P.  Cook  in 
his  annual  address  at  the  first  festival  of  the  Pioneer  Settlers  association,  de- 
livered the  22d  of  February,  1858.  In  speaking  of  "the  times  that  tried  men's 
souls"  Mr.  Cook  says: 

"During  the  time  of  the  contest  for  the  county  seat  an  event  transpired  which 
must  not  be  omitted  in  speaking  of  the  history  of  our  settlement.  A  dispute 
arose  between  the  state  of  Missouri  and  the  then  territory  of  Iowa  as  to  the 
boundary  line  between  them  and  so  determined  were  the  authorities  on  both 
sides  to  exercise  jurisdiction  over  the  disputed  territory  that  it  resulted  in 
what  is  known  to  the  old  settlers  as  the  'Missouri  war.' 

"There  were  warriors  in  those  days  ;  and  I  should  do  injustice  to  the  patriotism 
of  that  period  if  I  neglected  to  notice  the  military  darings  of  the  volunteers  who 
rushed  to  the  standard  (and  rations)  of  the  commander-in-chief  in  obedience 
to  his  call.  The  sheriff  of  a  border  county  in  Iowa  undertook  to  enforce  the 
collection  of  taxes  in  the  disputed  territory.  He  was  arrested  by  the  authorities 
of  Missouri.  The  executive  of  Iowa  demanded  his  release.  It  was  refused; 
and  to  rescue  the  sheriff,  Gov.  Lucas  ordered  out  the  militia  and  called  for  vol- 
unteers. 'My  voice  is  now  for  war,'  was  the  patriotic  response  of  every  'Hawk- 
eye.'  The  county  seat  question  was  forgotten  in  the  more  important  duty  of 
driving  the  invaders  from  our  soil.  Davenport  and  Rockingham  men  met,  em- 
braced, buckled  on  their  armor  and  side  by  side  shouted  their  war  cry  'Death 
to  the  invading  Pukes.'  The  officers  in  command  held  a  council  of  war  and  it 
was  decided  that  Davenport  should  be  the  headquarters  of  the  Scott  county 
army  in  order  that  the  troops  might  be  inspired  by  the  sight  of  old  Fort  Arm- 
strong, and  at  the  same  time  occupy  a  position  so  near  the  fort  that  a  safe 
retreat  would  be  at  hand  in  case  of  an  attack  from  the  enemy. 

"On  the  day  appointed  for  the  first  drill  the  whole  country  marched  to  the 
standard  of  the  gallant  colonel  in  command  and  Davenport  witnessed  one  of  the 
most  spirited  military  reviews  that  ever  took  place  within  her  limits.  The  line 
was  formed  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  fronting  toward  the  enemy's  country, 
the  right  wing  resting  against  a  cottonwood  tree,  the  left  in  close  proximity  to 
the  ferryhouse.     There  they  stood,  veterans  of  iron  nerve  and  dauntless  cour- 


NORTH  SIDE  OF  SECOND  STREET.  BETWEEN  BRADY 
AND  PERRY  STREETS 

Picture  taken  in   ]S:>8 


DAVENPORT  ABOUT  1S6:2 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  165 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

age  presenting  a  sight  that  would  have  daunted  the  most  desperate  foe  and  as- 
suring the  women  and  children  that  they  would  defend  their  homes  to  the  death 
against  the  'border  ruffians'  from  the  Des  Moines  river. 

"The  weapons  carried  by  some  of  these  volunteer  patriots  were  not  satisfac- 
tory to  the  commanding  officers  and  about  one-fourth  of  the  army  were  ordered 
out  of  the  ranks  and  their  services  dispensed  with  unless  they  would  procure 
others  of  a  different  character  and  more  in  accordance  with  the  army  regula- 
tions. The  objectionable  weapons  consisted  of  a  plow  coulter,  carried  in  a  link 
of  a  large  log  chain  which  the  valiant  soldier  had  over  his  shoulder.  Another 
was  a  sheet-iron  sword  about  six  feet  in  length  fastened  to  a  rope  shoulder- 
strap.  Another  was  an  old  fashioned  sausage  stuffer.  Another  was  an  old 
musket  without  a  lock;  and  the  balance  of  a  like  character. 

"The  order  was  given  for  the  owners  of  these  nondescript  weapons  to  march 
out  of  the  ranks  three  steps.  The  order  was  obeyed.  The  ranks  closed  up  and 
the  offending  soldiers  were  discharged  with  a  reprimand. 

"I  am  not  prepared  to  say  that  the  commanding  officer  was  justified  in  thus 
summarily  discharging  so  many  men  who  were  ready  and  anxious  to  serve  their 
country,  and  the  result  proved  that  the  amount  of  bravery  dismissed  was  equal 
to  that  retained,  for  no  sooner  were  the  discharged  soldiers  clear  of  the  line 
of  the  regiment  than  they  formed  a  company  of  cavalry,  a  company  of  dragoons 
and  a  company  which  they  called  the  squad,  and  then  under  the  superior  general- 
ship of  their  leader,  the  knight  of  the  six-foot  sword,  they  made  a  bold  charge 
upon  the  regulars,  broke  their  line,  drove  not  a  few  of  them  into  the  river,  some 
into  and  some  around  the  f erryhouse,  some  into  the  grocery  and  some  out  of  town ; 
thus  defeating  and  dispersing  the  regular  army  without  the  loss  of  a  man  on 
either  side. 

"This  conflict  was  disastrous  in  its  results  to  the  regular  army  and  before  the 
forces  could  again  be  collected,  peace  was  declared  and  the  army  disbanded. 

"This  unlooked  for  cessation  of  hostilities  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  military 
aspirations  of  the  Hawkeyes  and  disappointed  the  just  expectations  of  those 
who  had  hoped  to  distinguish  themselves  in  the  defense  of  our  territorial  rights. 
The  disappointment  was  not  felt  by  the  army  of  Scott  county  alone.  Numerous 
companies  had  been  formed  elsewhere,  and  had  started  for  the  seat  of  war 
with  supplies  for  the  campaign. 

"A  company  of  about  thirty  left  an  adjoining  county  under  the  leadership 
of  a  chieftain  who  often  used  to  say  that  he  'could  whip  his  weight  in  wild  cats,' 
and  who  has  since  represented  you  in  the  national  congress,  has  been  upon 
your  supreme  bench  and  has  also  been  chief  justice  of  California. 

"He  started  out  with  thirty  men  and  six  baggage  wagons  well  loaded  with 
supplies  for  his  army,  and  being  determined  to  keep  up  the  spirits  of  his  men, 
he  freighted  five  of  his  wagons  with  whiskey. 

"The  question  of  boundary  was  subsequently  submitted  to  the  supreme  court 
of  the  United  States  and  the  disputed  territory  given  to  Iowa." 

The  financial  condition  of  the  county  at  the  close  of  this  year  shows  in  a 
measure  the  increase  and  progress  made  in  its  settlement.  The  receipts  from 
licenses,  ferries  and  fines  including  tax  lists  which  was  $1,410.92  was  a  revenue 
of  $2,578.94,   while   the   expenditures   were   only   $1,804.63.     The   immigration 


166  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD   BARROWS   HISTORY. 

this  year  was  small.  With  reference  to  the  moral  and  religious  aspect  of  things 
at  this  time,  but  little  can  be  said.  I  insert,  however,  a  paragraph  from  Wilkie's 
"Davenport  Past  and  Present,"  in  order  to  correct  any  impression  that  might 
prevail  with  reference  to  the  dissipation  prevalent  at  that  day : 

"Frequent  allusions  have  been  made  thus  far  to  the  many  'good  times'  had 
by  the  old  settlers.  It  will  not  be  inferred  from  it  that  they  were  dissipated 
or  drunkards.  Far  from  it.  Some  of  the  brightest  lights  now  in  the  church, 
at  the  bar,  and  in  private  life  are  those  very  men.  They  but  complied  with  the 
character  of  the  times  while  absent  from  social  refinements-  and  the  elegancies 
of  older  towns,  almost  all  strangers  to  each  other,  and  craving  for  that  ex- 
citement which  is  now  indulged  in  the  intercourse  of  hosts  of  friends  and 
friendly  relations  of  long  standing.  They  could  not  well  do  otherwise  than  they 
did.  Mostly  men  from  large  cities,  they  were  ennuied  by  the  comparative  quiet 
of  a  frontier  life,  and  to  var\'  their  listless  lives,  resorted  to  stimulants  or  what- 
ever else  would  afford  excitement." 

The  winter  was  rather  more  severe  than  the  one  previous.  The  river  closed 
at  the  head  of  the  rapids  in  December,  but  not  until  the  14th  of  January  at  this 
place,  and  opened  the  first  day  of  March. 

The  year  of  1839  closed  with  about  too  houses  in  the  town  of  Davenport  and 
a  population  of  about  300. 

1840. — Immigration  commenced  this  year  with  the  first  boats  of  the  season, 
March  3d.  An  agricultural  society  had  been  formed  in  January :  A.  W.  McGregor, 
Esq..  first  president;  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell,  Esq..  vice  president;  John  Forrest,  sec- 
retary and  A.  LeClaire,  treasurer.  At  the  township  elections  held  in  April  John 
H.  Thorington  was  elected  mayor  and  Frazer  Wilson,  recorder.  The  trustees 
elected  were  Geo.  L.  Davenport,  Seth  F.  Whiting,  J.  W.  Parker,  John  Forrest 
and  Wilham  Nichols. 

The  Dubuque  land  sales  came  off  in  May  and  the  settlers  generally  attended  en 
masse  in  order  to  protect  their  claims,  and  have  their  lands  bid  in  to  them  at  gov- 
ernment price,  $1.25  an  acre.  This  sale  brought  all  matters  of  disputes  about 
claims  to  a  sudden  close.  A  committee  of  arbitration  was  chosen  by  the  settlers, 
before  whom  all  disputes  were  settled,  and  the  land  bid  off  by  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell 
'or  each  claimant. 

In  July  the  supreme  court  tried  the  writ  of  mandamus  granted  to  the  Rock- 
ingham party  against  the  commissioners  of  Dubuque  county,  commanding  and 
requesting  them  to  make  an  entry  in  their  books  to  the  effect  that  Rockingham 
was  the  county  seat.  The  court  decided  in  favor  of  claimants,  when  a  petition 
to  the  legislature  was  gotten  up  by  the  Davenport  party  of  over  300  names,  pray- 
ing for  a  new  election.  The  act  was  passed  and  the  fourth  Monday  of  August 
fixed  as  the  day  for  holding  a  new  election.  This  election  resulted  favorably  to 
Davenport,  and  thus  was  the  long  vexed  question  forever  put  to  rest ;  the  citizens 
of  Davenport  building  the  courthouse  and  jail,  free  of  expense  to  the  county,  as 
per  contract.  As  this  is  the  last  notice  of  this  long  unsettled  question  and  desirous 
of  showing  as  a  part  of  our  history  who  at  this  early  day  came  forward  and  nobly 
sustained  her  interests,  we  here  publish  a  list  of  the  donations  and  subscriptions 
to  the  public  buildings,  in  full : 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  167 

THE  WIIXARD    HARROWS  IHSrORV. 

"The  following  article  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  county  treasurer  the 
other  day  as  a  donation  to  the  county  for  the  express  purpose  of  erecting  the 
public  buildings,  should  this  place  be  selected  as  the  county  seat  at  either  the 
election  in  August  or  September. 

"A  donation  of  ninety  acres  of  land,  is  offered  the  county  at  the  mouth  of 
Duck  creek  provided  that  point  should  be  selected  at  the  first  election.  Should 
the  election  not  be  decided  on  the  first  ballot,  no  donation  is  offered,  either  by 
Duck  creek  or  Rockingham.  In  addition  to  the  land  which  the  donators  have 
agreed  to  give,  sell  and  convey  to  the  county,  they  also  offer  $825.  mostly  materials. 
The  people  have  both  propositions  before  them  and  they  will  be  enabled  to  decide 
as  to  the  amount  donated  for  each  point.  A  tax  of  $6,000  or  $8,000  on  the  in- 
habitants of  the  county  would  be  oppressive  in  our  present  infant  and  embarrassed 
state,  and  it  is  hardly  supposed  any  person  would  vote  for  such  a  tax,  when  they 
have  the  offer  of  a  donation  nearly  if  not  amply  sufficient  to  cover  all  expenses." 

Davenport,  August  3,  1840. 

Whereas,  the  question  of  a  location  of  the  county  seat  in  Scott  county  is  to  be 
settled  by  a  vote  of  the  people  of  said  county,  the  points  to  be  voted  for  being 
Davenport,  Rockingham  and  a  point  in  Pleasant  Valley  near  the  mouth  of  Duck 
creek,  and 

Whereas,  Rockingham  and  said  point  in  Pleasant  \'alley  near  the  mouth  of 
Duck  creek  have  each  proposed  donations  to  the  county  to  erecting  public  build- 
ings therein,  to  be  paid  by  the  place  in  which  the  county  seat  should  be  located, 
this  proposition  the  subscribers  believe  to  have  been  made  with  a  view  of  influenc- 
ing the  voters  of  said  county  to  vote  for  said  points  instead  of  Davenport,  and 
believing  Davenport  is  the  most  suitable  place  and  wishing  to  counteract  said 
undue  influence  for  the  purpose  of  making  up  a  sum  equal  or  greater  than  that 
offered  by  either  of  those  points  we,  the  subscribers,  agree,  and  hereby  bind  our- 
selves to  give  and  convey  in  fee  simple  to  the  county  commissioners  of  Scott  county 
the  property  described  by  each  of  us  to  be  disposed  of  in  raising  a  fund  for  the' 
benefit  of  the  county  to  be  applied  exclusively  to  the  erection  of  a  courthouse  and 
jail,  on  condition  that  the  town  of  Davenport  shall  be  the  point  selected  as  county 
seat  of  Scott  county,  and  we  who  do  not  give  lots  or  land  bind  ourselves  to  pay  in 
cash,  or  the  manner  stipulated,  the  sums  affixed  opposite  our  respective  names  on 
the  terms  therein  stated,  in  witness  whereof  we  have  hereunto  set  our  hands  and 
seals. 

By  virtue  of  a  resolution  this  day  passed  by  the  mayor,  recorder  and  trus- 
tees of  the  town  of  Davenport,  authorizing  the  mayor  on  behalf  of  the  corporation 
to  subscribe  the  sum  of  $500  to  aid  in  defraying  the  expense  of  erecting  a  court- 
house and  jail  in  the  town  of  Davenport,  I,  John  H.  Thorington,  mayor  of  the 
town  of  Davenport,  do  promise  on  the  part  and  in  behalf  of  the  said  corporation 
to  pay  to  the  commissioners  of  Scott  county  on  or  before  the  first  day  of  August 
next  the  sum  of  $500,  provided,  and  it  is  expressly  understood,  that  the  above 
stipulated  subscription  is  binding  only  upon  condition  that  the  said  town  of 
Davenport  shall  be  selected  as  the  permanent  seat  of  justice  for  Scott  county, 
and  not  otherwise. 

The  Town  of  Davenport,  by  John  H.  Thorington,  Mayor— $500. 


168  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

I,  Antoine  LeClaire,  promise  to  convey  on  the  condition  before  stipulated,  the 
following  described  lots  and  lands,  to-wit:  Lot  3,  block  15;  2,  block  38;  3,  4  and 
6,  block  39 ;  I,  block  12 ;  8,  block  28;  8,  block  32 ;  7,  8,  9  and  10,  block  7 ;  outlots, 
Nos.  5,  10,  19,  22,  24,  containing  four  acres  each. 

Antoine  LeClaire. 

I,  Antoine  LeClaire,  attorney  for  P.  G.  Hambaugh,  promise  to  convey  on  the 
condition  before  stipulated  the  following  described  lots :  5  and  6,  block  14 ;  5  and 
6,  block  25 ;  i  and  2,  block  37. 

P.  G.  Hambaugh, 

By  Antoine  LeClaire. 

I,  George  Davenport,  promise  to  convey,  on  the  conditions  above  stipulated, 
the  following  described  lots,  to-wit :  West  half  of  block  23  ;  lots  4,  5  and  6,  block 
II ;  I,  2,  7  and  8,  block  35  ;  5,  block  3. 

Geo.  Davenport. 

I,  John  Macklot,  promise  to  convey,  on  the  conditions  above  stipulated,  the 
following  described  lots,  to-wit:  Lots  i,  2,  7  and  8,  block  36,  if  the  courthouse 
shall  be  placed  on  Bolivar  square. 

John  Macklot. 

I,  Antoine  LeClaire,  agent  for  James  May,  promise  to  convey,  on  the  condi- 
tions before  stipulated,  the  following  described  lots,  to-wit:  Lots  Nos.  i  and 
2,  block  13;  I,  block  39;  7  and  8,  block  37;  3,  block  13. 

Antoine  LeClaire, 
Agent  for  James  May. 

We,  James  and  Robert  Mcintosh,  promise  to  convey,  on  the  conditions  be- 
fore stipulated,  the  following  described  lots:  7  and  8,  block  12;  3  and  4,  block 
14;  7  and  8,  block  36;  5,  in  block  39;  2,  in  block  35. 

J.  and  R.  MTntosh. 

I,.  John  Litch,  agree  to  give  one  good,  handsome  lot  in  the  lower  part  of 
Davenport,  (in  Powers'  addition)  as  soon  as  Davenport  shall  be  made  the  county 
seat. 

J.  Litch. 

I,  George  Davenport,  hereby  promise  to  pay  to  the  county  commissioners  of 
Scott  county,  in  lieu  of  the  lots  offered  above,  to  aid  in  erecting  the  public  build- 
ings the  sum  of  $1,200,  should  the  commissioners  prefer  the  same  to  be  paid  in 
installments,  as  may  be  required  in  the  progress  of  the  buildings,  provided  the 
same  shall  be  erected  on  Bolivar  square. 

Geo.  Davenport. 

I,  Antoine  LeClaire,  hereby  promise  to  pay  to  the  county  commissioners  of 
the  county  of  Scott,  in  lieu  of  the  lands  and  lots  offered  above,  to  aid  in  erecting 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


169 


THE  WILLARD   BARROWS  HISTORY. 

tlie  public  buildings  the  sum  of  $3,000  in  cash  or  its  equivalent,  should  the  said 
commissioners  prefer  the  same,  to  be  paid  in  such  installments  as  may  be  re- 
quired in  the  progress  of  the  buildings,  as  witness  my  hand  and  seal  this  loth 
day  of  August,  1840. 

Antoine  LeClaike. 

(L.  S.) 

INDIVIDUAL   SUBSCRIPTIONS. 


James    Hall $1 50 

N.  Squires,  carpenter  work 300 

H.  Leonard,  in  brick 300 

E.   Hulse 200 

A.    Logan 50 

S.   B.   Steele 10 

Thomas    Foster 40 

A.  Greene,  by  R.  Bennet 25 

Philip    Cody 20 

Eldridge  &  McCord 50 

E.  V.  Kerr  and  G.  Tate 10 

W.   W.   Dodge 25 

W.   B.   Watts 25 


William  S.    Collins 15 

Strong     Burnell 20 

Asa    Hale 10 

Timothy  Dillon   29 

John    Pope 20 

Samuel    Armitage 5 

Franklin     Culver 5 

William     McDade 5 

W.    B.   Arnold 6 

A.  J.  Dawes 5 

D.    Hoge 50 

T.  S.  Hoge 50 

John  D.  Evans 20 


Alfred     Carter 100     Riddle  &    Morton 100 

George  L.  Davenport 50     George   Colt 5 

Seth  F.  Whiting 25     J.  M.  D.  Burrows 50 

James  O.   Kelly 10    John    Owens 50 

W.    McCammon 30    James   Rumbold 50 

W.    W.   Whittemore 25     Charles     Lesslie 25 

Thomas     Dillon 50     A.  L.  &  J.  Beatty 10 

George    Bowers 20     Henry   Wright 15 

M.  Parmele    20     R.  S.  Craig 10 

John    Cronkhite 10     John  W.  King 10 

C.   C.   Alvord 10     James  M.   Bowling 30 

Wm.  M.  Moran 5     John    Evans 10 

W.    G.    Ruby 10     John     Wilson 100 

H.  J.   Chapman 25     William     Nichols 50 

John  F.  Boynton 10     Louis    Hebert 10 

J.    M.   Witherwax 50     J.  W.  Parker 100 

A.  W.    Perry 25     Peter  Parter.  by  A.  Perry 25 

George    Francis 12     L.  J.  Senter,  for  J.  Remer 25 

L.  J.   Senter 10    James    Miller. 5 

Isaac   Squires 20     William    Lovell 10 

John  H.  Thorington 25     Alex   W.   McGregor 25 

Walter  B.   Warren 10     George  W.  Warren 20 

William     Harmon 15     Henry   Powers 50 

At  the  October  elections  of  this  year  party  lines  began  to  be  drawn.     A.  C. 

Dodge  was  elected  delegate  to  congress  over  Alfred  Rich,  the  whig  candidate. 


170  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILl.ARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

by  about  lOO  majority.  J.  W.  Parker  was  elected  to  the  council  over  James 
Grant  by  a  majority  of  only  four  votes.  L.  Summers  and  J.  M.  Robertson,  *  rep- 
resentatives;  John  D.  Evans,  recorder;  A.  H.  Davenport,  sheriff;  Ira  Cook,  Sr., 
treasurer,  and  E.  Cook,  judge  of  probate. 

The  receipts  into  the  treasury  this  year  were  insufficient  to  meet  the  expendi- 
tures, the  amount  being  only  $1,635,  while  the  expenditures  were  $2,121.37. 

Business  at  the  close  of  the  year  was  increasing.  There  were  eight  mercan- 
tile establishments,  four  groceries,  two  hotels,  a  brewery  nearly  ready  for  oper- 
ation, a  large  pork  house,  with  cash  and  goods  offered  for  pork.  Times  began  to 
brighten.  A  market  had  been  established  at  home  for  the  produce  raised  by  the 
farmer,  buildings  had  increased  and  the  population  amounted  to  about  600.  The 
times  had  been  severe  on  the  newly  settled  colony.  Money  was  scarce;  the  land  had 
been  brought  into  market,  and  those  holding  lands  subject  to  pre-emption  had 
to  borrow  money  at  fifty  per  cent  to  save  their  homes.  The  prices  current  in 
December  were : 

Flour,  per  barrel $5.00  to  $5.50     Butter,    fresh $   .25 

Wheat,  per  bushel.  ...  .50     Tallow    I2>4 

Corn,   per   bushel 37  ^o       .50     Sugar,  from    stores I2j^ 

Oats,   per  bushel 25  to       .31     Coffee    20 

Potatoes,  per  bushel.  .  .      .  18  to       .25     Tea    i  .00 

Onions,  per   bushel 25  to       .37     Molasses,  per    gallon 75 

Beef,  from  wagon,  lb..      .02  to       .04     Honey,  good,  strained,  per  gal.     .75 
Pork,  from  wagon,  lb..      .03  to       .04     Nails,  cut,  all  sizes,  per  lb.,  .10  to  .12^ 

There  were  three  frosts  only  up  to  the  14th  of  November.  The  river  re- 
mained in  good  boating  order,  and  steamboats  ran  till  near  the  close  of  the  year, 
the  weather  being  mild  and  beautiful.  River  closed  January  2d.  There  was  good 
sleighing  this  winter  from  St.  Louis  to  the  lower  rapids,  and  throughout  the  en- 
tire state  of  Illinois,  a  part  of  Michigan  and  Indiana ;  but  here  there  were  not  to 
exceed  two  inches  of  snow  during  the  whole  winter,  nor  was  there  any  rain  after 
the  first  of  November.  The  river  opened  this  year  the  14th  of  March,  and  the 
steamer  Otter  came  up  the  same  day.  On  the  15th  the  steamer  Agnes  arrived 
from  St.  Louis  and  the  next  day  both  boats  left  for  Galena  and  Dubuque,  navi- 
gation being  fairly  opened,  but  the  water  very  low. 

On  the  2ist  of  April,  1841,  the  mayor,  recorder  and  trustees  of  the  town  of 
Davenport  passed  an  ordinance  to  raise  the  license  for  retailing  liquors  from 
$25  to  $100,  J.  W.  Parker  being  mayor. 

On  the  5th  of  May  the  sale  of  town  lots  for  the  erection  of  the  public  build- 
ings took  place. 

On  the  8th  of  May  the  first  territorial  whig  convention  was  held  in  Daven- 
port.    Delegates  were  present  from  all  the  settled  counties  of  the  state,  except 


*  Joseph  i\I.  Robertson  emigrated  to  the  territory  of  Iowa  in  1836,  and  settled  at  Rock- 
ingham. He  had  made  his  first  location  in  the  west  at  New  Boston,  Mercer  county,  III., 
where  he  remained  but  a  short  time.  He  was  a  good,  sound,  practical  man  in  all  things. 
His  political  views  were  purely  whig.  A  farmer  and  merchant  he  was  accommodating  and 
possessed  a  benevolent  heart,  ever  ready  to  do  a  kindly  act ;  and  for  moral  and  Christian 
worth  he  had  no  superior.  His  sterling  integrity  in  all  things,  both  private  and  public,  ever 
drew  around  him  a  host  of  friends,  and  he  was  deservedly  popular  among  his  fellow  citizens. 
He  served  many  sessions  in  the  territorial  legislature,  and  died  at  Iowa  City,  while  a  member 
of  that  body  in   1844,  aged  thirty-eight  years. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  171 

THU;  WILLAliD   HARROWS   HISTORY. 

Dubuque  and  Clayton.  They  met  at  the  LeClaire  House,  formed  a  procession 
and  marched  with  a  band  of  music,  consisting  of  one  bugle  and  a  clarinet,  to  the 
"Harrison  log  cabin,"  then  just  erected  on  the  corner  of  Third  and  Main  streets. 
Several  speeches  were  made,  when  Alfred  Rich,  Esq.,  received  the  nomination, 
on  the  fourth  ballot,  for  delegate  to  congress.  The  democratic  convention  met 
at  Parkhurst,  (LeClaire)  on  the  19th  of  June  and  nominated  A.  C.  Dodge,  who 
was  elected  by  a  large  majority.  The  weather  in  May  was  cold  and  backward. 
Notwithstanding  the  hard  times  and  general  scarcity  of  money,  buildings  of  all 
kinds  began  to  go  up,  and  the  town  generally  was  in  a  flourishing  condition.  The 
courthouse  and  jail  were  commenced,  and  the  days  of  strife  and  contention 
seemed  to  have  ended. 

Among  the  buildings  erected  this  year  was  the  Webb  House,  and  it  was  con- 
sidered one  of  the  most  extravagant  investments  of  the  age.  It  presented  a  beau- 
tiful appearance  from  the  river,  standing  alone  upon  the  brow  of  the  bluff, 
with  nothing  to  obstruct  the  view,  without  a  solitary  house  or  other  improvement 
in  front  of  it.  It  is  now  owned  and  occupied  by  J.  E.  Henry,  Esq.  The  brick 
building  on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Brady  streets  was  erected  the  same  season 
by  Strong  Burnell.  But  the  largest  structure  of  this  year  was  the  old  part  of 
the  "Worden  House"  on  Third  .street,  since  enlarged.  Flour  this  year  was  sold 
at  $5.00  per  barrel  and  wheat  50  cents  a  bushel.  Pork  was  worth  but  i^  to 
2  cents  a  pound. 

James  Grant  and  J.  M.  Robertson  were  elected  representatives  and  J.  W. 
Parker  to  the  council.  Parker  was  president  of  the  council,  that  session  of  the 
legislature.  The  financial  condition  of  the  county  at  the  close  of  1841  was  a 
revenue  received  of  $7,019.93 ;  and  expenditures  to  the  amount  of  $6,689.99 ; 
A.  W.  Campbell,  J.  C.  Quinn  and  John  Work,  commissioners.  A  new  charter 
to  the  town  of  Davenport  was  obtained  this  year  from  the  legislature.  The  court- 
house and  jail  were  finished  and  presented  to  the  county  free  of  cost,  as  pro- 
vided" for  in  the  bond  given  for  that  purpose. 

In  November  of  this  year  our  little  village  was  visited  by  a  distinguished 
personage  of  foreign  birth,  in  the  person  of  Prince  de  Joinville.  He  and  his 
suite  took  rooms  at  the  LeClaire  House. 

In  August  of  this  year  the  "Davenport  Weekly  Gazette"  issued  its  first 
number.  Alfred  Sanders.  Esq..  the  senior  editor,  was  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
He  had  visited  the  upper  Mississippi  the  year  before  in  search  of  a  location  for 
life,  and  most  wisely  selected  Davenport,  then  but  a  small  village,  as  his  home. 
None  but  those  who  have  tried  the  experiment  can  realize  the  trials,  hardships 
and  discouragements  incident  to  opening  a  printing  establishment  in  a  little 
frontier  town,  away  from  all  resources,  both  financial  and  mechanical.  To  enter 
upon  such  an  enterprise  at  such  a  time  in  the  financial  world  as  was  presented 
in  1 84 1  requires  no  little  energy,  ambition  and  perseverance.  Such  did  Alfred 
Sanders  possess,  when  on  the  nth  day  of  August  he  landed  from  one  of  the 
smallest  steamers  that  ever  pushed  up  our  river,  the  water  being  so  low  upon  the 
rapids  below  and  the  engine  that  propelled  the  little  craft  so  weak  that  they 
had  to  pole  over  in  real  Mackinaw  style.  The  arrival  was  announced,  and 
soon  the  landing  was  thronged  with  anxious  spectators  to  behold  the  new  press 
and  its  editor.     IMoved  by  a  spirit  of  grateful  acknowledgment  and  a  cordial 


172  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WILLARD   BARROWS    HISTORY. 


welcome  to  this  new  arrival,  all  hands  were  eager  to  assist  in  landing  the  press. 
There  being  no  wharf  then  built,  and  the  water  very  low,  a  long  plank  walk 
was  laid  to  the  boat,  on  which  in  attempting  to  carry  the  press,  it  was  precipitated 
into  the  Mississippi  river,  as  if  to  purge  it  of  any  of  its  old  sins,  and  baptise  it 
anew  before  entering  upon  the  virgin  soil  of  Iowa. 

The  first  number  was  issued  on  the  26th  of  /Vugust,  and  from  that  day  to 
this,  more  than  eighteen  years,  not  a  single  number  has  been  missed  in  its  regular 
publication.  When  we  take  into  consideration  that  not  only  the  first  outfit, 
but  the  constant  supply  of  paper,  ink  and  other  material  had  to  be  purchased 
in  the  east,  and  subject  to  all  the  delays  and  dangers  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
rivers,  and  when  we  remember  that  Mr.  Sanders  suffered  loss  and  disappointment 
by  having  his  paper  sunk  and  burned  amid  the  disasters  of  the  steamboat  naviga- 
tion of  that  day,  all  his  assistants  being  sick  at  one  time,  and  he  alone  having 
to  fill  every  department  of  the  paper,  from  writing  its  editorials  and  setting 
type,  down  to  working  at  the  press  and  rolling  for  papers — I  say,  when  we  con- 
sider these  discouragements,  we  must  wonder  and  admire  that  energy  and  per- 
severance which  for  twenty  years  never  allowed  his  subscribers  to  go  without 
their  weekly  news.  We  believe  that  no  portion  of  the  great  west  can  record  a 
similar  instance  of  deep  devotion  to  their  calling,  amid  such  privations  and 
hardships  as  that  of  Mr.  Sanders  to  found  a  standard  newspaper  in  Scott  county. 
When  I  remember  his  increasing  labor  for  many  years  without  the  prospect  of 
even  a  livelihood,  and  no  bright  future  before  him,  I  feel  happy  in  the  privilege 
here  presented  of  adding  my  testimony  to  his  faithful  services  and  wishing  him 
all  the  enjoyment  he  may  now  possess  from  the  fruits  of  his  early  struggles. 

And  no  less  deserving  is  he  who  amid  all  these  discouragements  stood  by  his 
side,  not  only  as  a  partner,  in  a  pecuniary  view,  but  a  constant  sharer  of  all 
the  burdens  heaped  upon  the  establishment  through  the  many  dark  years  of  its 
existence.  Mr.  Levi  Davis  was  the  printer;  and  for  neatness  and  mechanical 
execution  I  hesitate  not  to  say,  notwithstanding  the  difficulties  under  which  he 
labored,  that  no  establishment  of  the  kind  west  of  the  great  lakes  can  show  a 
file  of  papers  of  ten  years'  accumulation  like  those  presented  by  this  office.  No 
man  among  the  early  settlers  of  Davenport  is  deserving  of  more  credit  for 
faithfulness,  industry  and  sterling  integrity  than  Mr.  Levi  Davis. 

For  nearly  ten  years  after  the  establishment  of  the  Gazette  it  hardly  paid 
expenses,  though  conducted  in  the  most  economical  manner.  From  the  tardy 
progress  of  the  settlement  of  the  country  its  subscription  grew  slowly ;  but  as 
the  country  began  to  settle  and  the  town  to  grow  its  patronage  increased  so  that 
in  May,  185 1,  nearly  ten  years  after  its  commencement,  its  proprietors  felt 
justified  in  enlarging  it  to  a  seven  column  paper.  Two  years  after,  on  the  3d 
of  Spetmber,  1853.  they  converted  it  into  a  tri-weekly,  and  the  following  year, 
on  the  1 6th  of  October,  1854,  they  began  to  issue  the  first  daily  paper  ever  pub- 
lished in  this  portion  of  the  state.  As  a  daily  it  started  out  under  the  most  favor- 
able auspices  and  has  continued  to  increase  in  circulation  ever  since,  notwithstand- 
ing the  financial  depression  of  1857  and  the  unusual  amount  of  opposition  it 
has  experienced  in  having  three  other  daily  papers  to  contend  with. 

In  1855,  they  introduced  the  first  steam  press  ever  put  in  operation  in  Iowa, 
a  large  size  Taylor  &  Hoe  press  which  is  still  doing  good  service.     The  weekly 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  173 

THE  WII.LARD   RARROWS  HISTORY. 

cash  receipts  of  the  office  now  average  more  than  the  yearly  cash  receipts  (Hd 
for  seven  years  after  its  first  estabHshment. 

1842. — On  the  15th  of  February  the  Scott  County  Temperance  society  was 
organized;  Thomas  S.  Hoge,  president;  and  Charles  Lesslie,  secretary. 

The  river  closed  the  27th  of  December  and  opened  the  2d  of  March.  The 
season  was  good,  crops  abundant  and  well  gathered.  Good  winter  wheat  was 
sold  at  37  to  40  cents,  and  spring  at  30  cents.  The  best  quality  of  flour  was  $4.50 
a  barrel.  Flour  sold  the  same  autumn  in  Chicago  at  $3.00,  and  in  St.  Louis  at 
$2.75  a  barrel.  Building  continued  and  settlers  were  daily  arriving.  Produce 
of  all  kinds  was  low.  There  was  no  money  in  circulation.  Everything  was 
barter  in  trade. 

On  the  8th  of  October  of  this  year  the  Iowa  Sun  issued  its  last  number. 
A.  C.  Fulton.  Esq.,  arrived  here  in  July  of  this  year,  and  opened  a  store  on 
Front  street,  between  Main  and  Harrison.  On  the  4th  of  August  by  census 
taken,  the  town  contained  817  inhabitants.  The  April  term  of  the  circuit  court 
continued  in  session  only  eight  days,  and  adjourned  for  want  of  business,  David 
Hoge,  clerk.  In  the  election  of  this  year  Robert  Christie  was  elected  to  the 
council  and  J.  M.  Robertson  to  the  house.  Pork  sold  this  autumn  as  low  as 
$1.25  to  $1.50  a  hundred  pounds.  The  same  prices  ruled  in  Chicago  and  Alton. 
Messrs.  J.  Seaman.  J.  M.  D.  Burrows,  A.  C.  Fulton  and  others  purchased  pork 
in  exchange  for  goods ;  some  cash  was  paid.  The  balance  in  the  treasury  at 
the  close  of  the  year  was  $484.48.  John  Work,  Otho  G.  McLain  and  John  C. 
Quinn  were  commissioners. 

1843. — The  river  opened  the  loth  of  April.  The  winter  of  1842-43  will 
long  be  remembered  as  the  "cold  winter."  There  were  two  months'  good  sleigh- 
ing. The  ice  in  the  river  was  two  feet  thick.  A  Dubuque  paper  stated  that  with 
the  exception  of  a  very  few  days  the  mercury  stood  at  twenty  degrees  below 
zero  for  nearly  four  months,  and  that  for  several  weeks  of  that  time  it  stood 
at  thirty-five  to  thirty-nine  degrees  below  zero.  Although  the  crops  were  abun- 
dant, yet  on  account  of  the  intense  cold  and  want  of  sufficient  hay  and  shelter,  a 
great  many  cattle  died. 

Emigration  continued  to  pour  in  and  a  general  progress  of  the  town  was 
perceptible,  notwithstanding  the  scarcity  of  money  and  the  cheapness  of  pro- 
duce. There  were  seventeen  brick  houses  erected  this  year  and  many  frame 
ones.  Seven  churches  now  adorned  the  town.  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell  was  elected  rep- 
resentative this  year,  and  James  Thorington  judge  of  probate.  The  expendi- 
tures of  the  county  this  year  exceeded  the  receipts.  $905.82. 

J.  M.  D.  Burrows  commenced  shipping  produce  this  autumn  to  St.  Louis  in 
keel  boats.  On  the  21st  of  October  he  loaded  one  with  thirty-eight  tons  of 
vegetables  and  the  following  week  started  another  one  for  St.  Louis  with  thirty- 
five  tons. 

But  little  of  interest  took  place  during  the  year  1844.  The  river  opened  on 
the  24th  of  February  and  navigation  commenced.  It  had  been  a  very  open  win- 
ter, much  of  it  like  spring. 

In  May  there  was  a  corporation  election  for  officers.  Gilbert  McKown.  Jr., 
was  elected  marshal;  Nathaniel  Squires,  supervisor;  John  Evans,  treasurer;  N. 
Squires,  assessor;  John  Pope,  clerk;  L.  B.  Collamer,  weighmaster ;  and  D.  C.  Eld- 


174  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

TIJ1-:  WIIXAHD   BARROWS    HISTORY. 

ridge,  tire  warden.     The  June  rise  in  the  Mississippi  flooded  the  whole  country 
along  the  river  bottoms.     The  river  was  higher  than  ever  before  known. 

By  a  census  taken  of  the  county  in  June  it  was  found  to  contain  1,750  souls. 
The  4th  of  July  was  celebrated  in  due  form.  The  citizens  convened  at  the  court- 
house, when  the  exercises  were  opened  with  prayer  by  the  Rev.  A.  B.  Hitchcock; 
reading  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  by  Jas.  Grant.  Esq..  and  oration  by 
Dr.  Gatchell  of  Cincinnati,  then  a  resident  of  this  place.  A  sumptuous  repast 
was  served  under  tlie  large  spreading  oaks  that  tlien  adorned  the  brow  of  our 
beautiful  bluffs. 

.\  convention  assembled  at  Iowa  City.  October  7th  for  the  formation  of  a 
constitution  preparatory  to  our  entrance  into  the  Union  as  a  state.  Ebenezer 
Cook.  James  Grant  and  .\n(h-e\v  W.  Campbell  were  tlie  candidates  elected  to 
attend. 

The  wheat  crop  of  1844.  was  large  and  of  good  quality.  IHour  from  $3.00 
to  $4.00  a  barrel.    Wheat  from  40  to  50  cents  a  bushel.     Corn  and  oats.  25  cents. 

The  financial  condition  of  the  country  at  the  close  of  the  year  was  flatter- 
ing. Expenditures.  $1,757.78.  and  the  receipts  into  the  treasury  were  $2,503.80, 
J.  C.  Quinn,  Ashael  Hubbard  and  C.  G.  McLain,  commissioners;  John  Pope, 
clerk.  County  orders  were  at  par  and  cash  in  the  treasury.  The  crop  of  wheat 
raised  this  year  in  the  county  was  estimated  at  100,000  bushels,  and  there  were 
no  mills  for  flouring  in  the  city,  yet.  The  population  at  the  close  of  the  year  in 
the  town  was  estimated  at  800  or  i.ooo.  The  river  closed  on  the  4th  of  Feb- 
ruary, but  was  in  no  condition  for  crossing  and  on  the  20th  of  the  same  month 
broke  loose  and  the  steamer  Lynx  made  her  appearance  at  our  wharf.  The  New 
Haven  that  had  been  moored  in  the  Rock  Island  slough  came  over  the  next  day 
and  both  boats  started  for  Galena,  the  river  being  clear  of  ice,  the  weather  as 
balmy  as  spring.  Wild  geese  and  ducks  were  flying  north  and  the  winter  gently 
merged  into  spring. 

1845.— The  most  stirring  incident  of  this  year  was  the  murder  of  Col.  George 
n;iven])ort  upon  Rock  island. 

The  April  election  passed  oft  very  quietly.  L.  Summers  (Loco)  was  elected 
to  the  council  and  J.  M.  Robertson  (whig)  to  the  house.  John  Forrest,  Esq., 
received  the  appointment  as  postmaster  in  place  of  D.  C.  Eldridge.  resigned.  At 
the  August  election  J.  C.  Ouinn  was  again  elected  commissioner;  A.  H.  Miller, 
treasurer;  W.  I'arrows.  surveyt)r,  and  Stephen  Hawley,  assessor. 

The  country  upon  both  sides  of  the  river  had  for  several  years  been  infested 
with  a  lawless  gang  of  freebooters  with  their  main  headquarters  probably  at 
Xauvoo.  having  places  of  rendezvous  upon  Rock  river,  111.,  and  upon  Sugar 
creek,  in  Cedar  county,  and  in  Linn  county.  Iowa.  The  fugitives  from  justice 
in  other  states  had  fled  to  the  western  wilds  for  protection  and  organized  them- 
selves into  regular  bands  for  horse  stealing,  counterfeiting,  burglary,  robbery 
and  murder.  They  had  advanced  so  far  in  their  grand  schemes  for  crime  and 
escape  that  in  some  places  justices  of  the  peace  and  other  officers  of  the  county 
were  elected  to  office  by  their  intrigue  and  corruption  and  many  men  of  good 
standing  in  the  community  became  associated  with  them.  Bellevue  in  Jackson 
county  had  been  the  scene  of  bloodshed  and  murder  in  an  attempt  to  arrest  some 
of  the  banditti.    O^le  county  in  Illinois  had  become  so  infested  with  this  gang  that 


1I()M1<:   OF  COL.  GIOORGE   DAVKXPOKT 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  177 

Tin-:  VVIl.LARD   liARROVVS    HISTORY. 

at  the  elections  they  came  boldly  forward  and  proclaimed  their  strength  and 
determination  to  rule  the  coimty.  The  courthouse  and  jail  were  burned,  the 
sheriff  of  the  county  waylaid  and  shot,  and  individuals  who  dared  to  say  aught 
against  the  gang  were  marked  as  victims  of  this  marauding  band  of  robbers. 

At  this  stage  of  things,  a  meeting  of  the  whole  county  was  called  by  .some  of 
the  principal  law-abiding  citizens,  when  it  was  resolved  to  clear  the  land  of  the 

desperadoes.    One  of  the  ringleaders,  a  Mr. ,  and  his  three  sons,  were  taken, 

.  tried  by  a  self-constituted  jury,  condemned  and  shot  the  same  day.  One  other 
of  the  gang  was  executed,  when  the  balance  fled  the  country.  But  Nauvoo  was 
the  great  depot  and  the  Mississippi  river  the  great  thoroughfare. 

The  murder  and  robbery  of  Col.  Davenport,  one  of  the  oldest  citizens  of  the 
community,  in  broad  daylight  and  in  full  view  of  our  town,  sent  a  thrill  of  terror 
to  every  heart  and  made  citizens  tremble  for  the  safety  of  themselves  and  prop- 
erty. So  foul  a  crime,  attended  by  such  appalling  circumstances,  aroused  the 
energies  of  every  one  to  assist  in  discovering  the  murderers.  Public  meetings 
were  called  in  Davenport  and  Rock  Island  to  devise  means  to  arrest  the  fugi- 
tives. Companies  of  horsemen  were  sent  in  every  direction;  the  islands  and 
blufifs  were  searched ;  parties  went  up  and  dowm  the  river,  but  no  trace  could  be 
found,  nor  were  any  signs  left  by  which  the  murderers  could  be  followed.  A 
reward  of  $1,500  was  offered  by  George  L.  Davenport,  followed  directly  after 
by  one  of  $1,000  by  the  governor  of  Illinois;  but  for  weeks  no  trace  could  be 
obtained  of  them.  Subsequently  it  was  ascertained  that  the  robbers  had  been 
secreted  for  some  ten  days  in  the  blufifs  previous  to  the  attack,  awaiting  an  oppor- 
tunity, which  they  had  on  the  4th  of  July  while  the  whole  household  of  Col. 
Davenport  was  at  Stephenson  attending  the  celebration.  Mr.  Davenport  lived 
long  enough  to  relate  the  circumstances  attending  the  robbery.  He  had  been 
fearful  of  robbers  and  noticed  some  suspicious  looking  persons  around  the  towns 
of  Davenport  and  Stephenson  and  had  taken  the  precaution  to  fasten  his  doors 
and  keep  arms  in  readiness.  He  had  but  a  few  moments  before  the  attack  been 
to  the  well  for  water  and  fastened  the  door  on  his  return.  He  was  seated  in  his 
armchair  in  his  sitting  room  when  he  heard  a  noise  in  the  back  part  of  the  house, 
and  opening  the  door  that  led  there,  he  was  met  by  three  men,  one  of  whom 
exclaimed,  "Seize  him  Chunky"  and  at  the  same  moment  he  received  a  ball  from 
a  pistol  through  the  fleshy  part  of  the  thigh.  Mr.  D.  made  an  effort  to  reach 
his  pistols  that  lay  upon  the  mantel  but  was  laid  hold  of  and  bound  with  strips 
of  bark  and  blindfolded.  The  key  of  his  safe  was  obtained  and  for  a  few 
moments  he  was  left  alone,  when  the  robbers,  unable  to  unlock  the  safe,  re- 
turned and  took  Mr.D.  up  stairs  where  the  safe  was  and  compelled  him  to 
unlock  it.  In  this  efifort  Mr.  D.  seems  to  have  had  much  diflFiculty,  as  from  loss 
of  blood  he  was  not  able  to  walk  and  he  was  carried  or  pulled  up  the  stairs 
leaving  prints  of  blood  upon  the  passageway  and  staircase  all  the  way  up,  where 
he  had  put  his  hands  for  support.  He  was  laid  upon  the  bed  up  stairs  after  un- 
locking the  safe  and  showing  the  robbers  where  some  other  money  was.  in  a 
drawer  in  the  library.  Here  he  fainted  and  was  revived  by  water  being  poured 
upon  him.  He  was  choked  and  otherwise  tortured  in  mind  and  body  to  induce 
him  to  reveal  where  more  treasure  could  be  found.  Upon  this  point,  John  Long, 
who  afterward  paid  the  penalty  of  this  murder  upon  the  gallow^s  at  Rock  Island, 


178  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLAKD   HARROWS   HISTORY. 

Stated,  upon  the  stand,  that  no  such  abuse  was  offered  to  Mr.  D. ;  that  he  himself 
went  to  the  well  for  water  and  poured  it  upon  him  to  revive  him ;  that  it  was 
not  intended  to  commit  murder,  but  that  the  pistol  of  Fox,  who  shot  him,  went 
off  accidentally,  but  Mr.  Davenport  said  before  his  death  that  they  held  a  con- 
troversy about  the  disposition  of  him  before  they  left,  some  being  for  killing  him 
and  burning  the  house  and  others  for  leaving  him  as  he  was.  The  latter  being 
the  determination  of  the  majority  of  them,  they  hastily  fled. 

The  only  booty  they  obtained  was  about  $600  in  money,  a  gold  watch,  chain  and 
seals,  a  double  barreled  gun  and  a  few  other  articles  of  minor  importance. 

Col.  Davenport  was  a  native  of  England,  and  removed  to  the  United  States 
in  1804.  He  was  attached  to  the  army  from  1805  to  181 5,  was  with  Gen.  Wilkin- 
son on  the  Sabine  during  the  trouble  with  Aaron  Burr,  and  in  the  war  of  1812 
was  in  the  defense  of  Fort  Erie  and  at  the  battle  of  Lundy's  Lane.  He  was  with 
the  first  expedition  which  ascended  the  Mississippi  to  quiet  the  hostile  Indians, 
and  assisted  in  selecting  and  planting  Fort  Armstrong  upon  Rock  island,  upon 
which  he  settled  in  1816  and  resided  there  until  his  death.  He  was  a  partner  in 
the  American  Fur  company  until  its  withdrawal  from  the  Mississippi,  and  then 
carried  on  the  trade  with  the  Indians  alone  until  he  retired  from  business.  He 
was  of  a  free,  generous,  open-hearted  disposition,  full  of  anecdote  connected 
with  his  wild  and  adventurous  life,  pleasing  in  his  conversation  and  full  of  wit 
and  humor.  Long  had  he  lived  upon  the  frontier  amid  wars  and  fightings ;  often 
had  his  life  been  in  imminent  danger  from  the  scalping  knife  or  the  tomahawk, 
and  yet  in  the  broad  light  of  day.  in  a  civilized  land  and  amid  the  life  and  bustle 
of  the  celebration  of  our  natal  day  he  was  doomed  to  die  by  the  hand  of  despera- 
does ! 

For  many  weeks  no  trace  could  be  found  of  the  murderers.  Edward  Bonney. 
of  Lee  county,  in  the  territory  of  Iowa,  undertook  to  ferret  out  their  place  of 
concealment.  He  left  here  about  the  middle  of  August  and  proceeded  to  Nauvoo. 
where  he  first  got  trace  of  them  by  representing  himself  as  one  of  the  gang, 
which  might  have  been  true,  and  on  the  8th  of  September  arrested  Fox  at  Cen- 
terville,  Iowa,  and  committed  him  to  jail  there.  On  the  19th  he  arrested  Birch 
and  John  Long  at  Sandusky,  Ohio,  and  brought  them  to  Rock  Island,  by  way  of 
the  lakes  and  Chicago.  These  three  men  were  well  known  in  the  west  as  leaders 
of  a  gang  of  desperadoes,  although  they  went  by  different  names.  Richard  Bax- 
ter and  Aaron  Long,  a  brother  of  John,  were  soon  after  arrested  near  Galena, 
111.,  and  Granville  Young  at  Nauvoo.    These  three  last  were  taken  as  accessories. 

In  the  6th  of  October  following,  bills  of  indictment  were  found  by  the 
grand  jury  of  Rock  Island  county,  against  the  whole,  except  Fox.  who  had 
escaped  from  jail  on  the  17th  of  September  in  Indiana.  On  the  14th  of  October, 
the  two  Longs  and  Young  were  put  upon  trial,  a  change  of  venue  being  denied, 
found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  be  hung  on  the  29th  of  the  same  month.  Birch, 
the  greatest  villain  of  the  whole,  turned  state's  evidence.  Baxter  was  tried  sepa- 
rately, convicted  and  sentenced  to  be  hung  on  the  i8th  of  November.  A  writ  of 
error  was  sued  out  of  the  supreme  court,  a  new  trial  was  granted,  when  he  was 
found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  the  penitentiarj^  for  life,  where  he  died  in  about 
two  years.     Birch  took  a  change  of  venue  to  Knox  county  and  while  awaiting 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  i;;) 

THE  Wll.LARD    1!ARR0VVS   HISTORY. 

trial  escaped  from  jail.  Upon  the  gallows,  John  Long  confessed  all,  but  died  a 
hardened  wretch  without  the  least  signs  of  repentance  or  fear  of  death. 

The  shock  given  to  the  western  banditti  by  the  prompt  and  energetic  meas- 
ures taken  to  bring  these  murderers  to  justice  so  effectually  broke  up  the  gang 
that  for  a  long  time  the  country  was  free,  in  a  measure,  from  such  men. 

The  river  closed  this  year  the  30th  of  November. 

The  first  of  Januan-  of  the  year  1846  there  was  but  one  retail  liquor  shop  in 
the  city.  The  corporation  election  came  off  in  April  and  resulted  in  the  election 
of  James  Thorington  for  mayor,  Seth  F.  Whiting,  George  W.  Alvord,  A.  H. 
Miller,  John  Morton,  William  S.  Collins  and  A.  W.  McLoskey  for  aldermen. 

At  the  April  term  of  the  district  court  this  spring  there  was  but  one  case  on 
the  common  law  docket,  and  none  on  the  criminal  for  trial,  showing  the  peace- 
able and  harmonious  manner  in  which  the  people  of  Scott  county  lived  at  that  day. 

The  4th  of  July  was  celebrated  this  year  in  due  form,  Rev.  E.  Adams  deliv- 
ering the  oration,  prayer  by  Rev.  Mr.  Brabrook,  A.  C.  Fulton  being  marshal  of  the 
day.  It  was  about  the  first  of  this  month  that  A.  C.  Fulton  commenced  the  build- 
ing of  the  first  steam  mill  in  the  city  of  Davenport. 

At  the  August  election  S.  C.  Hastings  was  elected  to  congress ;  Loring 
Wheeler,  of  Clinton  county,  to  the  state  senate;  James  McManus  to  the  house; 
James  Thorington,  clerk  of  the  district  court;  A.  H.  Davenport,  sheriff;  V.  M. 
Firor,  prosecuting  attorney ;  Asa  Foster,  county  commissioner ;  H.  H.  Pease, 
assessor  and  A.  H.  Miller,  treasurer. 

John  Bechtel  opened  his  plow  factory  this  year,  and  carried  it  on  with  suc- 
cess for  some  years,  when  it  passed  into  other  hands  and  is  at  present  carried  on 
by  Mr.  Krum,  whose  plows  are  known  throughout  the  state  of  Iowa  as  the  best 
manufactured  in  the  west. 

The  "Iowa  College  Association"  was  formed  in  April,  1844,  but  no  decided 
steps  were  taken  or  location  made  until  1846,  when  Davenport  was  selected  as  the 
place  of  location,  "provided  the  citizens  would  raise  $1,500  for  buildings  and 
furnish  grounds  for  a  site."  Trustees  were  elected  the  following  spring  and  a 
building  erected  on  the  bluff  near  Western  avenue,  between  Sixth  and  Seventh 
streets.  The  institution  was  incorporated  in  June,  1847.  I"  March,  1854,  the 
college  grounds  (being  liable  to  have  streets  cut  through  them)  were  sold  and  a 
new  location  of  ten  acres  purchased  between  Brady  and  Harrison  above  Tenth 
street.  Here  the  present  college  edifice  was  erected  with  boarding  houses  in 
1855,  and  in  August  of  this  year  (1859)  the  present  location  was  sold  to  the 
Episcopah  diocese  of  Iowa  for  school  and  educational  purposes  and  the  Iowa 
college  is  removed  to  Grinnell,  a  village  in  the  interior  of  this  state,  in  Poweshiek 
county. 

At  the  April  election  of  this  year,  James  Grant  was  elected  district  judge  over 
his  opponent,  Piatt  Smith,  by  448  majority.  James  Thorington  was  elected  dis- 
trict clerk,  and  Hiram  Price  school  fund  commissioner. 

A  new  paper  was  started  about  this  time  called  the  Democratic  Banner,  by 
Alexander  Montgomery.  Esq.,  who  sold  out  to  R.  Smetham.  T.  D.  Eagal  after- 
ward became  its  editor  and  proprietor,  and  after  passing  through  several  other 
hands  it  was  purchased,  in  1855,  by  Messrs.  Hildreth,  Richardson  and  West.  Mr. 
Hildreth,  the  senior  editor,  died  in  September,  1857,  since  which  time  Messrs.  Rich- 


180  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD   HARROWS   HISTORY. 

ardson  &  West  have  continued  to  publish  the  same  under  the  name  of  the  Iowa 
State  Democrat.  Recently  a  couple  of  new  partners  have  entered  the  office,  the 
Daily  News  has  been  purchased,  and  is  now  combined  and  published  under  the 
name  of  the  Daily  Democrat  and  News.  A  more  extensive  notice  may  hereafter 
be  f^iven  of  this  democratic  paper. 

1847. — At  the  August  election,  H.  Leonard  was  elected  sheriff  against  Robert 
Christie ;  A.  H.  Miller,  recorder :  A.  \V.  McGreg-or,  prosecuting  attorney ;  Asa 
Foster,  commissioner;  John  Pope,  clerk:  J.  Thorington,  judge  of  probate;  Wm. 
L.  Cook,  coroner. 

The  immigration  of  Germans  was  large  this  year.  On  the  23d  of  June  lOO 
were  landed  from  the  Anthony  Wayne  steamer,  most  if  not  all  of  whom  settled 
in  this  county. 

Pork  was  worth  this  year  but  $1.75  to  $2.00  per  hundred  pounds  in  trade. 
The  first  railroad  meetings  were  held  this  year  in  relation  to  building  a  road  from 
Chicago  to  Davenport. 

The  returns  of  the  assessor  for  the  year  1847  were  on  valuations. 

73.264  Acres  of  land,  valued   at $238,375 

\'alue   of  town   lots 71,970 

Money  at  interest  in  the  county 1,675 

Merchandise    10,885 

918  Head  of  horses,  valued  at 29,244 

Machinery    5,840 

2,883  Head   of   cattle 25,286 

2,748  Head   of  sheep 4.013 

3,960  Head   of    hogs 4.224 

5  Head   of    mules 210 

^Miscellaneous     property 800 

Furniture    i  .960 

48  Wagons    1 ,825 

Amount  of  asses.sment $396,307 

There  were  3,652  white  inhabitants  in  the  county  and  two  negroes. 

The  first  land  agency  was  opened  this  year  by  Cook  &  Sargent  in  a  small 
one-story  wooden  building  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Second  streets,  where  the 
present  banking  house  now  stands. 

On  the  4th  of  October  of  this  year,  David  Hoge,  one  of  our  prominent  citi- 
zens, died  of  the  bilious  fever.  Mr.  Hoge  was  from  Ohio  and  had  emigrated  to 
this  country  in  1840.  was  first  engaged  in  merchandising  and  afterward  clerk  of 
the  district  court  to  near  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  man  of  talent  and  abil- 
ity, kind  and  gentlemanly  in  his  intercourse  with  mankind,  of  unswerving  integrity 
and  of  a  high  tone  of  moral  character.  He  was  cut  off  in  the  prime  of  life,  and 
by  his  death  Scott  county  lost  one  of  her  most  valued  citizens. 

The  river  closed  January  8th  and  opened  March  21st. 

1848. — This  year  opened  with  much  brighter  prospects  than  had  been  known 
for  years.      Emigration   had  been   on   the  increase.     A   home  market  had  been 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COL'XTV 


THE  WII.LARD   r..\KR(n\S   IlISTORV. 


created  for  surplus  produce;  agriculture  had  become  an  object,  and  the  hearts 
of  many  that  had  been  desponding-  began  to  look  for  better  times. 

Up  to  this  time  no  flouring  or  saw  mill  had  been  erected  in  thi>  city  of  any 
kind.  On  the  17th  of  January  the  first  steam  mill  in  Davenport  was  put  in  oper- 
ation by  A.  C.  Fulton.  It  had  been  but  five  months  and  twenty-two  days  in  build- 
ing. The  main  building  was  fifty-seven  feet  by  sixty  feet,  four  stories  high  with 
an  engine  room  twenty-seven  feet  by  fifty  feet.  Mr.  A.  Nugent  was  the  first 
miller.  Upon  the  completion  pf  this  mill,  there  was  a  general  burst  of  rejoicing 
among  the  citizens  of  Scott  county.  Mr.  Fulton  gave  a  grand  opening,  by  in- 
viting the  farmers  and  citizens  of  the  town  to  a  sumptuous  repast  served  up  in 
the  new  mill  on  the  17th  of  January,  1848.  Bread  was  made  from  flour  ground 
in  the  mill  on  the  same  day  of  the  celebration.  The  tables  groaned  with  luxuries. 
Pigs,  turkeys  and  chickens,  pies  and  cakes,  were  piled  upon  the  festive  board  and 
coffee  served  bountifully,  and  when  Mr.  Fulton  appeared  with  all  his  men  who 
had  been  employed  upon  the  mill,  three  tremendous  cheers  were  given  him,  to 
which  he  responded  in  a  most  happy  and  becoming  manner,  recounting  his  many 
difficulties  and  trials  in  pressing  forward  the  work  upon  this  mill.  About  300  par- 
took of  the  dinner.  The  Hon.  J  as.  Grant  spoke  on  the  occasion.  He  had  been  in 
attendance  at  the  legislature  at  Iowa  City,  and  in  his  speech  announced  that  he 
had  procured  a  charter  from  the  legislature  for  a  railroad  from  the  Mississippi 
river  to  the  Missouri.  This  information  excited  applause,  and  three  hearty  cheers 
were  given.  He  was  followed  by  Hiram  Price,  Esq.,  who  descanted  upon  the 
progress  of  the  age,  the  happy  results  of  the  energy  and  ambition  of  Mr.  Fulton 
amid  all  discouragements,  and  closed  with  an  anecdote  connected  with  the  build- 
ing of  the  mill.  He  said  that  when  Mr.  Fulton  began  that  mill,  an  old  man,  a 
resident  of  the  city,  told  him  "that  he  had  always  believed  Mr.  Fulton  to  be  crazy, 
but  now  he,  knew  it."  Mr.  Fulton  had  commenced  a  steam  mill  near  the  site  of 
the  old  one  and  after  completing  the  building  sold  it  to  Burrows  &  Prettyman, 
who  put  in  the  machinery  and  completed  it  in  the  same  month  with  that  of  Ful- 
ton's, which  he  commenced  soon  after  he  sold  to  B.  &  P. 

The  opening  and  celebration  of  Burrows  &  Prettyman's  mill  followed  on  the 
29th  of  January.  It  was  more  magnificent  than  that  of  Fulton's,  if  possible. 
Their  mill  was  forty-two  feet  by  sixty  feet,  three  stories  high,  and  built  of  brick, 
and  since  enlarged.  (That  of  Fulton  was  of  wood.)  There  were  four  pairs  of 
four  and  a  half  French  burrs,  two  bolts,  and  they  would  turn  out  alx)ut  200  bar- 
rels of  flour  per  day.  Hiram  Johnson  was  the  first  miller  in  this  mill,  one  of  the 
best  millers  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains.  A  further  notice  of  this  mill,  its 
present  capacity  for  flouring,  will  be  given,  together  with  some  remarks  upon  the 
character  of  those  who  thus  early  did  so  much  to  build  up  and  maintain  the  inter- 
ests of  our  county. 

The  4th  of  July  was  celebrated  in  due  fonn.  The  oration  was  by  John  F. 
Dillon,  Esq.  The  official  returns  of  the  August  election  announced  Shepherd 
Lefifler  for  congress,  John  D.  Evans  representative,  James  Thorington  clerk  of 
the  district  court  and  E.  S.  Wing  for  county  commissioner. 

There  were  thirty-five  houses  erected  this  year,  nearly  all  brick. 

The  winter  of  1848-49  was  long  and  severe. 


182  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WILLARD   R ARROWS   HISTORY. 


It  is  not  our  intention  to  write  the  biography  of  individuals  or  to  fill  up  this 
history  with  personal  achievements,  but  so  closely  are  some  of  our  early  settlers 
identified  with  our  history  that  it  becomes  necessary  to  bring  them  out  in  order 
to  trace  our  progress  and  prosperity  as  a  city  and  a  county  to  its  true  and  proper 
source.  There  are  individuals  in  the  midst  of  us,  prominent  citizens,  who  have 
passed  the  ordeal  of  a  pioneer  life  in  the  west,  and  whose  early  struggles  well 
deserve  a  passing  notice.  One  among  the  many  is  Mr.  J.  M.  D.  Burrows  of  the 
house  of  Burrows  &  Prettyman.  merchants  and  manufacturers  in  our  city  for 
more  than  twenty  years. 

Mr.  Burrows,  well  known  to  the  old  as  well  as  the  new  settlers,  first  came  to 
Iowa  (then  Wisconsin)  in  the  spring  of  1837.  He  was  a  native  of  New  York 
city,  but  spent  his  early  life  with  his  uncle  at  Elizabethtown.  N.  J. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  removed  to  Cincinnati.  Ohio,  where  in  the  course 
of  ten  years  he  accumulated  by  his  own  industry  a  little  property  and  married. 
Being  in  the  furniture  business  he  had  sold  to  western  merchants  along  the 
Mississippi  river  and  consigned  on  commission  to  others.  In  the  spring  of  1837 
he  took  a  trip  to  St.  Louis  and  the  upper  ^Mississippi  to  look  after  his  business. 
His  ardent  and  energetic  mind  was  soon  awakened  on  beholding  the  beauty  and 
magnitude  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  and  he  seemed  to  comprehend  at  once  the 
prospects  for  the  future  of  this  promising  land.  He  returned  to  Cincinnati, 
however,  without  making  any  investments  or  even  deciding  upon  any  future 
operations  here.  During  the  following  year  his  mind  seemed  to  dwell  continu- 
ally upon  the  beauties  and  prospects  of  the  west,  and  of  Davenport  as  a  center 
of  attraction.  So  strongly  was  he  impressed  with  the  prospects  here  that  he 
decided  on  his  second  visit.     A  trip  to  the  west  was  no  small  undertaking. 

There  were  others  in  Cincinnati  turning  their  attention  this  way  and  among 
them  our  esteemed  fellow  citizen,  John  Owens,  Esq.  It  was  at  this  time  Mr.  Bur- 
rows first  became  acquainted  with  him.  Together  in  a  one-horse  buggy  they  set 
forth  in  the  spring  of  1838  for  Davenport,  then  in  Wisconsin  territory,  and  made 
the  trip  by  land  in  ten  days  and  a  half.  They  spent  a  month  here  examining  and 
admiring  the  country  during  which  time  they  purchased  a  "claim"  of  eighty  acres, 
long  known  as  the  "Owens  &  Burrows  tract,"  a  part  of  which  is  still  owned  by 
Mr.  Burrows,  and  upon  which  his  beautiful  dwelling  now  stands  amid  grounds 
tastefully  laid  out  and  covered  with  vineyards,  shrubbery  and  the  choicest  fruits 
planted  by  his  own  hands.  They  also,  as  was  the  custom  in  those  days,  took  each 
of  them  a  "claim"  of  320  acres  of  prairie  land  back  of  the  town,  feeling  prob- 
ably that  if  the  town  ever  became  of  importance,  the  land  might  be  valuable  for 
farming  purposes.  This  claim  was  the  entire  section  17,  lying  back  of  West 
Davenport  on  Duck  creek,  and  through  which  the  railroad  now  passes.  Messrs. 
Owens  and  Burrows  drew  cuts  for  choice  of  halves,  dividing  the  section  north 
and  south.  Mr.  Burrows  drew  the  east  half  nearest  the  town.  As  some  demon- 
stration had  to  be  made  in  the  way  of  improvements  in  order  to  hold  the  claim 
from  being  "jumped"  they  employed  Strong  Burnell,  Esq.,  to  break  five  fur- 
rows around  the  entire  tract  at  a  cost  of  $15,  which  was  done.  Some  two  years 
after  this,  when  the  land  was  brought  into  market  and  offered  for  sale,  these  two 
claim  speculators  held  a  consultation  as  to  the  entry  of  the  land  at  government 
price ;  whether  the  prospects  would  warrant  such  an  investment.     Upon  mature 


J.  :m.  d.  burrows 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  185 

THE  VVILLAkD    liARROWS   HISTORY. 

deliberation  Mr.  Owens  abandoned  his  at  once,  as  not  being  of  sufficient  value 
so  far  from  the  village  and  all  prairie,  some  of  which  has  since  been  sold  for 
$ioo  an  acre.  Mr.  Burrows  gave  his  part  to  Dr.  Hall,  on  his  paying  the  $15 
paid  to  Mr.  Burnell  for  the  breaking. 

Before  Mr.  Burrows  returned  to  Cincinnati,  however,  he  made  arrangements 
for  some  improvements  upon  his  first  claim,  purchased  in  connection  with  Mr. 
Owens  of  forty  acres  (his  present  homestead).  There  had  been  seven  acres 
broken  upon  his  forty  acres,  and  he  contracted  with  our  fellow  townsman,  B. 
F.  Coates,  Esq.,  to  erect  a  dwelling  house,  the  same  that  now  stands  in  front  of 
his  present  residence.  This  forty-acre  claim  cost  Mr.  Burrows  $250,  and  Mr. 
Owens  paid  $200  for  his. 

Mr.  Burrows  returned  to  Cincinnati  with  a  determination  to  return  west 
again  if  he  could  dispose  of  his  property  in  Cincinnati.  He  was  full  of  excite- 
ment on  the  subject  of  emigration  to  the  west.  He  seemed  anxious  to  be  among 
the  first  and  to  cast  his  lot  with  the  emigrating  throng,  but  in  his  more  thought- 
ful moods  he  began  to  cast  about  him  to  see  what  he  could  do  to  maintain  his 
family  in  this  new  country.  He  was  doing  well  where  he  was.  His  ambitious 
views  began  to  dampen,  and  his  excitement  began  to  settle  down  upon  a  more 
solid  basis.  He  felt  that  there  was  an  uncertainty,  a  risk  in  a  step  so  important. 
He,  therefore,  to  save  himself  the  mortification  of  a  square  backout  on  emigra- 
tion, ofifered  his  property  for  sale,  putting  on  such  a  price  that  he  was  sure  no 
one  would  purchase.  But  in  this  he  was  mistaken.  In  a  very,  very  short  time 
a  purchaser  appeared  and  took  the  property  at  his  ofifer.  In  a  very  few  weeks 
after,  all  this  property  was  consumed  by  fire  without  any  insurance.  Mr.  Bur- 
rows had  secured  his  money  and  seemed  to  feel  that  all  things  pointed  in  the 
direction  of  his  desired  object.  He,  therefore,  removed  to  Davenport  with  his 
family,  and  in  1839  cultivated  his  seven  acres  upon  his  forty  acre  homestead, 
and  also  rented  a  small  tract  that  had  been  broken  upon  the  Dubuque  road,  near 
Duck  creek  north  of  the  Lindsley  place.  Here  he  labored  faithfully  the  first 
season  and  succeeded  in  raising  a  crop,  walking  to  and  from  his  work  with  his 
little  tin  dinner  pail,  eating  his  lonely  meal  on  the  banks  of  Duck  creek.  Just 
before  harvest  the  cattle  broke  in  and  destroyed  his  entire  crop.  Winter  was 
coming  on  and  the  prospects  to  our  old  friend,  just  at  that  time,  must  have  looked 
rather  dreary.  But  his  energies  and  ambition  were  ever  adequate  to  the  exigencies 
of  the  case. 

With  fresh  thought  and  new  courage  he  determined  to  build  a  store  house 
in  the  town,  and  in  the  spring  apply  to  his  friends  in  Cincinnati  for  assistance  to 
commence  merchandising.  He  accordingly  set  about  cutting  trees  and  hewing 
timber  for  that  little  store  house  that  stood  so  long  and  was  occupied  by 
the  firm  of  Burrows  &  Prettyman  on  Front  street,  and  has  since  disappeared  to 
make  room  for  the  present  spacious  edifice.  The  frame  of  this  first  store  house 
he  got  out  with  his  own  hands  and  with  the  help  of  Mr.  James  Rumbold  erected 
the  building  covering  it  with  clapboards  made  from  the  native  oak,  with  the 
rude  tools  of  the  pioneer.  The  spring  of  1840  found  Mr.  Burrows  with  his 
pecuniary  means  nearly  exhausted  and  no  favorable  prospect  of  business  of  any 
kind.  The  future  was  dark.  He  went  on  to  Cincinnati,  told  his  story  of  the  west, 
its  present  condition  and  its  future  prospects.    His  uncle  purchased  him  a  stock 


186  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

of  goods,  selecting  them  himself  and  Mr.  Burrows  returned  as  a  commission 
merchant  with  new  energy  and  a  lighter  heart.  This  was  his  first  attempt  at 
merchandising.  He  succeeded  well,  and  in  the  fall  went  back  to  Cincinnati  and 
renewed  his  stock,  his  uncle  becoming  his  security.  This  time  his  cousin  as- 
sisted in  the  selection  of  the  goods.  There  was  a  surplus  of  wheat  for  the 
first  time  in  the  country  this  fall,  and  ^Ir.  Burrows  purchased  and  shipped  the 
first  bushel  of  wheat  that  ever  went  out  of  Scott  county.  It  was  raised  by 
Messrs.  Moss  and  Bradley,  just  above  the  mouth  of  Duck  creek  and  sold  at  45 
cents  a  bushel.  This  was  the  beginning  of  the  produce  business  in  Davenport, 
a  business  which  in  after  years,  as  will  be  seen,  Mr.  Burrows  entered  into  very 
largely.  Nearly  all  produce  at  that  day  was  shipped  up  the  river  for  the  supply 
of  military  posts  and  the  Indian  trade.  He  also  bought  and  packed  the  first 
pork  that  was  ever  sold  in  our  market.  This  he  took  in  the  spring  of  1841  with 
the  ham?  and  shoulders  to  Prairie  du  Chien  and  sold  them  to  Rice  &  Dowsman, 
Indian  traders,  receiving  his  pay  in  the  only  currency  then  known,  silver  dollars, 
and  half  dollars  with  a  little  gold  coin.  This  was  much  annoyance  to  him  as  it 
was  bulky  and  heavy.  He  had  no  trunk  nor  even  a  valise,  such  things  not  be- 
ing considered  indispensable  for  such  a  trip  in  those  days.  His  business  being 
finished,  he  found  there  was  no  boat  for  his  return  to  Davenport  for  some  days. 
By  traveling  some  twelve  miles  across  the  country  and  crossing  the  Wisconsin 
river  lie  would  reach  a  place  where  the  stage  passed.  It  was  nearly  noon,  when 
wrapping  his  specie  in  separate  parcels  to  keep  them  from  rattling,  putting  some 
in  one  pocket  and  some  in  another,  taking  some  in  his  hand  tied  up  in  his  pocket 
handerchief,  he  left  Frairie  du  Cliien  on  foot.  The  Wisconsin  river  three  miles 
below  was  very  high,  rushing  and  foaming  among  the  willows  upon  its  banks. 
No  ferryman  could  be  found  and  Mr.  Burrows  took  a  canoe  that  was  often  used 
to  cross  foot  passengers  and  attempted  to  cross,  himself.  Although  most  em- 
phatically a  western  man,  yet  his  experience  in  paddling  the  Indian  canoe  was 
very  limited,  and  as  he  entered  the  boiling  current  his  frail  bark  became  un- 
manageable and  he  was  whirled  round  and  round  among  the  willows  and  snags 
at  the  most  imminent  peril  of  his  life.  He  could  not  ])addle  his  canoe  and  being 
left  to  the  mercy  of  the  waves  he  quietly  waited  the  opportunity  in  his  downward 
passage  of  being  thrown  near  the  opposite  shore,  a  chance  which  soon  offered, 
when  he  leaped  from  his  canoe  and  by  wading  some  distance  reached  the  shore, 
fastening  his  treacherous  bark  to  some  willows.  He  regained  his  path  and  in 
a  short  time  came  to  a  creek  overflowed,  and  the  bridge  gone.  Searching  for  a 
narrow  place  he  took  a  running  jump  and  barely  landed  on  the  opposite  bank. 
But  the  sudden  deposit  of  himself  and  load  caused  the  specie  in  one  of  his  coat 
pockets  to  break  loose  and  fall  into  the  creek  carrying  with  it  pocket  and  all. 
Nothing  daunted  our  hero  soon  fished  it  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  creek  and 
pursued  his  way  to  the  stage  station  where  he  expeced  to  find  conveyance,  but 
was  disappointed. 

He  at  once  determined  to  pursue  his  way  on  foot  to  Dubuque.  It  was  late 
in  the  afternoon,  and  the  country  very  sparsely  settled,  but  when  nearly  dark 
he  came  to  a  farm  house.  His  load  of  specie  began  to  grow  heavy,  his  weary 
limbs  sought  rest ;  but  where  to  deposit  his  treasure  for  the  night  was  his 
greatest  trouble.    He  was  afraid  to  meet  a  fellow  man.  for  fear  of  robbery,  but 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  1S7 

Tin-:  WII.LARD   BARROWS  HISTORY. 

he  wanted  shelter.  He  first  thought  of  burying  his  money  until  the  morning, 
but  he  liatl  been  observed  in  his  approach  to  the  house  and  he  boldly  walked 
to  the  door  and  asked  for  entertainment  for  the  night  of  the  lady  of  the  house. 
He  was  referred  to  the  husband  at  the  stable,  who  of  course  turned  none  away. 
At  supper  three  other  dark  visaged,  unshaven  men  appeared  at  the  table  which 
much  excited  the  already  burdened  mind  of  our  friend.  The  weight  of  the 
coin  was  so  burdensome  that  he  had  removed  a  portion  of  it  from  his  pockets 
to  his  hat,  which  he  kept  close  by  his  side,  and  on  being  invited  to  the  table  carried 
his  hat  along  and  set  it  down  by  his  side.  The  dim  light  of  the  cabin  revealed 
but  partially  the  company  with  whom  he  was  destined  to  spend  the  night,  and 
robbery  and  murder  seemed  to  be  uppermost  in  his  thoughts.  "All  were  seated," 
said  Mr.  Burrows,  "when  the  divine  blessing  was  invoked  upon  the  frugal  meal, 
and  a  weight  rolled  from  my  mind  greater  than  the  one  I  had  carried  through 
the  day."  He  was  beneath  the  shelter  of  a  professed  disciple  of  Qirist.  his  sup- 
per was  taken  with  a  keen  relish  and  his  sleep  refreshing. 

In  the  morning  he  pursued  his  way  at  an  early  hour  and  reached  Dubuque 
about  10  o'clock  at  night,  traveling  the  whole  distance  of  seventy  miles  on 
foot,  in  less  than  two  days.  He  soon  found  a  boat  and  returned  to  Davenport. 
Such  were  the  difficulties  and  dangers  incident  to  a  pioneer  merchant  and  trader 
of  that   day. 

We  remember  Mr.  Burrows,  as  he  was  in  1839,  full  of  energy  and  ambition, 
shrinking  from  no  labor,  however  hard  or  menial  that  required  his  attention.  In 
the  summer  of  1839  while  he  was  living  in  his  first  home  under  the  blufi'  I  called 
with  my  wife.  He  was  engaged  in  digging  a  well.  The  dirt  tub  was  soon  low- 
ered by  the  attendant  at  the  windlass,  and  in  due  course  of  time  Mr.  Burrows 
was  drawn  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  well,  covered  with  mud  and  dirt,  the  very 
picture  of  a  Dubuque  miner.  This  was  our  first  introduction  to  him  and  although 
time  has  wrought  many  changes  since,  yet  have  I  never  been  able  to  discover 
any  labor  too  arduous  for  him  where  his  personal  attention  was  required.  The 
perseverance,  industry  and  sterling  integrity  of  Mr.  Burrows  in  addition  to  his 
business  capacity  have  always  secured  him  a  host  of  friends. 

It  was  about  the  year  1840.  we  believe,  that  he  associated  with  him  in  busi- 
ness R.  M.  Prettyman,  Esq..  from  Maryland,  who  has  stood  side  by  side  with 
him  and  buffeted  alike  the  financial  waves  that  at  times  rolled  over  our  western 
country.  ]\Ir.  Prettyman  has  shared  alike  in  the  burdens  and  difficulties  of  a 
commercial  life,  and  is  deserving  of  all  credit  for  prompt,  persevering  applica- 
tion to  business.  He  is  known  for  honest,  honorable  and  high-toned  principle 
as  a  business  man  and  is  kind  and  unassuming  in  all  his  dealings,  and  of  sound, 
moral  worth. 

1847. — The  first  attempt  at  manufacturing  flour  by  this  celebrated  firm, 
Burrows  &  Prettyman,  was  at  Rockingham,  five  miles  below  this  city.  On  ac- 
count of  the  foreign  demand  produce  was  high  all  over  the  United  States.     In 


188  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLAltD   BAliKUWS    HISTORY. 

February,  1846,  wheat  was  worth  here  70  cents,  and  before  April  it  fell  to  25 
cents.  There  was  no  probability  of  a  continuance  of  the  war  with  Mexico, 
and  Burrows  &  Prettyman  had  purchased  heavily  at  rates  ranging  from  60  to 
75  cents.  Their  capital  was  all  invested  in  wheat,  and  but  for  the  timely  aid  of 
a  friend,  utter  insolvency  would  have  followed.  That  great  hnancier,  and  friend 
to  the  deserving,  James  E.  Woodruff,  of  St.  Louis,  stepped  forward,  advanced 
money  and  Burrows  &  Prettyman  rented  the  Rockingham  steam  mill  and  manu- 
factured the  wheat  into  flour.  This  operation  not  only  saved  them  from  bank- 
ruptcy, but  they  made  more  in  the  same  time  out  of  the  same  capital  than  ever 
before  or  since.  "Mr.  Woodruff,"  says  Mr.  Burrows,  "was  the  best  friend  that 
I  ever  had."  It  will  be  recollected  that  Mr.  Woodruff  left  home  for  Europe  to 
relieve  an  overwrought  brain  by  too  close  application  to  business  which  was 
fast  hurrying  him  to  an  early  grave  and  was  lost  with  his  wife  on  the  ill-fated 
Arctic  at  sea. 

The  manufacture  of  flour  at  Rockingham  and  the  profits  on  a  government 
contract  for  the  supply  of  military  and  Indian  stores  at  the  forts  and  trading 
houses  above  on  the  Mississippi  river  in  the  spring  of  1847  were  what  gave  this 
firm  their  first  start  in  business  to  any  great  extent.  The  mill  at  Rockingham 
being  too  small  for  future  operations  the  new  mills  then  nearly  completed  in 
Davenport  by  A.  C.  Fulton  were  purchased.  The  building  alone  was  completed, 
ready  to  receive  the  machinery.  Burrows  &  Prettyman  immediately  commenced 
putting  the  mill  in  running  order,  and  on  the  29th  of  January  set  it  in  opera- 
tion. This  was  an  undertaking  of  no  ordinary  kind  at  that  early  day.  The  en- 
terprise was  an  experiment  of  doubtful  issue  when  we  take  into  consideration 
the  small  quantity  of  wheat  grown  and  the  slow  progress  of  settlement  then  going 
on  in  our  county.  ^Messrs.  Burrows  &  Prettyman  entered  into  it  with  many  fears 
but  with  stout  hearts.  But  scarcely  had  the  contract  been  closed  before  Mr. 
Fulton  without  stopping  to  reflect  upon  consequences  started  for  St.  Louis 
and  with  the  money  and  paper  received  for  his  mill  purchased  the  machinery  and 
materials  for  another  mill  still  greater  in  proportions  than  his  first  one.  And 
such  was  the  perseverance  and  energ}'  of  Mr.  Fulton  that  he  had  it  completed 
and  running  before  Burrows  &  Prettyman  got  theirs  in  operation.  It  stood 
close  by  the  other  on  Front  street. 

Amid  all  these  discouragements  and,  as  they  thought,  uncalled  for  and  un- 
fair opposition.  Burrows  &  Prettyman  had  their  mill  in  operation  in  a  few  days 
after  that  of  Mr.  Fulton's,  and  Davenport  which  before  had  never  possessed  a 
mill  of  any  kind  now  sent  up  the  steam  from  two  first  rate  flouring  mills, 
while  one  could  have  done  the  business  and  was  amply  sufficient,  as  was  after- 
ward shown.  Mr.  Fulton  ran  his  mill  about  a  year  and  failed.  It  was  then 
rented  to  G.  L.  Davenport,  William  Inslee  and  L.  A.  Macklot  who  ran  it  a  year 
and  a  half  and  lost  some  $3,000  in  the  operation,  when  it  was  sold  to  Burrows 
&  Prettyman  for  the  sum  of  $10,500  who  ran  it  a  year,  lost  money,  and  then 
used  it  two  years  as  a  warehouse.  The  machiner)^  was  then  sold  to  parties  in 
LeClaire  and  was  consumed  by  fire  a  few  years  since.  The  building  was  torn 
down  to  give  room  for  the  block  of  stores  built  by  ]\lr.  Burrows  in  1855. 

The  present  mill  was  remodeled  in  1854  at  a  cost  of  $25,000.  The  machinery 
in  this  mill  is  said  to  be  the  most  perfect  in  the  west.    The  Albion  mills  are  capable 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  189 

THIi  VVILLARD   liARROWS   HISTORY. 

of  manufacturing  500  barrels  per  day  of  twenty-four  hours'  run.  There  were 
on  one  occasion  540  barrels  of  flour  made  in  this  mill  in  twenty-four  hours.  It 
manufactures  yearly  more  than  any  other  three  mills  in  the  state  of  Iowa  and 
its  llour  brings  in  the  New  York  market  25  cents  per  barrel  more  than  St. 
Louis  brands  made  from  the  same  wheat.  In  1855  this  mill  made  80,000  barrels 
of  flour,  grinding  400,000  bushels  of  wheat.  The  largest  amount  of  business 
ever  done  by  this  firm  in  any  one  year  was  in  1855  when  it  amounted  to  over 
$700,000. 

The  pork  packing  business  in  former  years  was  another  important  branch  of 
business  by  this  house.  In  1854  they  packed  19,000  hogs  which  was  their  heavi- 
est year  in  this  business,  although  they  have  done  more  or  less  at  it  for  the  last 
twenty  years.  The  present  value  of  the  Albion  mills  is  rated  at  $40,000  and 
the  block  of  brick  stores,  five  in  number,  adjoining  them  is  rated  also  at  $40,000 
besides  the  ground. 

In  the  social  relations  Mr.  Burrows  stands  high.  Liberal  and  sensitive,  he  has 
ever  been  the  friend  of  the  poor  man.  In  earlier  days  and  times  of  financial  dis- 
tress when  the  little  necessities  of  life  were  hard  to  be  obtained  by  the  emigrant 
and  pioneer  settler,  the  liberal  hand  of  Mr.  Burrows  was  always  open  and  his 
great  heart  always  yielded  to  the  wants  of  his  fellowman.  Many  are  the  old 
settlers  in  Scott,  Clinton  and  Cedar  counties  who  can  well  remember  these  numer- 
ous acts  of  kidness ;  that  when  there  was  no  flour  to  be  obtained  elsewhere  nor 
goods  to  be  had  of  other  merchants.  Burrows  &  Prettyman's  store  was  always 
open  and  the  "latch  string  always  hanging  out."  In  times  of  scarcity  for  seed 
wheat,  and  when  farmers  did  not  preserve  it,  Burrows  &  Prettyman  in  their  fore- 
sight and  wisdom  had  taken  care  to  have  a  supply,  and  freely  loaned  it  receiving 
their  pay  back  from  the  crop  produced  from  it.  These  acts  of  kindness  and  benev- 
olence many  remember,  and  to  this  day  may  be  seen  farmers  in  our  streets  with 
loads  of  wheat  refusing  all  other  offers,  until  Burrows  &  Prettyman  should  have 
the  refusal  of  it. 

But  few  of  the  early  settlers  of  Scott  county  have  done  so  much  toward  the 
settlement  and  progress  of  it  as  Mr.  Burrows.  His  long,  arduous,  energetic  and 
constant  application  to  business  seems  not  to  have  impaired  his  health  nor  damp- 
ened his  mental  vigor.  His  slender  frame  but  iron  nerve  still  stands  unshaken 
amid  the  storms  of  commercial  life,  and  he  may  be  seen,  early  and  late  at  the 
counting  room  and  the  mill,  in  New  York  or  St.  Paul,  pursuing  his  business  with 
that  same  elastic  step,  and  with  as  much  life  and  ambition  as  he  did  twenty  years 
ago.  By  his  own  industry  he  has  carved  out  for  himself  a  fortune,  and  there  is 
none  better  calculated  to  enjoy  it  nor  having  more  sincere  friends  desirous  of 
his  happiness  than  J.  M.  D.  Burrows.  A  Christian,  not  only  by  profession,  he 
loves  and  lives  by  its  pure  principles  and  with  a  most  liberal  hand  gives  of  his 
abundance  into  the  treasury  of  the  Lord.  He  is  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
church  in  this  city,  of  which,  we  believe,  he  was  one  of  the  founders  and  has  done 
much  for  its  support  and  prosperity.  Long  may  he  live,  enjoying  the  comforts 
his  industr)^  has  purchased  among  friends  new  and  old,  and  in  the  bosom  of  his 
pleasant  family  in  quiet  and  in  peace  spend  the  winter  of  his  days,  and  as  his 
locks  whiten  with  age  be  able  to  look  back  and  feel  that  he  has  not  lived  in  vain 
nor  been  a  drone  in  the  hive  of  humanity. 


190  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WlLLAkD   IJAKROVVS    HISTORY. 

1849.       GENERAL    HISTORY. 

In  February  of  this  year,  when  the  ice  broke  loose,  it  gor<^ed  in  the  islands 
below,  and  caused  the  back  water  to  overflow  Front  street  from  Brady  up  to 
LeClaire  street,  running  into  Second  street.  The  water  on  the  floor  of  Burrows 
&  Prettyman's  store  on  Front  street  was  about  four  inches  deep.  It  only  re- 
mained from  II  o'clock,  a.  m.,  until  early  next  morning-.    The  spring  was  early. 

At  the  April  election  in  the  city,  Jonathan  Parker  was  elected  mayor,  John  L. 
Davis,  Wm.  McCammon,  N.  Squires.  James  M.  Bowling,  W.  S.  Collins  and 
Samuel  Lyter  were  elected  aldermen ;  James  Thorington,  district  clerk ;  John 
Evans,  treasurer :  and  L.  J.  Senter,  marshal.  The  census,  taken  by  the  assessor 
this  year,  makes  the  population  within  the  corporate  limits  to  be  1,200  and  1,500 
in  the  township.  At  the  August  election,  H.  Leonard  was  elected  sheriflP,  Hiram 
Price,  recorder ;  John  Rowser,  commissioners'  clerk ;  A.  C.  Fulton,  county  com- 
missioner;  W.  Barrows,  surveyor;  A.  W.  McGregor,  prosecuting  attorney;  and 
J.  Thorington.  probate  judge. 

On  the  5th  of  July  the  first  case  of  cholera  made  its  appearance  in  the  city. 
Samuel  Sloper  and  Thomas  Dillon,  two  of  the  pioneer  settlers,  were  stricken 
down  and  a  general  panic  seized  upon  the  inhabitants.  The  epidemic  spread ; 
emigrants  landed  from  steamboats  with  cholera  and  ship  fever  and  died  in  con- 
siderable numbers. 

On  the  20th  of  April  of  this  year  A.  C.  Fulton  made  a  proposition  to  the  city 
council  to  grade  and  fill  Front  street  with  adjoining  streets  and  alleys  from  Rock 
Island  to  Ripley  streets,  for  the  sum  of  $4,200,  payable  in  five  years,  but  was  re- 
fused the  contract.  On  the  25th  of  May  following,  he  made  another  proposition 
to  fill  anl  level  every  street  and  alley  two  feet  above  the  level  from  the  east  side 
of  Rock  Island  to  Ripley,  and  as  far  back  from  the  river  as  Fourth  street,  for 
the  sum  of  $4,200,  payable  in  yearly  installments  with  interest,  but  was  refused. 
Such  were  the  prudence,  caution  and  fear  of  indebtedness  in  the  city  fathers  of 
that  day.  This  same  work  has  since  cost  the  city  more  than  ten  times  that  amount, 
imder  the  modern  rule  and  the  extravagant  progress  of  the  age. 

The  census  was  taken  this  year  in  June  by  Jabez  A.  Birchard,  the  assessor. 
and  amounted  to  4,873  in  the  county.  The  report  of  the  county  commissioners 
made  the  expenditures  $2,514.23  and  the  receipts  $5,808.16.  D.  C.  Eldridge 
again  received  the  appointment  of  postmaster.  Land,  at  that  time,  good  prairie, 
could  be  entered  within  nine  miles  of  the  city. 

There  were  at  this  time  in  the  city  of  Davenport  iwenty-two  carpenters,  nine 
stone  masons,  two  stone  cutters,  five  brick  makers,  six  bricklayers,  five  plasterers, 
six  ])rinter'^.  ten  cabinet  makers,  five  chair  makers,  seven  wheelwrights,  two  coach 
makers,  twelve  blacksmiths,  fifteen  coopers,  five  saddlers  and  harness  makers, 
one  trunk  maker,  eight  shoemakers,  three  tin  and  copper  smiths,  seven 
tailors,  four  engineers,  three  millers,  two  sawyers,  eight  draymen,  nine  teamsters, 
three  butchers,  one  dyer  and  scourer,  one  gunsmith,  one  watchmaker,  one  turner, 
one  baker,  one  upholsterer,  one  barber,  nine  ministers,  four  physicians,  two 
lawyers,  two  weekly  papers.  The  public  buildings  were  two  steam  flouring 
mills,  one  steam  sawmill,  the  Iowa  college,  the  Medical  college,  five  schoolhouses, 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  193 

THE  WILLARD   liAKKOWS   HISTORY. 

three  hotels,  two  billiard  rooms,  two  coffeehouses,  nineteen  stores,  one  public 
hall,  one  exchange  office,  two  pork  houses,  one  livery  stable  and  one  plow  factory. 
The  commercial  business  of  1849  may  be  understood  by  reference  to  the  fol- 
lowing exports  of  that  year,  which  furnish  data  from  which  the  increase  of  bus- 
iness may  hereafter  be  determined  : 

There  were  shipped  of  flour    30,200  bbls. 

There  were  shipped  of  pork    i  .425  bbls. 

There  were  shipped  of  lard    720  bbls. 

There  were  shipped  of  wheat    16,700  bu. 

There  were  shipped  of  beans    200  bu. 

There  were  shipped  of  potatoes    300  bu. 

There  were  shipped  of  onions    11,160  bu. 

There  were  shipped  of  barley    5,020  bu. 

There  were  shipped  of  flaxseed    128  bbls. 

There  were  shipped  of  bran  and  shorts    320,000  bbls. 

There  were  shipped  of  hides    20,400  bbls. 

There  were  shipped  of  bacon    212  hhds. 

While  the  imports  for  the  same  time  amounted  to : 

Merchandise    $148,500 

Pine  and  oak  lumber 790,000  ft. 

Shingles    1,120,000 

Squared  timber 6,000  ft. 

Reaping   machines 42 

Laths    310.000 

This  amount  of  business  may  seem  meager,  but  when  we  consider  the  diffi- 
culties under  which  we  labored  at  that  time,  having  no  railroad  nor  other  com- 
munication with  distant  markets,  except  St.  Louis  by  the  Mississippi  river,  it  was 
by  no  means  small.  \\'e  were  upon  the  eve  of  a  brighter  destiny,  a  general  pros- 
perity. Our  railroad  to  Chicago  had  come  to  be  a  settled  fact,  our  state  had 
gained  notoriety  abroad  for  her  genial  climate  and  her  rich  and  valuable  lands, 
and  the  year  1850  was  ushered  in  with  every  prospect  of  better  times.  The  river 
closed  the  27th  of  November.  Population  of  the  county,  5.500.  Twenty-two 
thousand  acres  of  land  were  entered  this  year  in  the  county. 

1850. — The  spring  opened  early,  but  was  cold  and  backward.  Grass  did  not 
start  until  nearly  May.  In  March  of  this  year  Mr.  Strong  Burnell  commenced 
his  steam  sawmill,  situated  on  the  corner  of  Front  and  Scott  streets.  This  was 
another  important  improvement  and  a  great  acquisition  to  the  business  and  pros- 
perity of  the  city.  As  a  mechanic  and  a  man  of  genius  in  machinery.  Mr.  Burnell 
stands  high.  He  came  to  Davenport  in  April,  1839,  with  a  complete  outfit  of 
implements  and  stock  for  farming.  His  first  summer  was  spent  in  breaking 
prairie,  and  after  fanning  upon  the  prairies,  he  removed  into  the  village,  with  the 
conviction  that  he  was  not  destined  for  a  farmer.  He  then  commenced  business 
in  the  line  of  his  trade  as  a  carpenter  and  in  1841  built  the  brick  house  that  now 
stands  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Sixth  and  Brady  streets.  In  1842  he  received 
the  appointment  as  deputy  county  surveyor.     In  the  summer  of  1844  he  built  the 


194  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD   BARROWS    HISTORY. 

Congregational  church  and  the  same  autumn  he  returned  to  Massachusetts  and 
remained  nearly  five  years.  In  1849  or*  I'^is  return  to  Davenport,  at  the  earnest 
solicitation  of  the  citizens  of  Davenport  and  with  promises  of  assistance,  he  com- 
menced his  mill,  making  his  own  engine  at  Moline,  and  in  the  summer  of  1850, 
with  many  hard  struggles,  he  got  his  mill  raised  and  enclosed,  the  machinery'  in 
and  in  October  set  it  running.  It  was  remodeled  soon  after  and  more  machinery 
added,  when  it  ran  with  much  success,  clearing  the  first  three  and  a  half  years 
over  $24,000.  In  1854  the  mill  was  enlarged,  more  machinery  added  and  a  new 
company  formed — Burnell,  Gillett  &  Co.  They  attached  a  shingle  machine,  sash, 
door  and  blind  factory.  It  was  propelled  by  two  engines  of  100  horsepower, 
employed  about  ninety  hands  and  made  about  50,000  feet  of  lumber  per  day.  But 
large  investments  in  the  pine  regions  with  borrowed  capital,  speculations  in  real 
estate  and  bad  management  of  the  concern,  caused  a  failure  in  1858.  and  the  mill 
stood  idle.  Through  all  the  trials  and  difficulties  that  Air.  Burnell  has  been  called 
to  pass,  he  has  maintained  unswerving  principle  and  stands  unimpeached  in  his 
moral  and  Christian  character. 

In  May  of  this  year  Mr.  LeClaire  laid  out  his  fourth  addition  to  the  city  of 
Davenport.  It  extended  from  the  east  side  of  Rock  Island  street  to  the  west  side 
of  Iowa  street,  south  of  Seventh  street  to  Second.  The  first  district  school  was 
opened  this  year  by  James  Thorington,  and  the  first  regular  bookstore  by  W.  H. 
Holmes.  The  Der  Demokrat,  a  German  newspaper,  was  commenced  by 
Theodore  Guelich.  M.  C.  Davis  opened  the  old  Pennsylvania  House  on  Second 
street,  below  Main. 

On  the  1 8th  of  April  the  second  fire  in  Davenport  took  place.  The  house  of 
Mr<.  Dillon  was  burned.  The  assessment  in  June  by  Jabez  A.  Birchard,  Esq., 
showed  a  valuation  of  taxable  property  to  be  $75,000.  Dr.  James  Hall  was 
mayor  of  the  city,  with  the  same  officers  of  the  year  before.  The  August  election 
resulted  in  the  election  of  Wm.  E.  Lefiingwell  for  the  senate ;  Laurel  Summers  to 
the  house;  J.  Thorington,  clerk  of  district  court;  A.  W.  McGregor,  prosecuting 
attorney,  and  John  W.  Wiley,  county  commissioner.  The  supposed  population 
of  the  city  on  the  ist  of  September  was  2,000.  One  hundred  new  houses  were 
erected  in  the  city  during  this  year  and  22,041  acres  of  land  entered  in  the  county 
at  the  land  office  in  Iowa  City.  The  subject  of  bridging  the  Mississippi  river  at 
this  point  was  also  agitated  this  year.  Scott  county  subscribed  $75,000  to  the 
stock  in  the  Chicago  and  Rock  Island  railroad.  Business  men,  merchants,  me- 
chanics, professional  men  and  others  began  to  settle  here. 

185 1. — In  February  of  this  year,  on  petition  of  citizens  of  Davenport,  the 
legislature  granted  a  new  city  charter.  There  was  much  opposition  to  it  at  the 
charter  election  and  it  succeeded  by  a  vote  of  only  twenty-six  majority.  Charles 
Weston,  Esq.,  was  elected  mayor  at  the  same  election ;  Leonard  Wygant  and  Dr. 
Barrows,  S.  N.  Squires,  E.  Cook  and  H.  Price,  aldermen.  At  the  August  election 
William  Burris  was  elected  county  judge,  and  Harvey  Leonard  sheriflF.  The 
fore  part  of  the  season  this  year  was  very  wet.  An  unusual  amount  of  rain  fell ; 
crops  were  backward.  Immigration  continued  to  come  in  slowly,  composed  mostly 
of  those  who  designed  settlement.  Much  prairie  was  broken  this  year  and  con- 
siderable   improvement    made    in    the    county.     Immigration    increased    over    all 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  l!»r, 

THi:  WllXARD    HARROWS   HISTORY. 

former  times.  In  July  over  300  landed  at  one  time  from  the  steamer  Wyoming, 
all  intending  to  settle  in  Scott  county. 

The  cholera  was  very  bad  this  year.  About  thirty  of  the  citizens  and  many 
immigrants  died.  The  LeClaire  foundry  was  started  this  year  in  June,  and  an- 
other steam  sawmill,  called  "Howard's  Mill,"  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city. 
Davenport  now  had  two  steam  sawmills  and  two  steam  flouring  mills.  I'ork  was 
worth  from  $2.50  to  $3.00  a  hundred.  The  new  stone  Catholic  church  was  built 
this  year,  the  LeClaire  House  enlarged,  and  Cook  &  Sargent's  new  brick  exchange 
ofifice  was  erected  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Second  streets.  A  large  number  of 
private  dwellings  were  built.  Merchants  and  mechanics  had  sought  homes  here 
until  houses  were  so  scarce  that  many  left  the  city  for  want  of  room. 

The  pork  market  opened  this  fall  at  high  rates,  $4  a  hundred  for  good  hogs. 
In  October  of  this  year  East  Davenport  was  laid  out  into  lots  and  the  present 
village  commenced.  In  November  William  Russell,  of  St.  Louis,  commenced 
purchasing  property  here,  which  gave  the  first  rise  in  property  that  afterward 
attained  to  such  extravagant  prices. 

The  city  at  this  date  contained  about  forty-five  stores.  Cook  &  Sargent's 
addition  to  the  town  of  Davenport  was  made  this  year.  The  river  closed  on  the 
16th  of  December.  Population  of  the  city,  3,ocx).  Nine  steam  establishments 
were  now  in  operation  in  the  city.  Over  three  hundred  houses  were  built  this 
season,  and  there  were  nine  organized  churches  and  six  church  buildings  in  the 
city  at  the  close  of  the  year.  Coates  &  Davis'  planing  mill  was  built  and  Christie's 
mill  at  East  Davenport  was  also  erected  this  year  and  the  first  wholesale  grocery 
was  established  by  S.  Hirschl.     The  Second  Baptist  church  was  organized. 

1852. — On  the  22d  of  February  Mr.  LeClaire  laid  out  his  fifth  addition  to  the 
city  of  Davenport,  containing  one  tier  of  blocks  between  Iowa  and  LeClaire 
streets  below  Seventh  to  Second.  The  river  opened  this  year  on  the  4th  of  March. 
The  ice  had  broken  up  several  times,  gorged  and  stopped.  Boats  were  in  waiting 
to  come  up  and  down  for  some  days,  the  river  being  clear  of  ice  above  and  below. 
On  the  3d  of  April  snow  fell  to  the  depth  of  six  or  eight  inches,  followed  by  sleet 
which  weighed  down  the  branches  of  the  trees  with  ice  until  many  limbs  were 
broken.  On  the  5th  of  April,  1851,  a  similar  snow  and  sleet  fell,  followed  by 
disagreeable  cold  weather. 

On  the  15th  of  April  the  first  immigrants  arrived  and  were  followed  by  large 
numbers  both  by  land  and  water. 

On  the  5th  of  May  the  comer  stone  of  Trinity  church  was  laid  on  the  corner 
of  Fifth  and  Rock  Island  streets,  by  Bishop  Kemper.  There  was  some  cholera 
this  year.  The  steam  ferryboat  was  put  in  operation  this  year  by  John  Wilson. 
so  long  and  favorably  known  as  the  ferryman  between  the  two  cities.  Population 
in  the  city  at  the  close  of  the  year,  3,000.  J.  M.  Cannon's  sawmill  built.  John 
F.  Jordan,  mayor;  A.  F.  Mast,  clerk;  Samuel  Parker,  marshal;  William  Van- 
Tuyl,  treasurer ;  aldermen.  H.  Leonard.  Weigand,  Squires.  J.  P.  Cook.  H.  Price 
and  Bechtel. 

1853. — This  year  a  county  poorhouse  was  built  by  Judge  Burris  five  miles 
from  the  city,  on  the  road  to  Dubuque,  the  county  having  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  land  for  that  purpose.  Pork  on  the  first  of  January  was  worth  from  $5.50  to 
$6.00  a  hundred. 


196  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WILLARD   BARROWS    HISTORY. 


The  Mississippi  and  Missouri  Railroad  company  was  organized  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $6,000,000.  the  corporation  to  continue  fifty  years  from  date.  On  the 
I  St  of  September,  the  ceremony  of  breaking  ground  on  the  road  took  place.  It 
was  a  day  full  of  interest  to  the  people  of  Davenport.  Many  of  the  old  citizens,  who 
had  for  years  been  living  on  in  hope  and  confidence,  now  began  to  feel  all  their 
most  sanguine  wishes  gratified.  The  Rock  Island  and  Chicago  road  was  near 
completion  and  the  first  locomotive  was  soon  expected  to  stand  upon  the  banks 
of  the  Mississippi  river,  sending  its  shrill  whistle  across  the  mighty  stream  and 
longing  for  its  westward  flight  across  the  prairies  of  Iowa.  The  occasion  was  one 
of  universal  rejoicing.  A  great  and  important  object  had  been  accomplished  for 
our  city,  our  county  and  our  state.  As  Mr.  LeClaire,  who  was  selected  to  per- 
form the  ceremony  of  removing  the  first  ground,  came  forward  pulling  off  his 
coat  and,  taking  the  wheelbarrow  and  spade,  he  was  greeted  by  a  most  tremen- 
dous and  hearty  cheer.  The  ceremony  took  place  near  the  corner  of  Fifth  and 
Rock  Island  streets.  A  large  procession  was  formed  of  citizens.  Odd  Fellows 
and  musicians.  The  dinner  was  served  at  the  LeClaire  House  by  Mr.  Lowery  and 
the  occasion  was  one  long  to  be  remembered,  A  vote  was  taken  in  September 
in  regard  to  the  county  taking  stock  in  the  road.  There  were  but  309  votes  cast, 
and  out  of  these  but  two  were  against  subscribing  to  the  stock.  The  amount 
taken  by  the  city  was  $75,000,  by  the  county  $50,000,  and  $100,000  by  individual 
subscription. 

The  LeClaire  foundry  was  burned  in  August.  An  express  and  telegraph 
office  was  opened  this  year.  The  population  in  the  city  was  4,500,  The  sixth 
addition  to  the  city  of  Davenport  by  Mr.  LeClaire  was  made  this  autumn,  extend- 
ing from  LeClaire  street  to  Farnam,  south  of  Seventh  to  the  river. 

The  city  officers  elected  this  year  were :  John  A,  Boyd,  mayor ;  R.  K.  Allen, 
clerk ;  Samuel  Parker,  marshal ;  J.  Drake,  treasurer.  The  aldermen  were :  A. 
Weigand,  John  Weeks,  John  P.  Cook,  Joseph  Kingerlee,  Hiram  Price  and  Wil- 
liam Gray.  The  progress  of  the  city  was  rapid.  The  immigration  continued 
with  but  little  abatement  and  the  city  and  county  filled  up  with  many  enterprising 
citizens,  and  we  began  to  assume  the  appearance  of  a  real  city  in  form  and  fact. 

1854. — On  the  22d  of  February  of  this  year  the  long  contemplated  railroad 
from  Chicago  to  Rock  Island  was  completed  and  by  it  the  Atlantic  and  Missis- 
sippi were  united.  As  it  might  well  be  expected,  it  was  a  day  of  jubilee  to  'the 
residents  of  the  upper  Mississippi.  For  years  the  more  enterprising  had  looked 
forward  to  the  time  when  we  should  be  placed  in  connection  by  a  railway  with 
the  east.  For  years  had  the  settlers  been  dependent  upon  the  river  navigation 
for  all  their  commercial  wants  and  had  been  subject  to  long  and  tedious  routes 
to  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  It  was  no  wonder,  then,  that  it  was  a  day  of  general 
rejoicing.  I  can  no  better  represent  the  occasion  than  by  copying  an  article  from 
the  Qiicago  Press  on  that  occasion : 

"On  Wednesday  last,  the  22d  inst.,  that  event  looked  forward  to  for  years  with 
so  much  interest  by  our  citizens — the  connection  of  the  Mississippi  with  Lake 
Michigan  by  a  continuous  line  of  railroad — was  consummated.  The  honor  of 
arriving  first  at  this  goal  belongs  to  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  road — an  honor 
by  the  way  well  worthy  of  the  herculean  eflForts  which  have  been  made  to  achieve 
it.    In  February,  1851,  the  legislature  chartered  a  company.     In  October  of  the 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  i;)T 

THE  VVILLARD   HARROWS   HISTORY. 

same  year,  the  contract  for  its  construction  and  equipment  was  taken.  In  April, 
1852,  the  first  estimate  for  work  upon  it  was  paid  and  in  February,  1854,  three 
years  from  its  charter  and  twenty-two  months  after  ground  had  been  broken  upon 
it,  the  work  is  completed,  and  cars  are  running  daily  its  entire  length,  181  miles! 
This  is  certainly  a  proud  monument  to  all  who  have  been  instrumental  in  pushing 
the  work  forward  to  completion,  and  especially  so  to  those  sagacious  and  ener- 
getic men  who  have  had  it  in  special  charge,  Messrs  Sheffield  and  Farnam." 

During  this  winter  there  was  but  little  snow  and  no  rain.  The  weather  was 
mild,  the  atmosphere  pure  and  clear,  roads  good  and  business  lively  in  our  streets. 
The  average  temperature  by  the  thermometer  was  but  eleven  and  a  half  degrees, 
while  in  1851  it  was  twenty  degrees;  in  1852  it  was  fifteen  and  a  half,  and  in 
1853  it  was  twenty  and  two-thirds  degrees.  In  1851,  the  mercury  fell  below- 
zero  five  times ;  in  1852  it  fell  four  times ;  in  1853,  it  fell  but  once,  and  in  1854 
it  fell  five  times.  In  January,  pork  was  $3.75  a  hundred ;  flour,  $5,  and  wheat, 
65  cents  for  spring,  and  winter  75  cents.  In  February,  flour  advanced  to  $6  and 
$6.50. 

The  year  1854  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  and  busy  years  in  the  exist- 
ence of  Davenport.  The  foundations  of  her  prosperity  were  laid  this  year.  Th^ 
immense  immigration  that  had  settled  in  the  county  for  the  two  years  previous 
now  began  to  exhibit  the  fruits  of  their  industry.  The  city  had  kept  pace  with  the 
back  country  in  her  improvements,  and  added  to  her  population  3,000,  while  the 
county  contained  about  15,000.  The  onward  progress  of  both  city  and  county 
for  three  years  had  been  such  that  all  looked  for  better  times.  The  "great  river" 
was  to  be  spanned  this  year  by  a  bridge !  The  increase  of  population  created  a 
great  demand  for  dwelling  houses,  stores  and  workshops.  Labor  of  all  kinds  was 
in  demand.  The  railroad  westward  was  to  go  on  with  increased  exertions.  Money 
began  to  be  plenty.  Immigration  began  to  pour  in  at  the  opening  of  spring  and 
the  streets  of  Davenport  seemed  thronged  with  strangers.  Material  for  building 
was  scarce.  There  was  but  little  or  no  seasoned  lumber  in  the  city.  All  lumber 
for  building  had  to  be  ordered  at  the  mills  or  shipped  from  other  ports.  Rents 
began  to  be  scarce  and  high,  and  families  who  had  been  the  occupants  of  spacious 
dwellings  in  other  places  were  now  crowded  into  small  apartments  until  new 
ones  could  be  built. 

This  year  the  LeClaire  row  was  finished  and  also  the  block  from  Main  to 
Brady  streets.  VVitherwax  &  Orr's  building  was  completed,  the  Second  Baptist 
church  erected,  and  the  Ladies'  college  built  by  T.  H.  Codding.  Esq.  The  Daven- 
port Commercial,  a  newspaper,  was  started  by  N.  H.  Parker.  The  first  exten- 
sive wholesale  iron  and  hardware  store  was  opened  by  T.  Close  &  Co.  Daily 
lines  of  stages  began  to  run  to  Iowa  City,  Tipton  and  Cedar  Rapids.  Another 
foundry  was  started  by  Davis,  Boyd  &  Co. ;  Renwick  &  Son  built  their  sawmill. 
The  Davenport  Gaslight  &  Coke  company  was  organized.  Luse  &  Coles  opened  the 
first  exclusive  job  and  printing  office  in  this  city.  Hildreth  &  Dalloon's  steam 
flouring  mill  at  East  Davenport  was  put  in  operation  this  year. 

We  had  been  placed  in  direct  communication  with  the  east  by  railroad  and 
telegraph.  On  the  ist  of  September  the  corner  stone  was  laid  of  the  bridge,  which 
aroused'  the  jealousy  of  St.  Louis  that  had  heretofore  enjoyed  unmolested  the 
commerce  of  the  great  west.    And  not  only  had  the  company  to  contend  with  St. 


198  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

Louis,  that  seemed  to  think  that  she  had  indisputable  right  to  all  the  commerce  of 
the  upper  Mississippi  unmolested,  but  obstacles  were  thrown  in  the  way  by  those 
who  were  in  power  by  ordering  the  United  States  marshal  to  prevent  all  opera- 
tions  on  the  island,  probably  for  fear  that  a  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  at  this 
point  would  interfere  with  the  prospect  of  a  "Southern  Pacific  Railroad."  Con- 
gress had  made  appropriations  for  removing  obstructions  in  the  rapids  of  the 
Mississippi  river  at  this  place.  The  surveys  of  the  channel  had  been  made  and  the 
contracts  let. 

On  the  20th  of  June  ^Ir.  LeClaire  laid  out  his  seventh  addition  to  the  city  of 
Davenport,  extending  from  Rock  Island  street  to  Farnam,  north  of  Seventh  and 
south  of  Ninth  street.  Hon.  James  Grant  was  mayor;  B.  B.  Woodward,  clerk; 
L.  J.  Senter,  marshal ;  L.  B.  Collamer,  treasurer.  The  aldermen  were,  H.  Wil- 
helm,  G.  G.  Arndt,  Charles  J.  H.  Eyser,  E.  A.  Gerdtzen,  B.  Atkinson,  D.  P.  Mc- 
Kown,  H.  H.  Smith,  E.  Cook.  Wm.  Burris,  and  A.  A.  McLoskey.  Four  hundred 
houses  were  erected  this  year. 

1855. — The  year  1855  was  but  a  continuation  and  a  carrying  out  of  the  plans 
in  progress  of  1854.  Emigration  increased.  Rents  were  high  and  houses  scarce. 
Six  hundred  houses  were  erected.  The  imports  on  the  ist  of  February  amounted 
to  830  hogsheads  and  637  barrels  of  sugar;  molasses,  1.842  barrels;  473 
barrels  of  vinegar;  4.126  barrels  of  salt ;  292  barrels  of  cement,  470  sacks  of  salt; 
1,248  sacks  of  cofifee;  1,175  sacks  of  dried  fruit,  and  1,000  barrels  of  apples.  The 
exports  amounted  to  30,000  bushels  of  wheat,  40,700  bushels  of  barley,  60,000 
bushels  of  corn,  29.000  bushels  of  potatoes,  21,000  bushels  of  onions,  30,150  bar- 
rels of  flour,  800  barrels  of  pork  and  300  barrels  of  lard.  The  population  at  this 
time  in  the  city  v»'as  7,000;  in  the  county,  15,000. 

At  this  time  Davenport  ranked  with  any  city  in  Iowa  in  a  commercial  point  of 
view  as  well  as  for  beauty  of  location.  The  facilities  for  shipping  had  greatly 
enhanced  the  value  of  produce.  Farmers  were  encouraged  and  great  efforts 
made  in  agriculture.  A  large  sum  of  money  was  expended  in  the  improvement 
of  the  rapids  by  the  government  and  the  building  of  the  bridge  across  the  Mis- 
sissippi river.  These  were  some  of  the  principal  causes  that  led  to  the  sudden 
rise  in  real  estate  at  this  time  and  which  caused  large  investments  in  the  city  and 
county.  The  immediate  construction  of  the  railroad  west  seemed  certain  and 
land  was  sought  after  along  its  route  at  extravagant  prices.  Although  money 
was  plenty  it  commanded  high  rates  of  interest  for  investments  in  lands  and 
improvements  in  the  city. 

The  east  end  of  the  LeClaire  block  was  finished  this  year.  Many  beautiful 
residences  were  built  upon  the  bluffs.  Among  them  were  Messrs.  Price's.  Dil- 
lon's and  Dessaint's.  The  George  L.  Davenport  block  on  the  corner  of  Main 
and  Second  streets  and  several  steam  manufactories  were  erected.  The  city 
limits  were  enlarged  so  as  to  include  North  Davenport.  At  the  city  election  in 
April  Enos  Tichenor  was  elected  mayor;  B.  B.  Woodward,  clerk;  Samuel  Par- 
ker, marshal ;  William  \'anTuyl.  treasurer.  Aldermen  :  G.  G.  Arndt,  G.  C.  R. 
Mitchell.  E.  .\.  Gerdtzen.  Charles  J.  H.  Eyser,  D.  P.  McKown,  Austin  Corbin. 
E.  Cook.  H.  Price.  A.  A.  McLoskey.  A.  H.  Owens.  Joseph  Lambrite.  Samuel 
Saddoris.  The  population  in  March  of  this  year  was  estimated  at  8.000.  Upon 
the  passage  of  the  prohibitory  liquor  law  in   April  by  a  vote  of  the  people  of 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUXTV  v.vj 

THE  WILLARD   HARROWS  HISTORY. 

ihe  counl)  there  were  1,977  votes  polled.  A  temperance  ticket  was  formed  at 
the  Au^isi  election  at  whicli  1,851  votes  were  polled  in  the  comity.  William 
L.  Cook  was  elected  county  judge;  Harvey  Leonard,  sheriff;  James  -McCosh, 
recorder. 

The  total  receipts  into  the  treasury  ending  March  17,  185O,  were  $41,178.31 
and  total  expenditures,  $40,586.50,  leaving  a  balance  in  the  treasury  of  $591.81. 
The  county  at  this  date  owned  as  assets  $59,400  worth  of  stock  in  the  Rock 
Island  &  Chicago  railroad  and  $75,000  in  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  railroad, 
while  at  the  same  time  their  liabilities  were:  For  subscription  to  $125,000  worth 
of  stock  in  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  railroad  and  $4,431.65  interest  money 
on  the  same. 

The  amount  of  taxable  property  in  the  county  by  assessment  was  $4,480,000. 
1856. — Crops  of  all  kinds  were  abundant  this  year  and  commanded  a  good 
price.  The  lumber  trade  had  become  very  extensive.  The  sales  in  this  city 
alone  this  year  amounted  to  upwards  of  17,420,000  feet,  and  nearly  7,000,000 
of  lath.  Ten  milHon  feet  of  lumber  were  manufactured  in  the  city.  The  bal- 
ance came  from  Chicago  or  was  rafted  down  the  river.  Twenty  thousand,  eight 
hundred  hogs  were  packed  and  over  450,000  bushels  of  wheat  were  purchased 
in  our  market.  On  the  21st  of  April  the  first  locomotive  came  across  the 
bridge.  LeClaire's  eighth  addition  to  the  city  of  Davenport  was  laid  out  on  the 
26th  of  March  of  this  year.  It  extended  from  Perry  street  to  Farnam,  all 
lying  north  of  Ninth  street  to  the  line  of  "LeClaire's  reserve." 

At  the  city  election  in  April,  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell  was  elected  mayor;  William 
Hall,  clerk;  Samuel  Sylvester,  treasurer,  and  John  H.  Taylor,  marshal.  The 
aldermen  were  James  O'Brien,  John  Schutt,  C.  I.  H.  Eyser,  A.  Smallfield, 
Austin  Corbin,  James  M.  Bowling,  Hiram  Price,  John  Forrest,  Wm.  S.  Kinsey, 
S.  K.  Barkley,  Samuel  Saddoris,  Joseph  Lambrite.  At  the  August  election  N.  J. 
Rusch  was  elected  to  the  state  senate,  and  Messrs.  Rogers,  Wing  and  Earner, 
representatives.  J.  W.  Stewart  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  and  J.  D. 
Patton,  clerk  of  district  court.  A  vote  was  taken  and  carried  for  a  convention 
to  form  a  new  state  constitution  and  George  W.  Ells  was  elected  delegate.  The 
year  ended  in  the  full  tide  of  commerce,  speculation  and  excitement. 

1857. — At  the  spring  election,  Gen.  G.  B.  Sargent  was  elected  mayor;  H.  W. 
Mitchell,  marshal;  John  Johns,  police  magistrate;  E.  Peck,  clerk;  Samuel  Syl- 
vester, treasurer.  The  aldermen  elect  were:  J.  M.  Cannon,  A.  Jennings,  H. 
Ramming,  Theodore  Guelich.  J.  M.  Bowling,  Austin  Corbin.  John  Forrest,  J. 
C.  Washburn,  James  O'Brien,  George  Hubbell  (vice  A.  LeClaire,  resigned), 
Wm.  Guy,  I.  H.  Sears.  There  was  also  at  the  same  election  a  vote  taken  for 
and  against  licensing  the  sale  of  spirituous  liquors  and  398  majority  against  it. 
At  the  August  election  Charles  Weston  was  elected  judge;  James  McCosh, 
treasurer  and  recorder;  Harvey  Leonard,  sherifT;  W.  P.  Campbell,  surveyor; 
and  William  Effey,  coroner.  A  vote  was  taken  also  and  carried  by  119  majority 
for  a  tax  to  be  levied  for  building  a  courthouse  and  city  hall,  but  the  work  has 
never  been  commenced.  At  the  general  election  in  October  there  were  3. 121 
votes  cast.  N.  J.  Rusch  was  elected  to  the  state  senate;  John  W.  Thompson, 
B.  F.  Gue  and  Robert  Scott  to  the  house.  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell  was  an  independent 
candidate   for  district   judge   and   was   elected.      In   our   city   affairs   everything 


200  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD   BARROWS    IIISTORV. 

seemed  prosperous.  The  opening  of  our  railroad,  the  constructing  of  the  bridge 
across  the  Mississippi,  the  public  expenditures  upon  the  rapids,  all  had  a  ten- 
dency to  invite  strangjers  to  our  city.  Money  was  plenty;  investments  of  all 
kinds  were  made;  merchants  and  mechanics  were  all  busy  and  the  laboring  man 
found  ready  employment  at  good  wages.  The  public  works  upon  our  streets, 
the  building  of  Metropolitan  hall,  by  R.  B.  Hill,  Esq.,  the  erection  of  the  bank- 
ing house  of  Cook  &  Sargent,  and  the  private  residence  of  E.  Cook,  Esq.,  the 
engine  house  and  numerous  other  private  and  public  buildings  scarcely  inferior 
to  any  in  the  west,  all  combined  to  draw  men  and  means  to  this  city.  Im- 
provements beyond  all  former  years  were  begun  and  carried  to  completion.  From 
the  1st  of  August.  1856,  to  the  close  of  this  year,  1857,  over  1,300  houses  were 
erected  within  the  corporate  limits  of  this  city. 

Gen.  Sargent,  the  mayor,  in  his  inaugural  recommended  the  most  extensive 
if  not  the  most  extravagant  improvements.  Among  which  were  the  grading 
and  filling  a  steamboat  landing,  the  grading  and  filling  of  Brady  street,  the  same 
between  Harrison  and  Brady,  the  macadamizing  of  the  levee,  the  construction 
of  water  works  for  the  use  of  the  city,  fire  engines  and  apparatus  with  engine 
house;  stock  taken  in  the  "Davenport  Gaslight  &  Coke  company,"  the  streets 
lighted  with  gas,  a  city  hospital  and  a  city  prison,  a  city  hall,  and  other  improve- 
ments in  the  city.  Elections  were  held,  loans  voted  for  and  the  bonds  of  the 
city  issued  and  sold.    Appropriations  were  made  for  many  of  these  improvements. 

At  the  close  of  1857  two  miles  of  street  had  been  macadamized,  four  and  a 
half  miles  of  gas  pipe  had  been  laid  and  over  250  street  lamps  erected  and  thir- 
teen miles  of  sidewalk  laid.  In  this  estimate  none  of  the  improvements  made 
extended  to  East  or  North  Davenport,  except  Brady  street  to  Locust.  All 
other  improvements  in  these  two  places  have  been  made  since.  The  sidewalks 
now  laid  in  the  city  extend  over  twenty  miles.    About  1,000  houses  were  erected. 

From  the  treasurer's  report  rendered  the  31st  of  March  there  appears  a 
nominal  balance  in  the  treasury  of  $44,778.15.  We  here  append  the  report  in 
order  to  exhibit  at  this  date  the  financial  condition  of  the  city : 

CITY    treasurer's    REPORT. 

Abstract  of  Receipts. 

Balance   received   from  treasurer,  last  year $  2,563.06 

Dividends  on  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  R.  R.  stock 5,440.00 

Taxes  in  arrear  for  year  1855 1,048.09 

Road  fund  in  arrear  for  year   1855 1,849.75 

City   clerk   licenses,   cemetery   lots,   etc 43445 

Mayor,  for  fines   58.00 

Redemption  of  lot  for  taxes   3.00 

Marshal  taxes  for  1856  14,600.39 

Real  estate  owners,  on  account  paving  Main  street 718.26 

Real  estate  owners,  macadamizing  Front  street 1,602.08 

Sale  of  ten  city  bond  loans  of  1856 5,000.00 

Sale  of  84  shares,  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  railroad 8,400.00 


I 


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(iKK.MAX    SAVINGS   HANK 


i-iUST   .NAlUi-NAl.   IJANK 

The  first  to  open  business  under  National  Banking  Laws. 

Known  as  the  Marble  Bank 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  203 

THE  WII.LARD   HARROW'S   HISTORY. 

Two  fractional  shares,  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  railroad....         loo.oo 
Dividends  on  Mississippi  and  Missouri  railroad  stock 3,648.00 

$45465.07 
Abstract  of  Expenditures. 

Current  expenses,  as  per  city  orders $  7,247.22 

Interest,  commission  and  expenses  on  C.  &  R.  I.  R.  R.  bonds  5,025.00 

Interest,  commission  and  expense  on  M.  &  M.  R.  R.  bonds.  . .  .  7,631.61 

Cash  paid  from  treasury  for  road  work 6,931.73 

Cash  paid  street  commissioner,  road  fund,  mayor's  order.  .  .  .  1,849.75 

Cash  paid  on  account  paving  Main  street 2,563.00 

Cash  paid  on  account  macadamizing  Front  street 2,088.62 

Cash  paid  on  account  Brady  street  and  steamboat  landing.  .  .  .  1,197.92 

Cash  paid  on  account  macadamizing  Main  street 510.50 

Cash  paid  revising  ordinances 250.00 

Cash  paid  on  account  printing  and  binding  ordinances 500.00 

Cash  paid  note  and  interest  on  account  road  fund 1,081.67 

Cash    paid    interest,    commission    and    expense    Davenport 

Gas  stock   204.00 

$37,081.02 
Schedule  of  Property  Belonging  to  the  City  of  Davenport,  March  31,  1857. 

27  shares  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  R.  R.  stock  at  $100 $  2.700.00 

Interest  scrip,  Mississippi  &  ]\Iissouri  R.  R.  company 54-14 

40  shares  Davenport  Gas  Light  &  Coke  company i  ,000.00 

162  shares  Mississippi  &  Missouri  R.  R.  stock  at  Sioo 16,200.00 

Estimated  amount  due  from  county  treasurer  to  road  fund .  .       4,000.00 

Due  from  real  estate  owners  on  Main  street 1,845.00 

Due  from  real  estate  owners  on  Front  street 60.96 

Cash  in  treasur}^    8,384.05 

City   tax   list   for    1856    i  .900.00 

Due   from  city  clerk    634.00 

$39,778-15 
Deduct  estimated  expenditures  due  aiid  maturing 5,000.00 

Leaving  nominally  a  balance  over  indebtedness $44,778.15 

The  assessed  property  of  the  city  at  this  time  amounted  to  $5,225,091.  Such 
had  been  the  increase  since  185 1  when  it  amounted  to  only  $100,000.00  and  in  1854, 
to  $1,500,000,  and  in  1855.  $3,000,000,  and  in  1856  to  $3,500,000.  The  population 
had  increased  to  18,000;  real  estate  had  steadily  risen  to  "New  York  prices,"  and 
all  the  elements  of  prosperity  seemed  sure  and  lasting.  The  year  was  one  of 
uncommon  energy  and  life.  But  few  that  desired  business  or  labor  could  be  found 
out  of  employment. 

Some  dissatisfaction  arose  among  the  residents  and  ow^ners  of  property  on 
Fifth  street  on  account  of  the  non-fulfillment  of  the  contract  on  the  part  of 


204  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  VVILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

the  Mississippi  and  ^Missouri  railroad  to  grade  and  pave  the  street  for  the  right  of 
way.  This  was  agitated  and  the  mayor  recommended  the  city  council  to  prosecute 
the  railroad  company  without  delay,  and  suit  was  ordered,  when  the  company 
offered  $50,000  in  their  bonds  issued  upon  the  third  division  of  their  road  west 
for  a  release  of  their  contract.  To  the  astonishment  of  parties  interested  the 
proposition  was  accepted  by  the  council  and  the  railroad  company  was  released. 
Since  which  time  suit  has  been  brought  to  invalidate  the  acts,  not  only  of  the 
council  who  granted  the  right  of  way  to  the  company,  but  to  the  council  of  1857 
who  released  them  from  their  contract.  A  late  decision  of  the  supreme  court  of 
Iowa  in  a  case  where  the  city  of  Dubuque  brought  suit  against  the  proprietor  of  an 
adjacent  lot  for  digging  out  into  the  street  in  order  to  make  a  coal  or  wood  scuttle 
decided  "that  the  fee  in  the  public  streets  of  Iowa  belong  to  the  adjacent  lots,  to 
the  center  of  the  street.  That  the  public  have  a  fee  in  the  highway  only  for  its 
use  as  a  highway  and  that  corporations  have  no  such  interest  in  the  streets  as  will 
empower  them  to  use  or  permit  them  to  be  used  for  any  other  purposes  than  a 
highway." 

We  copy  from  the  annual  report  of  the  board  of  trade  in  this  city  the 
following  statistics  showing  the  progress  of  business,  in  the  different  branches  of 
trade  up  to  the  close  of  the  year : 

"The  footings  in  some  of  the  principal  branches  of  trade  for  the  year  end- 
ing December  31,  1857,  show  an  aggregate  in  the  same  of  $14,485,812.24.  Of  this 
amount 

$8,539,744.28  has  been  banking  and  exchange ; 
2,628,602.57,  sales  of  merchandise  : 
1,158,000.00,  sales  of  grain  and  provisions; 
853,000.00,  sales  of  consignments  and  forwarding ; 
751,059.00.  manufacturing,  not  estimated  in  sales; 
450,029.00,  freight  and  cartage ; 
555,406.39.  lumber,  doors,  sash,  etc. 

The  banking  department  shows  an  aggregate  of  $6,616,737.34  for  exchange, 
and  $i,923.oo(>.94  for  discounts. 

The  sales  of  merchandise,  together  with  the  stock  on  hand  show  as  follows : 

Sales.  Stock. 

Agricultural   implements    S  25,000.00  $  12,000.00 

Boots  and  shoes   72.000.00  3^,000.00 

Books,  wall  paper,  etc 34.000.00  12.000.00 

Bakery,  confectioner}\  etc 8,000.00  3,000.00 

Clothing    163,700.00  61,000.00 

Dry  goods    600,902.57  164,500.00 

Furniture,  mattresses,  carpeting   89.000.00  44.300.00 

Groceries    771.800.00  163.000.00 

Hardware,  iron  and  nails 264,500.00  120,500.00 

Hats,  caps  and  furs  34.000.00  14.000.00 

Jewelry,  watches,  etc 27,000.00  18,500.00 

Leather  and  saddlery  hardware 87,000.00  24,200.00 

Millinery    42,000.00  12.700.00 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  wr, 

THE  WILLARD   I^ARROWS    HISTORY. 

Drugs,  paints,  oils,  etc 70,000.00  35,300.00 

Queensware    25,000.00  18,000.00 

Stoves,  house   furnishings,  etc 125,000.00  44.000.00 

Assorted  merchandise    1 16.200.00  10,000.00 

Tobacco  and  cigars    59,000.00  14,000.00 

Wines  and  liquors    13,500.00  7.000.00 

Total  stock  on  hand $818,700.00 

"Owing  to  the  monetary  difficulties  which  came  upon  us  so  suddenly  in  Oc- 
tober there  has  been  a  falling  off  in  all  branches  of  trade.  In  no  department 
have  the  figures  been  so  affected  as  in  banking.  During  sixty  of  the  last  ninety 
days  exchange  has  not  been  procurable  at  any  price  or  under  any  circumstances 
except  in  very  small  sums.  Notwithstanding  this  our  local  business  has  suf- 
fered far  less  diminution  than  was  at  first  apprehended. 

"Careful  inquiries  have  developed  the  fact  beyond  disi)ute  that  during  the  last 
few  months  we  have  had  important  accessions  to  our  trade  from  various  sec- 
tions of  the  country  hitherto  tributary  to  other  points.  It  is  presuming  very 
little  to  say  that  the  acquaintances  thus  formed  cannot  but  result  mutually  and  ad- 
vantageously. Whether  the  first  introduction  was  the  result  of  purely  superior  in- 
ducements in  stock  and  prices  which  our  merchants  are  ever  ready  to  offer,  or 
more  directly  the  effect  of  the  local  currency  that  has  been  so  exclusively  the 
agent  of  our  transactions,  is  not  left  for  decision  here,  and  indeed  it  is  no  mat- 
ter, having  gained  so  much  of  a  point,  it  only  remains  to  retain  it. 

"The  high  price  of  exchange  has  operated  more  manifestly  upon  tiie  >tocks  of 
grocers,  in  the  articles  of  coffee,  sugar  and  molasses,  and  has  maintained  the  price 
of  these  articles  at  quotations  much  above  the  ordinary  margin  between  this  and 
eastern  and  southern  markets.  The  indications  being  favorable  for  a  speedy  equal- 
ization of  funds,  we  may  reasonably  hope  for  an  improvement  in  these  articles 
and  a  corresponding  increase  of  sales  of  the  same.  The  estimates  of  grain  and 
provisions  exhibit  as  follows  : 

Bushels  wheat  r. 019,005  value  $509,000 

Bushels  barley  34.000  value  13,600 

Barrels  flour   175.800  value  S79.000 

Tons    shipped    stuff    8.640  value  129.600 

Bushels  of  potatoes   20.000  value  5.000 

Bushels  of  onions    25.000  value  12.000 

Barrels  pork    3.500  value  52.000 

Tierces  bacon    r.280  value  32.000 

"Of  the  wheat  received  during  the  comprised  period  there  were  manufactured 
into  flour.  879.000  barrels. 

"The  number  of  hogs  packed  at  this  point  was  13,000.  The  estimated  value 
of  the  same,  after  allowing  for  the  wheat,  etc..  manufactured  is  Si.  158.000. 

"The  commission  and  forwarding  business  with  an  aggregate  of  S353.000 
shows  an  advance  for  freight  and  charges  of  $150,000. 


206  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

"The  following  list  of  different  branches  of  manufactures  shows  for 

Agricultural    implements $  49,000 

Boots  and  shoes 20,000 

Book  binding,  printing,  etc 108,000 

Bakeries  and  confectionery   35,ooo 

Clothing     28,000 

Carriages,  wagons,  etc   87,000 

Furniture  and  mattresses 67,000 

Plows,  castings  and  iron  work 205,000 

Paints,  oils,  etc 4,000 

Stove  furnishing,  etc 1,000 

Cooperage    105,130 

Lumber,  sash,  etc 235,154 

Flour,  feed,  etc 957,000 

Hog  products    1 13,750 

Stmdry  manufactures    32,909 

"There  are  few  points  in  the  west  where  the  manufacture  of  tlour  is  more 
largely  engaged  in. 

"The  value  of  this  department  alone  approximates  $1,000,000,  while  the 
brands  of  the  different  mills  enjoy  an  enviable  reputation  in  foreign  markets." 

1858. — The  Pioneer  Settlers'  association  of  Scott  county  was  organized  in 
January  and  its  first  festival  held  at  the  Burtis  House  on  the  22d  of  February. 
It  was  decidedly  the  greatest  occasion  of  the  season.  Some  time  during  the 
month  of  December,  1857,  a  call  was  made  through  the  city  papers  for  all  the 
old  settlers  of  Scott  county  who  had  become  residents  prior  to  the  31st  of 
December,  1840,  to  meet  at  LeQaire  hall  on  the  23d  of  January,  1858.  In 
answer  to  this  call  about  sixty  were  present.  The  meeting  was  called  to  order 
by  D.  C.  Eldridge,  Esq.,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  county,  and  E.  Cook, 
Esq.,  was  elected  chairman  and  John  L.  Cofifin,  secretary  of  the  meeting.  At 
this  meeting  an  association  was  formed,  a  preamble  and  resolutions  were  passed 
and  Antoine  LeClaire  elected  the  first  president.  At  a  second  meeting  on  the 
30th  of  January  a  constitution  and  by-laws  for  the  society  were  presented,  ap- 
proved and  adopted,  and  the  Pioneer  Settlers'  association  was  duly  organized. 
The  constitution  provides  for  an  annual  festival  to  be  held  on  the  22d  of 
February  of  each  year,  the  first  of  which  came  oft'  at  the  Burtis  House  on  the 
22d  of  that  month.  It  was  an  occasion  of  deep  interest  to  the  old  settlers  who 
have  braved  the  storms  of  many  winters  and  for  long  years  of  poverty  and  exile 
watched  with  anxiety  the  slow  but  sure  results  of  their  trials  and  hardships. 
The  honor  of  dedicating  the  spacious  building  in  which  the  festival  was  held 
was  conferred  upon  the  association,  and  the  most  magnificent  entertainment  was 
prepared  by  Dr.  Burtis,  the  proprietor,  that  probably  ever  graced  a  table  in  the 
city  of  Davenport.  The  meeting  was  a  happy  one  to  all  parties.  The  number 
present  on  the  occasion  including  invited  guests,  composed  of  the  press  and 
clergy,  was  not  far  from  800.  It  was  a  gathering  such  as  never  had  been  seen 
before  this  side  the  Mississippi  river.  The  Hon.  John  P.  Cook  delivered  the 
annual  address.     A  gold  headed  cane,  made  from  a  native  growth  of  hickory 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  ^07 

THE  WII.LARD   ItARROWS  HISTORY. 

was  presented  to  the  president  by  the  Hon.  John  F.  Dillon,  as  insignia  of  his 
office,  with  the  name  of  the  society  and  its  first  president  engraved  upon  it. 

It  was  a  noble  sight  to  look  upon,  as  the  vast  assembly  were  gathered  in  the 
spacious  dining  hall  where  the  greetings  took  place.  None  but  those  present 
can  ever  realize  the  scenes  of  that  interview.  There  was  no  loud  and  boisterous 
mirth,  but  a  still,  subdued  hum  of  voices  that  told  the  deep  and  silent  thought. 

The  aged  pioneer  was  there  with  his  whitened  locks  and  bowed  head,  and  as 
the  earnest  gaze,  the  familiar  nod,  the  grasping  hand  were  passed  from  one  to 
another  the  silent  tear  would  trickle  down  the  furrowed  cheek  unforbidden.  The 
weary  soldiers  wept  that  night.  It  was  manliness  to  weep.  The  battles  had 
been  fought,  the  victory  won,  and  as  the  pioneer  fathers  and  mothers  met, 
after  years  of  toil  and  separation,  it  was  meet  that  their  tears  and  their  sym- 
pathies should  mingle  at  one  common  altar,  as  they  recounted  the  trials  and 
hardships  through  which  they  had  passed  and  called  to  remembrance  the  name 
of  some  loved  one  who  in  the  "heat  and  burden  of  the  day"  liad  been  laid  away 
in  earth's  last  resting  place. 

The  rich  repast  was  served,  speeches  were  made,  toasts  drunk  until  a  late 
hour  when  the  gathering  broke  up.  Long  will  the  first  meeting  of  the  Pioneer 
Settlers'  association  be  remembered.  Friends  met  on  this  occasion  that  had  not 
seen  each  other  for  twenty  years.  Many  came  from  the  adjoining  counties  and 
states  who  had  been  absent  for  years  and  could  scarcely  recognize  the  once 
little  village  of  Davenport. 

The  second  festival  was  held  in  1859  at  the  Burtis  House,  and  the  reunion  was 
pleasant  and  agreeable,  answering  the  most  sanguine  expectations  of  the  associa- 
tion. A.  LeClaire  was  still  the  president.  The  annual  address  was  delivered  by 
W.  Barrows.  The  attendance  was  not  so  large  as  the  year  previous,  but  was  a 
very  happy  meeting  for  the  pioneers. 

The  year  opened  with  the  financial  crisis  close  upon  us.  The  east  was  but 
slowly  recovering  from  a  severe  commercial  panic  and  looked  upon  the  west  with 
suspicion.  Eastern  capitalists  had  invested  largely  here  and  some  of  them  had 
purchased  at  unwarranted  rates  during  the  inflated  prices  of  real  estate.  Mer- 
chants and  manufacturers,  who  had  been  doing  business  on  borrowed  capital  at 
high  rates  of  interest,  found  themselves  suddenly  bankrupt.  The  farming  por- 
tions of  the  county  were  brought  to  a  sudden  stand  by  the  loss  of  their  crops. 
Many  of  them  had  borrowed  money  to  invest  in  lands  at  ruinous  rates  of  interest 
and  not  having-  any  products  from  their  land,  much  distress  ensued  among  that 
class. 

At  the  April  county  election  A.  S.  Kissell  was  elected  county  superintendent 
of  schools.  At  the  October  election  Ira  M.  Gififord  was  elected  clerk  of  the  dis- 
trict court.  Thirty-four  hundred  and  fifteen  votes  were  polled  in  the  county.  In 
December  an  election  was  held  to  vote  for  or  against  a  loan  and  a  tax  to  build 
the  Cedar  Valley  railroad,  which  was  carried  by  a  good  majority,  but  an  injunc- 
tion was  issued  against  issuing  the  bonds  of  the  county.  At  the  same  election  a 
loan  and  tax  were  voted  for  and  carried  to  build  a  railroad  from  Davenport  to 
LeClaire.    Also  a  tax  of  one  mill  on  the  dollar  for  making  and  repairing  bridges. 

The  city  election  resulted  in  the  choice  of  Hon.  Ebenezer  Cook  for  mayor; 
John  Bechtel.  marshal ;  Lorenzo  Schricker,  treasurer :  and  Hallet  Kilbourn.  clerk. 


208  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WfLLAKD   HARROWS   HISTORY. 


The  aldermen  were,  J.  AI.  Cannon,  I.  P.  Coates,  Theodore  Guehch,  Henry  Ram- 
ming. Austin  Corbin,  James  Mackintosh,  Thomas  H.  Morley,  John  C.  Washburn, 
Georg-e  E.  Hubbell,  James  O'Brien,  Robert  Christie,  and  I.  H.  Sears.  This  year 
was  one  of  much  financial  distress.  Money  became  very  scarce  and  agricultural 
products  failed.  For  the  census  returns  of  the  year  1858,  we  clip  the  following 
from  the  Davenport  Gazette,  of  June  9,  1859,  as  furnished  by  Mr.  Gifford.  clerk 
of  the  district  court : 

Census  for  Scott  County. — We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Gififord  for  the  census  re- 
turns for  the  county  for  1858  from  which  we  learn  that  the  total  population 
was:  Males,  13,507;  females,  12,344;  total,  25,861.  Number  entitled  to  vote, 
5.108;  of  militia.  5.501;  of  foreigners  not  naturalized,  1,751;  between  the  ages 
of  5  and  21  years.  7,859.  Whole  number  of  dwelling  houses.  4,998;  against 
1,386.  as  reported  by  the  census  of  1856.  Number  of  acres  of  improved  land, 
124,^199,  against  74.226  of  1856.  an  increase  of  over  50,000.  This  leaves  48,171 
acres  in  our  county  unimproved. 

''A  new  feature  presented  by  this  census  report  over  that  of  1856  is  the  num- 
ber of  acres,  46,  devoted  to  sorghum,  and  the  quantity  of  molasses  manufactured, 
3,005  gallons.  The  present  year  will  see  a  vast  increase  in  this  article.  Another 
new  production  introduced  since  the  last  census  returns  is  that  of  Hungarian  grass. 
Last  season  there  w^ere  461  acres  sown  in  our  country,  producing  i.iii  tons  of 
hay.  Last  season  there  were  7,862  acres  in  meadow,  against  3,628  in  1856,  and 
15,847  tons  of  hay  produced,  against  8,514  and  904  bushels  of  grass  seed,  against 
2i'J2  in  1856.     Acres  in  orchard,  970;  fruit  produced  valued  at  $9,122. 

'"Number  of  acres  of  spring  wheat,  47,278,  against  23.661  in  1856.  Yet  in  the 
former  year,  owing  to  the  failure  of  the  crops,  only  336,166  bushels  were  har- 
vested, whereas  in  1856  the  yield  was  536,621  bushels,  an  average  of  nearly 
twenty-three  bushels  to  the  acre.  This  shows  something  of  the  productiveness  of 
the  soil  of  Scott  county.  \'ery  little  winter  wheat  was  harvested  in  our  county 
last  }ear.  Of  oats,  there  were  10,780  acres  sown,  against  5,218  in  1856;  yet  last 
year  there  were  only  73,843  bushels  produced,  while  the  yield  in  1856  was  179,- 
896  bushels,  an  average  of  almost  thirty-five  bushels  to  the  acre.  Of  corn,  there 
were  23.068  acres  planted,  against  15,703  in  1856,  but,  owing  to  the  same  cause, 
the  yield  last  year  was  only  664,243  bushels,  against  780.787  in  1856.  Potatoes. 
2,437  acres;  yield,  101,417  bushels.  In  1856  there  were  only  1,053  acres  planted  in 
potatoes,  while  the  produce  was  128,392  bushels,  or  an  average  of  about  122  to 
the  acre.  Last  year  there  were  5,568  hogs  sold,  valued  at  $36,397;  and  1,807 
head  of  cattle,  valued  at  $45,367 ;  2,049  pounds  of  wool  were  produced,  247,096 
pounds  of  butter  and  14,072  pounds  of  cheese  made. 

"The  census  returns  for  1858  show  a  rapid  advance  in  Scott  county  and  an 
increase  in  all  the  mediums  for  augmenting  her  productions.  Pleasant  Valley 
township  shows  the  heaviest  farm  productions  of  any  in  the  county.  Last  season 
her  farmers  put  ninety-four  acres  in  onions,  which,  notwithstanding  the  failure  of 
the  crops,  produced  13,814  bushels,  an  average  of  over  157  bushels  to  the  acre, 
valued  at  $6,987.  Davenport,  according  to  the  census,  shows  a  population  of 
15,190,  with  2,888  voters,  3,048  dwelling  houses. 

"The  following  is  the  population  and  the  number  of  voters  in  each  precinct 
of  the  county:    Liberty,  540  citizens,  121  voters;  Blue  Grass,  citizens  972,  voters 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  099 

THK  WILLARD   I5ARR0WS   HISTORY. 

185;  Rockingham,  citizens,  358,  voters  79;  LeClaire,  citizens,  2.564,  voters,  565; 
Cleona,  citizens  204,  voters  47 ;  Buffalo,  citizens  962,  voters  172 ;  Pleasant  Valley, 
citizens,  '/2'j,  voters,  164;  Winfield,  citizens,  1,667,  voters,  272;  Hickory  Grove,  cit- 
izens 909,  voters  189;  Princeton,  citizens  1,319,  voters  301;  Allen's  Grove,  citi- 
zens 449,  voters  105." 

1859.— At  the  city  election  this  spring,  Ebenezer  Cook  was  reelected  mayor; 
Lorin  C.  Burwell,  clerk;  John  Bechtel,  marshal;  Lorenzo  Schricker,  treasurer; 
John  Johns,  police  magistrate;  James  T.  Lane,  city  attorney;  Edwin  Baker, 
street  commissioner;  R.  A.  O'Hea,  city  engineer;  Robert  M.  Littler,  chief  en- 
gineer of  the  fire  department;  aldermen,  T.  H.  Morley,  H.  B.  Evans,  James 
Mackintosh,  H.  Ramming,  J.  P.  Ankerson,  H.  Andresen,  T.  J.  Holmes,  L  P. 
Coates,  J.  A.  LeClaire,  James  O'Brien,  C.  A.  Haviland  and  Robert  Christie. 

The  October  election  resulted  in  returning  John  W.  Thompson  to  the  state 
senate ;  W.  H.  F.  Gurley,  B.  F.  Gue,  and  James  Quinn,  representatives ;  Rufus 
Linderman,  county  judge;  James  Thorington,  sheriff;  James  McCosh,  treasurer 
and  recorder ;  Thomas  J.  Saunders,  superintendent  of  public  instruction ;  Wm.  P. 
Campbell,  county  surveyor;  Dr.  J.  W.  H.  Baker,  coroner,  and  H.  S.  Finley,  drain- 
age commissioner. 

The  times  still  continued  hard  with  but  little  money  in  circulation.  A  partial 
failure  in  the  crops  this  year  did  add  much  to  the  financial  distress  of  the  coun- 
try. A  large  amount  of  grain  was  sown  and  much  exertion  made  among  farm- 
ers to  raise  a  large  crop,  but  the  early  drouth  blasted  the  wheat  and  the  crop  was 
not  more  than  half  the  usual  quantity. 

We  can  no  better  represent  the  wholesale  trade  of  Davenport  at  the  present 
time  than  by  copying  the  following  article  from  the  Davenport  Gazette  of  Novem- 
ber 30: 

"Perhaps  few  of  the  people  of  this  vicinity  are  fully  aware  of  the  extent  and 
value  of  the  wholesale  trade  of  this  city.  We,  who  have  pretty  good  chances  to 
be  posted,  cannot  give  the  figures,  but  certain  it  is  that  load  after  load  of  dry 
goods,  groceries  and  all  articles  usually  kept  in  country  stores  are  purchased  and 
shipped  from  our  merchants  to  their  customers  in  the  towns  and  villages  of  the 
interior  of  the  state  and  into  the  counties  of  Illinois  adjacent  to  Rock  Island.  This 
trade  has  silently  but  steadily  increased  and  Davenport  is  being  looked  upon  by 
every  city  and  village  in  Iowa  as  the  emporium  of  trade,  and  from  her  advantage 
of  location,  etc.,  bids  fair  to  be  to  Iowa  what  Chicago  is  to  Illinois.  St.  Louis  to 
Missouri  and  Cincinnati  to  Ohio.  The  establishments  of  Joshua  Burr,  McCam 
&  Coates,  Evans,  Chew  &  Co.,  Burrows,  Prettyman  &  Dalzell.  Alvord  &  Van- 
Patten.  T.  H.  Morley  &  Co.,  T.  H.  McGhee,  Haight  &  Sears.  T.  J.  Becket,  J.  C 
Washburn.  Smith  &  Remington.  Stevenson  &  Carnahan,  Eldridge  &  Williams, 
Wm.  Inslee  &  Co.,  C.  T.  Webb,  George  W.  Ells  &  Co.,  Miner.  Haskell  &  Co., 
in  their  respective  kinds  of  trade,  have  from  industrious  efforts,  fair  dealings  and 
the  keeping  of  the  well-assorted  stocks  secured  such  patronage  from  country, 
dealers  as  to  afford  the  most  gratifying  evidence  of  the  permanent  growth  of  our 
young  city.  On  Saturday  last,  accompanied  by  an  acquaintance  who  for  a  number 
of  years  has  been  engaged  in  the  wholesale  trade  east  and  who  has  been  on  a  bus- 
iness tour  to  the  towns  on  the  upper  Mississippi,  we  visited  a  number  of  our 
leading  concerns  and  were  gratified  to  hear  our  eastern  friend  express  the  opinion 


210  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 


that  our  city  was  certainly  enjoying  as  large  a  share  of  business  prosperity  as  any 
town  he  had  visited  on  the  river.  The  wholesale  dry  goods  house  of  Miner, 
Haskell  &  Co.,  corner  of  Front  and  Perry  streets,  is  a  concern  that  would  compare 
creditably  with  the  majority  of  the  jobbing  houses  in  the  eastern  cities.  We  were 
shown  through  the  establishment,  which  occupies  four  large  rooms,  all  of  which 
were  well  stocked  with  every  kind  of  dry  goods  suitable  for  this  market.  The 
stock  on  hand  is  estimated  at  $80,000,  to  which  additions  are  made  monthly  from 
the  importers  and  from  extensive  factories  of  the  eastern  states.  Messrs.  Miner 
&  Brother,  the  original  firm,  commenced  business  in  this  city  in  March,  1857. 
Their  first  year's  sales  were  $94,000,  which  was  pretty  fair  for  strangers.  The 
second  year,  which  was  one  of  the  hardest  for  wholesale  trade  ever  known  in  the 
west,  their  sales  amounted  to  $104,000.  From  the  commencement  of  the  third 
year  to  the  present  time,  a  period  of  scarcely  nine  months,  they  have  reached 
$110,000.  We  have  merely  alluded  to  this  firm  as  an  illustration  of  what  one 
wholesale  business  house  can  do,  to  show  something  of  what  is  being  done  here  in 
the  way  of  wholesaling.  When  our  facilities  of  intercourse  with  the  interior  are 
increased,  the  wholesale  trade  of  Davenport  will  be  augmented  proportionally. 
But  few  men  seem  to  be  aware  of  the  extent  of  this  trade.  We  shall  make  this 
better  known  in  future  articles." 

BRIDGE  ACROSS  THE  MISSISSIPPI   RIVER. 

On  the  17th  day  of  January,  1853,  an  act  was  passed  by  the  general  assembly 
of  the  state  of  Illinois  entitled,  "An  Act  to  Incorporate  a  Bridge  Company  by  the 
Title  Herein  Named,"  of  which  Joseph  H.  Sheffield,  Henry  Farnam,  J.  A.  Matte- 
son  and  N.  B.  Judd  were  the  sole  incorporators.  This  company  was  incorporated 
for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  railroad  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  river,  con- 
necting the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  railroad  at  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  with  the  Mis- 
sissippi &  Missouri  railroad  at  Davenport,  Iowa.  Who  was  the  author  of  the 
grand  project  of  spanning  this  majestic  river  with  such  a  noble  work  of  art  is 
unknown  to  the  writer.  The  capital  stock  was  $400,000,  raised  on  400  bonds  of 
$1,000  each,  the  payment  of  which  was  guaranteed  by  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Is- 
land Railroad  company  and  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri  Railroad  company.  The 
work  of  location  and  construction  commenced  in  the  spring  of  1854,  under  Henry 
Farnam  as  chief  engineer,  and  John  B.  Jarvis  as  consulting  engineer.  B.  B.  Bray- 
ton  of  Davenport,  had  charge  of  the  work  as  resident  engineer.  The  cornerstone 
of  the  first  pier  erected  at  said  bridge  was  laid  in  the  presence  of  a  large  number 
of  citizens  of  Rock  Island  and  Davenport,  Hon.  Joseph  Knox,  Ebenezer  Cook, 
George  E.  Hubbell  and  others  making  appropriate  remarks  on  the  occasion.  By 
the  spring  of  1856  the  entire  work  was  completed  and  attracted  the  attention  of 
travelers,  historians  and  scholars  from  every  part  of  the  country.  It  was  deemed 
a  great  triumph  of  art,  a  noble  achievement  of  enterprise,  to  connect  the  eastern 
and  western  banks  of  this  old  Father  of  Waters  with  a  continuous  railway  over 
which  the  products  of  Iowa  might  roll  onward  to  eastern  markets  without  delay. 

This  bridge  is  1,580  feet  long  and  thirty  feet  high  across  the  Mississippi  to  the 
island  and  450  feet  across  the  slough  from  the  island  to  the  Illinois  shore.    The 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  213 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORV. 

entire  cost  of  both  bridges  and  the  railroad  connecting-  them  across  the  island  was 
about  $400,000. 

The  number  of  boats  that  passed  through  the  draw  during  the  year  1857  was 
1,024,  and  the  number  of  rafts  during  the  same  time  was  594.  On  the  6th  of 
May,  1856,  a  large  and  splendid  steamboat  called  the  Effie  Afton,  while  attempt- 
ing to  pass  the  Rock  Island  draw  of  the  bridge  in  a  gale  of  wind  was  thrown 
against  the  draw-pier  and  rebounding,  swung  around  the  stone  pier  east  of  the 
draw  and  the  smoke  pipes  coming  in  contact  with  the  superstructure  were  thrown 
down,  setting  fire  to  the  boat  in  several  places.  She  stuck  fast  under  the  bridge 
and  the  flames  from  the  boat  ignited  the  framework  of  the  bridge  and  burned 
off  the  end  of  the  span  which  fell  and  with  the  burning  hull  of  the  boat  floated 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  down  the  river.  During  the  summer  and  fall  of  1856  this 
burned  span  was  constructed  anew. 

The  accident  of  the  Effie  Afton  was  the  signal  for  the  bursting  forth  of  the 
long  suppressed  wrath  of  the  citizens  of  St.  Louis  who  had  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  project  placed  every  obstruction  in  the  way  of  the  erection  of  the 
bridge  and  deemed  it  as  the  beginning  of  a  series  of  similar  structures  over  the 
Mississippi  river  at  various  points,  tending  to  divert  from  St.  Louis  the  commerce 
whch  formerly  followed  this  natural  highway  from  St.  Paul  southward.  At  the 
instigation  of  the  St.  Louis  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  owners  of  the  Effie  Afton 
commenced  a  suit  in  Chicago  against  the  bridge  company  for  damages  to  recover 
the  value  of  the  lost  boat,  but  the  jury  failing  to  agree  the  suit  was  abandoned. 
But  the  St.  Louis  merchants  fancied  that  they  saw  certain  ruin  to  their  previous 
monopoly  of  the  river  trade  if  the  bridge  remained,  and  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce of  that  city  procured  the  services  of  Josiah  W.  Bissell,  a  quondam  civil  en- 
gineer of  Rochester,  New  York,  to  undertake  the  task  of  procuring  testimony 
sufficient  to  authorize  the  courts  to  declare  the  bridge  a  material  obstruction  to 
navigation,  and  therefore  a  nuisance  which  could  be  legally  abolished.  They  found 
Bissell  a  ready  instrument  for  the  undertaking  and  raised  from  time  to  time  $37,000 
to  aid  him  in  this  enterprise. 

On  the  19th  of  August,  1858,  James  Ward,  at  the  instance  of  Bissell,  made  his 
application  to  the  United  States  District  court  at  Burlington  for  an  order  of  the 
court  declaring  the  bridge  a  nuisance.  Hall,  Harrington  &  Hall,  Starr,  Phelps 
&  Robinson  and  T.  D.  Lincoln  acted  as  attorneys  for  the  complainant  and  the 
Hon.  N.  B.  Judd  and  J.  T.  Lindley  for  the  bridge  company.  An  indefinite  number 
of  ex  parte  affidavits  accompanied  the  application  and  were  met  by  affidavits  on 
the  part  of  the  defendant.  The  final  hearing  of  the  cause  was  postponed  to  Sep- 
tember, 1859.  In  the  meantime  Bissell  was  engaged  creating  public  opinion  on  the 
river  among  pilots,  captains  and  boat  owners  antagonistic  to  the  bridge,  and  prcn 
curing  depositions  tending  to  show  the  bridge  a  material  obstruction  to  navigation. 

In  the  first  part  of  June,  1859,  some  malicious  persons  attempted  the  destruction 
of  the  bridge  by  fire.  A  large  quantity  of  lath,  oakum,  rosin,  sulphur,  tar,  tur- 
pentine, saltpeter  and  oil  were  placed  upon  the  bridge  on  the  second  span  from 
the  Iowa  shore  at  about  12  o'clock  in  the  night,  and  a  few  moments  before  it  was 
ready  for  firing  it  was  discovered  by  the  watchman  and  a  skiff  with  the  incen- 
diaries in  it  shoved  off  down  the  river  and  escaped  in  the  darkness.  No  clue  was 
obtained  as  to  the  criminals. 


214  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  VVILLARD   BARROWS   HISTORY. 


In  September  the  case  of  James  Ward  versus  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri 
railroad  was  heard  and  finally  submitted  to  the  United  States  District  court  of 
Keokuk.  In  November,  1859,  New  Orleans  voted  to  raise  $50,000  to  aid  St.  Louis 
in  destroying  the  bridge  as  it  was  justly  deemed  a  pioneer  which  if  permitted 
to  stand  would  ultimately  cause  others  to  be  erected  over  this  river  and  divert 
commerce  toward  the  East.  But  though  the  struggle  is  fierce  and  waged  with  an 
enormous  outlay  of  money,  it  will  eventually  terminate,  as  is  believed,  in  favor  of 
the  bridge.  This  great  structure  is  the  link  binding  Iowa  with  the  East,  and  when 
the  different  railroads  projected  in  this  state  are  completed  and  the  Missouri  river 
is  reached,  then  the  paramount  value  of  this  bridge  will  be  ascertained. 

EAST  DAVENPORT. 

This  is  a  small  village  on  the  Mississippi  river  about  a  mile  from  Brady  street. 
It  was  laid  out  by  William  H.  Hildreth,  Esq.  and  Dr.  J.  M.  Witherwax  in  1852  and 
1853.  The  location  is  one  of  some  beauty,  being  in  a  broad  ravine  having  very 
gentle  slopes  even  from  the  highest  point  of  bluffs.  It  is  on  a  bend  of  the  river  just 
below^  the  Rock  island  reef  or  chain  of  rocks  at  the  foot  of  the  rapids  which  forms 
a  beautiful  eddy  in  the  river  where  boats  can  land  at  all  stages  of  water  and  is  a 
safe  harbor  for  rafts  where  they  may  lay  up  in  windy  weather  or  when  seeking  a 
market  at  Davenport  or  Rock  Island.  The  village  is  located  upon  the  site  of  an  old 
Indian  town  or   encampment. 

This  place  until  a  few  years  since  was  called  "Stubbs'  eddy"  having  been  the 
residence  for  many  years  of  James  R.  Stubbs,  Esq.,  an  eccentric  genius  who  built 
a  cave  in  1857  on  the  south  side  of  the  beautiful  mound  that  stands  at  the  mouth 
of  this  valley,  a  part  of  which  still  remains.  Capt.  Stubbs,  as  he  was  generally 
called,  was  educated  at  West  Point,  where  he  graduated  with  high  honors.  In  1822 
he  was  stationed  at  Ft.  Armstrong  on  Rock  island  where  he  remained  for  four 
years.  During  his  stay  upon  this  beautiful  island  at  this  early  day  away  from  the 
crowded  city  he  formed  an  attachment  for  this  wild  and  enchanting  country  that 
terminated  only  with  his  life.  He  was  a  brother-in-law  to  Judge  McLean,  and  in 
1826  he  returned  east  and  served  under  him  in  the  postoffice  department  and 
from  there  went  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  was  clerk  in  the  postofiice  department  for 
some  years.  But  in  1833  he  gratified  his  long  pent-up  desire  to  return  to  the 
West.  On  his  return  to  Rock  island,  however,  there  seemed  to  have  come  over 
him  a  great  change.  He  seemed  to  have  lost  all  of  that  vivacity  of  Hfe  and  spirit 
so  natural  to  his  character.  Deep  melancholy  at  times  brooded  over  him.  His 
bright  and  keen  intellect  seemed  at  once  to  give  way.  Various  were  the  causes 
attributed  to  the  state  of  mind.  Some  surmised  that  it  was  a  matter  of  love,  but 
none  knew.  The  secret  was  buried  in  his  own  bosom.  He  sought  relief  like  thou- 
sands in  the  inebriating  bowl.  His  talents  were  bright,  his  education  liberal  and 
his  honesty  beyond  all  question.  He  sought  retirement  from  the  world  and  se- 
lected the  secluded  spot  in  East  Davenport,  and  dug  his  cave  in  "Stubbs'  Mound" 
where  from  its  mouth  he  could  look  out  upon  the  beautiful  Mississippi  as  its  rip- 
pled current  moved  on  in  its  endless  journey  to  the  sunny  South.  Here  he  lived 
a  hermit's  life  for  nearly  eight  years.  His  own  companions  were  a  pet  pig  and 
a  cat,  with  sometimes  a  dog.     This  was  his  family  and  many  a  lecture  did  these 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  215 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

mute  listeners  get  from  their  eccentric  master.  All  quarrels  among  these  were 
settled  by  the  captain  in  a  judicial  manner  and  the  guilty  one  punished.  In  his 
morning  and  evening  rambles  upon  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  his  entire  family 
would  be  seen  with  him,  marching  behind  in  military  file  with  all  proper  decorum 
and  often  in  his  visits  to  the  village  he  was  accompanied  by  his  pig  and  cat. 

A.  C.  Fulton,  Esq.,  tells  this  anecdote  of  his  first  visit  to  the  cave  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1842.  He  had  wandered  up  the  banks  of  the  river,  looking  at  the  country 
for  the  first  time,  and  when  he  reached  the  eddy  and  crossing  the  little  creek  below 
the  present  site  of  Mr.  Dallam's  store,  he  hastened  toward  the  top  of  the  mound 
in  order  to  obtain  a  more  extensive  view  of  the  little  plateau  of  ground  to  which 
he  had  arrived.  In  passing  up  the  side  of  the  mound  he  caught  the  sound  of  a 
human  voice,  but  could  not  determine  from  whence  it  came,  as  he  could  see  no  one 
near  him.  The  noise  increased  and  seemed  to  be  a  very  earnest  dispute,  mingled 
with  not  a  few  hard  words,  when  suddenly  Mr.  Fulton  discovered  the  place  from 
which  issued  the  sound.  He  was  near  the  top  of  the  chimney  or  hole  from  which 
the  light,  smoke  and  heat  of  Capt.  Stubbs'  residence  escaped,  and  not  dreaming 
that  he  was  in  the  vicinity  of  a  habitation  he  was  somewhat  startled,  but  cried  out 
at  the  top  of  his  voice,  as  he  looked  down  the  cavity,  "Hello,  what  are  you  doing 
down  there?"  To  which  the  answer  came  back  in  quick  response,  "What  are  you 
doing  up  there?  Get  ofif  of  my  house,  sir!"  This  was  his  first  introduction  to 
Capt.  Stubbs,  who  in  after  years  received  many  kind  tokens  of  regard  from  the 
hand  of  Mr.  Fulton.  The  only  cause  of  the  disturbance  in  the  captain's  domicile  was 
that  the  pet  pig  had,  probably  without  malice  or  forethought,  undertaken  to  assist 
his  master  in  the  culinary  department  and  accidentally  or  for  want  of  better  train- 
ing partially  destroyed  a  pone  of  corn  bread  which  the  captain  had  been  pre- 
paring for  the  first  table.  Capt.  Stubbs  was  a  surveyor  and  ran  out  many  of  the 
first  settlers'  claims  and  often  drew  up  deeds  and  contracts  between  parties  at  that 
early  day.  In  1846  he  was  induced  to  come  forth  from  his  hermitage  and  settle 
in  Davenport  where  he  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace,  which  office  he  filled  to 
the  time  of  his  death  which  occurred  in  May,  1848. 

East  Davenport  contains  some  500  inhabitants,  has  a  district  school  house  with 
school  and  worship  on  the  Sabbath  by  the  Methodists  and  other  congregations. 
There  are  two  flouring  mills,  one  belonging  to  David  A.  Burrows,  the  other  to 
Graham  &  Kepner,  with  a  first  rate  sawmill,  built  by  Robert  Christie.  There 
are  two  stores,  brickyards  and  stone  quarries  which  in  former  times  furnished 
ample  business  and  labor  for  the  inhabitants.  It  is  now  within  the  corporate  limits 
of  the  city  of  Davenport. 

North  and  West  Davenport  are  terms  applied  to  the  suburbs  of  Davenport,  and 
contain  many  fine  residences. 

The  quarries  from  which  the  building  rock  in  Davenport  is  taken  are  very 
extensive.  The  rock  is  a  light  gray  limestone  underlying  the  whole  city  of 
Davenport.  Its  first  appearance  on  the  surface  is  on  Perry  and  at  the  foot  of 
Famam  street.  It  crops  out  along  the  banks  of  the  river  as  we  ascend  it,  and  at 
East  Davenport  forms  perpendicular  bluflFs  of  some  thirt)'  feet  in  thickness  above 
low  water  mark.  These  quarries  are  worked  to  good  advantage.  The  rock  dresses 
very  well  under  the  hammer. 


216  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 


There  is  an  abundance  of  coal  that  makes  its  appearance  about  ten  miles  from 
Davenport  in  the  southwesterly  direction,  about  two  miles  from  the  Mississippi 
river,  but  it  has  never  been  dug-  extensively.  Some  half-dozen  mines  have  been 
opened  and  more  or  less  taken  of  the  surface  coal  of  very  good  quality,  but  it 
requires  more  extensive  operations  to  bring  forth  a  pure  article  which  lies  beneath 
it  in  great  abundance.  The  supply  of  coal  for  the  city  of  Davenport  is  from 
the  Rock  river  coal  basins. 

AGRICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

The  first  agricultural  society  ever  formed  in  Scott  county  was  in  January, 
1840.  Alexander  W.  McGregor,  Esq.,  was  chosen  president;  G.  C.  R.  Mitch- 
ell, Esq.,  vice  president;  John  Forrest,  Esq.,  secretary  and  A.  LeClaire,  Esq., 
treasurer.  At  this  early  day  but  little  interest  was  felt  by  the  patrons  of  the  so- 
ciety and  it  was  suffered  to  go  down.  But  little  if  anything  was  done  for  agri- 
cultural interests  in  the  county  until  1853  when  in  August  of  that  year  two  promi- 
nent farmers,  H.  M.  Thompson,  of  Long  Grove,  and  Eli  S.  Wing  called  a  meeting 
and  a  new  society  was  organized.  H.  M.  Thompson  being  elected  president,  James 
Thorington,  Esq.,  secretary  and  John  R.  Jackson,  treasurer.  The  second  year 
of  the  society  (in  1854)  the  first  fair  was  held  in  Davenport,  having  the  same 
officers  elected  as  in  1853. 

In  June,  1854,  a  company  was  organized  called  the  "Fair  Grounds  Association 
of  Scott  County,  Iowa."  This  company  purchased  eight  acres  of  land  lying  near 
Duck  creek,  some  two  miles  from  the  city  at  a  cost  of  $200  per  acre,  enclosed 
about  four  acres  with  a  tight  board  fence  seven  feet  high  and  built  sheds  and 
workshops  for  the  second  annual  exhibition,  which  took  place  the  24th  and 
25th  of  September,  1855.  This  exhibition  was  creditable  to  the  society  and 
Scott  county,  showing  an  increasing  interest  of  the  people  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits. The  third  exhibition  was  held  the  12th  and  13th  of  October,  1856.  The 
number  of  entries  at  this  fair  was  over  300  and  the  receipts  of  the  society  over 
$800.  The  fourth  annual  fair  of  the  Scott  County  Agricultural  society  was  held 
on  the  29th  and  30th  of  September,  1857.  The  exhibition  of  stock  far  exceeded 
that  of  any  other  year  both  in  number  and  quality,  and  of  garden  vegetables  the 
show  was  large  and  superior  to  any  ever  offered  in  Iowa.  The  fifth  annual  fair 
was  held  on  the  15th,  i6th  and  17th  of  September,  1858,  and  although  a  partial 
failure  of  the  crops  rendered  the  exhibition  rather  meager  in  some  articles,  yet  the 
attendance  was  large  and  passed  off  well. 

The  fair  of  1859,  held  in  September,  far  exceeded  all  others  in  number  and 
quality  of  the  articles  exhibited.  The  receipts  were  upward  of  $1,200.  The  of- 
ficers for  this  year  were,  Hugh  M.  Thompson,  president ;  Edwin  Smith,  vice  presi- 
dent ;  John  Lambert,  treasurer ;  William  Allen,  secretary ;  George  H.  French, 
T.  T.  Gue,  H.  M.  Washburn,  Robert  Christie,  directors. 

HORTICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 

This  county  society  was  organized  on  the  26th  of  April,  1859,  by  adopting 
a  constitution,  the  second  article  of  which  declares  "that  the  object  of  this  society 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  217 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

shall  be  to  promote  and  foster  the  cultivation  of  fruits,  flowers  and  vegetables  in 
our  own  county  and  a  taste  for  ornamental  and  landscape  gardening.  It  is  also 
proposed  to  introduce  and  test  new  and  choice  varieties  of  fruits,  flowers  and 
vegetables  and  afterwards  publicly  report  thereon."  The  officers  are  George  H. 
French,  president ;  George  L.  Nichols,  vice  president ;  Howard  Darlington,  treas- 
urer; Dr.  E.  J.  Fountain,  corresponding  secretary;  Livy  S.  Viele,  recording  sec- 
retary. The  society  numbered  forty-eight  members.  Two  public  exhibitions  have 
been  given  the  past  season,  the  first  in  June  for  early  fruits,  flowers  and  vegetables, 
the  last  in  September.  Both  of  these  exhibitions  proved  creditable  alike  to  the 
society  and  the  people  of  Scott  county.  An  increasing  interest  was  shown  in  these 
displays  and  from  them  we  may  judge  that  before  two  years  shall  have  passed 
away  the  interest  will  be  so  great  that  no  public  hall  in  the  city  will  be  able  to  con- 
tain all  who  may  desire  attendance. 

There  is  an  agricultural  store  for  implements  used  in  gardening  and  farming 
at  the  "Iowa  Agricultural  depot,"  on  Front  street  established  in  1856,  and  where  all 
kinds  of  seeds  may  be  found.  The  depression  in  business  for  the  last  two  years 
has  seriously  interfered  with  the  design  of  the  proprietor,  L.  S.  Viele,  Esq.,  but  he 
hopes  with  increased  facilities  to  build  up  a  large  and  permanent  trade  in  this 
particular  branch.  He  keeps  on  hand  for  farmers  all  of  the  most  improved  imple- 
ments of  husbandry,  reapers,  threshers,  farming  mills,  etc.  This  is  the  first  store 
of  the  kind  ever  introduced  into  Davenport,  and  we  can  but  hope  that  so  important 
a  branch  of  business  may  be  encouraged  and  sustained. 

FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 

The  first  permanent  organization  of  a  fire  company  in  Davenport  took  place 
in  1856.  At  a  meeting  held  on  Saturday  evening,  July  26th,  at  the  office  of  R.  D. 
Congdon,  corner  of  Second  and  Brady  streets,  R.  M.  Littler,  was  chairman  and 
H.  S.  Slaymaker,  secretary.  A  committee  to  prepare  a  constitution  and  by-laws 
for  the  organization  and  a  committee  to  present  a  petition  to  the  property  holders 
of  the  city  for  their  aid,  was  appointed.  The  committees  reported  at  a  meeting  of 
the  company  held  on  Monday  evening,  July  28th.  The  constitution  was  adopted 
and  eighteen  persons  signed  as  members.  The  name  adopted  for  the  company  was 
"Independent  Fire  Engine  and  Hose  company."  The  officers  elected  to  serve 
until  January  i,  1857,  were  R.  M.  Littler,  president;  A.  S.  Alston,  treasurer; 
H.  S.  Slaymaker,  secretary;  directors,  James  Morrow,  C.  G.  Noble;  investigating 
committee,  I.  Cummins,  S.  P.  Kinsella,  R.  L.  Hull,  J.  E.  Sells,  C.  W.  Cassedy. 
Correspondence  was  had  with  engine  builders  in  the  east,  and  the  city  council  au- 
thorized the  purchase  of  two  first  class  engines  from  A.  Hanneman  &  Co.,  of 
Boston.  Messrs.  A.  &  G.  Woeber  of  this  city  built  the  hose  carriage,  "Red  Rover," 
and  tender,  "Tiger."  Messrs.  Jewett  &  Sons  of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  fur- 
nished 1,500  feet  of  hose.  These  parties  received  in  payment  city  bonds  having^ 
twenty  years  to  run  at  ten  per  cent  interest. 

In  January,  1857,  R.  M.  Littler  was  reelected  president;  A.  S.  Alston,  treas- 
urer; and  J.  S.  Slaymaker,  secretary.  The  engines  being  expected,  officers  were 
elected  for  the  different  divisions  as  follows :  "Pilot"  engine,  James  Morrow, 
foreman,  "Witch"  engine,  Daniel  Moore,  foreman;  Hose  division,  William  Hall, 


218  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 


foreman.  A  part  of  the  old  frame  warehouse  on  Second  between  Perry  and  Rock 
Island  streets  was  leased  for  an  engine  house.  The  engines  were  shipped  around 
"by  sea"  and  arrived  in  the  month  of  May  on  the  steamer  White  Cloud.  They 
were  received  at  the  landing  by  a  committee  of  Independents  and  in  a  few  hours 
they  were  unpacked  and  set  up.  The  hose  carriage  and  tender  and  hose  being 
ready,  Davenport  could  boast  of  a  regular  fire  company  numbering  over  lOO 
members.  Previous  to  this  time  the  company  had  attended  several  fires  and 
handled  buckets  to  great  advantage. 

The  city  council  purchased  a  lot  on  Brady  above  Fifth  street,  where  the  pres- 
ent engine  house,  (city  hall)  stands  from  Col.  J.  W.  Young,  agent  for  Mr.  Wray 
for  $50  per  front  foot.  Messrs.  Fields  &  Sanders  took  the  contract  for  the  build- 
ing at  $4,500.  The  apparatus  was  removed  to  the  new  house  in  the  fall  of  1857. 
Pioneer  Hook  and  Ladder  Company  Number  i  and  Fire  King  Engine  Company, 
Number  2,  were  organized  during  the  winter,  and  early  the  ensuing  year  they 
were  equipped  with  apparatus.  The  Pioneer's  truck,  ladders,  etc.,  were  paid  for 
by  funds  raised  by  subscription.  Henry  Lafrance  was  their  first  foreman.  The 
Fire  Kings  purchased  their  engine  at  Chicago,  of  Metamora  Company,  Number 

2,  and  paid  for  it  $1,225,  ^"d  $250  for  250  feet  of  hose.  This  was  also  raised 
by  subscription.  Their  engine  arrived  in  March,  1858.  George  L.  Davenport, 
Esq.,  kindly  granted  them  permission  to  erect  a  house  on  his  property  on  Commer- 
cial, between  Brady  and  Perry  streets.  The  company  built  the  house.  Marsh 
Noe  was  the  first  foreman  of  Number  2. 

The  city  council  passed  an  ordinance  for  the  organization  and  government  of 
the  fire  department,  March  3,  1858.  An  election  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  the 
ordinance  was  held  at  the  engine  house  on  Brady  street,  March  13,  1858,  which 
resulted  in  the  election  of  R,  M.  Littler,  chief  engineer,  and  Christian  Mueller  and 
E.  A.  Tilebine,  assistants.  In  April,  1858,  Rescue  Engine  company  Number  3 
was  organized,  and  they  were  furnished  with  the  engine  Witch  and  the  hose  tender 
Tiger  and  500  feet  of  hose.     John  W.  Wahlig  was  elected  foreman  of  Number 

3.  The  city  council  rented  from  George  D.  Amdt  the  brick  house  on  the  comer 
of  Second  and  Brown  streets  which  was  fitted  up  for  Pioneer  Hook  and  Ladder 
Company,  Number  i  and  Rescue  Company,  Number  3.  To  the  efforts  of  Capt. 
Littler,  who  has  displayed  uncommon  energy  in  organizing  and  keeping  alive 
the  interest  in  our  fire  department,  great  credit  is  due.  No  city  in  the  west  has 
a  more  efficient  fire  department.  Since  the  first  organization  the  members  have 
always  quickly  and  most  cheerfully  responded  to  every  call,  in  heat  and  cold,  sum- 
mer or  winter.  They  are  ever  ready,  and  with  a  promptness  seldom  equaled  are 
on  "the  spot."  Chief  Engineer  Littler  and  his  assistants  merit  and  enjoy  the  good 
will  of  the  whole  department.  Although  our  fire  department  is  organized  on  the 
"no  pay"  principle  there  is  no  lack  of  service  and  want  of  energy. 

MILITARY    COMPANIES. 

There  was  at  least  one  company  organized  in  Davenport  and  disbanded  pre- 
vious to  the  year  1857  when  a  number  of  the  German  citizens  organized  the 
"Davenport  Rifles,"  on  the  3d  of  February.     They  made  their  first  parade  in 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  219 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

uniform  on  the  4th  of  July,  1857,  commanded  by  Capt.  A.  Iten.  At  this  time, 
this,  the  oldest  company,  is  commanded  by  Capt.  H.  Haupt. 

The  "Davenport  City  Artillery"  was  organized  the  9th  of  July,  1857  (the 
first  preliminary  meeting  was  held  in  the  rooms  of  Mr.  A.  S.  Alston  one  week 
previous.)  The  civil  organization  consisted  of  John  Johns,  Jr.,  president;  F.  B. 
Wilkie,  vice  president ;  C.  C.  Harris,  secretary ;  D.  W.  VanEvra,  treasurer.  The 
military  organization  was,  captain,  C.  N.  Schuyler ;  first  lieutenant,  W.  W.  Gallear ; 
second  lieutenant,  C.  C.  Harris ;  third  lieutenant,  John  Johns ;  orderly  sergeant, 
R.  M.  Littler.  This  company  is  composed  of  good  material  and  makes  a  hand- 
some appearance.  The  officers  at  present  are :  John  Johns,  captain ;  J.  D.  W. 
Brewster,  first  lieutenant;  E.  Y.  Lane,  second  Heutenant. 

The  "Davenport  Guards"  (Germans)  were  organized  March,  1858,  and  made 
their  first  appearance  in  uniform  July  4,  1858.  They  are  generally  old  soldiers 
who  compose  this  company.    They  are  commanded  by  Captain  D.  H,  Stuhr. 

The  Davenport  Sarsfield  Guards  were  organized  at  a  meeting  held  at  Bailey's 
hall,  on  Brady  near  Fourth  street,  March,  1858,  and  Exlward  Jennings  elected 
captain.  He  resigned  in  a  few  months  when  the  command  was  unanimously 
tendered  by  the  company  to  Capt.  R.  M.  Littler,  and  a  new  impetus  given  the 
organization.  Although  this  young  company  was  organized  during  the  "money 
panic"  they  equipped  themselves  with  a  handsome  uniform  and  made  their  first 
parade  on  the  17th  of  March,  1859. 

There  is  no  young  city  in  the  west  that  can  equal  Davenport  in  her  display 
of  miHtary.  The  companies  are  all  excellently  uniformed  and  officered  and  should 
their  services  be  ever  needed  by  their  country,  they  will  not  be  found  in  the  back- 
ground. As  an  evidence  of  the  promptitude,  we  mention  this  circumstance. 
During  the  troubles  in  Utah  territory  in  1857  the  secretary  of  war  authorized 
Col.  J.  B.  Buckner  of  Illinois  to  raise  a  regiment  of  volunteers.  Capt.  Littler  threw 
his  colors  to  the  breeze  and  in  less  than  forty-eight  hours  was  on  his  way  to 
headquarters  with  a  roll  of  more  than  100  men  who  volunteered  for  the  war.  The 
captain  hailed  from  Rock  Island  and  was  accepted  in  the  regiment.  His  com- 
pany went  into  camp  back  upon  the  bluff  and  after  getting  all  ready  and  wait- 
ing several  weeks  were  denied  the  privilege  by  peace  being  declared.  Some  of  the 
"boys"  were  so  pleased  with  a  soldier's  life  that  the  captain  sent  a  number  of  them 
to  St.  Louis,  where  they  were  enlisted  in  the  regular  service.  The  commissioned 
officers  of  Company  F,  First  Independent  Regiment,  Illinois  Volunteers,  were 
R.  M.  Littler,  captain ;  F.  B.  Wilkie,  first  lieutenant ;  John  Johns,  Jr.,  second 
lieutenant. 

PUBLIC    BUILDINGS. 

We  have  spoken  of  some  of  the  public  buildings  in  our  city.  Of  its  church 
edifices  we  shall  notice  each  in  connection  with  their  congregations.  The  public 
halls  for  the  meeting  of  the  masses  are — Metropolitan,  which  is  decidedly  the 
largest  and  most  brilliant  of  any,  was  built  by  R.  B.  Hill,  Esq.  in  1857,  who  has 
also  erected  one  of  the  most  splendid  private  residences  west  of  the  Mississippi 
river;  Odd  Fellows'  hall  in  Wupperman's  block,  is  large,  neat  and  finished  with 
much  taste;  LeClaire  hall  was  built  at  an  earlier  day,  and  does  not  attract  that 
attention  it  once  did,  but  is  roomy  and  substantial ;  Griggs'  hall  and  Mervin's  hall 


220  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

are  both  larg-e  and  pleasant  rooms,  and  for  the  purposes  designed  are  of  the  first 
order.  The  German  theater,  Lerchen's  hall  and  some  others  of  smaller  dimen- 
sions make  up  an  ample  supply  for  public  places  of  business  and  amusement.  The 
engine  house  on  Brady  street,  is  a  fine  building  of  brick,  two  stories,  with  a  good 
hall  where  the  city  council  meet  to  transact  their  business.  The  same  hall  was 
used  on  the  Sabbath  by  the  Dutch  Reformed  church  for  worship. 

Our  county  jail  is  worthy  of  note.  It  was  built  in  1856  under  the  superinten- 
dence of  Hon.  Wm.  L.  Cook,  then  county  judge.  It  is  hewn  stone  and  built  on 
the  modem  improved  plan  for  prisons,  and  is  one  of  the  best  buildings  of  the 
kind  in  the  state  of  Iowa. 

The  courthouse  is  the  same  one  built  in  1841  and  requires  constant  repairs 
to  keep  it  in  order.  There  are  blocks  of  buildings  of  much  beauty  and  archi- 
tectural finish  in  the  city.  Among  them  may  be  noticed  the  Nickolls  block,  the 
Metropolitan,  Cook  &  Sargent's  banking  house,  Davenport's  block,  Wupper- 
mann's  block,  Luse,  Lane  &  Co.'s,  Mervin's  and  others.  Of  private  residences  we 
might  enumerate  many  that  will  vie  with  those  of  eastern  cities  both  in  nobleness 
of  structure  and  elegance  of  finish. 

The  hotels  of  this  city  are  numerous  and  of  every  grade.  The  oldest  of  any 
note  is  the  LeClaire  House  built  in  1839  by  A.  LeClaire,  Esq.  This  time-honored 
public  edifice  is  still  open  for  the  reception  of  guests  and  is  kept  by  Col.  Magill; 
At  the  time  this  hotel  was  built  there  was  nothing  to  compare  with  it  in  the 
Mississippi  valley.  It  was  a  place  of  summer  resort  for  the  people  of  St.  Louis 
and  other  southern  cities,  who  usually  spent  several  weeks  here  in  the  heat  of 
summer,  finding  much  pleasure  in  hunting  and  fishing.  It  has  a  central  position 
in  the  city. 

The  Scott  House  is  one  of  the  best  public  houses  in  the  city  and  is  conducted 
in  the  most  approved  style.  It  is  beautifully  located  on  Front  street,  in  full  view 
of  the  city  of  Rock  Island,  the  railroad  bridge,  old  Fort  Armstrong  and  has  an 
extended  view  up  and  down  the  river.  It  is  retired  and  pleasant  as  a  boarding 
place  for  men  of  business  and  those  having  family.  The  accommodations  are  ex- 
cellent and  under  the  gentlemanly  deportment  of  its  worthy  landlord  none  can  fail 
to  be  well  pleased  with  a  home  at  the  Scott  House. 

The  Pennsylvania  House  is  rather  a  new  institution.  A  part  of  it  was  built 
in  1854;  when  in  1857  the  great  increase  of  business  induced  the  proprietors  to 
enlarge  it  by  erecting  another  building  of  the  same  size  by  its  side,  raising  it 
another  story  and  putting  on  a  new  roof  over  the  whole  of  galvanized  iron. 
It  is  one  of  the  most  substantial  buildings  of  the  kind  in  the  west.  It  is  sixty- 
four  feet  by  130  feet  on  the  ground,  built  of  stone,  five  stories  high.  It  contains 
no  rooms,  and  in  its  basement  has  an  artesian  well  150  feet  deep,  eighty  feet  of 
which  distance  was  bored  through  solid  rock  without  a  seam.  This  well  cost 
$1,000.  The  entire  cost  of  the  Pennsylvania  House  was  $64,000,  including  furni- 
ture. The  proprietor  and  builder,  who  still  occupies  the  house,  is  an  old  and  tried 
veteran  in  the  business.  He  enjoys  a  large  share  of  public  patronage.  It  is  the 
depot  for  the  farmers  who  bring  in  their  grain  to  market,  having  ample  accom- 
modations for  beast  as  well  as  man.  From  the  observatory  which  crowns  this  spa- 
cious building,  a  most  splendid  view  is  had  of  the  city  of  Davenport  and  its  sur- 
roundings with  the  beautiful  windings  of  the  Mississippi  among  its  many  islands. 


i 

LE(I.AI1{E   HOrSE 
A  Slimmer  Resort  for  Southerners  for 
Twenty     Years     Before     the     Civil 
War.    "Unilding- Demolished  in  1010. 


Hi 


PENNSYLVANIA   HOUSE 
Third  and  l.nv,i  Stii-pts 


UlRTtS  HOUSE 


f^V^fS^ 


ke:*ipei:  ham.  i)a\exi>()Rt 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  223 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

The  Worden  House  as  enlarged  is  very  respectable,  and  has  its  share  of 
patronage. 

There  are  many  other  hotels  of  the  city  worthy  of  note  and  entitled  to  all  credit, 
but  we  speak  of  but  one  more,  the  last  one  erected.  We  mean  the  Burtis  House. 
This  noble  structure  exceeds  in  magnitude  and  splendor  all  others  of  our  city  or  in 
the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  No  man  is  entitled  to  more  credit,  nor  has  any 
one  man  done  more  in  expending  his  money  for  the  benefit  of  the  city,  the  county 
and  the  public  generally  than  Dr.  Burtis  in  erecting  this  magnificent  hotel.  Too 
much  credit  cannot  be  bestowed  upon  him  when  we  consider  that  amid  the  financial 
pressure  that  came  upon  the  country  in  1857  just  as  he  was  commencing  this  en- 
terprise, nothing  daunted,  with  most  commendable  zeal  and  untiring  energy,  he 
pressed  forward  the  work  to  a  successful  termination,  and  since  its  doors  were  first 
thrown  open  to  the  public,  through  all  the  severe  pressure  of  the  time  Dr.  Burtis 
has  stood  at  his  post  in  person  and  maintained  the  high  and  well  earned  credit  of 
a  house  whose  equal  in  all  respects  has  not  yet  been  found  this  side  the  city  of 
New  York.  We  desire  to  make  honorable  mention  not  only  of  this  superstructure, 
but  of  its  worthy  and  enterprising  proprietor,  and  transmit  to  Davenport  posterity 
the  name  of  him  who  amid  one  of  the  greatest  storms  of  financial  distress  that 
ever  visited  the  west  erected  a  model  hotel  that,  even  with  the  great  progress  of 
the  age  will  require  many  years  before  it  will  be  excelled.  For  a  more  perfect 
description  we  quote  from  Wilkie's  "Davenport  Past  and  Present." 

"The  Burtis  House  is  a  simple  dining  room  surrounded  on  three  sides  by 
parlors,  halls,  bedrooms,  closets,  etc.,  rising  to  the  height  of  five  stories  including 
basement.  The  whole  structure  is  118  feet  on  Fifth  street,  and  109  feet  on  Iowa 
street.  The  dining  room  is  thirty-nine  feet  by  eighty-one  feet,  supported  by  iron 
columns  and  magnificently  frescoed. 

"In  the  basement  there  is  the  engine  room,  containing  an  engine  of  thirty-five 
horsepower,  which  in  connection  with  one  of  Worthington's  pumps  forces  the 
water  to  a  tank  in  the  fifth  story,  from  which  in  hot  and  cold  jets  it  is  distributed 
to  every  hall  in  the  house.  There  are  also  upon  this  floor  a  laundry  room  veined 
by  steam  pipes,  a  restaurant,  billiard  room,  smoking  room,  barber  shop,  bath 
room  and  three  store  rooms,  together  with  a  multiplicity  of  smaller  rooms,  closets, 
etc.,  unnecessary  to  mention. 

"On  the  first  floor  is  found  the  rotunda,  a  marble  floored,  lofty  and  roomy  ar- 
rangement, with  trumpets,  bells,  etc.,  beautifully  frescoed,  together  with  three 
imposing  staircases,  leading  respectively  to  the  ladies',  gents'  and  other  rooms 
above.  It  communicates  with  external  entrances  and  with  the  stairways  above  al- 
luded to.  Upon  this  floor  are  also  the  dining  room,  by  far  the  most  splendid 
specimen  of  architectural  beauty  in  the  west,  reading  room,  ladies'  parlors  with 
folding  doors,  wash  and  private  rooms,  the  latter  projected  in  all  particulars  simi- 
lar to  those  of  the  St.  Nicholas  hotel,  New  York  city. 

"Passing  from  the  floor  to  the  second  by  either  of  the  beautifully  constructed 
staircases,  one  is  compelled  to  admire  the  work  of  Mr.  Walker,  one  of  the  best 
stairway  builders  in  the  west.  On  the  second  floor  are  parlors  with  bedrooms 
attached,  linen  closets,  suites  of  bedrooms  and  parlors  attached  for  the  use  of 
several  families.  The  servants'  rooms  are  detached  from  other  parts  of  the  house, 
and  like  every  other  room  in  the  house  are  well  warmed  and  ventilated.     Each 


224  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 


room  is  warmed  by  steam  and  cooking  is  done  by  the  same  means.  Every  room 
is  lofty  and  from  most  of  them  magnificent  views  of  bluflf  or  river  scenery  are 
obtainable.  The  dining  room,  occupying  as  it  does,  the  center  of  the  house  is 
hghted  from  front,  rear  and  skylight.  Its  being  located  in  the  precise  spot  it  is, 
makes  it  a  vast  improvement  over  everything  else  of  the  kind.  The  rotunda  is  in 
all  respects  a  fine  specimen  of  design  and  finish  and  successfully  challenges 
comparison. 

"There  are  150  sleeping  rooms  in  the  house;  basement,  eighteen  rooms;  first 
floor,  eighteen,  exclusive  of  the  rotunda,  and  the  remainder  of  the  rooms  are  dis- 
tributed on  the  floors  above.  The  house  itself  is  on  the  railroad  and  but  a  few 
steps  from  the  depot,  thus  saving  to  travelers  the  expense  of  omnibus  bill. 

"In  regard  to  Dr.  Burtis  but  little  need  be  said — as  former  lessee  of  the  Le- 
Claire  House  and  of  the  house  in  Lexington,  Mo.,  he  gained  a  reputation  for 
management  in  the  hotel  business  which  no  eulogy  can  heighten.  There  is  but  a 
small  share  of  western  travel  for  a  few  years  back  that  has  not  been  indebted  to 
Dr.  Burtis  for  those  gentlemanly  and  hospitable  attentions  that  tend  so  much  to 
lessen  the  discomforts  of  travel  and  to  ameliorate  the  hardships  of  absence  from 
home. 

"The  furniture  which  is  of  the  very  best  quality  was  furnished  in  New  York. 
The  whole  house  is  lighted  by  gas  and  in  every  respect  superior  to  any  other  in 
the  United  States." 

PUBLIC    SCHOOLS. 

No  state  has  ever  entered  the  union  with  more  liberal  encouragement  for 
common  and  academic  schools  than  Iowa.  Congress  gave  to  the  state  500,000 
acres  of  land,  the  interest  of  which  is  used  for  the  support  of  common  schools, 
besides  every  sixteenth  section,  and  five  per  cent  on  sales  of  all  the  public  lands 
with  all  fines  collected  for  a  breach  of  the  penal  laws  of  the  state.  In  the  city  of 
Davenport  there  are  seven  public  schoolhouses,  many  of  which  are  costly  and 
commodious  buildings,  and  all  supplied  with  able  and  efficient  teachers. 

The  public  schools  of  the  city  are  all  under  a  superintendent  who  has  a  gen- 
eral oversight  of  all  the  common  schools,  is  principal  of  the  intermediate  school 
and  has  a  general  oversight  of  each  district  in  the  city.  In  no  city  west  of  the 
Mississippi  river  are  the  common  schools  in  better  condition  than  in  Davenport. 
Much  pains  have  been  taken  to  elect  men  to  regulate  the  school  affairs  who  were 
intelligent  and  of  high  moral  character.  Although  there  are  many  deservedly 
popular  select  schools,  yet  the  common  schools  have  been  conducted  upon  such  a 
decidedly  improved  plan  that  many  of  the  best  families  of  the  city  have  patronized 
them  for  a  year  or  two  past. 

SCOTT    COUNTY   BIBLE   SOCIETY. 

We  copy  from  Davenport  Past  and  Present  the  following  statement  of  this 
society : 

"The  Scott  County  Bible  society,  auxiliary  to  the  American  Bible  society,  was 
organized  in  the  city  of  Davenport  on  the  13th  day  of  September,  A.  D.,  1842, 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  225 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

at  which  time  a  constitution  was  formed  and  adopted,  which  continued  without 
material  alteration  or  amendment  until  the  present  time.  The  officers  elected  at 
the  organization  were — ^Rev.  D.  Worthington,  president;  Charles  Leslie,  secre- 
tary. And  at  the  subsequent  anniversary  meetings  the  minutes  of  the  society 
show  the  following  election  of  officers : 

"In  1843,  Rev.  Z.  H.  Goldsmith,  president;  Rev.  D.  Worthington,  secretary; 
Wm.  L.  Cook,  treasurer,  who  continued  in  office  until  1847,  when — 

''Rev.  Z.  H.  Goldsmith  was  elected  president ;  Rev.  Ephraim  Adams,  secretary, 
Wm.  L.  Cook,  treasurer. 

"In  1848,  Rev.  Ephraim  Adams,  president;  Asa  Prescott,  secretary;  Alfred 
Sanders,  treasurer. 

"In  1849,  Rev.  Ephraim  Adams,  president;  Asa  Prescott,  secretary;  Rufus 
Ricker,  treasurer. 

"In  1850,  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason,  president;  Rev.  Asa  Prescott,  secretary;  Rufus 
Ricker,  treasurer. 

"In  1851,  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason,  president;  H.  Price,  treasurer;  Rev.  H.  L. 
BuUen,  secretary. 

"In  1852,  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason,  president;  H.  Price,  treasurer;  Rev.  H.  L.  Bullen, 
secretary. 

"In  1853,  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason,  president;  Prof.  D.  S.  Sheldon,  secretary;  Jno. 
H.  Morton,  treasurer. 

"In  1854,  H.  Price,  president;  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason,  secretary;  Jas.  M.  Dalzell, 
treasurer. 

"In  1855,  H.  Price,  president;  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason,  secretary;  Jas.  M.  Dalzell, 
treasurer. 

"In  1856,  Strong  Burnell,  president;  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason,  secretary;  H.  Price, 
treasurer. 

"In  1857,  H.  Y.  Slaymaker,  president;  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason,  secretary;  H.  Price, 
treasurer. 

"In  1858,  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason,  president. 

"In  1859,  W.  Barrows,  president. 

"The  treasurer's  books  show  also  that  the  aggregate  receipts  have  been 
$1,101.49.  The  receipts  for  the  first  year  were  $9.37,  and  for  the  year  1859, 
$348,  showing  a  steady  increase  in  the  collections  of  the  society,  equal,  if  not  ex- 
ceeding, the  increase  in  wealth  and  population  of  the  county. 

"This  money  has  been  expended  in  the  purchase  of  Bibles  and  Testaments  in 
different  languages  which  have  been  distributed  among  the  inhabitants  of  this 
city  and  county  without  any  distinction  of  sect  or  party. 

"The  names  of  persons  contributing  to  the  funds  of  the  society  are  registered 
on  the  treasurer's  book  and  thereby  become  members  of  the  society." 

CEMETERIES. 

There  are  four  burying  places  for  the  dead  in  and  near  the  city  limits.  The 
oldest  and  the  one  principally  used  up  to  1856  was  that  located  on  the  banks  of 
the  river  about  a  mile  below  Brady  street.  This  ground  becoming  too  small,  an- 
other was  selected  by  A.  C.  Fulton  in  1855,  some  two  miles  north  of  the  city, 


226  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

called  Pine  Hill  cemetery,  which  is  located  upon  a  high  and  beautiful  prairie  and 
tastefully  laid  out. 

In  1856  a  society  was  formed  and  incorporated  by  the  name  of  Oakdale  cem- 
etery on  the  14th  of  May  of  that  year.  The  original  incorporators  were  fifteen 
in  number,  out  of  which  nine  directors  were  chosen  on  the  22d  of  May,  1856. 
Its  principal  officers  were :  Wm.  H.  Hildreth,  president ;  W.  H.  F.  Gurley,  secre- 
tary, and  A.  H.  Barrow,  treasurer.  The  charter  of  the  corporation  extends  for 
twenty  years.  Forty  acres  of  ground  were  purchased  about  two  and  a  half  miles 
from  the  city  near  Duck  creek,  and  a  scientific  engineer,  Capt.,  De  la  Roche,  of 
Washington  city,  employed  to  lay  off  the  grounds.  The  location  is  one  of  much 
beauty,  well  selected  for  the  purposes  desired,  being  high,  rolling  prairie,  dotted 
over  with  native  oaks,  forming  in  its  o"wn  native  loveliness  a  spot  beautiful  for  the 
last  resting  place  of  man.  It  overlooks  the  broad  prairie  covered  over  with  highly 
cultivated  farms,  while  the  silver  waters  of  Duck  creek  wind  their  serpentine 
course  through  its  rich  and  lovely  valley.  Much  credit  is  due  to  the  board  of 
directors  for  their  taste  in  selecting  the  ground  and  their  perseverance  in  carry- 
ing into  effect  an  object  of  so  great  importance.  It  was  laid  out  on  a  magnificent 
plan  of  circles,  belts,  angles  and  curves,  bounded  and  inters'ected  by  avenues  and 
walks  of  much  grace  and  beauty.  Over  3,000  lots  were  laid  out.  Upon  the 
crowning  point  of  the  highest  ground  a  spot  is  reserved  for  a  chapel  which  over- 
looks the  whole  cemetery.  Much  improvement  has  been  made  upon  the  grounds. 
The  avenues  and  alleys  have  been  graded.  Many  lots  have  been  adorned  with 
evergreens,  monuments  of  marble  have  been  erected  and  the  whole  enclosed  with 
a  board  fence  that  amply  protected  it  from  injury.  There  is  a  sexton's  house  upon 
the  premises  and  every  care  taken  to  improve  and  preserve  a  place  so  sacred. 
There  have  been  over  100  interments  and  more  than  150  lots  sold,  which  are 
$30  each,  the  purchase  money  of  which  all  goes  to  adorn  and  beautify  the  grounds. 

The  Catholic  burying  ground  is  located  on  Fifth  street  in  Mitchell's  addition 
and  has  some  fine  monuments. 

RELIGIOUS. 

We  now  enter  upon  the  history  of  the  churches  of  Davenport  from  their  first 
beginning  until  the  present  time,  which  will  close  the  history  of  Davenport  town- 
ship. 

ROMAN    CATHOLIC    CHURCH. 

The  first  church  organization  in  Davenport  was  St.  Anthony's  Roman  Catholic. 
As  early  as  1836  priests  from  the  mission  at  Dubuque  preached  here  occasionally 
in  private  houses.  In  the  spring  of  1838  the  Rev.  Samuel  Mazzuchelli,  an  Italian 
by  birth,  visited  Davenport  and  organized  a  church.  During  the  summer  Antoine 
LeClaire,  Esq.,  erected  a  small  brick  church,  twenty-five  feet  by  forty  feet,  on 
Church  square.  This  little  edifice  was  the  first  building  of  the  kind  in  Daven- 
port. It  was  used  for  a  long  time  for  a  church,  schoolhouse,  priest's  residence, 
etc.,  until  1843,  when  an  addition  was  put  to  it.  This  building  was  for  some  years 
the  largest  public  edifice  in  the  town  and  was  used  by  all  large  assemblies  to 
deliberate  upon  matters  of  public  interest. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  227 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

In  1839  the  Rev.  J.  A.  M.  Pelamourgues  took  charge  of  the  congregation  and 
is  yet  pastor  of  that  church.  Rev.  Pelamourgues  was  the  only  priest  in  Iowa  south 
of  Dubuque,  and  for  many  years  he  visited  Burlington,  Muscatine,  Iowa  City, 
Rockingham  and  Clinton  county,  preaching  and  establishing  churches.  The 
number  of  Catholic  families  in  Scott  county  in  1839  was  but  fifteen.  They  were 
nearly  all  new  settlers,  and  mostly  poor,  but  honest  and  industrious.  A  few  yet 
remain  enjoying  the  rewards  of  their  early  privations  and  are  among  the  best 
portions  of  our  citizens. 

On  the  23d  of  May,  1839,  St.  Anthony's  church  was  dedicated  by  the  Right 
Rev.  Bishop  Loras,  of  Dubuque,  assisted  by  the  Rev.  Mazzuchelli.  In  1843 
when  the  church  was  enlarged,  the  number  of  Catholic  families  was  about  fifty. 
"Money  at  that  time  was  so  scarce,"  says  a  member  of  that  church,  "that  only  $20 
were  collected  in  cash  to  build  the  addition."  The  number  of  Catholics  increased 
very  slowly  until  1854.  In  1849  the  present  stone  church  was  commenced  and 
only  finished  in  1854. 

In  1852  the  Rev.  Pelamourgues  visited  France  and  during  his  absence  the  Rev. 
Plathe  and  Rev.  McCabe  took  charge  of  the  congregation  and  continued  the 
church  building.  In  1855  a  new  stone  church  was  built  for  the  Germans  in 
Mitchell's  addition,  Mr.  Mitchell  donating  the  land.  This  church  was  organized 
in  1855  and  the  Rev.  Michael  Flammany  placed  in  charge.  He  was  succeeded  by 
the  Rev.  Baumgartner,  who  was  removed  from  Davenport  in  1848.  The  present 
pastor  is  the  Rev.  Niermann. 

In  1856  the  number  of  Catholics  increased  very  fast.  A  third  church  was 
erected  on  LeClaire  street  on  the  blufifs  by  Mr.  LeClaire,  who  also  gave  the  square 
of  ground  upon  which  it  stands.  It  is  called  St.  Marguerite's  church  and  is  a 
noble  edifice,  an  ornament  to  the  city  and  an  honor  to  the  great  liberality  of  Mr. 
LeClaire,  who  built  it.  The  Rev.  A.  Trevis  was  appointed  pastor  and  has  con- 
tinued until  the  present  time  to  minister  to  the  congregation.  His  assistant  was 
the  Rev.  H.  Cosgrove,  who  has  recently  removed  to  Walnut  Grove,  where  he 
officiates,  and  also  preaches  at  LeClaire  and  other  places  in  Scott  and  Clinton 
counties 

In  1858  the  number  of  Catholics  in  the  city  of  Davenport  alone  amounted  to 
about  7,000.  There  are  five  churches  in  Scott  county  and  four  clergymen  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  denomination.  A  school  was  opened  in  connection  with  the 
church  by  Rev.  Pelamourgues  in  1839  and  has  continued  ever  since.  The  first 
year  the  number  of  pupils  was  about  forty ;  out  of  this  number  three  only  be- 
longed to  Catholic  parents.  In  1859  about  600  Catholic  children  were  taught  in 
the  school  attached  to  St.  Anthony's  church.  Two  new  schools  have  been  opened 
this  fall  (1859),  one  at  St.  Marguerite's  and  the  other  at  the  German  church. 
They  are  well  attended.  An  academy  for  young  ladies  was  also  opened  this  fall 
in  a  beautiful  building  erected  in  West  Davenport  on  the  ten-acre  lot  donated  to 
the  Sisters  of  Charity  by  the  Hon.  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell  and  Geo.  L.  Davenport,  Esq. 

The  temperance  society  that  was  established  in  1841  is  still  m  existence.  It 
has  been  the  means  of  doing  much  good. 

The  Catholic  Institute  has  existed  for  several  years  and  is  now  in  a  prosper- 
ous condition.  The  members  meet  once  a  week  during  the  winter  and  thus  far 
their  lectures  and  debates   have  been  well  attended.     They  have  a  circulating 


228  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

libran-  of  several  hundred  volumes.  The  hall  in  which  they  meet  has  been  en- 
larg-ed  this  fall  and  is  verv-  commodious  and  pleasant. 

The  Catholic  church  of  Davenport  has  undoubtedly,  like  others,  had  its  days 
of  darkness  and  trouble.  A  majority  of  the  congregations  are  poor  but,  unlike 
all  others,  it  has  its  LeClaire,  its  Mitchell  and  its  Davenport.  The  land  upon 
which  all  of  the  Catholic  churches  are  located  has  been  donated  by  these  gentle- 
men, who  are  nof  only  wealthy  but  liberal  with  their  means.  They  have  ever 
stood  with  open  hands  to  answer  the  calls  of  the  church. 

Of  the  pastor,  the  Rev.  Pelamourgues,  whom  we  have  known  for  more 
than  twenty  years,  we  can  speak  without  fear  of  contradiction  of  his  faithfulness 
over  his  charge.  Long  and  steadily  has  he  labored  for  their  good.  Not  only 
has  he  devoted  his  time  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  his  people,  but  for  the  last 
t\\'enty  years  has  he  been  the  faithful  teacher  of  the  youth  of  his  congregation. 
As  a  Christian  and  pastor,  none  has  been  more  kind  and  faithful.  He  is  an  "old 
settler."  He  belongs  to  that  pioneer  band  who  first  began  to  clear  away  the 
relics  of  barbarism  in  this  valley  and  introduce  the  gospel  of  peace.  His  char- 
acter among  all  men  is  above  reproach  and  his  amiable  and  friendly  greeting  is 
always  received  with  pleasure  by  all  who  know  him.  In  1858  Father  Pelamour- 
gues received  the  high  appointment  of  bishop  of  the  northwest,  a  proper  and 
complimentary  appreciation  on  the  part  of  the  church  of  his  private  worth  and 
public  labors.  But  the  good  old  man  preferred  to  remain  with  his  people  at  his 
old  home  here  to  enjoying  even  so  high  an  honor,  with  its  increase  of  emolu- 
ment and  influence,  as  was  thus  extended  to  him  unsolicited.  To  secure  his 
object,  he  even  made  a  visit  to  Italy,  and,  laying  his  case  before  the  Pope,  was 
generously  permitted  to  occupy  undisturbed  his  old  position  in  this  community. 
Such  an  instance  of  declination  of  high  position  is  rare  and  remarkable,  and  the 
incident  forms  a  higher  eulogy  upon  the  good  father  than  the  choicest  phrase 
of  encomium  we  might  use. 

PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH. 

Like  many  other  churches  in  the  west,  the  First  Presbyterian  church  in  Daven- 
port is  without  a  full  record  of  its  early  history.  Among  the  immigrants  of 
1835,  '36  and  '37,  not  more  than  ten  or  twelve  persons  could  be  found  who 
were  of  that  denomination.  These  worshipped  at  first  in  common  with  others 
wherever  there  was  preaching  in  other  denominations  until  the  20th  or  21st  of 
April,  1838,  when  a  little  band  of  ten  was  gathered  together  in  a  small  building 
that  stood  above  the  alley  on  Ripley  street,  between  Front  and  Second,  belonging 
to  T.  S.  Hoge  and  since  destroyed  by  fire.  Here  they  worshipped  for  a  year 
with  such  supply  of  ministerial  aid  as  could  be  obtained.  They  were  from  various 
parts  of  the  United  .States :  Mrs.  Ann  Mitchell,  mother  of  the  Hon.  G.  C.  R. 
Mitchell,  from  Alabama;  Dr.  A.  C.  Donaldson  and  wife,  from  Pennsylvania; 
Robert  Christie  and  wife,  from  Ohio;  Mrs.  Jemima  Barkley.  from  Pennsylvania; 
T.  S.  Hoge  and  wife,  from  Ohio.  These  composed  the  first  congregation,  two 
of  whom  have  since  died,  Mrs.  Mitchell  and  Mrs.  Christie.  Dr.  Donaldson  re- 
moved to  St.  Louis  and  afterward  to  California,  and  T.  S.  Hoge  to  New  York 
city.    The  remainder  are  still  residents  of  Davenport. 


KAIUKK  rF.l_\MOl"KOlES 
rionoor  Fviost  and  Toaoher 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  231 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

The  following  year,  J.  M.  D.  Burrows  and  wife  and  one  or  two  others  were 
added  to  their  number,  and  with  these  few  a  church  was  organized  in  a  little 
frame  schoolhouse  yet  standing  near  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Harrison  streets 
on  the  5th  of  May,  1839.  The  pioneer  clergymen  who  officiated  upon  this  occa- 
sion were  the  Rev.  Ithamar  Pillsbury,  of  Andover,  Ills. ;  Rev.  M.  Hummer,  of 
Stephenson,  Ills.;  and  Rev.  Enoch  Mead,  of  Rockingham,  Iowa.  Mr.  Pillsbury 
preached  the  sermon  upon  the  occasion  from  Mark,  i6th  chapter,  15th  and  i6th 
verses. 

As  some  six  years  of  the  records  of  this  church  have  been  lost  and  much  pains 
taken  to  fix  dates  and  places,  I  would  observe  that  through  the  kindness  of  Rev. 
Mr.  Mead  the  facts  have  been  arrived  at  by  a  recent  correspondence  with  Mr. 
Pillsbury,  now  a  resident  of  Macomb,  Ills.  He  speaks  of  his  journey  to  Daven- 
port from  Andover,  where  he  then  resided,  as  being  still  fresh  in  his  mind.  Mr. 
Hummer  had  requested  his  services  upon  the  occasion  which  were  to  take  place 
on  the  Sabbath  and  require  him  to  leave  home  on  Saturday.  He  had  loaned  his 
horse  to  a  neighbor,  and  not  being  returned,  he  walked  the  distance,  twenty-six 
miles,  and  returned  on  foot.  Mr.  Pillsbury  says  that  when  he  came  to  Rock  river 
slough  it  was  overflowed  and  some  eighty  rods  wide,  and  too  deep  to  wade,  when 
he  applied  to  Mr.  George  Moore,  who  lived  on  the  blufifs  some  two  miles  from 
the  slough,  but  the  nearest  resident,  who  kindly  sent  his  son  with  his  team  and 
set  him  across.  This  is  but  an  incident  among  the  many  hardships  of  pioneer 
ministers  in  the  west.  The  organization  of  the  church  took  place  and  the  com- 
munion was  administered.  It  was  a  day  of  trial  yet  of  hope.  But  faint  gleams 
of  light  broke  from  the  dark  clouds  that  hung  over  the  moral  atmosphere  of  the 
far  west  at  that  day,  and  as  the  little  band  gathered  around  the  table  of  the  Lord 
for  the  first  time  in  the  new  land,  their  thoughts  went  back  to  the  days  "when 
first  they  knew  their  Lord,"  and  in  humble  communion  with  him  again  they  sang 
his  praise  and  united  once  more  in  covenant  bonds  with  him  in  the  land  of  their 
adoption.  For  four  years  this  church  had  no  stated  ministerial  supply  during 
which  a  few  more  were  added,  having  preaching  only  occasionally  from  the  clergy- 
men above  named  and  a  few  others  who  were  traveling  through  the  region  of 
country  beyond  the  Mississippi  river.  In  1842  J.  M.  D.  Burrows  and  T.  S.  Hoge 
were  chosen  and  ordained  elders  in  the  church,  an  office  Mr.  Burrows  still  holds  and 
fills  with  much  acceptance. 

The  first  stated  supply  of  preaching  was  in  the  spring  of  1843  by  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Cleland.  He  had  charge  of  this  and  the  church  at  Stephenson  for  about 
four  years.  During  this  period  the  infant  church  struggled  on  amid  many  dis- 
couragements. The  emigration  to  the  west  during  these  years  was  slow.  But 
few  were  added  to  its  numbers.  It  was  the  day  of  small  things,  but  the  little 
pilgrim  band  proved  themselves  somewhat  like  Gideon's  host,  "though  faint  yet 
pursuing."  As  an  evidence  of  their  zeal,  faith  and  courage,  they  erected  in  these 
days  of  darkness  their  first  house  of  worship,  a  small  brick  building  where  the 
present  edifice  stands.  Even  after  the  completion  and  occupancy  of  this  primi- 
tive church,  they  were  at  times  almost  ready  to  sit  down  in  sadness  and  give  up 
their  most  cherished  object.  But  again  they  took  their  "harps  from  willows 
down"  and  tuning  them  anew,  they  sang: 


232  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS    HISTORY. 

"Though    in   a    foreign    land 
We  are  not  far  from  home. 

And  nearer  to  our  house  above, 
We  every  moment  come. 

When  we  in  darkness  walk, 
Nor  feel  the  heavenly  flame. 

Then  is  the  time  to  trust  our  God, 
And  rest  upon  his  name."' 

Charles  C.  Williams  came  to  Iowa  in  August,  1844.  He  was  from  Newark, 
N.  J.,  where  he  had  spent  many  years  of  his  earlier  life  actively  engaged  in  every 
good  work.  He  was  an  elder  in  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  that  city  and 
afterward  in  the  Central  church  for  many  years.  He  was  a  man  of  most  ardent 
piety,  ever  ready  to  lend  his  aid  and  influence  in  promoting  the  cause  of  the 
Redeemer's  kingdom.  His  connection  with  the  church  of  Davenport  was  at  a 
time  when  it  most  needed  spiritual  aid  and  encouragement.  It  had  passed 
through  the  first  ordeal  of  formation  and  organization  and  was  experiencing  that 
loneliness  and  destitution  which  so  often  settles  down  on  our  western  churches  in 
their  feeble  commencement.  At  this  time  Mr.  T.  S.  Hoge,  an  elder,  and  one  of  its 
members,  was  about  to  leave  and  settle  in  Galena ;  and  some  other  valued  mem- 
bers were  seeking  homes  in  other  places,  so  that  the  infant  church  felt  severely 
these  losses.  At  this  crisis  Mr.  Williams  seemed  providentially  sent  among  them 
to  cheer  and  strengthen  by  his  influence  and  prayers  this  weak  and  struggling 
church.  He  and  James  M.  Dalzell  were  ordained  and  set  apart  as  elders  in  this 
church.  His  first  work  with  the  help  of  others  was  to  establish  a  Sabbath  school 
which  has  continued  to  this  day  with  increasing  interest  and  of  which  he  was 
superintendent  to  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  in  September,  1852. 

Precious  now  is  the  remembrance  of  those  days  to  some  who  have  lived  to  the 
present  time  and  precious  indeed  is  the  memory  of  those  who  have  gone  to  their 
reward.  In  the  midst  of  poverty  and  discouragement  and  when  the  little  church 
had  dwindled  to  a  few  members  and  thoughts  of  giving  up  were  prevalent  among 
some,  Mrs.  Mitchell,  in  full  faith  and  confidence  that  God  would  bring  them  out 
of  all  tribulation,  cheeringly  said  to  Mr.  Burrows,  "You  and  I  will  stick  to  it  at 
any  rate  while  there  is  a  shingle  on  the  roof."  Such  were  the  pioneer  fathers 
and  mothers  that  helped  to  nurture  and  sustain  this  feeble  church  in  its  days  of 
darkness  and  distress.  There  were  additions  to  the  church  as  new  settlers  came 
in,  and  the  congregation  increased  in  a  measure,  yet  in  1846,  owing  to  removals 
and  deaths,  there  were  still  but  seventeen  members. 

At  this  time  the  Rev.  George  S.  Rea  became  their  minister  and  occupied  the 
pulpit  about  two  years  and  a  half.  In  the  fall  of  this  year  (1846)  the  Sabbath 
school  of  the  church  w-as  first  organized,  C.  C.  Williams,  superintendent,  which 
has  been  continued  with  growing  interest  to  the  present  time.  During  the  sum- 
mer of  1849  the  church  being  again  without  a  minister,  the  Rev.  Erastus  Ripley,  of 
the  Congregational  body  and  senior  professor  in  Iowa  college,  preached  for  the 
church  with  much  acceptance.  In  the  summer  of  1852  the  present  edifice  was 
erected,  having  the  first  liell  and  steeple  in  the  city. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  233 

THE  WILLARD   BARROWS  HISTORY. 

On  the  27th  of  September,  1849,  for  the  first  time,  a  formal  call  was  made 
out  by  the  church  to  the  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason  to  become  their  pastor.  The  call  was 
duly  presented  before  the  presbytery  of  Iowa  and  accepted.  The  pastoral  duties 
commenced  the  first  Sabbath  in  November,  1849.  The  church  at  that  time  con- 
sisted of  about  thirty  members,  and  the  town  of  about  1,200  inhabitants.  Dur- 
ing the  ministry  of  Mr.  Mason  no  special  seasons  of  grace  have  been  enjoyed, 
but  a  steady  increase  of  the  church,  both  by  profession  and  by  letter.  In  1857 
the  list  of  membership  reached  200,  but  owing  to  the  financial  distress  of  the  west 
which  has  caused  many  to  leave,  its  members  are  now  reduced  to  150. 

With  what  satisfaction  and  joy  must  the  early  members  of  this  church  look 
back  upon  their  wanderings  since  their  advent  into  this  new  and  strange  land. 
How  well  do  they  remember  the  days  of  their  pilgrimage  without  the  dispensa- 
tion of  the  Word  of  Life,  without  a  place  to  worship,  and  almost  without  a  shep- 
herd. Yet  in  all  their  journeys,  they  lost  not  sight  of  Him  who  "feeds  His  sheep 
and  carries  the  tender  lambs  in  His  bosom."  Though  their  spiritual  food  was 
not  dealt  out  to  them  with  an  unsparing  hand,  yet  they  forgot  not  all  His  bene- 
fits and  mercies  to  them  and  in  their  wanderings  "they  gathered  here  a  little  and 
there  a  little,"  precious  crumbs  that  fed  them  by  the  way,  and  many  are  the  hal- 
lowed recollections  of  trials  and  afflictions  in  thus  planting  the  infant  church  in 
their  new  homes. 

Immediately  after  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mason  entered  upon  his  duties  as  pastor,  the 
church  consented  to  his  spending  one  Sabbath  in  each  month  in  the  Berlin  church 
at  the  head  of  the  rapids  (now  LeClaire),  which  church  had  been  organized 
some  years  previous.  At  the  expiration  of  eighteen  months  this  church  and 
vicinity  became  a  separate  missionary  charge  under  the  ministerial  charge  of 
Rev.  W.  C.  Mason.  About  two  years  after  this  the  Rev.  Hugh  Hutchinson  be- 
came the  pastor,  and  under  his  ministry  of  about  two  years  the  Princeton  church 
was  organized.  Mr.  Hutchinson  has  since  died.  Being  released  from  the  Le- 
Qaire  charge,  the  pastor  of  the  Davenport  church  turned  his  attention  in  a  mis- 
sionary point  of  view  to  the  establishment  of  a  church  in  the  Blue  Grass  settle- 
ment, and  organized  a  Presbyterian  church  there  in  the  house  of  John  Robinson, 
now  deceased.  After  nearly  three  years  this  church  also  became  a  separate 
charge,  together  with  the  church  established  at  Walcott,  under  the  ministerial 
care  of  Rev.  John  M.  Jones.  Again  released  from  this  part  of  his  charge,  Mr. 
Mason  commenced  stated  meetings  in  the  settlement  known  as  the  "Churchill 
Settlement."  Mr.  Churchill  had  donated  a  lot  of  five  acres  of  ground  for  a 
Presbyterian  church  site.  On  the  i6th  of  February,  1858,  at  the  close  of  worship 
in  the  house  of  William  Yocum,  it  was  resolved  to  undertake  the  erection  of  a 
church  edifice  on  the  site  donated.  The  following  6th  of  July  the  house  was 
enclosed,  temporarily  seated,  and  a  church  organized  consisting  of  twenty-eight 
members,  under  the  name  of  the  "Presbyterian  Church  of  Summit."  At  this 
meeting  the  Rev.  John  Ekin,  D.  D.,  now  pastor  of  the  church  at  LeClaire, 
preached  the  sermon  and  the  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason,  Rev.  John  M.  Jones  and  Elder 
James  Jack  organized  the  church.  On  the  15th  of  February,  1859,  just  a  year 
from  the  time  they  determined  to  build,  a  neat  frame  building,  thirty-two  feet 
by  forty  feet,  was  completed,  paid  for  and  dedicated  to  Almighty  God.  In  this 
enterprise  all  were  interested  in  the  settlement,  but  Charles  Kinkaid,  Esq.,  ruling 


234  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILI-ARD  BARROWS    HISTORY. 

elder  in  the  church  at  Davenport,  rendered  efficient  and  valuable  service.  The 
church  now  consists  of  forty-one  members  and  is  about  to  become  a  separate 
pastoral  charge.  This  constitutes  the  sixth  Presbyterian  church  in  Scott  county. 
In  October  of  the  present  year  (1859),  the  pastoral  relation  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Mason  was  dissolved  and  the  church  is  now  without  a  pastor.* 

THE   CHRISTIAN    CHURCH,   OR  DISCIPLES. 

On  the  25th  of  July,  1839,  seventeen  persons  who  had  formerly  held  mem- 
bership with  the  Christian  church  at  other  points,  mostly  at  Cincinnati,  met  at 
the  house  of  D.  C.  Eldridge  and  under  the  auspices  of  Elder  James  Rumbold 
organized  the  Christian  or  Disciples'  church  of  Davenport.  Of  those  persons 
twelve  yet  remain,  three  have  removed  to  other  points  and  two  have  died.  As 
early  as  April  of  that  year  the  few  Disciples  in  the  town  commenced  meeting  at 
the  houses  of  the  brethren  under  the  leadership  of  Owen  Owens,  of  Cincinnati. 
Elder  Rumbold  arrived  in  Davenport  on  the  22d  of  July,  1839,  and  on  the  25th 
organized  the  church. 

A  few  words  relative  to  Elder  James  Rumbold  may  not  be  amiss  in  this  con- 
nection, as  he  stands  intimately  associated  with  the  church  here.  Brought  up  in 
the  Kirk  of  Scotland  and  uniting  with  the  Scotch  Baptists  at  Aberdeen  in  1824, 
he  removed  to  this  country  in  1836  and  settled  in  Troy,  N.  Y.,  where  with  his  wife 
and  two  others  he  organized  a  church  on  the  Bible  alone  and  commenced  preach- 
ing to  them.  This  was  the  nucleus  of  what  is  now  a  large  and  flourishing  church. 
Elder  Rumbold  was  subsequently  instrumental  in  organizing  other  churches.  In 
July,  1839,  he  removed  to  this  city.  In  March,  1841,  he  assisted  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  church  in  Long  Grove,  in  this  county,  baptising  seven  on  one  day,  three 
weeks  thereafter.  In  March,  1842,  he  removed  to  Galena,  where  he  organized  a 
church  and  baptized  five — preaching  awhile  for  them  and  then  returning  to  this 
city.  During  the  time  Elder  Rumbold  preached  here  he  baptised  about  forty 
persons.  On  the  loth  of  July,  1840,  he  baptised  Miss  Elizabeth  Carroll,  who  was 
the  first  person  immersed  in  Scott  county.  The  fact  that  a  mechanic,  a  foreigner 
by  birth,  without  education  further  than  what  he  obtained  by  his  own  exertions 
should  have  been  able  to  accomplish  so  much  is  evidence  of  the  simplicity  of  Bible 
teachings  and  the  facility  with  which  they  may  be  communicated  to  others. 

In  this  connection  we  would  pause  to  mention  one  of  the  noblest  of  God's 
handiwork,  a  pure,  humble-minded  Christian,  who  long  since  has  been  gathered 
to  his  fathers.  Early  in  the  history  of  the  church  here  we  find  the  name  of  James 
Glaspell  associated  with  it  as  an  elder,  which  capacity  he  continued  to  fill  with 
great  acceptance  up  to  the  year  1847,  when  he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus.  As  a  sincere, 
pious  believer,  we  have  rarely  indeed  met  with  his  equal.  As  a  citizen,  he  stood 
high  in  the  community  and  when  he  died  his  church  did  not  alone  mingle  their 
tears  with  the  bereaved  family. 

After  the  organization  of  the  church  in  Davenport  the  brethren  continued  to 
meet  on  Lord's  days  at  their  own  residences  until  November  3,  1839,  when  they 
rented  Mr.  Tapley's  carpenter  shop  on  Second  between  Main  and  Brady  streets 
at  $4  per  month.     In  1844  a  lot  was  purchased  on  Brady  between  Fourth  and 

•In  the  autumn  of  this  year  (1859)  a  call  was  made  to  the  Rev.  S.  McC.  Anderson,  of 
Pennsylvania,  which  was  accepted  and  he  was  installed  in  April  of  this  year  (1860). 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  235 

THE  WILLARD   BARROWS   HISTORY. 

Fifth  Streets  and  a  brick  meeting  house,  considered  large  for  that  day,  erected  at' 
an  expense  of  $700  to  $800.  In  1855-6  the  present  house  of  worship,  the  "Chris- 
tian Chapel,"  was  erected  on  the  site  of  the  old  one,  the  church  in  the  meantime 
meeting  at  the  courthouse.  This  chapel  was  erected  at  an  expense  of  about 
$8,500,  is  forty  feet  by  seventy-five  feet  with  basement,  built  in  modern  style 
with  the  lastest  appliances  for  heat,  light  and  ventilation. 

In  1842  the  Christian  church  was  incorporated  by  act  of  legislature  under  the 
style  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  meeting  in  Davenport.  John  Owens,  Richard  S. 
Craig  and  Charles  Lesslie  were  appointed  trustees  under  this  act. 

For  five  years  Elder  Rumbold  was  the  only  preacher  the  church  in  this  city 
had.  In  1844  Dr.  H.  P.  Gatchell,  of  Cincinnati,  was  employed  by  the  church  as 
their  pastor.^  He  remained  in  that  capacity  one  year,  when  he  removed  to  Rock 
Island,  but  preached  occasionally  for  the  church  until  1847.  In  1848  Elder 
Charles  Levan,  of  Philadelphia,  was  employed  as  pastor,  which  position  he  occu- 
pied for  nearly  two  years.  For  two  or  three  years  after  his  removal  from  the 
city,  although  the  church  was  without  a  pastor,  yet  the  members  continued  to 
meet  regularly  on  Lord's  day  for  breaking  bread,  exhortation  and  prayer.  Elder 
Jas.  E.  Gaston  succeeded  Mr.  Levan  and  in  turn  was  followed  by  Elder  Alex- 
ander Johnson,  neither  of  whom  remained  long  in  the  position.  Nov.  19,  1854 
Elder  J.  Hartzell  was  employed  by  the  church  as  a  preacher,  which  capacity  he 
filled  until  February  7,  1858,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Elder  Eli  Regal,  of  Ohio, 
who,  on  account  of  ill  health,  resigned  his  position  on  the  loth  of  October  of  the 
same  year.  Until  August,  1859,  the  church  was  again  without  a  preacher,  the 
brethren  meeting  regularly  on  Lord's  day  for  attending  to  the  Lord's  supper  and 
exhortation  and  on  Thursday  evening  for  prayer.  On  the  last  named  date  Elder 
Samuel  Lowe  was  chosen  and  entered  upon  his  duties  as  pastor.  In  December 
last  Elder  A.  Chatterton,  who  claims  seniority  as  a  Christian  preacher  in  Iowa, 
having  removed  the  Evangelist  to  Davenport,  became  a  resident  of  this  city. 

The  revulsion  of  business  in  1857  slightly  affected  the  numerical  strength  of 
this  church,  but  during  the  last  year  it  has  been  regaining,  and  now  numbers  as 
large  a  membership  as  it  has  ever  possessed,  embracing  160  members.  The  mem- 
bers meet  on  every  Lord's  day  for  preaching  and  the  administration  of  the  Lord's 
supper ;  in  the  evening  for  preaching,  and  at  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  for  exhor- 
tation and  prayer ;  also  on  Thursday  evening  of  each  week.  Attached  to  this 
church  is  a  Sunday  school  embracing  about  fifty  scholars. 

CONGREGATIONAL    CHURCH. 

Congregationalism  in  Scott  county  was  introduced  as  early  as  1836.  The 
first  sermon  was  preached  at  the  house  of  Levi  Chamberlin,  Esq.,  in  Pleasant 
Valley,  in  the  summer  of  this  year  by  Rev.  Asa  Turner,  now  of  Denmark,  who 
was  traveling  through  this  country  on  a  missionary  tour.  Mr.  Chamberlin,  who 
was  a  man  of  piety  and  zeal,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  that  valley,  and,  feel- 
ing the  spiritual  wants  of  the  people,  he  earnestly  desired  that  a  man  be  sent 
among  them  of  ardent  piety  and  one  with  a  family  that  he  might  be  a  permanent 
resident,  and  one  who  could  reconcile  himself  to  the  hardships  of  a  new  country. 

The  members  of  this  denomination  worshipped  in  common  with  the  Presby- 
terians and  Methodists  until  the  30th  of  July,  1839,  when  twelve  persons  con- 


236  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 


gregated  in  a  small  building  on  Alain  street  opposite  the  Catholic  church  (used 
afterward  as  a  schoolhouse  and  then  by  the  Episcopalians  as  a  place  of  worship 
under  the  ministrations  of  Rev.  Z.  Goldsmith),  entered  into  covenant  bonds  and 
organized  a  church,  the  Rev.  Albert  Hale,  now  pastor  of  a  Presbyterian  church  in 
Springfield,  Ills.,  and  then  agent  of  the  Home  Missionary  society,  presiding.  Two 
deacons  were  elected,  Messrs.  John  C.  Holbrook  and  Strong  Burnell. 

During  the  month  of  June,  1840,  Rev.  Samuel  Storrs  Howe,  now  of  Iowa 
City,  then  traveling  through  the  west,  spent  several  Sabbaths. in  the  supply  of 
this  Congregational  church,  by  invitation  of  Deacon  Strong  Burnell.  And  among 
other  incidents  of  his  sojourn  at  Davenport  thus  early  in  its  history  may  be 
mentioned  his  call  with  Mr.  Burnell  on  Antoine  LeClaire,  Esq.,  the  chief  pro- 
prietor of  the  town,  and  his  solicitation  of  a  lot  for  a  church  edifice  which  Mr. 
LeClaire  cheerfully  promised  and  ultimately  donated  to  the  Congregational  so- 
ciety, the  avails  of  which  went  toward  their  church  enterprise. 

During  his  stay,  also,  Mr.  Howe  preached  a  funeral  sermon  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  drowning  of  a  young  man  of  the  name  of  Gates,  in  a  pleasure  sail- 
ing excursion  on  the  Mississippi  river  on  the  Sabbath.  In  regard  to  which  death 
the  preacher  remarked  that  absent  friends  would  doubtless  have  preferred  that 
it  should  have  occurred  on  any  other  day  in  the  week,  for  they  could  not  say 
with  the  old  proverb,  "The  better  the  day,  the  better  the  deed." 

The  preaching  was  held  in  the  unfinished  upper  story  of  what  was  after- 
wards known  as  "Ziek's  grocery,"  a  building  on  Front  street,  consumed  by 
fire  in  1858. 

The  Rev.  I.  P.  Stuart  of  Stephenson,  111.,  who  was  commissioned  by  the  Amer- 
ican Home  Missionary  society  to  preach  at  "Stephenson  and  vicinity"  in  August, 
1839,  supplied  the  pulpit  at  Davenport  from  July,  1840,  to  sometime  in  the 
early  part  of  winter.  A  call  was  extended  in  1841,  to  the  Rev.  Reuben  Gaylord, 
now  of  Omaha,  Neb.,  to  become  the  pastor,  but  was  declined.  Rev.  Oliver 
Emerson  ministered  to  the  church  part  of  that  year.  Rev.  Air.  Hitchcock  was 
sent  as  a  missionary  to  this  place  in  the  fall  of  1841  and  ministered  here  three 
years.  During  his  ministry  thirty-two  members  were  received.  The  church 
was  aided  by  the  Home  Missionary  society  until  1852. 

The  meetings  for  preaching  and  prayer  were  first  held  in  a  building  on 
Ripley  street  used  by  the  Presbyterians  and  since  destroyed  by  fire.  In  1840 
the  church  met  for  a  while  in  the  second  story  of  a  building  on  the  corner  of 
Front  and  Brady  streets,  since  destroyed  by  fire,  and  once  known  as  "Ziek's 
grocery."  A  new  place  of  worship  was  fitted  up.  however,  on  the  corner  of 
Ripley  and  Front  streets,  a  building  some  twenty  feet  by  thirty  feet,  and  had 
been  used  by  D.  C.  Eldridge  and  others  as  storehouse,  postoffice,  etc.,  and 
was  known  as  "Brimstone  Corner,"  afterward  consumed  by  fire.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Hitchcock  first  began  his  ministry  here  and  preached  his  first  sermon  in  Daven- 
port. 

The  20th  of  June,  1840,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson  took  charge  of  the  con- 
gregation and  preached  for  a  short  time  when  he  removed  to  DeWitt.  The  next 
place  of  worship  of  this  church  was  in  the  log  cabin  erected  by  the  Harrison  club  on 
Third  street,  and  when  cold  weather  came  on,  they  met  again  on  Alain  street 
in  the  schoolhouse  which  was  removed  in   1843  to  S^ve  room  for  better  build- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  237 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

ings.  They  next  worshipped  at  a  schooh-oom  on  the  east  side  of  Harrison  street 
above  Fourth  where  Mr.  Wheeler  now  resides.  This  building  was  one  of  the 
frames  brought  out  from  Cincinnati  and  occupied  for  some  time  by  the  Daven- 
port institute.  This  was  the  last  rented  house  of  worship.  Two  lots  having 
been  procured  on  Fifth  street,  between  Main  and  Brady,  the  old  part  of  the 
present  edifice  was  erected  in  the  summer  of  1844  by  Strong  Burnell,  Esq., 
being  twenty-eight  feet  by  thirty  feet.  The  building  was  dedicated  the  27th  of 
October,  1844.  Mr.  Hitchcock  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon  which  was  his 
last  sermon  here,  having  had  a  call  to  settle  in  Moline,  which  he  accepted  and 
where  he  still  preaches.  In  the  evening  of  that  day  the  Rev.  Ephraim  Adams 
who  had  been  preaching  to  the  congregation  for  some  time  occupied  the  pulpit 
and  continued  to  do  so  till  May,  1855,  ten  years  and  six  months.  He  was  called 
to  the  pastorship  in  December,  1846  and  installed  early  in  1847.  ^^r.  Adams 
was  the  first  pastor.  Long  and  faithfully  did  he  labor,  amid  days  of  moral 
darkness  in  the  church  and  in  the  whole  northwest.  He  was  one  of  that  little 
band  of  pioneer  ministers,  eleven  in  number,  graduates  of  Andover  Theological 
seminary  who  in  the  fall  of  1843,  moved  by  a  spirit  of  enterprise  and  the  cause 
of  home  missions  lying  near  their  hearts  turned  their  thoughts  to  the  far  west. 
Iowa  was  their  first  point  of  destination,  and  as  Denmark,  in  Lee  county  was 
headquarters  for  Congregationalism  in  that  day  they  all  met  there  and  most  of 
them  were  ordained  on  the  5th  of  March,  1843.  ^^^-  Adams  preached  at  Mt. 
Pleasant  in  this  state  for  a  short  time  before  entering  upon  his  labors  here,  where 
for  so  many  years  he  devoted  himself  to  building  up  the  Congregational  church 
in  this  city. 

He  began  his  labors  in  the  little  schoolroom  on  Harrison  street  with  a  con- 
gregation of  twelve  and  after  he  entered  the  new  house  of  worship  for  more  than 
a  year  he  had  but  about  thirty-five  hearers.  But  in  toil  and  self-denial  he  labored 
on  amid  many  discouragements.  At  the  end  of  five  years  there  were  about 
eighteen  members,  but  he  looked  forward  full  of  hope  and  faith,  believing  that 
the  little  church  was  of  God's  own  planting,  and '  that  in  due  time  it  would 
spring  up,  and  bear  much  fruit.  The  whole  number  of  members  on  the  31st 
of  July,  1859,  was  224;  total  from  its  organization,  423.  In  May,  1856,  the 
pastoral  relation  between  Mr.  Adams  and  the  church  was  dissolved  and  soon 
after  the  Rev.  George  F.  Magoun  was  settled.  The  whole  number  admitted 
during  his  pastorship,  to  the  present  time  is  190,  three-fourths  of  the  present 
membership.  During  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Hitchcock  and  Mr.  Adams  there  was 
special  interest  from  time  to  time,  the  greatest  revival  occurring  in  the  winter 
of  1855  and  1856.  There  was  a  steady  increase  of  the  church  both  by  letter  and 
profession. 

Mr.  Adams  is  now  settled  over  a  church  at  Decorah  in  this  state.  During 
his  ministry  in  this  place  he  made  many  friends.  His  uniform  kindness  to 
all  and  persuasive  manner  as  a  minister,  his  daily  walk  among  his  fellowmen 
and  his  untarnished  Christian  character  justly  entitled  him  to.  as  he  had,  the 
love  and  respect  of  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 

Seven  of  the  lay  members  of  this  church  have  become  ministers  of  the  gos- 
pel, including  two  of  its  early  deacons,  viz. :  Rev.  John  C.  Holbrook,  of  Dubuque; 
Rev.  Asa  Prescott,  of  Cordova ;  Rev.  Wm.  Windsor  and  Rev.  John  H.  Windsor, 


238  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

of  Mitchell  county;  Rev.  Joseph  Bloomer  (deceased),  of  McGregor;  Rev.  Wales 
Coe,  of  Crawfordsville,  and  Rev.  Darius  E.  Jones,  of  Columbus  City.  Fourteen 
members  of  the  General  Congregational  association  of  Iowa  have  been  con- 
nected  with  this   church. 

Rev.  G.  F.  Magoun  left  the  church  in  November,  i860.  In  August,  1861,  a 
new  organization  was  made  under  the  name  of  the  "Edwards  Congregational 
church,"  of  which  Rev,  William  Windsor  became  the  stated  supply,  with  Home 
Missionary  aid.  The  old  church  has  only  a  nominal  existence  in  connection  with 
the  property  and  edifice  of  the  congregation,  now  much  involved  in  debt. 

PROTESTANT   EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

The  organization  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  in  Iowa  and  the  his- 
tory of  the  "Trinity  church  parish"  we  copy  entire  from  "Davenport,  Past  and 
Present,"  as  we  believe  it  to  be  correct  in  all  its  parts : 

"The  organization  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  in  the  diocese  of  Iowa 
was  effected  at  Muscatine  in  August,  1853  '■>  but  the  election  of  a  bishop  did 
not  take  place  until  the  first  of  June,  1854.  The  convention  sat  in  Davenport, 
in  the  basement  room  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church,  Trinity  not  being  ready 
for  use.  The  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Kemper,  missionary  bishop  of  the  northwest  pre- 
sided. The  balloting  resulted  in  the  election  of  the  Rev.  Henry  W.  Lee,  D.  D., 
then  rector  of  St.  Luke's  church.  Rochester,  N.  Y.  The  bishop-elect  was  con- 
secrated at  Rochester,  in  October  of  the  same  year,  and  soon  entered  upon  his  new 
duties.  Having  made  his  first  visitation  to  the  diocese  he  selected  Davenport 
as  his  place  of  residence,  it  being  in  his  judgment  the  most  eligible  and  con- 
venient point  with  reference  to  his  duties.  The  diocese  of  Iowa  includes  the 
entire  state  and  from  thirteen  parishes  and  eight  clergymen  in  1854  it  has  in- 
creased to  thirty  parishes  and  twenty-five  clergymen  in  January,  1858.  Bishop 
Lee  at  the  present  time  has  also  the  Episcopal  charge  of  the  territory  of  Nebraska, 
this  being,  however,  but  a  temporary  arrangement. 

TRINITY   CHURCH. 

The  first  and  regular  services  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  were  com- 
menced in  Davenport  on  Thursday,  the  14th  day  of  October,  1841,  by  the  Rev. 
Z.  H.  Goldsmith,  who  was  appointed  as  a  missionary  by  the  domestic  committee 
of  the  board  of  missions  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church,  his  time  being  divided 
at  intervals  between  Davenport  and  Rockingham,  which  latter  place  at  the  time 
promised  to  be  of  the  most  importance.  A  parish  was  regularly  organized  at 
Davenport,  on  Thursday,  the  4th  of  November,  1841,  by  the  name  and  title  of 
"Trinity  Church  and  Parish ;"  and  a  vestry  was  elected,  resulting  in  the  fol- 
lowing choice:  Ira  Cook.  J.  W.  Parker,  W.  W.  Dodge,  Ebenezer  Cook,  H.  S. 
Finley. 

The  regular  meetings  of  the  parish  for  public  worship  were  held  during  a 
sucession  of  years,  and  until  November,  1853  in  the  small  frame  building  still  stand- 
ing on  the  west  side  of  Main  street  between  Fourth  and  Fifth  streets  occupying 
the  middle  lot  of  that  half  block,  when  it  was  abandoned  as  no  longer  tenant- 


THE  WEBB  HOME 
Now  the  Christian  vScience  Church 


OLD  METHODIST  CHURCH 
Fifth  and  Brady  streets 


FOT'RTEENTH  STREET  M.  E.  CHURCH 
On  site  of  St.  John's  M.  E.  church 


>LI)  TRINITY  CHURCH 
■^tood  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  and 
Rock  Island  streets 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  241 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

able.  Divine  services  were  held  during  the  same  winter  of  1853,  and  until  April 
of  1854,  in  the  store  room  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Rock  Island  and  Second 
streets,  and  from  April  until  the  completion  and  occupancy  of  the  new  edifice 
of  Trinity  church  in  August  of  1854  in  the  house  of  the  rector  Rev.  A.  Louder- 
back,  known  as  the  Emerson  house,  on  Second  between  Rock  Island  and  Perry 
streets. 

The  incumbency  of  the  Rev.  Z.  H.  Goldsmith  continued  until  the  spring 
of  1849  when  in  the  following  year  he  was  displaced  from  the  ministry  and  con- 
tinued to  reside  here  till  his  death  which  occurred  in  the  summer  of  1853.  The 
resignation  of  Rev.  Z.  H.  Goldsmith  which  occurred  on  April  i,  1849,  was  fol- 
lowed by  the  call  and  settlement  of  the  Rev.  Alfred  Louderback  as  rector  and 
missionary  on  the  5th  of  May  following,  making  a  vacancy  of  one  year  in  the 
parish.  When  he  assumed  the  charge  of  this  parish  and  station  at  a  salary  of 
$200  per  annum  with  a  like  sum  from  the  domestic  committee,  he  found  the 
parish  in  debt  some  $700  or  twice  the  amount  of  what  the  church  lot  and  build- 
ing were  then  considered  worth  with  about  nine  communicants  in  all,  and  an 
immense  and  increasing  prejudice  against  the  church  and  with  but  little  pros- 
pect of  its  permanent  and  successful  establishment.  Patient,  continued  and  per- 
severing efforts,  however,  amid  no  ordinary  discouragements  have  met  with 
success.  For,  frequently  after  careful  preparation  for  the  duties  of  the  pulpit 
there  would  not  be  over  ten  or  fifteen  persons  present  to  join  in  the  services  and 
listen  to  the  sermon;  while  at  the  same  time  the  parish  was  without  a  surplice, 
a  communion  set,  a  melodeon,  a  Sunday  school  library  or  any  of  those  external 
appliances  and  aids  so  necessary  to  give  effect  and  interest  to  the  public  services 
because  the  poverty  of  the  congregation  would  not  admit  of  their  procuring 
them.  At  the  expiration  of  the  second  year  these  necessary  aids  were  obtained, 
and  also  a  complete  set  of  plans  from  Mr.  Frank  Wills,  of  New  York  city,  who 
generously  furnished  them  at  a  trifling  cost.  A  subscription  was  at  the  same 
time  started  with  a  view  to  building  the  present  edifice  of  Trinity  church,  and 
on  the  5th  of  May,  1852,  just  three  years  from  the  time  the  acting  rector  as- 
sumed charge,  the  corner  stone  was  laid  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Kemper,  D.  D., 
then  in  episcopal  charge  of  Iowa,  as  yet  unorganized  into  a  diocese.  The  walls 
rose  to  their  proper  height  during  that  year  and  remained  bare  the  following 
winter  until  the  spring  of  1853  when  the  roof  was  put  on  and  the  building  plas- 
tered and  floored  and  the  windows  roughly  closed  up,  in  which  condition  it 
stood  until  the  spring  of  1854  when  it  was  determined  to  finish  it  off.  Contracts 
were  made  accordingly  and  its  occupation  entered  upon  by  the  congregation  on 
Sunday,  the  20th  day  of  August  of  the  same  year,  1854.  The  original  cost  of 
the  two  lots,  in  185 1  and  now  owned  by  the  parish,  was  $500.  The  organ,  one 
of  Erben's  build,  of  New  York  city,  and  the  generous  gift  of  Gen.  George  B. 
Sargent,  $700;  in  addition  to  which  the  parish  holds  about  eight  or  nine  acres 
of  ground  being  a  part  of  the  Pine  Hill  cemetery  as  a  burial  ground  for  their 
dead ;  being  in  all  a  property  worth  at  the  lowest  estimate  over  $20,000,  and  in 
a  perfectly  safe  condition.  In  conducting  the  parish  to  this  gratifying  state  of 
outward  temporal  prosperity  much  credit  and  praise  are  due  to  the  untiring 
interest,  generosity  and  zeal  of  Mr.  Ebenezer  Cook  who  has  been  the  constant 


242  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

friend  and  liberal  supporter  of  the  parish  throughout  its  entire  history,  without 
mentioning  what  is  due  to  the  efforts  of  the  rector. 

The  whole  number  of  communicants  which  have  been  connected  with  the 
parish  at  various  times,  is  about  140.  Number  of  baptisms — adults,  twenty-two; 
infants,  119,  making  in  all  141;  confirmations,  thirty-four;  marriages,  thirty- 
eight;  burials,  eighty-one;  present  number  of  communicants,  about  sixty-five; 
size  of  the  church  at  present,  about  seventy-five  feet  long  and  thirty-five  feet 
broad,  in  the  clear,  exclusive  of  chancel  recess  with  a  view  to  enlargement  at  a 
future  day  by  the  addition  of  transepts  so  as  to  make  a  cruciform  building;  at 
present  capable  of  seating  about  300  persons  and  when  enlarged  as  plans  call 
for,  afifording  sittings  for  about  1,000  persons.  Parochial  library  for  the  read- 
ing of  the  congregation,  mostly  imported  English  works,  of  near  400  volumes, 
the  generous  gift  of  Ebenezer  Cook.  Sunday  school  library  of  about  140 
volumes ;  Sunday  school  scholars,  about  sixty ;  teachers,  six ;  rector,  superin- 
tendent. 

The  Parochial  association  meets  the  first  and  third  Tuesday  evenings  in 
every  month  except  during  Lent  at  the  houses  of  parishioners  with  a  view  to 
promoting  acquaintance  and  sociality  among  the  members  of  the  congregation, 
and  exciting  a  deeper  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  parish.  Church  chairs  pur- 
chased from  the  avails  of  the  association  at  a  cost  of  about  $175,  being  the 
contribution  of  one  dime  per  month  from  members  with  one  dime  also  as  en- 
trance fee. 

ST.    Luke's   church. 

In  March,  1856,  at  the  request  of  the  Hon.  John  P.  Cook,  Gen.  Sargent  and 
thirty-three  others,  the  Rev.  Alfred  Louderback,  rector  of  Trinity  church  gave 
canonical  consent  to  the  organization  of  a  second  Episcopal  society  in  the  city 
of  Davenport.  At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  favorable  to  the  new  enterprise 
held  April  4,  1856,  a  second  parish  was  organized  under  the  name  of  St.  Luke's 
parish.  Bishop  Henry  W.  Lee  presided  at  this  meeting  and  Charles  Powers. 
Esq.,  was  secretary.  For  nearly  two  years  the  services  of  this  church  were 
held  in  the  small  brick  edifice  on  Brady,  near  the  corner  of  Fourth  street  in  the 
building  formerly  owned  and  occupied  by  the  First  Baptist  church.  During 
the  first  year  of  St.  Luke's  existence  several  clergymen  officiated  as  temporary 
incumbents,  among  whom  were  Bishop  Lee,  Rev.  George  W.  Watson  and  the 
Rev.  Geo.  C.  Street.  This  enterprising  society  entered  upon  their  work  with 
much  earnestness  and  determination.  They  fitted  up  their  place  of  worship 
which  though  small  was  neat  and  convenient.  The  congregation  increased  and 
some  were  added  to  the  church,  when  in  March,  1857,  the  Rev.  Horatio  N.  Powers 
became  their  permanent  rector,  took  charge  of  the  parish,  and  in  the  May  fol- 
lowing entered  upon  his  duties  and  still  ministers  to  this  people. 

The  little  church  on  Brady,  becoming  too  small,  they  determined  on  building 
a  new  house  of  worship,  and  although  but  a  little  more  than  a  year  had  expired 
since  their  organization,  yet  on  the  first  of  July,  1857,  the  corner  stone  of  a  new 
church  was  laid  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  Bishop  Lee  delivered  the  address 
on  the  occasion  and  on  the  14th  of  March  following  it  was  opened  for  divine 
service.     The  prompt  and  energetic  spirit  with  which  this  little  church  under- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  243 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

took  the  erection  of  this  beautiful  and  stately  edifice,  the  harmonious  and  Chris- 
tian spirit  in  which  they  seem  united  in  every  good  work  is  worthy  of  all  note ; 
and  as  the  church  edifice  is  a  model  one  in  our  city,  and  in  the  west,  we  give  a 
description  of  it  here. 

Its  location  is  on  Brady  street,  about  half  way  up  the  bluff,  being  central  in 
its  position,  and  presents  a  very  attractive  appearance  from  the  river.  It  is  of 
gothic  structure,  built  of  brick,  with  a  deep  basement  of  limestone.  The  tower 
is  fourteen  feet  square  at  the  base,  not  including  the  buttresses  which  project 
two  feet  each.  The  extreme  height  to  the  top  of  the  pinnacle  is  eighty-three  feet 
from  the  base.  The  body  of  the  church  is  eighty-five  feet  by  forty-five  feet,  and 
thirty-one  feet  high  in  the  clear.  The  exterior  height  is  forty-four  feet.  The 
vestry  south  of  the  chancel  is  eleven  feet  by  twelve  feet. 

In  the  basement  is  a  large  lecture  room  with  four  other  small  compartments. 
These  rooms  are  fourteen  feet,  all  finished,  and  some  of  them  were  occupied  by 
Miss  Lyons  for  a  young  ladies'  school.  The  chancel  is  fourteen  feet  long  by 
eighteen  feet  wide  with  a  height  of  twenty-three  feet;  height  of  chancel  arch, 
twenty  feet.  The  organ  gallery  is  large  and  convenient,  the  windows  of  stained 
glass,  of  two  lancets  each ;  the  chancel  window  contains  three  lancets  with  appro- 
priate devices.  The  chancel  furniture  is  all  made  of  black  walnut,  of  neat  work- 
manship. 

The  lectern  and  pulpit  are  without  the  chancel  rails  and  are  built  in  handsome 
style.  The  pews  are  the  same  finish.  The  chairs  alone  cost  over  $ioo,  and  were 
a  present  from  Col.  Young.  The  books,  which  cost  over  $50,  were  presented  by 
Mrs.  Holmes  and  Mrs.  Jaynes.  The  carpeting  and  ornaments  of  the  church  were 
furnished  by  the  ladies  of  the  congregation.  The  architect  was  J.  C.  Cochran. 
The  entire  cost  of  the  building  was  about  $20,000.  Nearly  seventy  families  are 
now  included  in  the  parish.  The  number  of  communicants  as  last  reported  to 
the  convention  was  sixty,  but  since  the  last  report  several  have  been  added.  The 
congregation  is  continually  increasing  and  is  already  quite  large.  There  is  a 
Sabbath  school  connected  with  the  church  in  a  flourishing  condition.  When  we 
take  into  consideration  that  this  church  so  recently  organized  amid  the  financial 
pressure  of  the  country,  commenced  such  a  work  and  prosecuted  it  to  so  success- 
ful a  termination,  we  can  but  admire  their  worthy  efforts  and  wish  them  many 
spiritual  as  well  as  temporal  blessings. 

The  present  vestry  consists  of  Hon.  John  P.  Cook,  Dr.  Wm.  Keith,  H.  S. 
Finley,  Wm.  VanTuyl,  Charles  Powers,  George  H.  French,  Thomas  J.  Holmes, 
James  A.  Buchanan,  V.  R.  Rowe.  Senior  warden,  Dr.  Wm.  Keith;  junior  war- 
den. Wm.  A'anTuyl ;  treasurer.  Wm.  \^anTuyl ;  J.  A.  Buchanan,  secretary. 

FIRST    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL    CHURCH. 

Although  this  church  was  not  organized  in  Davenport  until  June  I,  1842,  yet 
its  ever  active  and  pioneer  spirit  had  penetrated  the  valley  of  the  upper  Missis- 
sippi and  the  gospel  trumpet  began  to  echo  along  our  bluffs  as  early  as  the  spring 
of  1836.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Gavitt,  from  Ohio,  traveling  through  the  county,  preached 
the  first  sermon  in  the  house  of  D.  C.  Eldridge  this  spring ;  but  the  first  attempt 
by  the  settlers  to  hold  divine  service  was  in  a  log  cabin  twelve  feet  square  situ- 


2U  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

ated  on  the  land  now  owned  by  Judj^e  Weston  back  of  Rockingham.  The  meeting 
was  conducted  by  W.  L.  Cook,  Esq.,  and  held  as  a  prayer  meeting.  There  were 
eight  persons  present. 

In  August  of  this  year  there  was  a  society  formed  at  Rockingham  by  John  R. 
James,  then  connected  with  the  Rock  Island  mission  under  the  control  of  the 
Illinois  conference.  The  Methodist  conference  was  held  this  fall  at  Alton  and 
the  Rockingham  society  reported  the  wants  of  this  region  of  country,  its  pros- 
pects for  a  wide  field  of  labor,  when  the  conference  formed  a  .circuit  extending 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Iowa  river  to  the  mouth  of  the  Wabesipinecon.  Rock- 
ingham then  being  the  largest  town  and  the  only  one  of  any  importance  in  the 
circuit,  it  was  called  the  Rockingham  circuit,  embracing  all  the  country  west  as 
far  as  settlements  were  made.  This  circuit  was  about  200  miles  around  and  con- 
sisted of  a  few  families  along  the  river  and  among  the  groves.  Chauncey 
Hobert  was  sent  to  this  circuit  as  preacher.  He  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war  which  had  just  closed  and  was  well  calculated  to  traverse  a  country 
whose  streams  were  unbridged  and  inhabitants  widely  scattered.  He  could  swim 
creeks  and  sleep  by  the  side  of  a  log  when  night  might  overtake  him.  The  first 
winter  he  had  three  appointments :  one  at  Rockingham,  one  at  a  little  town  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Iowa  river,  called  Black  Hawk,  and  one  at  the  cabin  of  Mr. 
Spencer,  in  Pleasant  Valley,  the  father  of  our  fellow  citizen,  Roswell  H.  Spencer. 
The  appointments  multiplied  the  following  year,  but  Rockingham  was  the  center 
and  probably  contained  more  members  than  all  the  balance  of  the  circuit. 

In  the  year  1839  B.  Weed  was  presiding  elder  for  the  Iowa  district.  About 
this  time  the  elder  thought  that  there  were  sufficient  members  and  encourage- 
ment to  commence  a  society  in  Davenport  and  have  an  organization  of  the  Meth- 
odist church  in  that  place.  Accordingly  he  authorized  W^m.  L.  Cook  to  change 
his  connection  with  the  society  and  form  a  class  if  he  could  find  the  requisite 
number  of  members.  His  search  among  protestants  resulted  in  finding  five  mem- 
bers besides  himself  and  wife  who  had  been  members  of  churches  in  former  days. 
A  time  was  appointed  for  a  meeting  to  be  held  at  the  house  of  Timothy  Dillon, 
situated  on  Third  street  near  Washington  square.  At  this  first  meeting  were 
present  as  members,  Wm.  L.  Cook  and  wife,  Timothy  Dillon  and  wife,  Israel 
Hall,  W.  S.  Ruby  and  Mary  Ruby.  Here  this  little  band  of  Christians,  longing 
for  a  closer  union  with  Him  in  whom  they  trusted  in  deep  devotion,  poured  forth 
many  desires  for  spiritual  food  in  this  strange  land ;  and  in  that  little  cabin,  alone 
with  God,  they  dedicated  themselves  to  Him  and  His  service,  renewing  their 
covenant  vows  and  forming  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  the  then 
little  village  of  Davenport.  Such  were  the  beginnings  of  the  church  that  now 
worships  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Brady  streets  with  nearly  400  members. 

From  this  time  meetings  were  continued  every  Sabbath,  being  generally  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Cook.  The  society  increased  until  private  rooms  became  too  small, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1840  the  church,  then  numbering  about  twenty  members, 
thought  best  to  erect  a  building.  Though  its  members  were  few  and  poor, 
they  purchased  a  lot  on  Perry  between  Fourth  and  Fifth,  which  was  then  con- 
sidered out  of  town,  and  built  the  first  brick  chapel,  which  still  stands  on  the 
same  ground.  This  church  was  seated  at  first  with  slabs  and  split  saplings,  flat 
side  up  and  lighted  with  a  "chandelier,"  composed  of  a  block  of  wood  suspended 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  245 

THE  WILLARD   BARROWS  HISTORY. 

by  a  rope  from  the  ceiling-  in  which  were  inserted  some  half  dozen  tallow  candles, 
and  warmed  by  a  stove  that  looked  as  though  it  might  have  done  good  service 
before  the  flood.  While  thus  seated,  warmed  and  lighted,  it  came  near  passing 
out  of  the  possession  of  the  society  by  reason  of  an  execution  in  the  hands  of  the 
sheriff,  issued  upon  a  judgment  for  $150  for  the  purchase  money  of  the  lot.  But 
those  days  of  darkness  passed  away  and  the  sun  of  prosperity,  both  spiritual  and 
financial,  dawned  upon  this  church  and  continued  to  shine  and  bless  the  efforts 
of  the  little  band,  illustrating  the  truth  of  that  saying,  "We  should  not  despise 
the  day  of  small  things." 

A  petition  was  sent  into  conference  in  1840  for  a  preacher,  and  F.  A.  Cheno- 
with  was  sent  to  the  Davenport  station,  and  in  turn  supplied  the  Rockingham 
pulpit.  In  1853  the  little  brick  church  on  Perry  street  becoming  too  small,  a 
large,  commodious  house  was  erected  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Brady,  which 
is  now  filled  to  overflowing,  although  a  new  church  has  been  formed  from  this, 
Wesley  chapel,  built  in  1856,  but  it  is  now  closed.  The  new  church  on  Brady 
was  dedicated  in  July,  1854.  It  has  an  end  galler}-.  class  and  lecture  rooms  below, 
a  Sabbath  school  and  a  library ;  also  a  parsonage  attached  and  sexton's  house. 
The  whole  church  property  is  clear  of  debt. 

FIRST   BAPTIST  CHURCH. 

The  first  Baptist  church  was  organized  at  the  house  of  John  M.  Eldridge  oil 
the  14th  day  of  September,  1839,  with  nine  members.  Its  first  settled  minister 
was  Elder  Fisher,  and  Richard  Pierce  its  first  deacon.  This  church  has  passed 
through  many  difficulties  and  trials.  Its  first  place  of  public  worship  was  in  a 
room  fitted  up  over  Mr.  Lesslie's  store  on  the  corner  of  Front  and  Brady  streets. 

In  1842  they  erected  a  small  brick  on  Brady  next  door  to  Fourth,  now 
converted  into  a  meat  market,  where  they  worshipped  until  1855,  when  it  was 
sold  by  the  church.  In  October,  1852,  about  twelve  years  after  its  organization 
sixteen  of  its  members  requested  letters  of  dismission  and  received  them,  and 
on  the  7th  day  of  the  same  month  organized  a  second  church  in  Davenport. 

In  1855  the  First  church  built  a  very  commodious  brick  house  on  the  comer 
of  Main  and  Sixth  streets,  where  they  now  worship,  having  a  roll  of  180  mem- 
bers, with  the  Rev.  G.  M.  Polwell  for  their  pastor,  who  was  settled  in  May.  1858, 
and  ordained  on  the  23d  of  June  in  the  same  year. 

SECOND  BAPTIST  CHURCH. 

On  the  6th  of  October,  1851,  sixteen  members  of  the  First  Baptist  church  in 
Davenport  asked  for  and  received  letters  of  dismission  for  the  purpose  of  or- 
ganizing another  church.  They  met  on  the  same  day  and  unanimously  resolved 
to  call  a  council  to  take  into  consideration  the  propriety  of  reorganizing  them- 
selves into  a  regular  Baptist  church.  On  the  7th  of  October  the  council  met  at 
the  house  of  J.  M.  Witherwax,  there  being  present  the  Rev.  J.  Teesdale,  of  the 
A.  F.  B.  society;  Rev.  J.  L.  Denison,  Rock  Island;  A.  J.  Johnson,  of  Burlington, 
Iowa;  S.  B.  Johnson,  Muscatine;  Rev.  Mr.  Scots,  Maquoketa ;  Rev.  Dr.  Car- 
penter, Blue  Grass.     After  due  deliberation  and  examination  of  all  the  circum- 


246  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

Stances,  they  proceeded  to  organize  the  sixteen  members  into  the  "Second  Bap- 
tist Giurch  of  Davenport,  Iowa."  A  constitution  and  by-laws  were  drafted  by 
a  committee  appointed,  consisting  of  Dr.  Blood,  Mr.  Solomon  and  Levi  Davis. 

The  first  officers  of  the  church  elected  were  Dr.  J.  M.  Witherwax,  C.  G.  Blood 
and  W.  M.  Crosson,  tnistees ;  Levi  Davis,  clerk,  and  J.  Solomon,  treasurer.  Thus 
organized,  this  little  church  stood  alone,  amid  every  discouragement ;  poor,  and 
without  a  pastor  or  a  place  of  worship.  The  schoolroom  of  the  Misses  Jones  was 
procured  (now  the  residence  of  Dr.  Witherwax)  and  the  services  of  the  Rev. 
Professor  Briggs  were  secured  until  a  regular  pastor  could  be  obtained. 

On  the  13th  of  June,  1842,  the  Rev.  E.  M.  IMiles  was  called  and  settled.  The 
church  steadily  increased  in  numbers,  both  by  profession  and  by  admission  by 
letter.  In  February.  1853,  the  first  movement  was  made  toward  building  a  house 
of  worship.  Between  $3,000  and  $4,000  were  at  once  subscribed,  and  the  present 
edifice  commenced.  It  is  of  stone,  forty-six  feet  by  eighty  feet,  with  basement 
and  spire,  well  proportioned,  and  a  beautiful  as  well  as  a  durable  house.  Their 
church  debt  has  recently  been  reduced  to  about  $5,000,  and  it  is  now  in  a  pros- 
perous condition.  Its  recent  pastor,  the  Rev.  Isaac  Butterfield,  succeeded  Mr. 
Miles  in  June,  1858.  The  number  of  members  since  its  organization,  according 
to  the  church's  records,  has  been  280  ;  dismissals,  ninety-seven  ;  exclusions,  eleven  ; 
and  deaths,  twelve.  They  were  received — 132  by  baptism,  and  143  by  letter. 
The  present  number  of  members  is  162.  The  Sabbath  school  attached  to  the 
church  contains  200  scholars,  with  a  good  library. 

Rev.  Isaac  Butterfield  resigned  his  charge  in  November,  1863,  having  the 
satisfaction  of  leaving  the  church  out  of  debt  and  prosperous. 

FIRST   ENGLISH    EVANGELICAL    LUTHERAN    CHURCH. 

This  church  was  established  November  25,  1855.  Jacob  Steck  was  their  first 
pastor,  and,  we  believe,  still  continues  to  minister  to  the  church. 

There  were  twenty-five  members  at  its  organization.  This  society  has  had 
many  difficulties  to  contend  with.  In  1856  a  church  edifice  was  commenced,  but 
the  financial  difficulties  delayed  its  completion,  we  believe,  until  the  present  season. 
It  has  a  Sabbath  school  of  seventy-five  members  and  a  library  of  300  volumes. 

SECOND    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH,    N.   S. 

In  the  fall  of  1856  a  number  of  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  who 
were  new  school  then  residing  in  Davenport,  feeling  the  want  of  a  church  of 
their  own  denomination,  erected  for  that  purpose  a  house  on  Iowa  street  between 
Sixth  and  Seventh  streets,  built  entirely  at  the  expense  of  Mr.  H.  Y.  Slaymaker, 
and  as  soon  as  it  was  completed,  it  was  burned  down,  taking  fire  from  a  carpen- 
ter's shop,  which  was  burnt  adjoining  it.  On  the  4th  of  May,  1857,  a  church  was 
formed  by  Rev.  W.  H.  Spencer,  then  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of 
Rock  Island,  Ills.,  with  twenty-eight  members,  the  way  having  been  prepared  by 
Rev.  Samuel  Storrs  Howe,  of  Iowa  City,  and  Ruling  Elder  H.  Y.  Slaymaker, 
one  of  the  first  officers  of  the  church.     For  some  time  they  occupied  Griggs' 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  247 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

hall  on  Perry  street ;  from  thence  they  removed  to  Metropolitan  hall  and  subse- 
quently to  the  house  originally  occupied  by  the  First  Baptist  church  on  Brady. 

The  Rev.  D.  T.  Packard,  of  Massachusetts,  preached  to  them  as  a  stated  sup- 
ply for  about  a  year,  since  which  time  they  have  had  service  but  a  few  times,  and 
are  now  altogether  suspended.  There  were  a  number  of  accessions  during  Mr. 
Packard's  ministry,  but  owing  to  removals  from  the  city  the  number  is  now  re- 
duced to  fifteen  members.  After  its  organization  and  during  the  preaching  of 
Mr.  Packard,  the  congregation  numbered  lOO  and  a  Sunday  school  had  been  com- 
menced ;  but  the  financial  difificulties  of  the  west  seemed  to  break  into  their  ar- 
rangements, and  the  church  has  been  abandoned  for  the  present. 

FIRST  ASSOCIATE  REFORMED  PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH. 

We  believe  this  church  is  now  without  a  pastor,  and  its  house  of  worship 
closed.  Of  its  origin  and  progress,  we  need  not  speak,  but  copy  its  history  from 
Wilkie's  "Davenport  Past  and  Present" : 

"This  church  is  situated  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Scott  and  Eleventh 
streets  on  a  lot  donated  by  Mr.  James  Mcintosh.  It  is  a  neat,  plain  frame  build- 
ing, thirty-five  feet  by  forty-five  feet,  and  calculated  to  seat  between  300  and  400 
persons.  It  was  founded  A.  D.  1856.  The  congregation  numbers  about  sixty 
members  and  is  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Samuel  M.  Hutchinson.  They 
have  a  Sabbath  school  of  thirty-one  scholars  and  six  teachers,  with  a  library  of 
175  volumes. 

"It  may  be  observed  that  this  church  is  in  its  infancy,  and  the  only  one  of  the 
kind  in  Davenport.  It  belongs  to  a  large  and  influential  branch  of  the  Presby- 
terian family  which  originated  in  a  union  of  Associate  Presbyterians  and 
Reformed  Presbyterians  who  came  from  Scotland  and  Ireland  as  missionaries 
prior  to  the  Revolution,  and  in  the  year  1782  they  united  together  and  retaining 
their  primitive  names  in  one,  have  since  been  known  by  the  name  of  Associate 
Reformed  Presbyterians.  An  effort  has  been  made  to  unite  this  body  with  the 
Associate  Presbyterians.  If  this  proves  successful,  it  may  change  the  name  of 
the  church  to  United  or  Union  Presbyterians." 

THE   REFORMED   PROTESTANT   DUTCH    CHURCH. 

The  Reformed  Protestant  Dutch  Church  of  Davenport,  not  mentioned  in  Mr. 
Barrows'  history  above  is  here  briefly  sketched  by  the  editor  of  the  Annals.  It 
was  organized  with  eleven  members,  October  29,  1859,  by  a  committee  of  the 
Classis  of  Illinois,  consisting  of  Rev.  E.  P.  Livingston  and  Rev.  C.  D.  Eltinge, 
Rev.  C.  G.  VanDerveer,  the  minister  of  the  congregation,  being  present. 

The  first  consistory  of  the  church  was  composed  of  Elders  L.  S.  \^iele  and 
Anthony  VanWyck,  with  Deacon  John  R.  Rogers. 

A  neat  church  edifice,  seating  250  persons,  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $3,500  on 
Brady  street,  corner  of  Eleventh,  and  dedicated  on  the  i6th  of  September,  i860, 
when  Rev.  C.  G.  VanDerveer  was  installed  as  pastor.  The  church  in  1863  num- 
bered forty  members  and  the  Sunday  school  ninety. 


248  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 


Rev.  C.  G.  VanDerveer  was  educated  at  the  Dutch  Reformed  Theological 
seminary  in  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.  He  has  constantly  officiated  in  his  charge  at 
Davenport  except  during  a  short  time  as  chaplain  of  the  Eighth  Iowa  Volunteer 
infantry,  which  was  captured  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh  or  Pittsburg  Landing.  After 
which  he  resumed  his  charge  at  Davenport. 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY: 


CHAPTER  V. 


PLEASANT  VALLEY  TOWNSHIP. 


1833. — No  one  who  has  passed  through  that  portion  of  our  county  lying  upon 
the  river  above  Davenport  called  Pleasant  Valley,  terminating  at  the  point  of 
the  bluff  at  the  mouth  of  Spencer's  creek,  can  for  a  moment  forget  its  natural 
beauty.  A  short  distance  above  East  Davenport  the  bluffs  recede  from  the  river, 
leaving  the  bottom  lands  a  mile  wide,  very  little  of  which  ever  overflow.  The 
gently  sloping  bluffs  continue  for  several  miles,  sometimes  approaching  and  then 
receding  from  the  river,  forming  at  times  landscape  views  of  unsurpassed  beauty. 
And  now  that  these  lands  are  dotted  over  with  tasteful  and  well  cultivated  farms 
and  gardens  from  the  river  even  to  the  top  of  the  bluffs  in  places,  it  presents  one 
of  the  most  lovely  rural  scenes  upon  the  upper  Mississippi.  This  lovely  valley 
received  its  very  appropriate  name  from  one  of  its  earliest  settlers,  Mrs.  J.  A. 
Birchard,  who  now  hves  there  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  her  early  toil  and  privations. 

The  first  settlement  of  that  valley  was  coeval  with  that  of  Buffalo  township. 
In  the  fall  of  1833,  Roswell  H.  Spencer,  Esq.,  built  a  log  cabin  upon  the  bank 
of  the  river  a  little  below  the  present  ferry  landing  from  Hampton,  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  river,  to  Valley  City,  a  town  laid  out  upon  this  side  of  the  river. 
The  same  strata  of  limestone  rock  that  underlies  Rock  island  and  its  vicinity 
crops  out  along  the  entire  length  of  this  valley  and  in  fact  to  the  head  of  the 
rapids.  There  are  some  springs  of  pure,  cold  water  gushing  forth  at  the  base 
of  the  bluffs,  near  Messrs.  Spencer's  and  Birchard's  on  Duck  creek,  and  on  Crow 
creek,  called  in  Indian,  "Kaw-ka-kaw-sepo."  The  timber  lands,  called 
"Spencer's  Woods,"  were  of  immense  value  to  this  part  of  Scott  county  in  fur- 
nishing abundant  material  for  the  settlement  of  Pleasant  Valley.  Some  of  the 
best  farms  in  Iowa  are  in  this  valley  and  upon  the  prairie  back  of  it  in  the  same 
township,  owned  by  A.  J.  Hyde  and  brother,  the  Henleys,  Donaldsons,  Hawleys 
and  others  who  retain  their  original  possessions  obtained  among  the  first  of  Scott 
county. 

1834. — During  the  winter  of  1833  and  1834  J.  B.  Chamberlin,  Esq..  moved 
into  the  cabin  built  by  Mr.  Spencer,  his  being  the  first  white  family  in  the  valley. 
In  February  or  ^larch  they  had  a  son  born,  who  was  the  first  white  child  born  in 
the  township.  In  the  spring  of  1834  Mr.  Chamberlin  built  a  cabin  on  the  bank 
of  the  river,  a  little  above  the  mouth  of  Crow  creek,  which  is  still  standing,  and 
is  upon  the  farm  now  owned  by  G.  B.  and  D.  S.  Hawley,  Esqs.     In  addition  to 


252  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

Messrs,  Spencer  and  Chamberlin,  the  first  settlers  were  Mr.  Daniel  Davison, 
Calvin  Spencer  and  James  Thompson. 

1835. — In  1835  Davis  &  Haskel  built  a  grist  mill,  the  first  ever  built  in  the 
county,  or  in  this  part  of  the  state.  It  was  situated  on  Crow  creek,  just  above 
where  the  present  river  road  crosses  that  stream,  and  although  of  most  rude,  primi- 
tive kind,  having  two  common  boulders  rough  hewn,  for  stones,  yet  it  was  one 
of  the  most  essential  improvements  of  that  age.  Settlers  came  from  a  great  dis- 
tance for  several  years  to  this  mill.  It  was  a  log  building,  and  after  serving  the 
public  faithfully  for  many  years,  it  was  allowed  to  tumble  to  decay.  A  saw  mill, 
the  first  in  the  county,  was  also  built  in  this  valley  in  1835  by  Capt.  Qark,  of 
Buffalo.  This  was  situated  on  Duck  creek,  near  its  mouth.  These  two  mills, 
humble  as  they  were,  supplied  the  wants  of  the  early  settlers,  not  only  of  Pleas- 
ant Valley,  but  all  the  surrounding  country  for  many  miles.  The  immigrants 
into  this  township  were  Mr.  M.  J.  Lyman,  James  Haskel,  Thomas  Davis,  B.  F. 
Pike,  D.  C.  Davison,  G.  M.  Pinneo,  H.  H.  Pinneo,  and  Avery  Pinneo. 

1836. — In  the  spring  of  1836  this  little  settlement  found  themselves  strug- 
gling and  buffeting  against  the  pressure  and  privations  incident  to  a  pioneer  life, 
but  with  brave  hearts  and  iron  nerve  they  toiled  on  full  of  hope  for  the  future. 
During  the  year  they  had  an  acquisition  to  their  number  of  upwards  of  twenty 
families.  This  put  new  courage  into  their  hearts,  and  the  valley  began  to  give 
way  from  her  original  beauty  to  that  of  the  cultivated  field  and  the  benefits  and 
blessings  of  a  civilized  life.  Among  the  immigrants  of  this  year  was  Mr.  John 
Works,  who  was  elected  subsequently  to  the  office  of  county  commissioner,  which 
office  he  filled  till  1841.  He  was  a  plain,  unassuming  man  of  excellent  judgment 
and  sterling  integrity.  Also,  among  others,  were  Thomas  Jones,  Stephen  Hen- 
ley, Andrew  J.  Hyde,  Alfred  White,  H.  G.  Stone,  J.  A.  Birchard,  Samuel  and 
Wheeler  Hedges,  Anson  Rowe,  Lewis  Blackman,  William  Trask,  Franklin  Rowe, 
Hiram  Green,  John  Wilson,  Royal  Oilman,  S.  H.  Oilman,  John  J.  Clark,  John 
Tuttle,  Daniel  Wyman,  and  Geo.  W.  Thorn,  most  of  whom  are  now  living  and 
counted  among  Scott  county's  earliest  and  best  supporters. 

Messrs.  Haskel  &  Davis  built  a  saw  mill  near  the  mouth  of  Crow  creek  on  the 
Mississippi  river,  which  was  afterward  purchased  by  Stephen  Henley,  who  made 
important  additions  and  improvements,  and  it  is  still  in  possession  of  his  heirs.  A 
postoffice  was  established,  called  "Pleasant  Valley,"  J.  A.  Birchard,  P.  M.,  an 
appointment  which  he  probably  held  longer  than  any  similar  officer  in  the  state. 
In  June.  Simeon  Chamberhn  was  bom  (son  of  J.  B.  Chamberlin),  who  now  lives 
in  LeClaire,  and  probably  the  oldest  person  living  who  was  born  in  Pleasant 
Valley  township.  In  the  fall  of  1836  Mr.  Chamberlin's  wife  died  and  two  of  their 
children,  one  of  which  was  the  first  child  born  in  the  valley. 

1837. — The  immigrants  of  this  year  were  Lyman  Smith,  Ernest  Gould,  D. 
N.  Pope,  Capt.  Isaac  Hawley,  Cyrus  P.  Hawley,  William  P.  Eldridge,  G.  J. 
Hyde,  Jerr>'  Payne,  Robert  Scroggins,  John  Campbell  and  William  Nichols. 
Messrs.  Spencer  and  Work  built  the  third  sawmill  in  the  county,  this  summer 
on  Spencer's  creek,  a  small  stream  that  empties  into  the  Mississippi  near  Valley 
City.  This  creek  was  called  by  the  Indians  Wau-pe-me-me-sepo  (White  Pigeon 
creek).  The  Messrs.  Hedges  built  the  second  grist  mill  and  the  saw  mill  of 
this  county  this  summer  on  Crow  creek,  some  four  miles  from  its  mouth,  making 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  25'S 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

the  stones  from  common  boulders  found  on  the  prairies,  it  is  a  remarkable 
fact  that  up  to  this  date,  although  the  settlement  was  begun  and  progressed 
rapidly  up  and  down  the  river  and  back  into  the  interior  as  far  as  the  Cedar  river 
where  mill  privileges  were  numerous,  yet  Scott  county  had  more  mills  in  opera- 
tion than  all  the  country  for  forty  miles  and  many  settlers  came  that  distance 
to  mill. 

1838. — The  immigrants  of  1838  were  G.  W.  Fenno,  Thomas  Hall,  Isaac 
Hedges,  John  Emerson,  Lucius  Moss,  Horace  Bradley  and  A.  B.  Lathrop.  These 
settled  in  various  parts  of  the  valley,  many  of  whom  still  live.  The  progress 
of  the  settlement  was  slow  but  substantial. 

1839. — ^Among  the  many  who  came  in  1839  we  notice  the  names  of  Johnson 
&  Boyington  who  built  a  distillery,  the  first,  we  believe,  ever  introduced  into 
Scott  county.  But  like  many  others  who  have  undertaken  the  manufacture  of 
spirituous  liquors,  they  failed  in  the  enterprise  and  removed  to  other  parts. 

1849. — Like  other  places  in  the  far  west  this  settlement  found  many  dif- 
ficulties to  encounter  during  the  long  and  dreary  years  from  1840  to  1850.  The 
increase  of  immigration  was  slow.  No  public  works  or  expenditure  of  govern- 
ment money  was  expected  at  that  day,  and  all  depended  alike  upon  the  culture 
of  the  soil  for  sustenance.  They  built  houses  and  opened  farms ;  they  instituted 
schools  for  the  education  of  their  children,  and  built  churches  in  which  to  wor- 
ship ;  so  that  in  1850  Pleasant  Valley  township  as  a  rural  district  stood  foremost 
among  the  settlements  of  Scott  county.  The  early  settlers  were  men  of  nerve 
and  ability,  and  well  knew  that  honest  industry  was  sure  of  reward;  and  many 
now  live  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  early  labor. 

One  peculiarity,  not  only  of  the  adaptation  of  the  soil  of  Pleasant  Valley, 
but  of  her  people,  is  the  raising  of  onions.  In  all  Iowa,  and  probably  nowhere 
west  of  the  Mississippi  river  are  there  so  many  onions  raised  as  in  this  town- 
ship. Tens  of  thousands  of  bushels  are  annually  shipped  as  the  products  of 
this  valley.  From  300  to  400  bushels  to  the  acre  is  considered  a  common  crop, 
while  some  have  raised  as  many  as  500  and  even  600  bushels  to  the  acre.  The 
onions  raised  are  of  a  most  excellent  quality  and  bring  the  highest  prices  in  the 
southern  market. 

Among  the  prominent  citizens  of  this  township  is  Mr.  J.  A.  Birchard,  who 
represented  this  county  in  the  legislature  in  1838-39.  He  has  at  times  assessed 
the  county,  and  been  a  public  superintendent  of  highways.  His  sound,  sterling 
principles  have  ever  received  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 
He  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  best  farmers  of  our  county  and  takes  much  pains  in 
raising  stock  and  fruit.  He  retains  the  original  lands  occupied  in  his  first  set- 
tlement. Having  erected  new  and  substantial  buildings  he  lives  at  his  ease, 
enjoying  that  comfort  which  his  industry  and  perseverance  have  secured. 

Roswell  H.  Spencer,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  valley,  is  a  farmer  but 
his  attention  has  been  turned  more  particularly  to  mills  and  milling.  From  an 
early  day  Mr.  Spencer  has  furnished  lumber  for  improvements  in  this  portion 
of  the  county  and  done  much  toward  advancing  the  interests  of  the  settlement. 
In  1856  or  1857  he  erected  at  a  heavy  cost  a  large  steam  flouring  mill  near  his 
residence  in  Valley  City  which  has  done  a  very  good  business. 


254:  '       HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

Capt.  Isaac  Hawley,  another  old  settler,  is  with  his  sons,  George  B.  and 
Daniel  S.  Hawley,  one  of  the  largest  farmers  in  the  valley.  His  early  success 
in  raising  onions  was  his  first  step  toward  his  future  prosperity.  His  life  has 
been  lengthened  out  to  a  good  old  age  and  he  lives  blessed  with  all  the  comforts 
of  life,  respected  by  all  who  know  him,  happy  in  his  decHning  years  to  look  back 
upon  the  scenes  through  which  he  has  passed  and  feel  that  his  life  has  not  been 
spent  in  vain. 

Stephen  Henley  was  another  of  the  pioneers  who  settled  in  the  valley  at 
an  early  day,  and  did  much  toward  the  progress  of  agriculture  besides  manu- 
facturing lumber  to  a  considerable  extent.  He  died  about  the  year  1850  leav- 
ing a  large  estate  to  his  children  and  an  unblemished  character. 

Christopher  Rowe  settled  in  185 1  and  although  he  has  been  for  many  years 
a  non-resident  of  the  valley,  yet  his  early  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  infant  set- 
tlement will  long  be  remembered.  His  open  and  generous  heart  has  often  made 
glad  the  weak  and  discouraged  while  his  aid  and  counsel  inspired  confidence  in 
those  who  languished  under  the  severe  trials  incident  to  a  frontier  life. 

Andrew  J.  Hyde  and  brother  were  among  the  first  who  opened  farms  upon 
the  prairie  back  from  the  river,  and  still  retain  the  lands  upon  which  they  first 
settled,  and  rank  among  the  best  farmers  of  Scott  county.  Andrew  J.  Hyde  was 
the  member  elected  to  the  legislature  in  1846  and  served  with  much  acceptance 
to  his  constituents. 


THE  WILLARD  EARROWS  HISTORY. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

LECLAIRE  TOWNSHIP. 

1834. — At  the  treaty  in  1832  with  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  at  Davenport 
(see  Chapter  I  of  this  history),  they  gave  to  Antoine  LeClaire,  Esq.,  a  section 
of  land  at  the  head  of  the  rapids  (640  acres).  They  had  at  the  same  treaty 
presented  Mrs.  LeClaire  with  a  similar  amount  of  land  where  the  city  of  Daven- 
port now  stands.  The  reason  of  this  gift  was  none  other,  we  believe,  than  out 
of  friendship  and  respect  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  LeClaire.  He  had  been  with  them 
from  boyhood,  either  in  the  employ  of  the  Fur  Company  or  of  the  government 
as  interpreter,  and  was  very  popular  with  them.  The  American  Fur  Company 
at  an  early  day  had  a  trading  house  on  a  small  island  some  three  miles  below 
LeClaire  called  Davenport's  island,  afterward  Smith's  island  and  now  Fulton's 
island.  The  Indians  came  across  from  Rock  river,  Meredosia  swamp  and  from 
the  Wabesipinecon  river  to  this  post  to  trade.  The  Indians  ever  loved  to  live 
along  the  thick  timber  lands  of  the  "Pau-ke-she-tuck"  (rapids)  or  swift  water, 
where  they  found  abundance  of  fish.  There  was  much  game,  also.  The  for- 
est was  dense  all  through  the  country  lying  along  the  Mississippi  river  from 
Spencer's  creek  at  the  head  of  Pleasant  valley  to  Princeton  and  was  of  large 
growth.  A  corresponding  tract,  also,  of  like  character  lay  along  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river. 

The  township  of  LeClaire  in  its  general  character  is  similar  to  other  river 
townships ;  perhaps  rather  more  uneven  along  a  portion  of  its  bluffs,  but  its 
prairie  lands  back  are  among  the  choicest  in  Iowa  and  well  settled  by  enterpris- 
ing and  industrious  farmers. 

The  first  settlement  of  LeClaire  was  not  upon  that  portion  given  to  Mr. 
LeClaire  by  the  Indians,  but  was  made  by  Eleazer  Parkhurst,  Esq..  we  believe, 
from  the  state  of  Massachusetts.  He  purchased  the  claim  just  above  the  north 
line  of  the  reserve,  of  George  W.  Harlan  who  built  the  cabin  thereon.  This 
cabin  stood  on  or  near  the  place  of  the  present  residence  of  Waldo  Parkhurst 
in  the  present  limits  of  the  city  of  LeGaire  and  was  the  first  actually  settled 
claim  in  the  township.  We  believe  this  cabin  was  built  in  February,  1834.  His 
brother,  the  late  Sterling  Parkhurst,  Esq.,  was  the  second  settler,  but  the  same 
season  Nathan  and  Martin  W.  Smith  settled  below  the  town  where  the  old  mill 
now  stands,    Ira  F.  Smith  came  in  the  autumn  of  that  year  and  now  lives  on  the 


258  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 


old  place  of  Martin  W.  Smith.     All  of  these  early  pioneers  are  now  dead  except 
Ira  F.  Smith. 

But  there  seem  to  have  been  others  even  at  an  earlier  day  anxious  to  secure 
so  desirable  a  site  for  a  town.  The  importance  of  the  location  had  attracted  the 
attention  of  some  who  at  an  early  day  were  passing  up  and  down  the  JMissis- 
sippi  river  and  were  not  blind  to  the  coming  future.  I  here  insert  a  document 
dated  the  next  year  after  the  treaty  and  after  Mr.  LeClaire  came  into  posses- 
sion of  the  land  in  which  a  contract  is  made  for  the  town  site  of  LeClaire  proper : 

Whereas,  it  is  agreed  by  and  between  Antoine  LeClaire  of  the  one  part  and 
George  Davenport,  Enoch  C.  March  and  John  Reynolds  of  the  other  part,  wit- 
nesseth,  that  the  said  LeClaire  agrees  to  convey  by  deed  in  fee  simple  to  the  said 
Davenport,  March  and  Reynolds,  forty  acres  each,  to  be  taken  out  of  a  section 
of  land  at  the  head  of  the  rapids  which  was  granted  to  said  LeClaire  by  the  late 
treaty  with  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians.  Said  land  is  situated  on  the  Mississippi 
river  on  the  west  side  thereof,  said  LeQaire  reserving  forty  acres  himself  of 
said  section  making  in  all  one-quarter  section. 

Said  quarter  section  is  to  be  located  so  as  to  be  the  most  suitable  for  the 
purpose  of  laying  out  a  town  thereon.  And  all  the  parties  to  this  contract  agree 
further  to  lay  out  a  town  on  said  quarter  section  of  land  and  to  be  equal  partners 
and  proprietors  thereof. 

Said  quarter  section  of  land  is  to  be  located  and  surveyed  as  soon  as  practi- 
cable and  the  same  surveyed  also  as  soon  as  practicable  into  lots. 

Said  Davenport,  March  and  Reynolds  in  consideration  of  said  land  agree 
to  pay  him   (LeClaire)  $80,  each  one. 

27th  March,  1833.  Test,  K.  McKenzey. 

Signed,  and  sealed : 

Antoine  LeQaire. 
Geo.  Davenport, 
Enoch  C.  March, 
John  Reynolds, 

1835. — At  a  subsequent  date  the  interest  of  Enoch  C.  March.  Esq.,  consist- 
ing of  one-fourth  of  the  town  site  was  purchased  by  our  fellow  townsman,  Capt. 
James  May  who  still  retains  a  large  portion  of  it.  Mr.  Eleazer  Parkhurst  opened 
the  first  farm  upon  the  prairies  back  of  the  town.  The  town  of  LeClaire  was 
laid  out  into  lots  in  the  spring  or  summer  of  1837  by  the  town  company,  sur- 
veyed by  Wm.  R,  Shoemaker,  assisted  by  Henry  S.  Howell,  both  United  States 
deputy  surveyors.  'About  the  same  time  Mr.  Parkhurst  having  disposed  of  a 
part  of  his  claim  to  Col.  T.  C.  Eads.  they  jointly  laid  out  the  town  of  Parkliurst. 

1836. — During  the  summer  of  1836  Mr.  Parkhurst  applied  to  the  postoffice 
department  for  a  postoffice  at  that  place.  He  immediately  received  a  favorable 
answer,  with  the  appointment  of  postmaster  and  the  office  was  named  Park- 
hurst, after  the  name  of  the  petitioner. 

During  the  years  1835  and  1836  emigrants  came  in  and  made  settlements. 
Among  these  was  Mr.  William  Rowe,  Josiah  Scott.  John  M.  and  Griswold  Van- 
Duzer,  Eli  Smith.  Dr.  Zachariah  Grant.  William  Cousal.  Philip  Suiter.  Noble 
McKinstry.   Rockwell   McKinstry.    John    Lewis   and   others.      A    son   of   M.   E. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  259 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

Parkhurst,  the  Rev.  Wm.  J.  Parkhurst,  still  resides  in  this  township  and  is 
the  oldest  inhabitant  now  resident  in  the  place.  The  two  towns,  LeClaire  and 
Parkhurst,  were  for  many  years  rivals  in  point  of  progress  and  exhibited  many 
of  those  traits  so  common  among  the  embryo  cities  of  the  west.  Soon  after 
Parkhurst  was  laid  out,  its  name  was  changed  with  that  of  its  postoffice  to 
Berlin  and  finally  to  LeClaire. 

1837. — Col.  T.  C.  Eads  made  the  first  important  improvement  in  Parkhurst 
in  the  summer  of  1837  by  the  erection  of  a  large  frame  dwelling,  thirty  feet  by 
forty  feet,  two  stories  high,  and  it  was  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  age.  Our 
fellow  citizen,  Nathaniel  Squires,  was  the  builder  and  it  stands  a  worthy  monu- 
ment of  the  genius,  enterprise  and  ambition  of  those  early  pioneers. 

1838. — In  the  spring  of  1838  Ralph  Letton,  Esq.,  of  Cincinnati  purchased 
a  portion  of  Col.  Eads'  interest  in  the  town  and  a  disagreement  among  the  owners 
retarded  the  settlement  and  improvement  of  the  place  for  several  years.  No 
decided  improvement  in  either  of  the  towns  took  place  however  until  1841. 
But  the  progress  of  settlement  by  farmers  upon  the  edge  of  the  prairie  was 
considerable,  and  many  farms  were  opened  along  the  river  up  to  the  Wabesi- 
pinecon  bottoms. 

1839  and  1840  were,  however,  dark  days  in  the  west,  alike  to  all  and  every 
new  enterprise  or  even  a  new  comer  was  hailed  as  an  acquisition  to  the  in- 
fant colony.  Lemuel  Parkhurst,  Esq.,  now^  a  resident  of  LeClaire,  first  opened 
a  store  in  1839  in  the  little  stone  building  in  Parkhurst  now  owned  by  Mr.  W. 
Gardner.  In  1840  the  old  stone  building  yet  standing  on  the  bank  of  the  river 
at  the  foot  of  Walnut  street  was  erected  by  Eleazer  Parkhurst.  The  same 
year  he  and  his  nephew  Waldo  Parkhurst  who  settled  there  in  1837  and  is  still 
a  merchant  in  LeGaire  opened  in  the  stone  store  a  large  stock  of  goods  of  all 
kinds  and  continued  in  the  same  until   1849  when  the  firm  was  dissolved. 

1841. — In  1841  Charles  Ames,  William  Allen,  A.  K.  Philleo  and  Martin  W. 
Smith  made  improvements  and  settled  in  the  town  of  LeClaire.  Mr.  Ames  was 
from  Port  Byron,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  and  brought  with  him  a  stock 
of  goods.  He  built  the  house  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  widow,  it  being  the 
first  house  built  in  the  city  of  LeGaire  or  on  the  reserve.  Here  he  opened  the 
first  stock  of  goods  ever  oflfered  for  sale  in  that  place.  Mr.  Ames  died  in  1846. 
Mr.  Philleo  built  the  house  occupied  as  a  bakery  now  by  Mr.  Scheck.  These 
were  the  dark  days  of  LeClaire.  Many  an  old  settler  will  call  to  mind  the  few 
little  tenements  scattered  along  the  banks  of  the  river  through  both  of  the  vil- 
lages and  well  remember  the  stately  oaks  that  grew  along  the  streets  where 
now  the  beautiful  mansions  and  the  merchants'  blocks  rear  their  massive  piles. 
From  this  date  to  1847  but  little  progress  was  made  at  either  town  in  the  way  of 
improvements.  Steamboats  generally  laid  up  there  in  low  water  and  windy 
weather  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  crossing  the  rapids  at  such  times,  and 
often  in  extreme  low  water  lighters  or  flat  boats  were  used  to  convey  freight 
over  as  at  the  present  day  employing  many  men.  It  is  the  residence  of  the  rapids 
pilots  for  boats  and  rafts.  The  settlement  of  the  prairie  back  from  the  town  con- 
tinued slowly  and  occasionally  a  new  edifice  would  appear  in  LeGaire  or  Park- 
hurst. 


260  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

In  February,  1837,  Messrs.  A.  H.  Davenport  and  Samuel  Lyter  of  Rock- 
ingham opened  a  store  of  dry  goods  and  groceries.  Mr.  Lyter  soon  gave  place 
in  the  firm  to  Robert  Christie,  Esq.,  and  Winchester  Sherman ;  and  in  the  autumn 
of  1848  this  firm  erected  the  first  sawmill  in  LeClaire,  and  the  following  year 
a  flouring  mill  was  added.  In  the  summer  of  185 1  this  mill  was  burned  down 
and  in  four  months  after  the  firm  of  Davenport  &  Rogers  who  then  owned  it, 
erected  the  Rapids  mill  upon  the  same  ground. 

1848. — The  comparative  size  of  the  two  villages  at  this  date  may  be  seen 
by  an  article  which  we  quote  from  the  LeClaire  Republic  of  March  2^,  1859, 
from  the  pen  of  E.  Russell,  Esq.,  then  editor  of  that  paper: 

"In  1848,"  says  Mr.  Russell,  "when  we  first  visited  the  locality  LeClaire  and 
Parkhurst  were  separated  by  a  'gulf  which  though  easily  passed  kept  each  town 
entirely  separate  from  the  other.  A  beautiful  and  dense  grove  of  oaks  extended 
from  Reynolds  street  up  to  Holland  street,  and  no  cabins  or  fences  marred  the 
scene.  LeClaire  then  contained  nine  frame  dwelling  houses,  two  brick  ditto, 
one  brick  store,  one  frame  ditto,  occupied,  and  one  or  two  unoccupied,  one  brick 
building  used  as  a  pork  house,  one  blacksmith  shop,  the  Baptist  church,  oc- 
cupied but  not  finished,  and  the  old  Methodist  church  in  course  of  erection. 
Parkhurst  boasted  of  eight  frame  dwelling  houses,  one  brick  ditto,  two  log  ditto, 
one  stone   ditto,  two   stone  store  houses,  one   frame  barn   and  one   log  ditto." 

It  was  not  until  1849  o^"  1850  that  either  of  the  towns  began  to  assume  the 
appearance  of  a  village,  but  from  that  time  both  increased  in  population  and 
buildings  as  well  as  in  extension  of  the  limits  of  their  towns.  In  185 1  Messrs. 
Davenport  &  Rogers  purchased  of  Mr.  LeClaire  the  remaining  strip  of  land  lying 
between  the  two  towns  of  LeClaire  and  Parkhurst  and  laid  it  out  into  building 
lots.  This  gave  a  new  impetus  to  business  of  all  kinds.  Mills  and  manufac- 
tories were  erected.  Mechanics  of  all  kinds  settled  in  the  place,  and  many  large 
brick  stores  were  erected,  so  that  in  1855  on  petition  of  the  inhabitants  of  both 
towns  the  legislature  by  act  incorporated  the  city  of  LeClaire,  including  within 
its  limits  the  town  of  Parkhurst. 

At  this  date  there  were  within  the  limits  of  this  city  no  less  than  eleven  dry 
goods  stores,  two  clothing  stores,  one  watchmaker,  one  saddler,  two  boat  and 
provision  stores,  one  bakery,  five  blacksmith  shops,  three  wagon  shops,  one  tin 
shop  and  stoves,  one  hardware  store,  one  boot  and  shoe  store,  five  churches, 
two  cooper  shops,  two  tailor  shops,  two  shoemakers,  two  livery  stables,  five  hotels, 
one  banking  house,  one  printing  office,  two  steam  flouring  mills,  one  steam  saw- 
mill, three  lawyers,  six  physicians,  two  cabinet  shops,  candy  shops  and  oyster 
saloons  in  any  quantity,  house  and  ship  carpenters,  stone  masons  and  brick  layers, 
a  boat  yard  where  steamers  are  repaired  and  keel  boats  made  and  repaired,  and 
a  ferry  across  the  Mississippi  river. 

There  are  many  interesting  anecdotes  connected  with  the  early  history  of  this 
township,  like  many  others  in  the  country.  All  the  pioneer  laws  of  a  new  country 
were  enforced  here,  and  that  same  rigid  regard  for  the  rights  of  all  was  duly 
noticed.  Some  very  rough  specimens  of  humanity  were  of  course  among  the 
early  settlers,  and  many  a  kind  heart  covered  up  by  a  very  rough  exterior.  It 
was  deemed  in  those  days  a  very  dangerous  thing  for  one  man  to  "jump"  an- 
other's "claim."     The  man  who  had  the  temerity  to  attempt  such  a  thing  was 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHIRCH.  LE  CLAIRE 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  261 


THE  WILLARD   BARROWS  HISTORY. 


looked  upon  as  likely  to  do  worse  deeds  when  opportunity  presented.  A  rather 
laug-hable  farce  of  this  kind  took  place  in  September,  1837.  At  a  meeting  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  settlement  matters  had  been  talked  over  as  to  the  peace  and 
good  order  of  things,  and  the  meeting  about  to  adjourn,  when  a  young  man,  a 
stranger,  rather  casually  remonstrated,  against  any  one  holding  more  than  one 
"claim,"  and  not  that,  unless  he  lived  on  it.  He  was  from  Hennepin,  Ills.,  and 
most  evidently  had  not  traveled  "the  country  all  over,"  assuming  rather  more 
airs  than  seemed  necessary  for  the  occasion.  His  remarks  were  heard  by  one 
Simeon  Cragin,  a  discharged  soldier,  and  one  of  those  unceremonious,  backwoods, 
frontier,  half  civilized  humans  that  lurk  around  the  border  settlements,  who  im- 
mediately presented  himself  before  him  and  thus  addressed  him:  "My  name,  sir, 
is  Simeon  Cragin.  I  own  fourteen  'claims.'  and  if  any  man  'jumps'  one  of  them, 
I  will  shoot  him  down  at  once,  sir.  I  am  a  gentleman,  sir,  and  a  scholar.  I  was 
educated  in  Bangor,  have  been  in  the  United  States  army  and  served  my  country 
faithfully — am  the  discoverer  of  the  'Wopsey' — can  ride  a  grizzly  bear,  or  whip 
any  human  that  ever  crossed  the  Mississippi;  and  if  you  dare  to  jump  one  of 
my  claims,  die  you  must.  My  name  is  Simeon  Cragin,  sir,  all  the  way  from 
Bangor,  and  you  must  leave  these  diggings,  with  but  few  remarks."  The  in- 
creasing rage  of  "Simeon"  became  alarming  to  the  young  Sucker  and  he  found 
the  shortest  road  possible  to  the  state  of  Illinois,  and  we  presume  has  never  since 
visited  Iowa  with  a  view  at  least  of  "jumping  claims." 

There  are  also  many  striking  reminiscences  of  the  Indians  in  their  sojourn 
both  before  and  after  the  whites  took  possession  of  the  country  that  might  be  in- 
teresting, and  may  be  added  hereafter.  There  are  those  now  living  in  LeClaire 
who  remember  with  what  satisfaction  the  Indians  often  returned  to  their  forest 
home  at  the  head  of  the  rapids.  In  1837  over  1,000  were  encamped  where  the 
city  now  stands. 

But  while  the  people  of  LeClaire  were  thus  busily  engaged  in  building  up  a 
city,  they  did  not  forget  in  its  earlier  days  when  their  sun  of  prosperity  looked 
dark  and  uncertainty  brooded  over  their  undertakings,  to  turn  their  attention  to 
schools  and  churches.  Of  the  first  little  gatherings  for  prayer  or  of  the  first  ser- 
mon in  some  small  cabin  where  the  little  pioneer  band  first  met  we  know  nothing, 
but  the  first  building  erected  for  that  purpose  was  the  brick  Baptist  church  in 
the  summer  of  1847.  I*  was  enclosed  that  autumn,  and  a  small  room  in  the  base- 
ment finished  ofif  so  that  it  could  be  occupied  by  the  district  school  during  the  six 
days  and  on  the  Sabbath  for  divine  service.  This  room,  measuring  about  sixteen 
feet  by  twenty  feet,  continued  to  be  the  headquarters  of  the  grammar  school  and 
the  ballot  box  for  some  five  years.  Upon  election  days  the  school  was  let  out 
to  accommodate  the  officials  in  the  weightier  matters  of  the  law.  In  1849.  the 
church  being  still  weak  in  numbers  and  poor,  entered  into  an  agreement  with  the 
Congregational  church  to  make  the  building  answer  for  both  congregations.  The 
main  edifice  was  to  be  finished,  the  original  owners  were  to  lath  it,  and  the  Con- 
gregationalists  were  to  plaster  it,  and  for  so  doing  the  latter  were  to  have  the  use 
of  it  free  on  alternate  Sabbaths  for  four  years.  In  consequence,  however,  of 
delay  on  the  part  of  the  Baptist  brethren  in  performing  their  contract,  the  church 
was  not  plastered  till  the  spring  of  1850,  and  the  slips  or  pews  were  not  put  in 
until   autumn.     During  this   summer    (1850)    the   audiences   of   the   respective 


262  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WILLARD   15ARR0WS    HISTORY. 


churches  had  to  sit  on  seats  constructed  by  laying  rough  joists  on  equally  rough 
blocks — seats  of  the  most  rude  and  primitive  kind.  But  it  appears  that  the  immi- 
gration into  the  flourishing  village  of  LeClaire  that  summer  was  so  great  houses 
could  not  be  found  to  contain  them  and  a  family  occupied  one  end  of  the  church 
as  a  residence — having  a  calico  curtain  separating  kitchen,  dining  room  and  par- 
lor froin  the  sanctuary. 

The  Rev.  W.  Rutledge  was  pastor  of  the  Baptist  and  Rev.  H.  W.  Cobb  the 
stated  supply  of  the  Congregational  church  which  occupied  the  edifice  until  the 
completion  and  dedication  of  their  neat  little  church  on  the  22d  of  December, 

1853- 

The  old  Methodist  church  was  built  in  the  autumn  of  1848,  and  was  used  in 
its  unfinished  state  during  the  following  winter,  being  used  also,  one  end  of  it, 
as  a  carpenter's  shop,  the  bench  and  tools  crowded  into  one  corner  on  the  Sabbath. 
This  building  is  yet  standing  and  is  rented  for  a  district  school.  The  first  resi- 
dent Methodist  minister  in  LeClaire  was  the  Rev.  Joel  B.  Taylor.  He  was  the 
first  to  occupy  the  parsonage,  erected  the  same  autumn  as  the  church.  A  new 
Methodist  church  edifice  was  commenced  in  1856,  and  completed  and  dedicated  in 
August,  1857. 

The  old  Presbyterian  church  was  built,  we  believe,  in  1850,  at  a  cost  of  $500. 
In  1855  it  was  sold  to  the  school  district  and  converted  into  a  schoolhouse.  In 
the  summer  of  that  year  Mr.  T.  H.  Longbottom  entered  into  a  contract  to  erect 
a  new  church,  which  he  completed  the  following  season  at  a  total  cost  of  $4,180. 
The  dedication  services  were  held  on  the  15th  of  September,  1856.  This  building 
was  destroyed  by  fire  on  the  2d  of  Jime,  1859,  supposed  to  be  the  work  of  an 
incendiary. 

The  Congregational  church  was  organized  in  1849.  Rev.  H.  W.  Cobb  was 
stated  supply  from  June  1850,  to  December  185 1,  and  the  Rev.  L.  R.  White 
from  that  date  to  June  i,  1854.  The  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1853,  at  a  cost 
of  $1,060,  labor  and  material  being  at  that  time  very  cheap. 

There  are  Catholic,  United  Presbyterian  and  Disciples'  churches  in  the  city, 
the  statistics  of  which  I  am  not  able  to  give. 

The  "Bratton  House"  was  commenced  in  the  summer  of  1854,  finished  the 
following  season,  and  opened  by  H.  E.  and  D.  B.  Brown  in  October,  1855. 

A  boat  yard  called  the  Marine  Railway  was  commenced  in  March,  1836,  and 
the  first  boat  was  hauled  out  the  i8th  of  September  of  the  same  year. 


MAIN  STREET.  LE  CLAIRE 


LE  CLAIRE  DEPOT 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


PRINCETON   TOWNSHIP. 


1835. — The  first  permanent  claimants  to  land  in  this  township  were  Giles  M. 
and  Haswell  H.  Pinneo,  who  made  their  claims  in  the  autumn  of  1835  and 
moved  on  to  them  as  permanent  settlers  in  the  spring  of  1836.  George  W.  Harlan 
had  made  some  claims  on  speculation  even  before  this,  but  made  no  real  settle- 
ment. Giles  M.  Pinneo  settled  where  he  now  lives  and  Haswell  H.  took  his 
claim  where  a  part  of  the  city  of  Princeton  now  stands.  Many  of  the  old  settlers 
will  remember  his  neat  hewed  log  cabin  and  the  comforts  it  often  afforded  to 
those  who  came  beneath  its  roof.  He  died  many  years  since  much  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him. 

In  the  spring  of  1836  Thomas  Hubbard.  Sen.,  who  had  been  living  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river  from  the  time  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  moved  over  and 
settled  on  what  is  now  a  part  of  the  city  of  Princeton.  Mr.  Hubbard  was  from 
Kentucky,  had  served  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  and  seemed  to  have  had  much  of 
the  old  Kentucky  hatred  for  Indians.  While  settled  upon  the  Illinois  side  of  the 
river  he  had  frequent  attacks  from  them,  which  were  repelled  in  true  pioneer 
spirit.  The  Indians  were  in  the  habit  of  stealing  from  him  such  few  articles  of 
"animal  civilization"  as  he  was  able  to  get  around  him,  such  as  fowls,  hogs  and 
cattle.  He  had  procured  some  bees  from  the  forest,  which  at  that  time  were 
plenty,  when  one  day  on  his  return  to  his  cabin  he  found  they  had  been  robbed 
by  the  Indians.  He  was  soon  upon  their  trail  with  his  rifle,  and  came  up  with 
them  as  they  were  leaving  the  shore  in  their  canoes.  He  fired  upon  them,  when 
the  fire  was  returned  from  the  canoes.  Hubbard  taking  to  a  tree  for  shelter. 
Several  shots  were  fired  and  one  Indian  was  killed.  Many  other  skirmishes  were 
often  related  by  the  old  man  of  his  exploits  with  the  redskins.  In  his  old  age  he 
became  superstitious  and  somewhat  shattered  in  mind.  He  returned,  I  believe, 
to  Kentucky  and  died  there  some  years  since. 

Some  time  in  the  year  1837,  Daniel  Hire  settled  about  four  miles  from  the 
Mississippi  river  upon  the  Wabespinecon  bottom  near  where  he  now  lives.  Ben- 
jamin F.  Pike  came  up  from  Rockingham  in  the  spring  of  1838  and  brought 
with  him  a  small  stock  of  goods,  which  was  the  first  store  of  any  kind  ever  opened 
in  the  township.  The  same  year  Jesse  R.  James  and  Samuel  Sturdivant  settled 
near  Lost  Grove,  and  that  winter  John  B.  Doty.  Esq.,  settled  about  two  miles 


266  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

from  the  Mississippi,  where  he  now  lives.  The  first  frame  house  built  in  the 
township  was  by  Daniel  Hire  in  1837. 

In  the  spring  of  1838  Benjamin  DooHttle  established  the  first  pubHc  ferry 
across  the  Wabesipinecon  on  the  road  from  Davenport  to  Camanche.  Jonas 
Barber  built  a  mill  this  year  propelled  by  steam,  which  was  the  first  of  any  kind 
built  in  the  township.  There  was  a  distillery  also  built  the  same  year  by  Jacob 
Rose.  The  immigrants  of  this  year  were  Abijah  Goodrich  and  family,  Avery  D 
Pinneo,  Gideon  Averill,  Wm.  Palmer,  Franklin  Rowe,  Sterling  Parkhurst  and 
Matthias  L.  Pinneo. 

From  the  year  1840  settlement  was  slow  in  the  township  for  ten  years,  but 
has  gradually  filled  up,  so  that  at  present  there  are  about  260  voters.  The  first 
deaths  in  the  township  were  Mrs.  Mary  Sweet  and  Mrs.  Lucy  Goodrich.  The 
first  children  born  were  Henry  Hire,  Thomas  Doty  and  Albert  Pinneo. 

In  the  first  settlement  of  Princeton  township,  like  other  places  at  that  day,  the 
pioneer  families  underwent  many  privations.  Supplies  of  every  kind  except  wild 
meat  had  to  be  obtained  from  Fort  Armstrong  on  Rock  island.  These  were  taken 
up  by  water  over  the  rapids  in  Indian  canoes.  It  was  but  little  they  were  able 
to  purchase  and  all  that  was  expected  in  those  days  were  the  bare  necessaries  of 
life.  A  story  is  told  of  Mr.  Pinneo  making  a  journey  to  Davenport  after  it  be- 
came settled  and  a  store  had  been  established  with  a  lot  of  beans  in  order  to  ex- 
change them  for  goods  to  make  clothing  for  his  family.  It  was  bitter  cold  weather 
and  on  the  way  he  had  an  attack  of  the  ague.  He  exchanged  his  beans  with  much 
difficulty  at  twenty-five  cents  per  bushel,  heaping  measure,  and  took  thin  five 
cent  calico  at  the  rate  of  twenty-five  to  thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents  per  yard. 
These  were  the  beginnings  of  some  of  those  who  settled  in  this  township.  But 
brighter  days  have  dawned  on  many  of  the  old  settlers  who  are  now  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  early  toil. 

Princeton  City  was  laid  off  (a  part  of  it)  in  1852  and  recorded.  Other  por- 
tions were  laid  off,  but  never  recorded.    Additions  have  been  made  since. 

The  first  postoffice  was  established  in  1841  and  Haswell  H.  Pinneo  appointed 
postmaster.  The  first  store  was  opened  in  1840  by  B.  F.  Pike,  as  before  stated. 
The  next  one  was  opened  by  a  company  known  as  "Lawyer  Hammond  &  Co."  In 
1848  Col.  W.  F.  Breckinridge,  from  Pennsylvania,  opened  a  store  in  the  city, 
calling  the  place  at  that  time  "Pinnacle  Point."  There  is  a  Presbyterian  and  a 
Methodist  church  organized  in  the  city. 

The  city  of  Princeton  was  incorporated,  January,  1857,  and  in  the  month  of 
March  following  the  first  charter  election  was  held.  Samuel  Porter  was  elected 
the  first  mayor  and  resigned  in  May.  At  a  special  election  held  soon  after  Wil- 
liam Shew  was  elected  mayor  to  fill  the  vacancy.  At  this  time,  the  city  contained 
about  250  inhabitants,  one  store,  kept  by  Walker  &  Armstrong,  two  public  houses 
and  fifteen  dwellings,  one  smith  shop,  one  steam  saw  mill,  by  John  Forsyth,  one 
church  and  forty-six  dwellings. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1858,  William  H.  Thompson  was  elected  mayor.  This 
year  the  population  was  about  500.  The  improvements  were  greater  in  the  youth- 
ful city  of  Princeton  than  at  any  other  point  on  the  Mississippi  river  for  the  num- 
ber of  inhabitants.  This  year  there  was  built  one  steam  saw  mill  by  Isaac  Sher- 
man, from  Cleveland,  Ohio,  at  a  cost  of  $8,000,  capable  of  cutting  30,000  feet  of 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  267 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 


lumber  per  day,  two  steam  grist  mills  (first  class)  one  by  McKinstry  &  Hubbard 
at  a  cost  of  $12,000,  one  by  Herbert  &  Fishback  at  a  cost  of  $9,000  but  before 
it  was  completed  the  firm  failed.  D.  D.  McCoy  built  a  large  house  and  opened  a 
fancy  dry  goods  store.  This  season  there  were  sixty-two  dwellings  built,  among 
which  was  the  dwelling  of  Dr.  G.  S.  Bell,  which  cost  about  $5,000. 

In  March,  1859,  Thomas  Gait,  M.  D.,  was  elected  mayor.  This  year  the  popu- 
lation had  reached  1,000,  but  owing  to  the  hard  times  there  was  not  so  much  im- 
provement as  the  year  previous.  Walker  &  Patterson  built  a  steam  planing  mill 
with  all  the  improved  machinery  for  making  sash,  doors  and  blinds,  which  was  a 
great  benefit  to  the  place  and  surrounding  country,  besides  being  remunerative 
to  its  enterprising  projectors.  F.  G.  Welch  this  year  built  a  fancy  store  three 
stories  high,  but  Mr.  Welch  did  not  live  to  enjoy  his  enterprising  undertaking. 
Mr.  R.  Bennett  also  built  a  large  store  and  opened  a  good  stock  of  dry  goods  and 
groceries  and  with  the  assistance  of  Abl.  Kurney  started  a  tin  shop.  This  year  there 
was  another  church  built  and  thirty-two  dwellings.  Dr.  Gait  built  a  residence  for 
himself  which  is  the  finest  building  in  the  place.  It  is  of  brick,  thirty-six  feet  by 
forty  feet,  two  stories  and  a  half  high  and  finished  in  the  latest  style,  an  honor  to 
the  enterprising  doctor  of  which  he  is  eminently  deserving.  At  this  time  there 
were  fifteen  carpenters,  six  blacksmiths,  four  shoemakers,  two  tailors,  one  tinker, 
seven  stores,  one  drug  store,  two  churches,  two  public  houses,  one  livery  stable, 
two  steam  saw  mills,  two  steam  grist  mills,  one  steam  planing  mill,  two  carriage 
shops,  four  blacksmith  shops,  two  public  schools,  two  private  schools,  one  lawyer. 

Princeton  now  bids  fair  to  outrival  some  of  her  more  successful  neighbors. 
By  the  4th  of  July,  i860,  there  will  be  a  direct  communication  with  Chicago  by 
railroad.  The  iron  for  the  Sterling  &  Rock  Island  road  is  contracted  for  and  a 
portion  of  it  will  be  delivered  by  rail  this  winter.  The  balance  will  be  delivered 
as  soon  as  the  ice  leaves  the  river,  as  it  comes  by  the  way  of  New  Orleans.  The 
road  when  finished  will  be  thirty-six  miles  nearer  Chicago  than  by  the  Chicago  & 
Rock  Island  road ;  fifty-six  miles  nearer  Chicago  from  this  place  than  by  way  of 
Davenport.  There  has  also  been  $27,500  of  stock  taken  and  secured  by  the 
citizens  of  Princeton  by  bond  and  mortgage  of  the  Sterling  &  Rock  Island  road. 
There  is  a  great  opening  for  manufacturers  by  water  power.  There  is  a  chance 
of  securing  a  water  power  of  seventeen  and  one-half  feet  fall  with  the  outlay 
of  $30,000.  By  tapping  the  Wabesipinecon  river  about  four  miles  above  this 
place  the  water  can  be  brought  into  this  city  at  any  desired  point  with  the  above 
amount  of  fall — the  survey  has  been  made  by  scientific  engineers  and  the  result 
as  stated  is  therefore  unquestionable. 

The  changes  that  have  taken  place  in  this  township  since  its  first  settlement 
have  been  as  great  as  any  other  portion  of  Scott  county.  It  has  much  very  fine 
agricultural  lands  with  abundance  of  timber  and  rock,  and  contains  some  of  the 
best  farms  in  the  county.  We  prophesy  that  at  no  very  distant  day  the  city  of 
Princeton  will  be  one  of  the  most  flourishing  towns  upon  the  Mississippi  river. 
It  has  the  material  in  and  around  it  and  its  enterprising  inhabitants  will  allow 
no  opportunity  to  pass  unimproved  that  will  tend  to  advance  the  interests  of 
their  thriving  and  beautiful  city. 


LONG  (JROVE 


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CHRISTIAX  CHURCH,  LONG  GROVE 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

WINFIELD   OR    LONG    GROVE    TOWNSHIP. 

This  grove  of  timber  of  considerable  extent  lies  between  Walnut  or  Pease's 
grove  and  Allen's  grove.  It  is  about  twelve  miles  from  Davenport  and  five  miles 
from  the  Wabesipinecon  river.  There  are  some  of  the  best  farms  around  this 
grove  of  any  in  the  county  or  the  state.  The  face  of  the  country  is  gently  roll- 
ing,' the  soil  of  the  richest  quaHty  and  the  beautifully  cultivated  fields  sloping 
a,way  from  the  grove  on  every  side  present  one  of  the  most  interesting  agricul- 
tural scenes  in  the  western  country. 

The  settlement  was  begun  in  the  autumn  of  1837  by  John  C.  and  William, 
Quinn,  Joseph  and  James  Quinn,  George  Daly,  Alphonso  Warren,  and  Aaron 
Norris  with  their  families  from  Ohio.  The  Quinns  first  settled  on  the  banks  of 
the  Wabesipinecon  river,  established  a  ferry,  and  subsequently  laid  out  a  town 
called  Point  Pleasant.  The  following  year,  1838,  Charles  Elder  and  family 
from  Pensylvania,  Elihu  Alvord  from  New  York,  H.  H.  Pease  from  Indiana, 
Alexander  and  James  Brownlie  from  Scotland,  with  families  settled  in  the 
grove,  and  the  little  band  of  hardy  pioneers  began  their  life  in  earnest  upon  the 
new  and  fertile  soil  of  Iowa. 

Nowhere  in  all  the  west  do  I  remember  of  having  witnessed  such  a  begin- 
ning as  was  exhibited  in  this  little  colony.  There  seemed  to  be  more  of  the  faith 
of  the  Puritan  fathers  among  the  emigrants  than  any  that  I  had  ever  witnessed. 
All  seemed  to  feel  an  entire  dependence  upon  one  another  and  on  the  ruling  hand 
of  Providence.  One  common  interest  seemed  to  cement  them  all  and  a  spirit  of 
brotherly  love  prevailed  throughout  the  settlement.  In  the  spring  of  1839  sev- 
eral other  families  arrived  and  the  want  of  Christian  fellowship  and  teachings 
was  so  apparent  that  Alexander  and  James  Brownlie  commenced  a  Sabbath 
school  in  their  own  log  cabin  which  has  been  kept  up  to  the  present  time.  All 
attended,  parents  and  children.  The  New  Testament  was  the  only  book  taught 
except  the  spelling  book  and  the  plain  interpretation  and  meaning  of  the  lessons 
read  was  impressed  upon  the  minds  of  all.  Many  now  live  who  can  testify  to  the 
blessed  influences  and  early  impressions  gathered  at  this  primitive  Sabbath 
school.  A  part  of  the  Sabbath  was  devoted  to  regular  preaching.  Christian  wor- 
ship was  maintained  by  James  Brownlie  assisted  by  his  brother  Alexander,  John 
Quinn  and  others.  From  these  feeble  efiforts  the  germ  planted  in  faith  has  sprung 
up  a  Christian  church  at  Long  Grove  that  has  been  maintained  with  growing  in- 


272  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS    HISTORY. 

terest  to  the  present  day;  and  every  Sabbath  as  its  consecrated  hours  roll  round 
finds  the  people  of  this  rich,  thriving  moral  and  Christian  neighborhood  sitting 
under  the  teachings  of  those  who  at  an  early  day  spake  to  them  of  Christ  the 
Saviour. 

There  is  in  this  township  between  the  high  ridge  of  land  upon  which  Long 
Grove  is  situated  and  the  Wabesipinecon  river  a  strip  of  land  some  two  miles  wide 
of  sandy  soil  and  although  not  as  rich  and  fertile  as  other  prairie,  yet  it  has  been 
settled  up  within  a  few  years  by  an  Irish  colony  mostly  from  Canada,  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  faith.  They  have  a  small  church  erected  and  service  performed 
at  stated  seasons  by  a  priest  from  Davenport.  There  are  but  few  farms  along 
the  immediate  banks  of  the  Wabesipinecon,  it  being  subject  to  annual  overflow 
and  generally  skirted  with  timber. 

In  a  letter  from  Alexander  Brownlie,  Esq.,  who  had  kindly  furnished  me 
with  many  interesting  facts  connected  with  the  early  history  of  the  settlement  at 
Long  Grove,  he  says:  "In  1838  flour  was  worth  at  the  Grove  $11  per  barrel,  corn 
meal,  $1  per  bushel,  and  pork  15  cents  per  pound;  seed  wheat,  $1  and  potatoes,  50 
cents ;  that  it  required  four  bushels  of  wheat  to  get  a  pound  of  tea.  A  good  cat 
was  worth  a  pound  of  tea.  To  show  the  value  of  a  cat  in  those  days,"  says 
Mr.  Brownlie,  "I  traveled  from  Long  Grove  to  the  residence  of  a  Mr.  Ridgway 
some  distance  above  Davenport  (about  fourteen  miles)  to  obtain  a  cat  which  was 
given  me  by  special  favor ;  Mrs.  Ridgeway  having  first  folded  the  precious  animal 
to  her  bosom,  shed  tears  at  parting,  and  kissed  the  little  domestic  comfort  before 
she  could  part  with  such  an  important  treasure." 

Mills  were  scarce  in  Iowa  at  that  day  and  many  families  lived  on  hominy  and 
cornmeal  ground  in  the  coffee  mill.  The  nearest  mill  was  at  Pleasant  Valley  and 
another  at  the  mouth  of  Pine  creek,  Muscatine  county. 

In  1840  George  Daily  built  a  small  grist  mill  on  the  little  creek  north  of 
Walnut  grove.  It  was  the  product  of  his  own  labor,  except  stones,  which  were 
cut  out  of  a  prairie  boulder  and  finished  up  for  running  by  Alexander  Brownlie, 
who  was  a  stone  mason.  Mr.  Daily,  who  was  an  honest,  hardworking  man,  ground 
for  many  years  all  the  grain  for  the  neighborhood,  and  made  very  good  flour, 
although  it  took  him  some  time  to  do  it  upon  his  rude  and  primitive  mill.  He  was 
called  "the  honest  miller."  The  old  mill  has  gone  to  decay  and  the  builder  re- 
moved to  other  parts. 

Elihu  Alvord,  Esq.,  was  from  the  state  of  New  York.  He  is  still  living  with 
his  children  near  Davenport  and  although  the  oldest  pioneer  in  the  county,  now 
eighty-three  years  of  age,  he  enjoys  uncommonly  good  health,  is  full  of  life  and 
vivacity  and  is  happy  in  his  old  age  to  behold  the  change  from  the  days  of  his 
first  settlement  to  the  present  times. 

It  was  about  the  last  of  August,  1838,  that  Alexander  and  James  Brownlie 
built  their  cabins  of  logs  and  boards  in  the  east  end  of  the  grove  in  a  cluster  of 
large  trees  that  sheltered  them  from  the  bleak  prairie  winds.  They  afterward 
sawed  lumber  by  hand  with  a  whip  saw,  rolling  the  logs  upon  platform  and  one 
standing  beneath.  In  this  way  they  not  only  supplied  themselves  with  lumber 
but  furnished  much  for  their  neighbors.  Lumber  then  was  worth  some  $40  in 
Davenport  and  not  as  good  as  that  produced  by  the  Brownlies,  and  what  now  could 
be  had  for  $10  per  thousand.    We  can  well  remember  the  solid  comfort  one  found 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  273 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

in  their  first  cabin.  It  was  the  only  place  for  a  long  time  between  Davenport  and 
Point  Pleasant  on  the  Wabesipinecon  that  the  traveler  could  find  feed  for  his 
horse  or  food  for  himself,  and  he  never  was  turned  away  cold  or  hungry,  nor  had 
he  ever  any  reason  to  complain  of  high  charges  or  want  of  attention.  The  trav- 
eler was  ever  welcome  and  although  no  designs  or  pretensions  were  made  to 
keep  a  public  house,  yet  none  knew  better  or  were  more  willing  to  add  to  the 
comforts  of  all  than  Mrs.  Brownlie.  The  first  stage  road  and  for  some  time 
the  only  road  to  DeWitt  from  Davenport  passed  through  this  grove.  The 
Messrs.  Quinn  at  a  later  day  opened  farms  on  the  -prairie  west  of  the  Grove, 
where  most  of  them  still  reside.  James  Quinn  was  elected  the  present  year  ( 1859) 
to  the  house  of  representatives  on  the  republican  ticket,  and  is  a  man  competent 
and  well  worthy  to  fill  the  honorable  station  to  which  he  has  been  elected. 

The  Brownlies  still  hold  their  original  possessions  with  their  lands  under  the 
best  of  cultivation.  The  old  log  cabins  have  given  place  to  beautiful  dwellings 
surrounded  by  choice  fruit  trees  and  gardens  and  the  Messrs.  Brownlie 
are  considered  among  the  neatest,  most  judicious  and  prosperous  farmers 
in  Scott  county.  Hugh  M.  Thompson  also  settled  in  this  grove  at  a  later 
day,  and  is  said  to  be  not  only  a  good  farmer  but  scientific  in  his  opera- 
tions and  pays  great  attention  to  improvements  in  agriculture  and  the  breeding 
of  good  stock.  There  are  many  others  in  and  around  this  grove,  both  of 
the  new  and  old  settlers,  well  deserving  of  notice,  and  who  have  done  much 
toward  the  progress  of  agriculture  in  that  settlement.  In  the  early  days  of  this 
colony  there  seemed  to  have  been  planted  as  a  basis  good  sound  moral  and  reli- 
gious principles,  and  they  have  been  maintained  to  the  present  time. 

In  those  days  men  were  expected  to  be  honest  and  were  honest.  "No  one 
thought  then  of  locking  doors,"  says  Mr.  Brownlie.  The  postoffice  was  at 
Point  Pleasant  and  John  Quinn,  postmaster.  He  was  often  from  home  and  the 
office  left  open  for  all  to  wait  on  themselves.  The  whole  neighborhood  would 
take  their  letters  to  mail,  and  leaving  them  would  get  their  mail  matter,  leaving 
the  postage  on  the  letter  box  or  accounting  afterward  for  the  same,  none  desiring 
to  cheat  the  postmaster.  Everybody  was  poor  alike  and  needed  friends  and  was 
always  friendly.  There  was  none  of  that  grasping,  selfish  disposition  exhibited 
in  many  of  the  early  settlements  of  our  country  and  consequently  but  little  quarrel- 
ing about  claims  or  anything  else.  There  was  room  for  all  and  the  Long  Grove 
settlement  was  a  pattern  of  excellence  in  its  early  struggle,  and  nobly  did  it  suc- 
ceed. It  stands  today  among  the  most  enterprising  moral  and  religious  communi- 
ties in  our  county  or  in  our  state. 

A  span  of  horses  and  wagon  in  those  days  were  hired  at  $5  per  day.  The 
Brownlies  owned  the  first  wagon  and  the  first  fanning  mill  in  or  about  the  settle- 
ment which  was  used  in  common  by  the  whole  community  for  many  years.  "In 
the  autumn  of  1838,"  says  Mr.  Brownlie,  "when  the  first  snow  fell,  our  oxen 
strayed  away  and  early  the  next  morning  I  started  on  their  track  following  them 
across  the  uninhabited  priarie  toward  the  Mississippi  river,  and  came  up  with 
them  in  Pleasant  Valley  about  dark,  without  any  money  with  me  or  acquaintance 
in  that  neighborhood.  I  applied  for  shelter  and  food  of  a  true  pioneer  who  has 
often  fed  the  hungry  and  made  glad  the  heart  of  the  distressed  emigrant  by 
his  cheerful  and  lively  disposition  and  above  all  his  free  and  generous  heart." 


274  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 


It  was  the  rude  shanty  of  Capt.  Isaac  Hawley,  then  just  settled  and  who  still 
lives  to  enjoy  the  heartfelt  gratitude  of  many  of  the  pioneers  of  Scott  county 
who  have  so  often  shared  his  generous  and  kindly  greeting.  The  captain  not 
only  gave  him  the  hospitalities  of  the  night  but  supplied  him  unsolicited  with 
money  he  might  need  on  his  return.  How  sweet  are  the  remembrances  of  such 
acts  of  kindness  as  we  look  back  upon  the  scenes  of  our  early  life  in  the  west ! 

The  Long  Grove  settlement  has  now  become  large  and  populous.  The  little 
log  church  erected  in  the  days  of  weakness  and  poverty  still  stands  upon  the 
beautiful  rise  of  ground  on  the  east  side  of  the  grove,  and  is  used  for  a  school 
house  while  just  beside  it  stands  their  new  and  elegant  church  building  erected 
the  present  season.  Long  may  they  enjoy  the  rewards  of  their  early  toil,  they  so 
richly  deserve. 


A.MI'I'.KIJ/S    IIOTKL.  J'.LIK  CIJASS 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

BLUE   GRASS   TOWNSHIP. 

Blue  Grass,  or  "Blue  Grass  Point,"  as  it  was  first  called  by  the  white  settlers, 
received  its  name  from  a  point  of  timber  land  that  extended  into  the  prairie 
near  the  Muscatine  county  line.  It  was  a  great  camping  place  of  the  Indians  in 
their  travels  from  the  trading  post  on  Rock  island  to  their  hunting  grounds 
upon  the  Cedar,  Iowa  and  Des  Moines  rivers.  It  is  a  noted  fact  that  wherever 
the  Indian  has  been  in  the  habit  of  camping,  blue  grass  was  sure  to  follow,  hence 
the  name  of  "Blue  Grass,"  was  early  given  to  this  point  from  the  abundance  of 
that  kind  of  grass  found  there. 

This  township  or  precinct  consists  of  but  one  regular  township  of  land  (town- 
ship 78,  north,  range  2,  east)  six  miles  square,  but  the  town  or  village  of 
Blue  Grass  is  situated  directly  on  the  southern  boundary  of  the  township  and  the 
settlement  of  this  place  belongs  as  much  to  Buffalo  township  as  to  Blue  Grass, 
when  strictly  bounded  by  township  lines ;  but  we  speak  of  the  early  and  present 
settlement  without  regard  to  lines.  The  village  is  located  in  the  southwest  corner 
of  the  township  in  the  State  road  leading  from  Davenport  to  Muscatine,  it  being 
ten  miles  from  the  former  and  eighteen  miles  from  the  latter  place,  and  about 
four  miles  from  the  Mississippi  river.  The  township  is  nearly  all  prairie,  but  its 
southern  boundary  running  along  its  entire  length  near  the  timber  of  Buffalo 
township,  has  been  supplied  with  ample  material  for  farming  and  building  purposes. 

The  settlement  first  began  at  this  point,  we  believe,  in  1836,  by  a  Mr.  Sprague, 
Mr.  Sry  and  perhaps  one  or  two  more ;  but  in  1837  James  E.  Burnside.  James 
Wilkinson,  Samuel  and  Francis  Little  and  one  or  two  more,  made  claims  upon  the 
prairie.  In  1838  Asa  Foster,  George  and  Charles  Metteer,  Alexander  and  Horace 
Dunlap  made  claims  and  some  improvements.  In  1839  Mr.  Berringer  owned  the 
claims  now  in  the  possession  of  Robert  Humphrey.  The  same  year  Franklin 
Easley  opened  the  farm  now  owned  by  William  McGarvey.  Mr.  Henry  Schutt 
made  a  farm  east  of  Picayune  grove,  formerly  called  Grant's  grove,  a  small  cluster 
of  beautiful  oaks  now  on  the  Telegraph  road  where  Judge  Grant  in  1839  opened 
a  model  farm  and  raised  some  of  the  finest  blooded  stock  in  the  state. 

Among  others  who  settled  in  and  around  Blue  Grass  before  1841  were  Peter 
and  Robert  Wilson,  A.  W.  Campbell.  Robert  Burnsides.  Rufus  Catlin,  John  P. 
Cooper,  John  D.  Richey,  John  and  Joseph  P.  Robison.  David  Gabbert,  Daniel 


278  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 

Berryman,  Morris  Baker  and  sons,  George  C.  Havill,  of  whom  many  are  still 
residents  there,  and  among  the  most  enterprising  of  the  inhabitants.  These  were 
the  pioneers,  who  made  the  first  beginning  in  and  around  this  beautiful  section 
of  country.  With  what  satisfaction  and  pleasure,  must  these  early  settlers  now 
look  upon  this  township  of  land  where  the  wolf  and  the  deer  were  the  only  objects 
that  could  be  seen  a  few  years  ago,  all  covered  over  with  cultivated  farms  and 
dotted  with  farm  houses,  many  of  which  are  large  and  beautiful !  The  progress 
of  the  settlement,  like  others  in  the  county,  was  slow  and  discouraging  from 
1840  until  about  1851  or  1852. 

In  the  summer  of  1853  when  the  M.  &  M.  railroad  line  was  located,  the  land 
in  this  township  became  valuable,  and  was  sought  after  with  a  perfect  mania. 
It  was  but  a  year  or  two  before  it  was  almost  one  solid  row  of  farms  from  Blue 
Grass  to  Walcott,  which  is  located  on  the  railroad  in  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  township,  and  is  the  first  station  out  from  Davenport  on  that  road.  It  is  a  vil- 
lage of  small  dimensions,  has  a  church,  a  hotel,  store,  etc.,  and  good  farms  and 
farming  country  around  it.  Among  the  many  beautiful  farms  that  one  passes 
in  going  from  Walcott  to  Blue  Grass  is  that  of  E.  Steinhilber.  This  farm  con- 
tains a  section  of  land  (640  acres,)  all  under  good  cultivation  with  public  and 
private  roads  running  through  it.  Orchards  and  gardens  planted  with  tenant 
houses  scattered  through  it,  while  near  the  center  is  the  proprietor's  large  edifice 
built  of  brick  and  tastefully  adorned.  From  the  observatory  of  this  building  one 
of  the  richest  scenes  is  presented  that  the  eye  can  rest  upon.  In  every  direction 
the  cultivated  fields  lie  spread  out  before  the  observer,  and  in  summer  while  the 
waving  grain  is  ripening  for  the  harvest,  nothing  can  exceed  the  beauty  of  the 
scene. 

In  addition  to  the  abundance  of  timber  with  which  this  settlement  is  supplied, 
there  is  an  immense  coal  deposit  that  crops  out  in  many  places  near  Blue  Grass. 
Although  the  existence  of  coal  was  early  known,  it  was  never  dug  to  any  extent 
until  the  settlement  of  the  vast  prairie  north  and  northwest  of  Blue  Grass.  The 
average  thickness  of  the  vein  is  thirty  inches,  where  it  is  worked  in  the  ravines 
and  hillsides.  The  principal  mines  now  opened  are  those  of  James  E.  Burn- 
sides,  one  mile  from  the  village,  Joseph  Mounts  and  George  C.  Havill.  In  dig- 
ging that  of  Mr.  Burnsides  no  labor  is  required  by  sinking  shafts,  but  simply 
removing  the  earth  from  the  top  of  the  bed  to  the  depth  of  some  four  feet  in  a 
ravine  when  the  deposit  is  exposed,  and  about  300  bushels  per  day  taken  out. 
This  bank  was  opened  in  1855  or  '56.  Mr.  Mounts'  coal  bank  is  but  a  short  dis- 
tance from  that  of  Mr.  Burnsides,  and  the  coal  is  obtained  by  drifting  into  a 
side  hill.  This  bank  was  opened  in  1853  ^"^  1854,  and  is  worked  on  a  smaller 
scale.  About  ninety  bushels  per  day  are  dug.  That  of  Mr.  Havill  was  opened 
the  same  year  as  the  latter,  and  is  worked  in  like  manner,  yielding  150  bushels 
per  day. 

But  coal  may  be  found  in  almost  any  portion  of  Buffalo  township,  and  at 
extreme  low  water  has  been  found  cropping  out  from  the  bed  of  the  Mississippi, 
below  the  town  of  Buffalo.  It  is  from  this  latter  fact  that  some  have  been  led 
to  suppose  there  is  a  second  coal  deposit  on  or  near  the  level  of  the  river,  and 
which  underlies  the  whole,  and  must  be  far  more  extensive  and  of  much  better 
quality  than  the  article  now  used  from  the  upland  mines.     A  company  is  about 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  279 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 


being  formed,  we  understand,  at  Blue  Grass,  for  the  purpose  of  testing  this 
principle  by  boring  or  sinking  a  shaft  in  the  vicinity  of  Blue  Grass  until  it  shall 
reach  the  level  of  the  bottom  of  the  Mississippi  river  which  will  require  some  150 
feet. 

The  substratum  of  the  upland  prairies  is  composed  of  a  great  variety  of 
earthy  materials,  including  marls,  beds  of  coarse  sand  and  gravel,  hard  pan  or 
pudding  stones,  overlaid  with  a  kind  of  a  yellow  clay,  and  which  underlies  the 
present  surface  soil.  This  formation  indicates  the  existence  of  extensive  fresh 
water  lakes,  with  currents,  anterior  tO'  the  drift  or  boulder  era.  In  excavations 
for  wells  in  the  vicinity  of  Blue  Grass  a  rich  black  mould  of  vegetable  composi- 
tion has  been  found  twenty  feet  below  the  surface.  '  The  buried  remains  of  the 
now  extinct  tribes  of  the  gigantic  mastodon  and  northern  elephant  are  proofs  of 
the  existence  of  this  earlier  surface  soil  which  was  covered  with  a  rank  vegetation 
affording  ample  sustenance  to  immense  herds  of  animals  now  extinct.  The  re- 
mains of  one  of  these  animals  was  found  and  partially  exhumed  in  1845  "ear 
Blue  Grass,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  notice  which  we  clip  from  the 
Davenport  Gazette  of  September  of  that  year : 

"Wonderful  Discovery — A  Mastodon  in  Iowa ! — The  remains  of  a  huge  animal 
have  been  found  in  this  county  about  three  miles  from  the  Mississippi  and  about 
150  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river  on  the  farm  of  Mr.  John  Pterin.  The  re- 
mains were  discovered  during  last  month  by  Joseph  Morehead,  Esq.  They  were 
embedded  in  a  formation  of  argillaceous  clay  strongly  impregnated  with  iron  and 
about  twelve  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  earth.  But  a  small  portion  of  the 
remains  have  been  exhumed;  the  remainder  in  the  situation  first  discovered 
are  left  for  the  examination  of  some  skillful  anatomist  as  the  position  in  which) 
found  will  tend  to  the  discovery  of  the  size  and  species  of  the  monster  animal. 
Of  the  portions  unearthed  we  will  give  a  short  description  from  the  data  that  have 
been  furnished  us,  regretting  that  we  have  not  the  facilities  for  transcribing  dia- 
grams of  them. 

"The  teeth  or  tusks  of  the  animal  when  first  discovered  appeared  to  be  in 
good  preservation,  but  in  removing  them  they  were  found  to  have  little  tenacity. 
They  are  formed  of  laminated  rings  from  one-eighth  to  one-quarter  of  an  inch  in 
thickness,  incased  in  an  enamel  of  one-half  an  inch  in  depth.  The  exact  length 
of  these  tusks  cannot  be  accurately  determined  as  previous. to  their  removal  the 
base  of  one  and  the  extremity  of  the  other  had  been  broken  off,  but  Messrs.  More- 
head  and  Sargent  the  gentlemen  who  exhumed  them  fully  concur  in  the  opinion 
founded  upon  the  observations  of  the  impressions  made  in  the  clay  and  other 
data  that  they  could  not  have  been  less  than  eleven  feet  in  length.  They  are  eight 
inches  in  diameter  at  base  and  very  much  curved  toward  the  point.  Persons 
who  saw  them  before  they  were  mutilated  say  that  they  were  about  fourteen 
feet  in  length.  A  transverse  section  of  these  tusks  exhibits  the  curvilinear  radia- 
tions seen  in  the  ivory  of  the  elephant. 

"One  of  the  molars  in  good  preservation  was  discovered  on  the  same  level  with 
the  tusks.  It  is  composed  of  vertical  strata  of  bone  and  enamel,  alternating,  is 
twelve  inches  wide  at  the  base,  four  inches  thick  and  nine  inches  deep.  Another 
molar  in  an  imperfect  condition  was  obtained  ;  from  the  size  of  the  portions  found 
this  tooth  was  presumed  to  be  eighteen  inches  in  length. 


280  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS   HISTORY. 


•'Further  investig-ation  disclosed  a  mass  of  bone  five  feet  in  thickness  which 
appears  to  have  been  connected  with  the  alveolar  process  from  whence  proceeded 
one  of  the  tusks.  The  surface  presented  to  the  eye — for  as  we  before  observed 
the  remains  have  been  left  in  the  position  discovered  with  the  exception  of  the 
tusks  and  molars  which  are  in  the  possession  of  two  of  our  citizens — as  it  rests  in 
a  clay  pit  is  a  vertical  section.  A  great  portion  of  this  mass  had  been  destroyed 
by  people  more  curious  than  wise  before  precautionary  means  had  been  taken  to 
insure  its  safety. 

"When  first  disclosed,  the  base  of  one  of  the  tusks  was  on  a  level  with  this  mass 
of  bone  but  separated  to  the  distance  of  three  and  a  half  feet.  In  this  bone  is  a 
clearly  defined  orifice  supposed  to  have  been  the  whole  of  the  ear.  Proceeding 
out  of  this  mass  of  bone  and  radiating  irregularly  from  near  the  same  spot  are 
four  bones  resembling  the  ribs  of  an  ox,  but  are  of  a  substance  much  more  dense. 
The  length  of  these  bones  has  not  been  determined,  as  they  are  still  embedded  in 
the  clay.  Attached  to  this  mass  by  a  cartilage — which  owing  to  the  presence  of 
sulphuret  of  iron  has  been  converted  into  a  substance  resembling  bone — is  a 
bone  two  feet  in  length,  ten  inches  in  width  at  the  widest  part,  and  four  inches 
thick  in  the  middle.  Connected  with  this  are  several  smaller  bones  that  have  the 
appearance  of  having  at  one  time  assisted  in  the  formation  of  the  ear.  When  dis- 
covered, the  base  of  one  tusk  rested  upon  the  middle  of  the  other. 

"It  is  the  intention  of  those  having  charge  of  these  remains  to  retain  them  in 
their  present  position  until  such  time  as  competent  scientific  assistance  for  their 
entire  exhumation  can  be  obtained." 

The  original  proprietors  of  the  town  of  Blue  Grass  were  John  Perin,  James 
W.  Reynolds  and  James  E.  Burnsides  who  made  the  first  survey  of  lots  in  June, 
1853,  Samuel  Perin,  surveyor,  and  made  a  public  sale  of  them  on  the  loth  of 
July  of  that  year,  Samuel  Parker,  auctioneer.  The  ground  upon  which  the  town 
was  laid  out  had  been  occupied  by  six  family  residences,  one  of  which  had  a  small 
store  in  it  in  the  summer  of  1852.  A  small  stock  of  goods  has  been  kept  there  by 
different  parties  to  the  present  time. 

In  1855  James  E.  Burnsides  erected  a  building  for  a  hotel,  but  sold  to  Mr. 
Skiles,  who  made  additions  and  opened  a  store  which  he  still  continues  with  suc- 
cess.   A  postoffice  is  kept  by  Mr.  Skiles. 

In  1855  through  the  exertions  of  the  people  of  Blue  Grass,  who  subscribed 
liberally,  a  steam  flouring  mill  was  erected  by  Messrs.  Brace  &  Donahue,  thirty 
feet  by  forty  feet,  four  stories  high,  and  capable  of  manufacturing  120  barrels  of 
flour  per  day. 

The  village  of  Blue  Grass  now  contains  thirty-one  familes,  has  one  store,  two 
blacksmiths,  one  carpenter,  one  shoemaker,  one  drug  store,  two  church  buildings, 
one  Methodist  and  one  Presbyterian.  There  is  a  Baptist  church  organized  who 
worship  in  the  Presbyterian  church  at  present  but  contemplate  erecting  a  house 
next  summer.  There  are  the  usual  number  of  school  districts  in  the  township  and 
well  supplied  with  school  houses. 

There  is  much  to  induce  settlers  to  locate  at  Blue  Grass,  a  rich  surrounding 
country,  well  cultivated  by  enterprising  farmers  and  schools  and  churches  well 
conducted,  with  the  beauty  and  health  fulness  of  a  location,  are  sufficient  induce- 
ments for  any  to  settle  down  for  life.    The  village  needs  more  mechanics.    A  tin 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  281 

THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY. 

shop,  saddle  and  harness  and  other  shops  of  similar  utility  would  do  well.  The 
morals  of  the  community  are  good.  No  grog  shops  are  allowed  in  this  town  and 
the  Sabbath  is  reverenced  and  observed  in  a  suitable  manner. 

There  are  some  neighborhoods  in  this  township  that  should  claim  more 
special  notice,  but  we  shall  speak  of  only  one  more.  The  settlement  of  Little's 
Grove  was  first  made  in  1837  by  William  Lingo  now  of  St.  Louis  who  sold  his 
claim  to  Francis  and  Samuel  Little.  The  former  died  in  1854.  Samuel  Little, 
Esq.,  still  resides  in  the  grove  and,  we  believe,  is  the  only  old  settler  still  living 
in  or  around  the  grove.  He  has  made  himself  not  only  comfortable  with  this 
world's  goods  but  is  independent.  Surrounded  by  a  large  family  he  rests  from 
his  toils  and  now  enjoys  the  rewards  of  hard  labor  amid  many  privations — one 
of  the  best  and  wealthiest  farmers  in  Scott  county. 


KEPPY's  si'()i;k.   Donahue 


HENRY    KLTXDT'S    STORE.   MAYSVILLE 


THE  WILLARD  BARROWS  HISTORY, 


CHAPTER  X. 

ALLENS  GROVE  TOWNSHIP. 

This  township  has  the  Wabesipinecon  river  on  the  north  for  its  boundary, 
being  skirted  by  timber,  and  also  has  a  large  grove  of  timber  cut  up  into  small 
tracts,  and  owned  by  the  settlers  in  the  vicinity.  The  grove  was  first  settled  in 
1836  by  a  Mr.  Allen  who  erected  a  cabin  and  laid  claims  to  the  lands  now  owned 
by  George  Lathrop.  The  grove  derived  its  name  from  this  man  who  removed 
at  an  early  day  into  the  "New  Purchase."  In  1843  while  exploring  the  rivers 
of  Iowa  I  found  Mr.  Allen  with  his  family  on  the  frontiers  with  a  newly  erected 
cabin  close  on  to  the  line  of  the  "Neutral  Ground"  of  the  Winnebago  Indians. 
He  was  then  talking  of  removing  west  as  soon  as  the  Indians  sold  their  lands. 
The  original  or  Indian  name  of  this  grove  is  Ka-te-sau-ne  Mo-no-ok-que,  (Otter 
Creek  grove)  deriving  its  name  from  Aliens  creek,  which  nms  along  the  north 
side  of  the  grove  and  called  Ka-te-sau-ne  Sepo  (Otter  creek). 

In  1837,  '38  and  '39  the  grove  became  settled  by  quite  a  number  of  emigrants, 
among  whom  were  Dennis  R.  Fuller,  John  Dunn,  John  E.  Thompson,  Mr.  Hindes, 
Halburt  and  Gee.  These  opened  farms  generally  upon  the  prairie  at  the  edge  of  the 
grove.  The  timber  in  this  grove  was  formerly  of  the  best  quality,  and  the  prairie 
around  it  beautiful  and  rolling.  The  farms  in  the  vicinity  are  of  the  first  order, 
well  cultivated  and  productive.  Some  of  its  early  settlers  still  live  upon  the  lands 
they  first  claimed  and  are  among  the  first  citizens  of  Scott  county. 

Aliens  Grove  is  surrounded  by  well  cultivated  farms,  except  on  the  north, 
and  nowhere  has  greater  attention  been  paid  to  agricultural  pursuits,  to  educat- 
ing their  children  by  common  schools  and  social  intercourse  with  one  another, 
than  by  the  inhabitants  of  this  township.  But  few  sections  of  country  in  Iowa 
or  any  other  state  present  such  a  display  of  agricultural  enterprise  as  the  farms 
in  the  vicinity  of  this  grove.  Many  of  its  first  settlers  have  died,  leaving  to  their 
children  substantial  homes. 

There  are  many  reminiscences  connected  with  the  settlement  of  this  township 
that  would  be  of  much  interest,  but  the  author  has  been  much  disappointed  in 
gathering  them,  and  its  history  must,  for  the  present,  remain  unwritten. 


286  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  WILLAIU)  BARROWS    HISTORY. 

HICKORY   GROVE. 

This  grove  was  first  settled  in  1836.  Geo.  L.  Davenport  and  some  others  had 
taken  claims  there  as  early  as  1835,  but  we  believe  no  actual  settlement  was 
begun  until  the  following  year.  Among  those  who  first  made  improvements  in 
and  around  the  grove  were  Alfred  Carter,  Vincent  Carter,  John  Porter,  Mr. 
Wyscowber,  John  and  Christopher  Schuck.  This  grove  of  timber  at  an  early  day 
was  beautiful,  furnishing  fuel  and  timber  for  settlers,  and  has  been  the  means  of 
opening  a  large  amount  of  prairie  in  its  vicinity. 

There  is  an  organized  church  at  this  grove  of  the  Baptist  persuasion;  good 
schools  and  a  very  pleasant,  intelligent  and  worthy  community.  It  is  one  of  the 
best  farming  neighborhoods  in  the  county. 

SLOPERVILLE. 

This  place  lies  on  the  State  road  leading  from  Davenport  to  Iowa  City,  and 
properly  belongs  to  Davenport  township,  but  we  speak  of  it  here  as  a  place,  early 
settled  by  Samuel  Sloper,  who  planted  a  grove  of  locust  as  early  as  1839.  This 
whole  prairie  is  now  settled ;  has  a  Congregational  church  organized,  a  fine  dis- 
trict school  and  a  community  of  enterprising  farmers. 

LIBERTY  TOWNSHIP. 

This  is  the  northwest  township  in  the  county,  and  although  somewhat  roll- 
ing, and  even  broken  in  some  parts,  yet  it  is  very  well  settled  and  contains  many 
good  farms.  Its  first  settlements  were  commenced  in  1837  by  the  Messrs.  God- 
dards,  Laugherties,  Hellers,  and  Woods,  most  of  whom  still  live  in  the  township. 
It  contains  some  fine  groves  of  timber  and  beautiful  creeks. 

There  are  two  villages  or  towns  begim  in  the  township.  Spring  Rock  is  laid  out 
on  lands  formerly  owned  by  George  Goddard,  and  contains  some  private  resi- 
dences, a  hotel,  store,  flouring  and  grist  mill.  Rock  creek  (As-sin-ne  Sepo,  in 
Indian)  passes  through  this  township,  upon  which  there  are  many  beautiful  farms. 
The  town  of  Dixon  is  situated  in  Little  Walnut  grove,  upon  Walnut  creek,  con- 
taining some  half-dozen  dwelling  houses,  a  store,  hotel,  saw  mill  and  mechanic 
shops. 

Round  Grove  is  another  point  of  importance  in  this  township  and  consists  of 
a  settlement  of  farmers.  Mr.  Kizer  who  settled  there  at  an  early  day  has  built 
a  large  hotel  for  the  accommodation  of  the  traveling  public.  This  enterprising 
farmer  has  done  much  to  draw  a  settlement  around  him,  and  has  set  a  good  ex- 
ample for  the  emigrant  to  a  new  country. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  ISLAND  OF  ROCK  ISLAND. 

THE  UNITED  STATES  ACQUIRES  THE  ISLAND  BY  TREATY THE  EXPEDITION  TO  ESTAB- 
LISH  A   FORT A  DUEL   BY   THE   WAY FORT    ARMSTRONG,   AN   OUTPOST   IN   THE 

WILDERNESS EFFORTS  TO  SECURE  AN  ARMY  AND  ARSENAL GENERAL  RODMAN's 

PLANS ITEMS   FABRICATED  AT  THE  ARSENAL — COST  OF  THE  PLANT GENERAL 

CROZIER's  ESTIMATE — SOUATTERS'  CLAIMS. 

The  history  of  the  island  of  Rock  island  has  always  been  of  great  general  in- 
terest to  the  country  at  large.  It  is  all  the  more  so  to  the  people  of  Davenport 
and  Scott  county.  Major  D.  W.  Flagler,  while  commandant  of  the  Rock  Island 
arsenal  prepared  in  1887,  under  the  instructions  of  Brigadier  General  Stephen 
D.  Benet,  chief  of  ordnance,  United  States  army,  a  complete  history  of  the  is- 
land. Extracts  have  been  made  freely  from  that  excellent  monograph  for  the 
completion  of  this  chapter. 

THE  ST.  LOUIS  TREATY  OF  1804. 

The  United  States  acquired  its  title  to  the  island  of  Rock  island  through  a 
treaty  which  was  made  by  William  Henry  Harrison,  governor  and  superintendent 
of  Indian  affairs  for  the  Indiana  territory  and  district  of  Louisiana,  with  certain 
chiefs  of  the  Sacs  and  Fox  tribes  of  Indians,  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1804.  The  principal  articles  of  this  treaty,  which  may  be  useful  for  reference, 
are  as  follows : 

Article  i.  The  United  States  receive  the  United  Sac  and  Fox  tribes  into  their 
friendship  and  protection,  and  the  said  tribes  agree  to  consider  themselves 
under  the  protection  of  the  United  States  and  of  no  other  power  whatsoever. 

Article  2.  The  general  boundary-line  between  the  lands  of  the  United  States 
and  of  the  said  Indian  tribes  shall  be  as  follows,  to  wit:  Beginning  at  a  point 
on  the  Missouri  river,  opposite  to  the  mouth  of  the  Gasconade  river ;  thence  in  a 
direct  course  so  as  to  strike  the  river  Jeffreon  at  the  distance  of  thirty  miles  from 
its  mouth  and  down  the  said  Jefifreon  to  the  Mississippi ;  thence  up  the  Mississippi 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Ouisconsing  river  and  up  the  same  to  a  point  which  shall 


290  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

be  thirty-six  miles  in  a  direct  line  from  the  mouth  of  the  said  river;  thence  by 
a  direct  line  to  the  point  where  the  Fox  river  (a  branch  of  the  Illinois)  leaves  the 
small  lake  called  Sakaeg-an;  thence  down  the  Fox  river  to  the  Illinois  river  and 
down  the  same  to  the  Mississippi.  And  the  said  tribes,  for  and  in  consideration 
of  the  friendship  and  protection  of  the  United  States,  which  is  now  extended  to 
them,  of  the  goods  (to  the  value  of  $2,234.50)  which  are  now  delivered,  and 
of  the  annuity  hereinafter  stipulated  to  be  paid,  do  hereby  cede  and  reUnquish 
forever  to  the  United  States  all  the  lands  included  within  the  above  described 
boundary. 

Article  3.  In  consideration  of  the  cession  and  rehnquishment  of  land  made  in 
the  preceding  article,  the  United  States  will  deliver  to  the  said  tribes  at  the  town 
of  St.  Louis,  or  some  other  convenient  place  on  the  Mississippi,  yearly,  and  every 
year,  goods  suited  to  the  circumstances  of  the  Indians,  to  the  value  of  $1,000, 
($600  of  which  are  intended  for  the  Sacs  and  $400  for  the  Foxes)  reckoning  that 
value  at  the  first  cost  of  the  goods  in  the  city  or  place  in  the  United  States  where 
they  shall  be  procured.  And  if  the  said  tribes  shall  hereafter,  at  an  annual  delivery 
of  the  goods  aforesaid,  desire  that  a  part  of  their  annuity  should  be  furnished  in 
domestic  animals,  implements  of  husbandry,  and  other  utensils  convenient  for 
them,  or  in  compensation  to  useful  artificers  who  may  reside  with  or  near  them, 
and  be  employed  for  their  benefit,  the  same  shall  at  the  subsequent  annual  delivery 
be  furnished  accordingly. 

Article  4.  The  United  States  will  never  interrupt  the  said  tribes  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  lands  which  they  rightfully  claim,  but  will  on  the  contrary  protect 
them  in  the  quiet  enjoyment  of  the  same  against  their  own  citizens  and  against 
all  other  white  persons  who  may  intrude  upon  them.  And  the  said  tribes  do 
hereby  engage  that  they  will  never  sell  their  lands,  or  any  part  thereof,  to  any 
sovereign  power  but  the  United  States,  nor  to  the  citizens  or  subjects  of  any  other 
sovereign  power,  nor  to  the  citizens  of  the  United  States. 

Article  7.  As  long  as  the  lands  which  are  now  ceded  to  the  United  States 
remain  their  property,  the  Indians  belonging  to  the  said  tribes  shall  enjoy  the 
privilege  of  living  and  hunting  upon  them. 

The  other  articles  provided  for  the  protection  of  the  Indians  on  their  own 
lands  west  of  the  Mississippi  (which  were  not  ceded)  ;  for  the  settlement  of 
difficulties  which  might  arise  between  the  Indians  and  the  whites ;  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  military  post  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Ouisconsing  (Wisconsin)  river,  and  for  the  establishment  of  Indian  traders.  This 
treaty  was  signed  on  behalf  of  the  Indians  by  five  chiefs  of  the  two  tribes.  The 
Foxes  and  part  of  the  Sacs  always  held  that  the  sale  of  the  lands  was  a  just  trans- 
action and  that  the  treaty  was  good  and  binding.  Black  Hawk,  the  famous  Indian 
hero  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  was  the  principal  chief  of  the  Sacs,  and  did  not  sign 
the  treaty  but  held,  during  the  wars  of  1812  and  of  the  Black  Hawk  war,  that  the 
treaty  was  not  binding.  He  had  an  important  village,  the  great  town  of  the  na- 
tion, beautifully  situated  on  Rock  river,  near  where  it  empties  into  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  about  four  miles  from  Rock  island,  and  when  under  the  treaty  his  village 
site  and  surrounding  rich  lands  were  afterward  sold  to  settlers,  he  resisted  and 
fought  to  save  his  lands.  His  account  of  the  signing  of  the  treaty  was  that  a  white 
man  had  been  killed  by  one  of  Black  Hawk's  men,  and  that  when  the  murderer 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  29J 

was  put  in  prison  in  St.  Louis,  four  Indians  of  his  tribe  were  sent  thither  to 
procure  his  release  by  paying-  a  sum  of  money,  and  that  these  Indians  were  made 
drunk  and  induced  to  sign  the  treaty.  Other  facts  of  history,  and  the  treaty  it- 
self, seem  to  prove  that  this  story,  or  at  least  its  application,  was  without  good 
foundation. 

After  the  war  of  1812.  in  which  Black  Hawk's  party  had  joined  the  British 
against  the  United  States,  peace  and  the  treaty  of  1804  were  ratified  by  new 
treaties  made  separately  with  the  chiefs  of  the  two  tribes,  at  Portage  des  Sioux, 
September  13  and  14,  1815,  and  again  afterward  by  another  treaty  of  peace  and 
friendship  with  the  Sacs,  made  at  St.  Louis  May  13,  1816.  This  last  treaty  was 
specially  to  ratify  and  confirm  the  treaty  of  1804,  and  to  bind  the  Indians  to  keep 
the  peace  and  return  stolen  property.  It  was  signed  by  twenty-one  chiefs  and 
warriors  of  the  Sac  tribe,  and  Wilkie  states,  in  his  story  of  Davenport,  by  Black 
Hawk  himself. 

By  a  subsequent  treaty,  dated  August  24,  1816,  the  United  States  ceded  a 
portion  of  the  tract  received  from  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  to  the  Ottawa.  Chippewa 
and  Pottawattomie  tribes  in  exchange  for  lands  lying  on  the  west  shore  of  Lake 
Michigan,  including  the  site  of  Chicago  and  south  of  an  east  and  west  line  from 
the  south  end  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Mississippi  river.  Afterward  the  ceded 
lands,  the  boundary  line  of  which  it  appears  passed  just  north  of  the  site  of 
Black  Hawk's  village  on  Rock  river,  near  Rock  island,  were  repurchased  from 
the  Ottawas,  Chippewas  and  Pottawattomies  in  two  treaties,  dated  September 
20,  1828,  and  July  29,  1829.  In  the  latter  treaty  the  United  States  agreed  to  pay 
the  above  tribes  $16,000  in  coin,  per  annum,  forever,  for  only  a  small  portion  of 
the  lands  originally  purchased  from  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  for  $2,000  per  annum. 
This  appears  to  have  caused  Black  Hawk's  dissatisfaction  and  indignation,  as  ex- 
hibited in  a  council  with  General  Gaines  in  the  garrison  on  Rock  island,  during 
the  Black  Hawk  war  in  1832. 

WAR    HISTORY   BEGINS. 

Rock  island  was  not  occupied  by  white  men  and  appears  to  have  had  no  his- 
tory until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  in  181 2.  The  Indians 
occupied  it  unmolested  and  it  was  their  favorite  hunting  and  fishing  ground,  and 
its  beautiful  scenery  and  rich  woods  made  it  a  favorite  resort  for  feasts  and  for 
the  performance  of  religious  and  other  ceremonies.  Reynolds,  in  his  "Life  and 
Times,"  gives  a  good  description  of  the  condition  of  the  surrounding  country  just 
before  the  commencement  of  the  war.     He  says : 

The  territory  that  at  this  day  embraces  the  populous  state  of  Illinois  pre- 
sented at  that  early  period  a  savage  wilderness.  The  entire  white  population, 
French  and  Americans,  amounted  to  about  2,000,  or  perhaps  a  small  fraction 
more.  The  French  Creoles  numbered  about  1,200  and  the  Americans  800  or  a 
1,000.  This  small  white  population  was  isolated  by  vast  regions  of  wilderness,  ex- 
cept on  the  west  of  the  Mississippi.  At  this  early  period  considerable  colonies  ex- 
isted on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  extended  much  farther  on  the  Mississippi 
than  the  settlements  in  Illinois.  The  lead  mines  of  the  Spanish  country  attracted 
emigration,  and  the  colonies  extended  back  west  from  the  river  forty  or  more 


292  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

miles.  These  settlements  were  much  larger  than  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi ; 
although  they  were  in  a  foreign  government  yet  they  gave  strength  and  efficiency 
to  the  weaker  colonies  on  the  east  side  of  the  stream.  The  Indian  tribes  inhab- 
iting the  wilderness  of  that  day,  which  is  now  comprised  in  the  present  limits 
of  the  state  of  Illinois,  were  numerous,  warlike  and  courageous.  The  savages 
at  that  day  all  possessed  a  wild  and  hostile  spirit,  that  existed  throughout  the  North 
American  Indians.  The  wars  had  not  then  subdued  their  spirits.  The  Sac  and 
Fox  tribes  were  united  and  formed  at  that  day  a  large,  brave  and  powerful  na- 
tion. Their  chief  residence  was  near  Rock  island  in  the  Mississippi  and  through- 
out the  country  around  that  locality.  The  Winnebagoes  resided  on  the  upper 
part  of  Rock  island  and  west  of  Green  bay,  northwest  of  Lake  Michigan  and 
on  and  over  the  Wisconsin  river.  The  Pottawattomies  inhabited  the  region  be- 
tween Lake  Michigan  and  the  Illinois  river,  and  down  that  river.  The  warlike 
and  courageous  small  nation  of  the  Kickapoo  Indians  dwelt  in  the  prairies  north 
and  east  of  Springfield  and  also  in  the  region  of  country  around  Bloomington. 
The  Kaskaskia  Indians  were  housed  in  by  the  other  tribes,  to  the  country  around 
about  their  ancient  village  of  Kaskaskia.  The  Piankishaws  were  located  in  the 
southeastern  section  of  the  state  and  inhabited  the  waters  of  the  lower  Wabash 
river  on  both  sides  of  that  stream.  The  most  dense  Indian  population  of  the 
west  was  on  the  Illinois  river  and  tributaries.  Also  on  the  Mississippi,  near  Rock 
island,  was  a  strong  Indian  population,  but  not  equal  to  that  on  the  Illinois  river. 
It  is  impossible  to  be  accurate  in  the  estimation  of  the  number  of  Indians  who 
resided  in  the  limits  of  the  state  at  this  early  period.  I  presume  it  would  range 
between  30,000  and  40,000  souls ;  and  at  this  day  not  one  exists  in  the  state. 

But  a  peep  behind  the  curtain  showed  a  weak  and  extended  frontier  from 
the  site  on  the  Mississippi  where  Alton  now  stands,  down  the  river  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Ohio,  and  up  that  stream  and  the  Wabash  to  a  point  many  miles  above  Vin- 
cennes,  with  a  breadth  of  only  a  few  miles  at  places.  This  exposed  outside  was 
three  or  four  hundred  miles  long,  and  the  interior  and  north  inhabited  by  ten 
times  as  many  hostile  and  enraged  savages  as  there  were  whites  in  the  country 
The  British  garrisons  on  the  north  furnishing  them  with  powder  and  lead  and 
malicious  counsels  and  the  United  States  leaving  the  country  to  its  own  defenses, 
presented  a  scene  of  distress  that  was  oppressing. 

In  the  spring  of  1812  Captain  Ramsey  had  a  small  company  of  regular  troops 
stationed  at  Camp  Russell,  and  they  remained  there  only  for  a  few  months.  These 
were  the  only  regulars  that  saw  Camp  Russell  during  the  war.  In  the  commence- 
ment of  the  war  the  Indian  traders  reported  the  fact  that  Colonel  Dixon,  at 
Prairie  du  Chien,  had  engaged  all  the  warriors  of  the  north  and  around  the  prairie 
to  descend  the  Mississippi  and  exterminate  the  settlements  on  both  sides  of  the 
river.  This  was  the  plan  of  the  campaign ;  but  the  English  needed  the  Indians 
more  in  Canada,  and  they  were  brought  to  that  section,  and  thereby  our  country 
was  saved  from  a  great  effusion  of  blood.  Many  citizens  who  knew  of  the  de- 
sign of  Dixon's  warriors  actually  fortified  their  houses  in  the  interior  of  the 
country,  not  far  from  Kaskaskia,  and  some  removed  their  families  to  Kentucky. 
Dixon  was  a  man  of  talents  and  had,  as  an  Indian  trader,  great  influence  with  the 
Indians.     He  had  the  power  to  march  the  Indians  to  any  point  he  pleased. 


OLD    DAN'EXPOirr    IlorSE.   ROCK    ISLAND   ARSEXAL 


OLD    I'KISOX    HOSPITAL.    I!(K'K    ISLAND    ARSEN.A 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  295 

EXPEDITION    FROM    ST.    LOUIS   TO   THE    ISLAND    TO    ESTAI'.LISII     A    FORT. 

The  Eighth  United  States  infantry,  under  the  command  of  Col.  R.  C.  Nichols, 
was  sent  up  the  river  from  St.  Louis  in  September,  1815,  to  establish  a  fort  at  or 
near  Rock  island.  The  object  of  the  expedition  was  to  occupy  the  country  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Rock  river,  protect  anticipated  settlers,  control  the  Sac  and  Fox 
tribes  of  Indians  and  to  open  and  protect  a  line  of  navigation  by  way  of  the  river 
to  Prairie  du  Chien,  which  would  be  established  further  up  the  river.  From  some 
correspondence  and  perhaps  also  from  the  hostility  or  lack  of  friendliness  shown 
by  Black  Hawk  and  his  party  after  the  war  in  refusing  to  attend  and  sign  the  treaty 
at  Portage  des  Sioux,  it  was  thought  these  Indians  would  remain  unfriendly  and 
endanger  the  supplying  of  the  posts  on  the  upper  Mississippi  by  way  of  the  river. 
The  post  at  the  lower  end  of  the  island,  with  the  swift  current  and  narrow  chan- 
nel of  the  river  in  its  aid  at  that  spot,  was  rightly  supposed  to  be  able  to  hold  its 
own  against  anything  that  could  be  sent  against  it.  Col.  George  Davenport  ac- 
companied the  expedition  as  contractor's  agent,  all  army  provisions  being  then  sup- 
plied through  private  contractors  and  not  through  a  commissary  department 
as  now.  Col.  Davenport  carried  his  supplies  in  keelboats  like  those  that  bore 
the  troops.  The  movement  of  the  expedition  was  slow  and  winter  came  on 
early.  The  ice  caught  the  party  at  the  mouth  of  the  Des  Moines  river,  now  the 
southeastern  corner  of  Iowa,  and  there  the  expedition  halted,  built  huts  or  wig- 
wams to  protect  them  from  the  cold  and  there  spent  the  winter.  This  was  where 
Maj.  Zachary  Taylor  and  his  men  wintered  the  year  before,  after  their  drubbing 
at  Credit  island.  A  very  amusing  incident  which  might  have  become  tragic  is  re- 
lated of  this  expedition  by  Bailey  Davenport:  "One  morning,"  says  Mr.  Davenport 
"during  a  thick  fog  the  boats  were  anchored  in  an  eddy  of  the  river  for  breakfast. 
While  seated  in  the  boats  at  breakfast  two  of  the  officers.  Second  Lieutenants 
Bennet  and  T.  F.  Smith,  of  the  Rifle  regiment,  found  that  they  had  different  opin- 
ions respecting  the  direction  of  the  current  of  the  river  and  entered  into  a  violent 
controversy  on  the  subject.  Finding  that  this  would  not  make  the  river  flow  two 
ways,  they  chose  their  seconds,  took  their  pistols,  left  their  breakfasts  and  went 
to  shore  to  fight  it  out  and  settle  the  matter.  After  exchanging  a  few  shots 
neither  having  been  hit  and  having  discovered  a  higher  respect  for  each  other's 
opinions,  as  is  usual  when  looking  through  the  pistol's  medium,  they  shook  hands 
and  went  back  to  their  breakfasts."  Mr.  Davenport  adds  that  there  were  other 
duels  before  they  reached  their  winter  quarters. 

The  post  was  named  "Cantonment  Davis."  This  post  subsequently  gave  way 
to  the  name  of  Fort  Edwards  and  later  the  town  of  Warsaw.  Illinois,  opposite 
Keokuk,  arose  on  or  about  its  site.  But  Col.  Nichols  never  reached  Rock  island 
to  build  that  fort.  During  the  winter  he  got  into  trouble,  was  placed  under  arrest 
and  was  sent  to  Nashville,  Tenn.,  for  trial  and  the  command  devolved  upon  Brevet 
Lieutenant-Colonel  W.  Lawrence,  major  of  the  regiment.  In  the  following  April, 
1816,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Thomas  A.  Smith,  colonel  of  the  Rifle  regiment, 
arrived  at  the  cantonment  with  his  regiment,  took  command  of  the  expedition  and 
proceeded  up  the  river.  He  arrived  at  Rock  island  early  in  May  and  after  exam- 
ining the  country  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mouth  of  Rock  river,  fixed  upon  the 
foot  of  the  west  end  of  Rock  island  as  the  site  of  the  fort  which  was  to  be  built. 


296  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

The  troops  were  first  landed  on  the  island  on  the  loth  of  May,  i8i6.  They 
went  into  camp  and  at  once  commenced  cutting  timber  for  building  store  houses 
and  a  surrounding  abatis  for  protection  against  the  Indians. 


INDIANS  ARE  APPREHENSIVE. 

On  the  day  after  the  landing  General  Smith  sent  messages  to  the  Sac  and  Fox 
tribes  to  meet  him  in  council  but  they  refused  to  come.  There  were  supposed  to 
be  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Rock  island  at  that  time  about  11,000  In- 
dians belonging  to  these  two  tribes.  After  making  the  troops  of  the  Eighth  regi- 
ment, which  had  been  accompanied  from  Cantonment  Davis  by  his  Rifle  regi- 
ment, as  safe  as  possible.  General  Smith  left  the  regulars  in  the  hands  of  their 
commander,  Colonel  W.  Lawrence,  and  went  on  to  Prairie  du  Chien  with  his 
rangers,  there  to  re-occupy  the  fort  at  Prairie  du  Chien  and  establish  a  fort  which 
was  then  named  Fort  St.  Peters,  now  known  as  Fort  Snelling  and  located  in  the 
vicinity  of  St.  Paul,  Minn.  The  Eighth  infantry,  commanded  by  Colonel  Law- 
rence, went  ahead  with  the  work  of  erecting  the  fort  that  had  been  ordered  built 
on  the  island,  and  soon  Fort  Armstrong,  named  in  honor  of  President  Madison's 
secretary  of  war,  became  a  reality.  The  Quaker  gun  battery  on  the  very  foot  of 
the  island  marks  the  site  of  the  western  one  of  the  three  blockhouses  that  oc- 
cupied corners  of  the  old  fort.  The  interior  of  the  fort  was  400  feet 
square ;  the  lower  half  was  of  stone  and  the  upper  half  of  hewn  timber.  The  tim- 
ber and  stone  were  procured  on  the  island.  At  three  of  the  angles,  the  northeast, 
southeast  and  southwest,  blockhouses  were  built  and  these  were  provided  with 
cannon.  One  side  of  the  square  was  occupied  by  the  barracks  and  other  buildings. 
These  were  built  of  hewn  timber  with  roofs  sloping  inward  as  a  protection  against 
their  being  fired  by  the  Indians  and  that  they  might  not  furnish  a  safe  lodging 
place  for  the  enemy  in  an  attack.  The  fort  was  placed  on  the  extreme  northwest 
angle  of  the  island.  Its  northwest  corner  was  but  200  feet  from  the 
landing  of  the  present  government  bridge.  Its  whitewashed  walls  and  towers 
are  described  in  contemporary  letters  as  being  very  imposing  and  making  a 
strikingly  picturesque  feature  of  the  then  savage  landscape.  The  fort  was  fin- 
ished the  following  year. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  FORT. 

Governor  Ford,  in  his  "History  of  Illinois,"  gives  the  following  description  of 
Fort  Armstrong  as  it  appeared  in  1831 : 

Fort  Armstrong  was  built  upon  a  rocky  cliff  on  the  lower  point  of  an  island 
near  the  center  of  the  river,  a  little  way  above ;  the  shores  on  each  side,  formed  of 
gentle  slopes  of  prairie,  extending  back  to  bluffs  of  considerable  height,  made  it 
one  of  the  most  picturesque  scenes  in  the  western  country.  The  river  here  is  a 
beautiful  sheet  of  clear,  swift-running  water,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  wide; 
its  banks  on  both  sides  were  uninhabited,  except  by  Indians,  from  the  lower  rapids 
to  the  fort ;  and  the  voyager  upstream,  after  several  days'  solitary  progress  through 
a  wilderness  country  on  its  borders,  came  suddenly  in  sight  of  the  whitewashed 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  297 

walls  and  towers  of  the  fort,  perched  upon  a  rock,  surrounded  by  the  grandeur 
and  beauty  of  nature  which,  at  a  distance,  gave  it  the  appearance  of  one  of  those 
enchanted  castles  in  an  uninhabited  desert,  so  well  described  in  the  Arabian 
Nights'  entertainments. 

After  General  Smith  had  gone  up  the  river  and  the  troops  had  finished  the 
abatis  and  commenced  getting  out  timber  for  the  fort,  the  Indians  pretended 
to  be  more  friendly  and  began  visiting  the  island  in  their  canoes  in  great  num- 
bers. The  following  incident  is  taken  from  a  letter  written  by  the  Hon.  Bailey 
Davenport  and  published  in  the  "Rock  Island  Argus:" 

AN   ATTEMPTED   MASSACRE. 

One  day  a  small  party  came  over  to  dance  and  after  the  dance  the  colonel 
in  command  gave  them  presents.  In  a  few  days  after,  and  while  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  soldiers  were  out  cutting  timber,  a  large  party  of  warriors,  headed  by 
the  Ne-ka-le-quat,  came  over  in  canoes  and  landed  on  the  north  side  of  the 
island  and  danced  up  to  the  entrance  of  the  encampment  and  wanted  to  enter 
and  dance  in  front  of  the  commander's  tent.  About  the  same  time  a  large 
party  of  warriors  was  discovered  approaching  over  the  ridge  from  the  south 
side  of  the  island,  headed  by  Keokuk.  The  colonel  immediately  ordered  the 
bugle  sounded  to  recall  the  soldiers  from  the  woods  and  had  all  under  arms 
(about  600)  and  the  cannon  run  out  in  front  of  the  entrance,  ready  to 
fire.  The  Indians  were  ordered  not  to  approach  any  nearer.  The  colonel,  tak- 
ing the  alarm  before  Keokuk's  party  got  near  enough  to  rush  in,  saved  the  en- 
campment from  surprise  and  massacre. 

The  Indians  evidently  knew  that  the  erection  of  the  fort  was  intended  to 
compel  a  compliance  on  their  part  with  the  treaties  which  had  been  made  and 
that,  when  white  settlers  came,  they  might  have  to  leave  their  homes.  Speaking 
of  this,  years  afterward.  Black  Hawk  said: 

We  did  not,  however,  try  to  prevent  their  building  the  fort  on  the  island, 
but  we  were  very  sorry,  as  this  was  the  best  island  in  the  Mississippi  and  had 
long  been  the  resort  of  our  young  people  during  the  summer.  It  was  our  gar- 
den (like  the  white  people  have  near  their  big  villages),  which  supplied  us  with 
strawberries,  blackberries,  plums,  apples  and  nuts  of  various  kinds ;  and  its 
waters  supplied  us  with  pure  fish,  being  situated  in  the  rapids  of  the  river.  In 
my  early  life  I  spent  many  happy  days  on  this  island.  A  good  spirit  had  care 
of  it,  who  lived  in  a  cave  in  the  rocks  immediately  under  the  place  where  the 
fort  now  stands,  and  has  often  been  seen  by  our  people.  He  was  white,  with 
large  wings  like  a  swan's  but  ten  times  larger.  We  were  particular  not  to  make 
much  noise  in  that  part  of  the  island  which  he  inhabited,  for  fear  of  disturbing 
him.  But  the  noise  of  the  fort  has  since  driven  him  away  and  no  doubt  a  bad 
spirit  has  taken  his  place. 

The  cave  referred  to  was  in  the  face  of  the  limestone  blufif  at  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  island.  At  high  water  the  floor  of  the  cave  was  covered  and  boats 
could  enter.  This  cave  was  closed  by  building  the  abutment  of  the  bridge  across 
its  entrance  in  1870. 


298  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

ISLAND   MENTIONED  AS  ARMORY   SITE. 

After  the  completion  of  Fort  Armstrong,  in  1817,  there  is  nothing  of  much 
importance  connected  with  this  frontier  post  to  be  recorded  till  the  breaking 
out  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  in  1831. 

Under  the  act  of  congress,  passed  in  1841,  the  secretary  of  war  selected 
Brigadier  General  W.  K.  Armistead,  Surgeon-General  Thomas  Lawson  and 
Lieutenant  Colonel  S.  H.  Long  as  a  board  to  select  a  suitable  site  on  the  western 
waters  for  the  establishment  of  a  national  armory.  Their  report  upon  Rock 
island  was  as  follows: 

This  beautiful  and  interesting  island  derives  its  name  from  the  circumstances 
of  its  resting  upon  a  bed  of  rocks,  consisting  of  limestone  in  horizontal  strata, 
well  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  building.  It  stands  in  the  Mississippi  at  the 
foot  of  Rock  island  rapids.  Its  length  is  about  two  and  seven-eighths  miles 
and  its  greatest  breadth  four-fifths  of  a  mile.  It  contains  about  eight  hundred 
acres  of  excellent  land,  still  the  property  of  the  United  States.  The  surface  of 
the  island  is  generally  waving  and  is  pervaded  by  a  broad  valley  passing  centrally 
and  longitudinally  two-thirds  the  length  of  the  island.  With  the  exception  of 
a  few  acres  cleared  at  the  head  of  the  island  (the  site  formerly  occupied  by 
Fort  Armstrong  now  used,  in  part,  by  the  United  States  as  a  depot  of  arms  of 
the  western  country  and  a  large  garden  with  other  improvements  occupied  by 
George  Davenport,  Esq.),  the  island  is  covered  with  a  dense  timber  growth. 
The  island  is  bounded  for  the  most  part  by  precipitous  cliffs  or  abrupt  and 
rocky  hill  slopes,  its  surface  rising  ten  to  twenty  feet  above  the  reach  of  the 
highest  freshets.  The  width  of  the  channel  on  the  south  side  of  the  island  varies 
from  150  to  300  yards,  while  that  on  the  north  side,  which  is  the  main  channel 
of  the  river,  has  a  width  varying  from  420  to  700  yards.  *  *  i=  Building 
materials  of  all  kinds  are  to  be  had  in  abundance  from  Rock  island  and  in  this 
vicinity.  Sawed  lumber,  consisting  of  white  and  black  oak,  black  walnut,  yellow 
poplar,  ash  and  cherry  tree  is  prepared  in  this  neighborhood  and  afforded  at 
prices  varying  from  $12  to  $20  per  thousand,  board  measure.  Pine  lumber  is  pro- 
cured from  the  Wisconsin,  Black  and  St.  Croix  rivers  and  can  be  afforded  at 
about  the  same  rates. 

The  woodlands  of  this  part  of  the  country  occupy  about  one-sixth  of  the 
entire  surface,  the  remaining  five-sixths  being  prairie.  The  growth  of  the  wood- 
land is  generally  scattering  and  consists  of  white,  red  and  bur  oak,  black  and 
white  walnut,  yellow  poplar,  wild  cherry,  sugar  tree,  maple,  linden,  red  and 
white  hickory,  yellow  birch,  dogwood,  etc.  The  soil  is  generally  rich,  and  in 
places  where  it  has  been  cultivated  gives  evidence  of  exceeding  fruitfulness.  Com, 
wheat,  rye,  oats,  flax,  hemp,  tobacco,  apples,  pears  and  other  fruits,  potatoes, 
turnips,  radishes  and  culinary  roots  and  vegetables  are  produced  in  great  abun- 
dance and  perfection.  Bituminous  or  stone  coal  is  found  in  abundance  in  this 
neighborhood.  It  generally  occurs  in  the  river  hills  at  different  elevations  from 
five  to  thirty  or  forty  feet  above  their  bases,  and  in  veins  from  three  to  four 
and  a  half  or  five  feet  thick.  Lead  is  obtained  in  abundance  from  the  mines 
of  the  upper  Mississippi  and  Wisconsin  rivers,  and  iron  ore  is  said  to  abound 
in  many  parts  of  the  country.     Articles  of  subsistence  of  all  kinds  for  man  and 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  301 

beast  are  abundant  and  these  are  remarkably  cheap,  especially  those  used  in  the 
neig-hborhood. 

The  site  is  remarkably  healthy  as  evinced  by  the  reports  now  on  file  in  the 
office  of  the  United  States  surgeon-general,  in  relation  to  the  health  of  the 
troops  stationed  at  the  various  military  posts  of  the  United  States  and  covering 
a  period  of  more  than  twenty  years,  during  which  time  the  number  upon  the 
sick  list  at  Fort  Armstrong  was  proportionally  less  than  at  any  other  post  in  the 
western  country. 

THE  BOARD  FAVORS  FORT  MASSAC. 

This  board  or  examining  committee  finally  made  its  report  to  the  war  de- 
partment and  recommended  Fort  Massac  on  the  Ohio  river  as  the  best  site 
for  the  armory,  but  Surgeon-General  Lawson  of  the  committee  did  not  agree 
with  his  confreres  and  did  not  sign  their  report.  He  made  a  separate  report 
of  great  length  in  which  he  recommended  a  point  of  land  on  the  Mississippi 
between  Carondelet  and  the  mouth  of  Des  Peres  river  as  the  best  site  for  the 
armory. 

The  people  of  Davenport,  Rock  Island  and  Moline  were  determined  to  have 
the  western  armory  and  arsenal  located  on  the  island,  if  anywhere.  Meetings 
of  the  citizens  of  the  three  cities  were  held  at  stated  times  and  the  matter  thor- 
oughly discussed,  and  about  this  time  a  cominittee  of  the  citizens  of  Rock  Is- 
land county,  composed  of  John  Buford,  Joseph  Knox,  Joseph  B.  Wells,  John 
Morse  and  George  Mixter  in  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Rock  Island  county,  Ill- 
inois, memorialized  John  Tyler,  president  of  the  United  States,  in  the  words 
following : 

The  undersigned,  a  committee  acting  in  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Rock  Is- 
land county,  Illinois,  would  respectfully  lay  before  you  the  following  facts  and 
considerations  in  favor  of  your  selecting  Rock  island  to  be  the  site  of  the  western 
armory. 

Rock  island  is  in  the  Mississippi  river,  about  300  miles  above  St.  Louis, 
and  100  miles  below  Galena.  It  was  the  site  of  Fort  Armstrong,  and  has 
recently  been  selected  by  the  war  department  as  a  place  of  deposit  for  the 
public  arms. 

The  title  to  the  island  (which  is  about  three  miles  long  and  from  one  to 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  wide)  is  in  the  United  States.  The  selection  of  Rock 
island,  then,  for  a  place  for  the  western  armory,  would  obviate  the  necessity  of 
any  expenditure  for  the  purchase  of  a  site,  and  would  save  the  expense  of 
buildings  for  an  arsenal. 

The  facilities  for  supplying  the  west  with  arms  from  Rock  island  are  ob- 
vious. By  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries  it  could  supply  the  ten  states  and 
two  territories  bordering  upon  them.  Rock  river  and  the  Milwaukee  and  Rock 
river  canal,  the  improvements  of  which  will  be  completed  before  an  armory  can 
be  put  in  operation,  will  furnished  a  water  communication  with  Lake  Michigan, 
through  which  arms  can  be  sent  to  the  states  and  territories  bordering  on 
the  northern  lakes.  We  may  add  that  we  have  often  heard  distinguished  gentle- 
men connected  with  the  war  department  express  the  opinion  that  there  is  no  point 


302  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

in  the  western  states  from  which  arms  can  be  sent  to  the  different  miUtary  sta- 
tions with  less  expense  and  greater  dispatch  than  from  Rock  island. 

But  its  advantages  for  the  manufacture  of  arms  furnish  the  strongest  rea- 
sons why  Rock  island  should  be  selected  as  a  site  for  the  western  armory.  It 
is  in  the  vicinity  of  one  of  the  richest  mineral  regions  in  the  world.  For  satis- 
factory information  on  this  point  we  would  refer  you  to  the  report  made  to 
congress  in  1839,  by  Dr.  Owen,  of  his  geological  and  mineralogical  survey  of 
the  country  bordering  on  the  Mississippi  above  the  mouth  of  Rock  river.  We 
would  add  that  since  his  survey  many  valuable  beds  of  ore  have  been  discovered. 

The  country  abounds  in  rich  beds  of  ore  of  iron,  copper,  zinc  and  lead;  and 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Rock  island  there  is  the  greatest  abundance  of 
bituminous  coal  of  the  best  quality. 

In  its  vast  water-power  Rock  island  possesses  advantages  greater  than  can 
be  urged  in  favor  of  any  other  place.  A  dam  has  been  recently  constructed  from 
Rock  island  to  the  Illinois  shore,  by  which  a  water-power  is  made  that  can  be 
used  for  nearly  a  mile  upon  Rock  island  and  for  several  miles  upon  the  opposite 
shore.  It  has  been  carefully  surveyed  by  distinguished  engineers  in  the  service 
of  the  United  States  and  of  Illinois  and  pronounced  by  them  all  to  be  the  best 
water  power  in  the  western  states. 

WATER  POWER  FURNISHES  STRONG  CLAIM. 

From  its  having  this  water  power  Rock  island  urges  a  stronger  claim  than 
can  be  presented  by  any  place  where  steam  must  be  used  to  propel  machinery. 
And  in  the  magnitude  of  this  power,  viewed  in  connection  with  the  slight 
expense  necessary  for  its  application,  it  has  hydraulic  advantages  greater  than 
are  possessed  by  any  other  place. 

We  would  also  urge  as  an  important  consideration  in  favor  of  Rock  island 
that  its  location  is  favorable  for  health.  Eminent  physicians,  acquainted  with 
its  locality,  unhesitatingly  pronounce  it  one  of  the  most  healthy  places  in  the 
west.  A  single  fact  can  be  stated  of  vast  weight  on  this  point :  During  the  time 
that  Rock  island  was  occupied  by  the  garrison  in  Fort  Armstrong  an  examina- 
tion was  made  of  the  health  returns  sent  to  the  war  department  for  seven  suc- 
cessive years,  from  the  different  military  stations.  It  was  found  that  Fort 
Armstrong  upon  Rock  island,  was  during  that  period  the  most  healthy  military 
station  in  the  United  States. 

We  need  not  add  that  a  favorable  location  for  health  is  an  important  con- 
sideration where  a  large  number  are  to  be  employed  on  the  public  works ;  and 
especially  is  this  important  in  the  west  where  most  of  the  public  works  are  an- 
nually suspended  during  what  are  called  the  sickly  seasons. 

From  the  fertility  of  the  surrounding  country  and  the  easy  communication 
with  other  parts  of  the  United  States  it  is  evident  that  supplies  for  an  armory 
may  be  obtained  at  as  reasonable  prices  at  Rock  island  as  at  any  other  place. 

We  add  but  one  consideration  further:  In  selecting  sites  for  its  public  works 
it  has  ever  been  the  policy  of  the  government  to  give  the  preference  (other 
things  being  equal)  to  places  distinguished  for  their  delightful  scenery  and 
beautiful  location  for  public  buildings.     It  was  from  these  considerations  that 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  303 

the  principal  buildings  of  the  armory  at  Spring-field,  Massachusetts,  were  lo- 
cated at  an  inconvenient  distance  from  the  place  where  it  has  its  water  power. 

Rock  island,  elevating  its  rocky  front  high  above  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi 
and  looking  out  upon  the  scenery  of  a  country  described  by  a  distinguished 
traveler  as  the  most  beautiful  the  eye  ever  rested  upon,  possesses  peculiar  ad- 
vantages for  the  erection  of  public  works  which  exhibit  a  happy  combination 
of  utility  with  imposing  beauty. 

We  would  refer  you  to  the  officers  of  the  army  who  are  acquainted  with  the 
advantages  of  the  different  places  in  the  west  which  are  now  presenting  their 
claims  for  the  location  of  the  armory.  We  are  authorized  to  assure  you  that 
the  officers  stationed  upon  the  northwestern  frontier  express  their  preference 
for  Rock  island. 

Especially  would  we  ask  your  attention  to  the  minute  report  made  to  the 
war  department,  last  year,  of  the  advantages  of  Rock  island,  by  Captain  Bell, 
of  the  ordnance  department,  who  is  now  stationed  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  and 
we  are  happy  in  being  permitted  to  refer  you  to  Captain  Bell  as  a  gentleman 
qualified  by  his  attainments  and  recent  minute  surveys  to  furnish  you  with  ac- 
curate information  respecting  the  peculiar  advantages  of  Rock  island  as  a  site 
for  the  western  armory. 

In  conclusion  we  would  remark  that  while  many  places,  better  known  than 
Rock  island  for  their  business  and  enterprise,  are  having  their  advantages  for 
an  armory  presented  to  you  by  distinguished  and  influential  individuals,  we  con- 
fidently rely  upon  the  assurance  given  us  by  the  most  important  acts  of  your 
life,  that,  while  you  give  due  consideration  to  individual  opinions  you  will  be 
governed  by  a  regard  to  the  public  interests  in  selecting  a  site  for  the  western 
armory;  and  we  therefore  present  the  claims  of  Rock  island  to  your  attention 
as  a  site  possessing  unequaled  advantages  for  the  manufacture  of  public  arms 
and  the  greatest  facilities  for  their  importation  to  the  different  military  stations 
in  the  western  states  and  territories. 

A  STRONG  LOCAL  COMMITTEE. 

By  the  action  of  these  gentlemen  another  committee  of  leading  citizens  of 
the  three  cities — Rock  Island,  Davenport  and  Moline — was  appointed  in  1861, 
consisting  of  the  following  named  persons:  Ira  O.  Wilkinson,  N.  B.  Buford,  H. 
C.  Connelly,  J.  Wilson  Drury  and  Bailey  Davenport,  of  Rock  Island;  W.  H.  F. 
Gurley,  George  L.Davenport  and  G.  H.  French,  of  Davenport;  and  C.  Atkinson 
and  P.  R.  Reed,  of  Aloline.  These  gentlemen  memorialized  congress  in  an  ably  pre- 
pared pamphlet,  with  a  map  of  this  locality,  upon  the  claims  and  advantages  of 
Rock  island  as  the  site  for  the  proposed  western  arsenal  and  armory.  This  me- 
morial sets  forth  that  a  new  armory  and  arsenal,  for  the  manufacture,  safe-keep- 
ing and  distribution  of  arms  and  munitions  of  war,  are  of  pressing  national  neces- 
sity, demanded  alike  by  the  present  wants  and  future  requirements  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  that  the  preponderating  growth  of  the  northwest,  as  well  as  the 
absence  of  any  such  establishment  within  its  limits,  indicate  that  such  an  armory 
should  be  located  upon  the  upper  Mississippi.  Coming  directly  to  the  claims  of 
Rock  island  the  memorialists  say:  "Believing  that  Rock  island,  in  the  state  of 


304  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Illinois,  in  the  centrality  and  safety  of  its  geographical  position,  the  facilities 
it  affords  for  transportation  to  and  from  other  parts  of  the  country,  the  cheap- 
ness and  abundance  of  its  motive  power  and  the  materials  used  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  arms,  in  the  supply  and  cheapness  of  labor  and  food,  in  the  healthfulness, 
spaciousness  and  general  eligibility  of  the  site,  and  the  possession  and  owner- 
ship thereof  by  the  government  free  of  cost  or  expense — enjoys  advantages  equal, 
if  not  superior,  to  those  possessed  by  any  other  place  in  the  northwest  for  the 
location  of  such  an  establishment — your  memorialists  would  respectfully  ask 
your  attention  to  a  brief  notice  of  these  advantages."  The  advantages  are  set 
forth  in  the  ten  or  twelve  pages  which  follow  with  great  force  and  cogency  of 
argument.  In  this  document  we  find  a  report  of  the  action  of  the  Iowa  legisla- 
ture and  of  the  authorities  of  Illinois  on  the  subject  and  a  certificate  of  the  gov- 
ernment agent  in  charge  of  the  island. 

JOINT    RESOLUTIONS    OF    THE    IOWA    LEGISLATURE. 

"Be  it  resolved  by  the  senate  and  house  of  representatives  of  the  state  of 
Iowa,  that  the  senators  in  congress  from  this  state  be  requested  to  use  their  ut- 
most exertions  to  procure  the  establishment,  at  the  earliest  possible  time,  by  the 
government  of  the  United  States  of  an  arsenal  and  armory  for  the  distribution 
of  arms  to  the  states  of  the  northwest  on  the  island  of  Rock  island,  in  the  state 
of  Illinois. 

"Resolved  that  the  secretary  of  state  be  requested  to  forward  to  each  of  the 
senators  and  representatives  in  congress  a  copy  of  these  resolutions.  Approved 
March  24,  1861." 

No  session  of  the  legislature  of  Illinois  had  been  held  immediately  prior  to 
this  action,  but  Governor  Yates  and  the  other  state  officers,  both  civil  and 
military,  addressed  a  letter  to  the  secretary  of  war,  urging  the  location  of  the 
armory  upon  Rock  island. 

CERTIFICATE  FROM  THE  GOVERNMENT  AGENT. 

"I,  T.  J.  Pickett,  government  agent  for  the  island  of  Rock  island,  hereby 
certify  that  the  lands  owned  by  the  government  on  said  island  are  free  from  the 
claims  of  squatters  and  that  the  only  occupants  thereon  are  eight  in  number, 
who  hold  leases  under  and  acknowledge  themselves  tenants  of  said  government, 
in  which  lease  it  is  specifically  agreed  that  the  lessors  are  to  vacate  the  premises 
in  thirty  days  from  the  date  of  receiving  notice  requiring  them  to  leave.  T.  J. 
Picket,  government  agent,  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  October  25,  1861." 

Copies  of  the  above  memorial  were  freely  distributed  among  the  members 
of  congress  and  laid  on  the  desk  of  every  senator  and  representative.  An  act 
of  congress  providing  for  the  arsenal  and  armory  and  making  an  appropriation 
of  $100,000  was  passed  July  11,  1861.  In  May  of  the  following  year  a  com- 
mission composed  of  Major  F.  D.  Callander,  Major  C.  P.  Kingsbury  and  Cap- 
tain F.  J.  Treadwell  was  sent  by  the  ordnance  department  to  locate  the  proposed 
arsenal  building  on  Rock  island.  Sites  also  for  magazines  on  the  island  were 
recommended  by  the  commission.     The  report  was  adopted  and  Major  Kings- 


]ln\V  OK  SirOPS.  IJOCK  ISLAXIJ  AlfSEXAL 


POWER   TLAXT,  ROav   ISLAND  ARSEXAL 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  307 

bury  was  ordered  to  take  charge  of  the  work  of  construction.  He  arrived  in 
August,  1863,  and  on  the  3d  of  September  broke  ground  for  the  government 
building  at  the  lower  end  of  the  island. 

From  an  article  prepared  by  Captain  L.  M.  Haverstick  and  published  in  the 
Chicago  Inter  Ocean  at  the  time  the  following  is  quoted,  with  a  few  changes 
looking  to  brevity: 

"An  arsenal  merely  for  the  storage  and  repair  of  arms  was  not  what  the 
ordnance  department  contemplated,  nor  what  the  country  needed  at  Rock  is- 
land. Therefore  in  August,  1865,  General  T.  J.  Rodman  was  assigned  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  island  with  instructions  to  prepare  plans  for  an  armory  and  arsenal 
combined,  where  small  arms  and  other  munitions  of  war  could  be  manufactured 
as  well  as  repaired  and  stored.  The  great  scientific  knowledge  and  long  experi- 
ence of  General  Rodman  peculiarly  fitted  him  for  this  work  and  the  result  was 
an  elaborate  plan,  equal  to  the  wants  and  interests  of  the  country." 

GENERAL   RODMAN's    PLANS. 

General  Rodman's  plans  were  submitted  to  congress  during  the  session  of 
1865  and  approved.  An  appropriation  was  made  to  begin  work  on  the  new 
buildings ;  and  from  that  time  forward  steady  progress  has  been  made  until  now 
Rock  Island  arsenal  is  the  foremost  in  the  United  States.  A  portion  of  the 
island  had  been  sold  under  a  special  act  of  congress.  The  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific  Railroad  Company  had  located  their  tracks  across  the  island  and  built 
upon  its  banks  the  abutments  for  their  bridges.  When  the  government  decided 
to  utilize  the  island  for  a  permanent  and  extensive  manufacturing  depot,  it  was 
found  necessary  to  buy  out  the  interests  of  the  private  parties  and  of  the  rail- 
road company.  A  commission  consisting  of  General  J.  M.  Schofield,  Selden  M. 
Church  and  James  Barnes  was  appointed  to  appraise  the  lands  on  the  island 
owned  by  individuals. 

An  act  of  congress,  approved  June  27,  1866,  appropriated  the  money  neces- 
sary to  buy  out  their  claims,  authorized  the  relocation  of  the  railroad  bridge 
and  provided  for  compensating  the  railroad  company  for  changing  its  route 
across  the  island.  The  same  act  made  an  appropriation  to  begin  work  on  the 
development  of  the  water  power.  Under  this  and  subsequent  acts  the  govern- 
ment united  with  the  railroad  company  in  the  erection  of  the  iron  bridge,  which 
served  the  general  purposes  until  the  construction  of  the  present  magnificent 
bridge,  sharing  in  the  expense  and  securing  a  free  wagon  way  in  addition  to 
the  railroad  tracks. 

On  July  II,  1862,  congress  passed  the  act  authorizing  the  establishment  of 
the  arsenal  and  providing  the  first  funds  for  beginning  the  necessary  buildings. 
Major  C.  P.  Kingsbury,  a  well  known  and  competent  officer  of  the  ordnance 
department,  was  assigned  as  the  first  commandant  and  under  his  direction,  a 
year  later,  a  storehouse  was  erected  at  the  lower  or  extreme  western  end  of  the 
arsenal,  which,  with  its  tower  and  clock,  has  since  been  a  landmark  and  an  object 
of  interest,  not  merely  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  three  cities,  but  also  to  all  trav- 
elers on  the  main  line  of  the  Rock  Island  road. 


308  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

In  1865  General  Thomas  J.  Rodman  was  assigned  to  the  command  and  was 
followed  in  1871  by  General  D.  W.  Flagler,  who  remained  commandant  until 
1886.  General  Rodman  died  at  his  quarters  at  the  arsenal  on  the  7th  of  June, 
1871.  By  his  death  not  only  the  army  and  the  ordnance  department  lost  one 
of  the  most  valuable  officers  in  the  service,  but  the  work  of  constructing  the 
arsenal  received  a  serious  blow.  The  plans  for  the  work  were  his  and  all  that 
he  planned  to  do  was  not  and  could  not  be  communicated  to  others.  His  ex- 
traordinary ability,  wide  influence  and  the  complete  confidence  reposed  in  him 
by  the  war  department,  the  government  and  all  whose  assistance  was  needed  for 
the  work,  gave  him  a  certainty  of  success  in  carrying  out  the  plans  for  the  great 
work,  that  no  one  else  could  have  had.  At  the  request  of  the  chief  of  ordnance 
he  was  buried  at  the  arsenal,  on  a  lot  of  ground  set  apart  for  that  purpose  near 
the  National  cemetery  at  the  east  end  of  the  island.  To  these  two  officers  is 
mainly  due  the  general  plan  of  the  arsenal  as  it  exists  today,  with  nearly  all 
its  principal  buildings ;  their  conception  of  the  disposition  and  arrangement  of 
the  ten  great  shops,  with  the  various  subsidiary  buildings,  was  an  immense  ad- 
vance over  the  stereotyped  plan  of  all  arsenal  construction  of  preceding  years, 
and  in  subsequent  developments  in  response  to  great  demands  upon  the  arsenal's 
resources,  has  proved  most  admirably  adapted  for  the  purpose  for  which  designed. 

THE   PLANS  DEVELOPED  BY  GEN.   FLAGLER. 

These  plans  as  first  prepared  by  Rodman,  developed  by  Flagler,  and  fol- 
lowed with  only  slight  modifications  by  their  successors,  have  resulted  in  the 
erection,  principally  of  Joliet  stone,  of  a  magnificent  equipment  of  shops,  store- 
houses, barracks,  quarters  and  numerous  subsidiary  buildings.  The  shops  com- 
prise ten  stone  buildings  sixty  feet  wide,  built  around  three  sides  of  a  rectangular 
central  court,  with  fronts  210  feet  and  wings  300  feet  long;  eight  of  the  shops 
are  of  four  stories,  the  other  two  of  only  one,  but  providing  in  all  over  thirty  acres 
of  floor  space.  Seven  of  these  buildings  are  now  occupied  by  machinery,  the 
other  three  by  the  raw  material  for  manufacture  and  by  finished  stores.  There 
are  also  two  large  storehouses  and  numerous  other  small  buildings  for  boilers 
for  the  heating  plant  and  for  lumber,  coal,  oil,  etc.,  for  officer's  quarters,  sol- 
diers' barracks  and  for  the  many  other  necessities  of  a  large  government  manu- 
facturing establishment.  One  of  these  storehouses  replaced  an  earlier  structure 
destroyed  by  fire  with  its  contents  and  was  only  completed  in  the  spring  of  1905. 
It  is  most  recently  erected  of  all  the  main  buildings  of  the  arsenal. 

For  many  years  the  commandant's  quarters  and  three  others  of  stone  have 
provided  accommodations  for  the  assistant  officers,  but  within  the  last  few  years 
two  attractive  buildings  of  more  modern  design,  one  frame  and  the  other  of  yel- 
low brick,  have  been  erected  at  the  eastern  end  of  Terrace  road,  forming  a 
most  attractive  addition  to  the  residential  district  of  the  arsenal,  and  during  the 
present  year  the  old  buildings,  relics  of  the  Civil  war,  used  for  many  years  as 
a  hospital  and  as  stables,  have  been  replaced  by  attractive  and  convenient  modern 
structures. 

In  May,  1886,  Colonel  T.  G.  Baylor,  ordnance  department,  succeeded  Gen- 
eral Flagler  as  commandant.     He  was  followed  three  years  later  by  Colonel  J. 


HISTORY  OF  SCr)TT  COUNTY  309 

M.  Whittemore  and  he,  in  1892,  by  General  A.  R.  Buffington,  who  continued 
in  command  for  five  years.  Under  these  officers  the  main  buildings  were  car- 
ried to  completion,  manufactures  prosecuted  at  a  moderate  scale  and  under  the 
latter  the  present  magnificent  bridge  from  the  arsenal  to  Davenport  erected. 
In  March,  1897,  Captain  Stanhope  E.  Blunt,  ordnance  department,  was 
appointed  commandant  and  through  successive  promotions  to  major,  lieutenant- 
colonel  and  colonel,  the  latter  grade  being  given  in  June,  1906,  through  more 
than  ten  years  continued  in  command.  Colonel  Blunt's  administration  was  marked 
by  great  expansion  in  the  arsenal's  facilities  for  manufacturing  war  material; 
over  $1,200,000  worth  of  modern  machinery  being  installed  in  the  shops  and  the 
power  transmission  system  changed  from  the  antiquated  wire  rope  transmission 
of  the  water  power  to  a  modern  hydro-electric  plant  of  ample  capacity  for  the 
arsenal's   needs. 

GREAT   FABRICATION    IS   POSSIBLE. 

The  island,  containing  nearly  1,000  acres,  is  irregular  in  shape,  about  two  and 
one-half  miles  long  and  three-fourths  of  a  mile  across  at  its  widest  part.  The 
main  channel  of  the  Mississippi  river  passes  between  the  island  and  the  Iowa 
shore,  a  much  narrower  branch  separating  it  from  the  Illinois  bank.  Across 
this  smaller  stream,  a  short  distance  above  the  shops,  a  masonry  dam  has  been 
constructed  producing,  in  consequence  of  the  reach  of  rapids  opposite  and 
above  the  island,  a  water  power  of  ample  capacity,  having  a  head  of  from  seven 
and  one-half  to  eleven  feet,  according  to  the  stage  of  the  river,  and  on  the  dam, 
operated  by  twenty  turbines,  have  been  installed  three  alternating  current  gen- 
erators of  1,650  kilowat  total  capacity,  with  the  accompanying  exciters,  switch- 
board, etc.,  required  for  their  operation.  The  building  housing  this  installation, 
with  generators,  shafting  and  all  other  incidental  machinery,  has  been  com- 
pleted not  only  in  a  substantial  but  in  a  highly  ornamental  manner,  rendering 
the  power  house  not  only  one  of  the  most  interesting  objects  for  visitors  to  the 
arsenal  but  also  from  its  appearance  one  of  the  most  attractive.  At  present 
nearly  3,000  horse-power  is  thus  provided,  which  can  be  increased,  if  it  should 
ever  prove  necessary,  by  utilizing  penstocks  on  the  dam  now  occupied,  and  in- 
stalling the  corresponding  additional  electrical  machinery.  None  of  the  navy 
yards  or  other  arsenals  possess  this  combination  of  ample  water  power  and 
electrical  transmission  and  the  development  of  the  power  plant  to  its  present 
really  magnificent  condition,  permitting  the  greatest  economy,  with  also  the 
greatest  facility  and  convenience  of  operation,  is  one  of  the  principal  distin- 
guishing features  of  the  Rock  Island  arsenal. 

Several  years  ago  congress  made  a  preliminary  appropriation  for  the  neces- 
sary machinery  for  manufacture  of  small  arms  at  the  arsenal,  following  it  at 
the  next  session  with  a  sufficient  sum  to  permit  the  installation  of  a  plant  that 
should  turn  out  about  250  rifles  per  day.  The  complete  establishment  of  the 
plant  required  a  material  increase  in  the  power  provided  and  also  its  transmis- 
sion to  the  new  armory ;  it  also  included  the  completion  of  three  of  the  large  shops 
with  elevators,  a  steam  heating  plant,  lavatory  conveniences,  work  benches  for 
employes,  rooms  for  foremen  and  inspectors,  and  the  introduction  of  the  many 


310  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

minor  but  essential  appliances  requisite  for  economical  and  efficient  operation, 
including  even  tunnels  connecting  the  basement  floors  of  the  different  shops,, 
which  afford  passage  for  the  heating  pipes,  fuel  oil  pipes,  electric  power  and 
lighting  wires  and  for  small  trolley  cars  for  transportation  between  buildings  of 
the  various  components  of  the  rifles  in  the  diflferent  stages  of  their  manufacture. 
In  this  small-arms  plant  and  in  the  shops  of  the  southern  row  over  2,400  machines 
of  a  great  variety  are  disposed,  with  the  shafting  for  their  operation  and  the 
necessary  benches,  and  the  other  numerous  appliances  requisite  for  their  occu- 
pancy by  workmen.  Operation  of  the  shops  upon  the  scale  now  required  for 
the  manufacture  of  gun  carriages,  equipments,  small  arms,  etc.,  employs  at 
present  about  2,000  men,  at  a  monthly  charge  for  wages  of  from  $125,000  to 
$130,000.  If  compared  with  its  operation  thirteen  years  ago  it  will  be  observed 
that  four  times  as  many  men  are  now  employed  as  at  the  earlier  date  and  that  the 
monthly  wages  are  about  five  times  greater. 

VARIOUS  ITEMS   MADE  AT  THE  ARSENAL. 

The  arsenal  upon  the  scale  now  operated  provides  the  soldiers'  ordnance 
equipment  for  an  army  of  60,000  men  and  is  besides  constantly  adding  to  the 
reserve  supply.  By  merely  taking  on  additional  employes  it  could,  without 
delay,  increase  its  output  to  meet  the  demands  of  an  army  of  500,000  men,  and 
by  adding  additional  machinery,  for  which  necessary  space  and  power  has  been 
provided  and  its  disposition  arranged  for,  and  also  the  employes  for  its  opera- 
tion, this  output  could  be  still  further  immensely  increased. 

Besides  the  saddle  in  all  its  parts,  beginning  with  the  lumber  used  in  the 
saddletree,  the  bridle,  saddlebags,  rifle  scabbard,  halter,  horse-brush,  cartridge 
box,  saber  belt  and  many  other  articles  included  under  the  general  designation 
of  infantry,  cavalry  and  horse  equipment,  are  also  made.  The  haversack,  can- 
teen, cup,  meat  can,  knife,  fork  and  spoon,  of  duck  and  other  material,  which 
constitute  the  soldiers'  more  personal  equipment,  and  of  metal  the  bits,  spurs, 
picket  pin,  etc.,  which  he  also  uses,  are  included  in  the  manufactures.  Many 
sets  of  artillery  harness  are  annually  made  and  also  the  numerous  parts  and 
general  supplies  pertaining  thereto.  Also  pack  outfits  for  mountain  artillery  by 
means  of  which  guns,  their  carriages,  and  ammunition  are  carried  on  mule 
back. 

The  arsenal  has  recently  completed  some  six-inch  barbette  carriages  for 
seacoast  forts  and  for  four  years  past  has  been  regularly  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  a  large  number  of  the  new  three-inch  field  gun  carriages,  model  of 
1902,  with  the  accompanying  limbers,  caissons,  battery  wagons  and  their  tools, 
implements,  etc.  This  is  of  itself  a  most  important  work,  requiring  the  services 
of  a  number  of  the  best  mechanics  and  would  alone  be  deemed  elsewhere  a 
sufficient  task  for  many  an  establishment,  though  at  Rock  island  it  comprises 
as  stated  only  a  portion  of  the  manufacturing  work. 

In  order  that  the  field  artillery  carriages  manufactured  at  the  arsenal  may 
be  tested  before  issue  to  develop  any  unknown  defects  if  they  should  exist,  all 
such  material  is  proof  fired  at  grounds  specially  laid  out  for  that  purpose  at 
the  upper  or  eastern  end  of  the  island.     This  includes  a  large  timber  and  sand 


^     ^^t%-'                      T^i'^i^^^^Hl 

^^a^r^'.^^| 

y 

■  > 

»F 

''^■^'^I^^ 

MAIN  ENTRANCE  TO  THE  ROCK  ISLAND  ARSENAL 


SUN  DIAL  AND  SALUTING  BATTERY.  ROCK  ISLANT)  ARSENAL 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  313 

butt  into  which  the  projectiles  are  shot  and  which  is  of  such  dimensions  that 
they  cannot  emerge  therefrom.  The  many  additional  instruments  for  determin- 
ing- the  velocity  of  the  projectile,  velocity  of  recoil  of  parts  of  the  carriage,  or 
pressure  of  the  powder  charge  in  the  bore,  and  other  features  necessary  to  give 
the  constructing  officer  of  ordnance  the  information  which  he  needs  in  design- 
ing other  material,  or  in  verifying  the  correctness  of  the  design  undergoing  proof, 
are  also  installed  in  special  structures  erected  at  the  proving  ground  for  their 
reception.  With  these  buildings  is  included  an  observation  tower  permitting 
by  its  use  a  river  range  for  firing  up  the  river  of  approximately  6,500  yards  and 
enabling  these  carriages  to  be  tested  and  proof  fired  under  an  elevation. 

The  arsenal  also  makes  the  wooden  targets  of  different  designs  and  all  the 
paper  targets,  steel  silhouette  frames  and  pasters  used  in  target  practice,  as  well 
as  the  insignia  indicating  the  soldiers'  classification  in  marksmanship  and  the 
various  insignia  on  saddle  cloths,  rosettes  on  bridles  and  similar  ornamental  jewel- 
ers' work. 

THE    ARMORY    MAKES    MANY    RIFLES. 

In  its  armory  shops  the  daily  output  for  several  years  past  has  been  from 
IOC  to  125  finished  magazine  rifles  per  day,  an  industry  in  itself  of  greater 
magnitude  than  that  of  the  army's  other  small  arms  factory  until  within  very 
recent  years.  Besides  its  manufactures  the  arsenal  is  also  the  distributing  point 
to  all  parts  of  the  middle  west  for  the  product  of  other  arsenals  and  of  the 
private  establishments  from  which  the  government  purchases.  The  total  cost 
of  the  arsenal  from  its  establishment  to  July  i,  1907,  including  the  erection  of 
the  permanent  buildings,  the  acquisition,  development  and  later  improvement  of 
the  water  power,  the  large  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  and  the  small  ones  to 
the  Illinois  shore,  and  the  purchase  and  installation  of  the  machinery  in  the 
shops,  under  the  different  commandants,  is  as  follows : 

Major  C.  P.  Kingsbury,  1863-65,  $231,384.72;  General  T.  J.  Rodman,  1865-71. 
$2,302,626.30;  General  D.  W.  Flagler,  1871-86,  $4,982,481.45;  Colonel  T.  G. 
Baylor,  1886-89,  $663,450;  Colonel  J.  M.  Whittemore.  1889-92,  $377,318.48; 
General  A.  R.  Buffington,  1892-97,  $477,375.50;  Colonel  S.  E.  Blunt,  1897-07, 
$2,510,198.88;  Colonel  F.  E.  Hobbs  to  January  i,  1910,— $381,899.68;  total 
$12,232,735.01. 

During  the  first  twenty-five  years,  or  up  to  the  conclusion  of  General  Flag- 
ler's administration,  construction  of  buildings,  bridges,  roads,  etc.,  and  the  earlier 
steps  in  development  of  water  power  formed  the  principal  work,  the  very  limited 
amount  of  machinery  which  had  been  installed  being  operated  to  only  a  moder- 
ate extent  and  the  disbursements,  including  wages,  being  mainly  in  connection 
with  building  construction.  In  the  second  period,  continuing  until  about  the 
time  of  the  Spanish  war,  construction,  except  for  the  rebuilding  of  the  bridge 
from  the  arsenal  to  Davenport,  nearly  ceased,  while  the  manufacturing  oper- 
ations of  the  arsenal  continued  at  a  slightly  increasing  but  still  very  moderate 
extent.  The  third  period  embraces  the  great  increase  in  amount  and  variety  of 
manufacture,  including  that  of  small  arms  and  accompanying  expansion  of  plant, 
with   some   incidental   building   operations,    commencing   in    the   latter   part   of 


314  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

1897,  during-  the  first  year  of  the  administration  of  Colonel  Blunt,  slightly  be- 
fore the  earlier  days  of  the  Spanish  war,  and  continuing  to  the  present  date. 

Senator  Allison,  to  whose  faith  and  interest  in  the  arsenal  must  be  largely 
ascribed  the  generous  appropriations  granted  during  many  years  past  for  its 
construction  and  development,  is  quoted  as  saying  that  Rock  Island  arsenal, 
during  the  few  months  of  the  late  Spanish  war,  more  than  returned  in  advan- 
tage to  the  country  the  great  cost  of  its  construction;  and  unquestionably  in  a 
war  of  any  magnitude  and  duration  this  cost  would  again  be  repaid  many  fold. 

GENERAL    CROZIER    APPRECIATES    THE    ARSENAL. 

In  December,  1905,  the  Democrat  interviewed  General  Crozier,  and  speak- 
ing of  the  Rock  Island  arsenal  he  had  this,  among  other  pertinent  things,  to 
say:  "There  is  one  thing  I  can  say  without  reserve,  that  is  that  there  is  not  on 
the  face  of  the  globe  another  such  government  establishment  as  this.  I  have 
seen  and  been  through  the  Sir  Joseph  Whitworth  shops,  the  great  works  of 
Creusot,  in  France,  and  nearly  all  the  great  government  and  great  private  es- 
tablishments of  Europe  where  arms  and  munitions  are  made  for  the  armies  of 
that  continent  and  there  is  not  the  like  of  this  among  them  all.  And  outside  of 
Europe  of  course,  there  is  nothing  worth  considering.  Stand  at  the  flagstaflF 
on  the  main  avenue  of  Rock  Island  arsenal  or  at  the  crossing  of  Main  avenue 
and  Eastern  avenue  and  look  along  Main  avenue.  Take  in  those  two  long  rows 
of  shops  facing  each  other.  Note  the  symmetry  of  their  arrangement  and  the 
beauty  of  their  location,  their  surroundings  and  the  room  in  all  directions  for 
their  expansion  at  need.  Take  into  account  the  vast  water  power  which  makes 
the  factory  independent  of  everything  in  the  matter  of  power,  and  then  take 
into  account  the  geographical  location  of  the  place  with  a  buffer  of  hundreds 
of  miles  and  millions  of  resolute  people  on  every  side  of  it  to  stand  between  it 
and  all  invaders  and  consider  how  centrally  it  is  placed  so  that  it  may  with  ease 
reach  every  part  of  the  country — there  is  not,  sir,  the  equal  in  all  these  things  of 
Rock  Island  arsenal  on  earth,  I  care  not  where  you  go  to  look  for  it.  These 
other  establishments  are  great  and  they  do  great  work,  but  they  have  grown 
piecemeal  by  accretion  and  addition  as  room  was  needed,  and  with  no  definite 
plan.  Rock  Island  arsenal  has  been  developed  along  the  lines  of  a  plan  laid 
down  on  the  virgin  soil  of  this  unrivalled  island  and  it  is  absolutely  without  a 
parallel  and  one  might  say  without  a  fault." 

A  NEW  VLADUCT  IS  BUILT. 

Commencing  in  the  spring  of  1907  the  superstructure  of  the  old  truss  bridge, 
over  Sylvan  water,  connecting  the  island  with  the  Illinois  shore,  was  removed 
for  the  preparation  of  the  new  viaduct  concrete  bridge.  The  old  four  stone 
piers,  with  two  abutments,  were  used  in  the  new  substructure,  and  owing  to  the 
girder  style  of  construction  of  the  new  bridge  four  new  concrete  piers  were 
built.  The  new  viaduct  bridge  was  designed  by  Ralph  Modjeski,  the  noted 
architectural  engineer,  and  built  under  the  supervision  of  the  war  department, 
the  contractors  being  Bayne  and  Hewett  of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota.     Its  con- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  315 

struction  represents  an  expenditure  by  the  g-overnment  of  $125,000,  with  $1,600 
additional  for  widening-  the  causeway  between  the  bridge  and  Fort  Armstrong 
avenue,  and  bridge  sidewalks.  The  Tri-City  Railway  Company,  assumed  the 
cost  of  the  brick  cemented  driveway,  trolley  poles,  and  new  tracks,  amounting 
to  $10,000,  making  a  total  cost  of  $136,600.  The  new  bridge  was  opened  for 
street  car  and  passenger  traffic  December  2,  1907,  opened  for  general  traffic 
December  18,  1907,  and  was  accepted  by  the  government  January  17,  1908. 
The  width  of  the  structure  is  twenty  feet  between  curbs,  with  two  sidewalks, 
each  six  feet.  The  incline  approach  from  the  city  of  Rock  Island  side  consists 
of  the  original  stone  wall  124  feet  long;  the  new  concrete  wall,  joining  same, 
extending  to  railroad  tract  abutment,  is  170  feet  long.  The  bridge  proper  con- 
sists of  eleven  spans,  making  a  length  of  801  i-io  feet,  and  a  total  length  with 
approach  approximately  1,096  feet.  The  solidity  of  the  entire  structure  is  evident 
in  every  detail.     The  present  commandant  of  the  island  is  Colonel  F.  E.  Hobbs. 

After  the  close  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  there  is  no  record  of  further  hos- 
tilities in  this  vicinity.  A  garrison  was  maintained  at  Fort  Armstrong  until  the 
4th  of  May,  1836,  when  the  fort  was  evacuated  and  the  troops  were  sent  to 
Fort  Snelling.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Davenport  of  the  First  United  States  in- 
fantry was  in  command  of  the  fort  at  the  time  it  was  evacuated  and  he  left 
Lieutenant  John  Beach,  United  States  infantry,  in  charge  of  a  few  men  to 
take  care  of  property.  But  the  fort  was  never  regarrisoned  and  in  the  follow- 
ing November  Lieutenant  Beach  was  ordered  away  and  the  property  that  had  been 
left  was  removed.  General  Street,  Indian  agent,  then  had  charge  of  the  is- 
land until  1838,  when  Colonel  George  Davenport  was  appointed  Indian  agent 
and  remained  in  charge  until  1840.  In  1840  some  of  the  buildings  at  Fort 
Armstrong  were  repaired  and  an  ordnance  depot  was  established  at  the  fort  by 
the  United  States  Ordnance  department.  Captain  W.  R.  Shoemaker,  ordnance 
store  keeper,  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  depot  and  also  had  charge  of  the  is- 
land until  1845.  The  depot  was  then  broken  up  and  the  stores  were  removed  ta 
the  St.  Louis  arsenal.  From  1845  until  the  act  for  establishing  the  Rock  Island 
arsenal  was  passed,  in  1862,  the  island  was  in  charge  of  a  civil  agent  or  custodian 
employed  by  the  war  department,  and  never  passed  out  of  the  control  of  that 
department.  Thomas  L.  Drum,  of  Rock  Island  city,  was  custodian  from  1845 
until  1853;  J.  P.  Danforth,  of  Rock  Island,  from  1854  until  1857;  and  H.  Y. 
Slaymaker  from  1857  until  1863. 

The  history  of  this  period,  from  1845  ""til  1863,  while  the  island  was  in  charge 
of  a  civil  agent,  is  full  of  persistent  and  protracted  efforts  on  the  part  of  squat- 
ters, manufacturers,  railroads,  water  power  companies  and  others  to  procure 
by  preemption,  lease,  purchase  or  cession  a  title  to  land  on  the  island.  These 
efforts  are  interesting  in  themselves  but  are  particularly  so  in  connection  with 
the  present  use  of  the  island,  because  they  show  the  high  estimate  placed  upon 
it  and  its  water  power  by  all  acquainted  with  it,  and  also  because  they  frequently 
show  in  correspondence,  reports  and  debates  in  congress  that  the  island  must, 
under  no  circumstances,  be  allowed  to  pass  out  of  the  control  of  the  general 
government  and  that  it  would  eventually  become  the  site  of  a  great  armory  or 
arsenal  of  the  Mississippi  valley. 


316  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

JEFFERSON  DAVIS  WRITES  OF  THIS  LOCATION. 

About  the  year  1835,  by  direction  of  congress,  two  examinations  of  vari- 
ous places  for  a  western  armory  were  made.  In  September,  1840,  the  chief  of 
ordnance,  Colonel  Talcott,  directed  the  commanding  officer  of  the  St.  Louis  ar- 
senal to  examine  the  Rock  island  with  a  view  to  its  use  for  ordnance  purposes 
and  report.  In  September,  1841,  congress  passed  an  act  for  a  thorough  exam- 
ination of  the  whole  western  country  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  a  suitable  site 
on  the  western  waters  for  the  establishment  of  a  national  armory.  Jefferson 
Davis,  who  became  president  of  the  so-called  Southern  Confederacy,  while  sec- 
retary of  war  wrote  in  1854  to  the  United  States  senate  committee  on  public 
lands  as  follows :  'T  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  letter  of 
the  loth,  asking  the  views  of  this  department  as  to  the  expediency  of  locating  a 
military  reservation  at  Fort  Armstrong,  at  Rock  island,  Illinois,  as  contem- 
plated by  senate  bill  No.  195.  The  water  power  available  at  that  place,  and 
the  communication  by  water  and  by  railroads,  projected  or  in  course  of  con- 
struction, concur  with  other  circumstances  in  rendering  Rock  island  one  of  the 
most  advantageous  sites  in  the  whole  western  country  for  an  armory  or  arsenal 
of  construction  for  the  manufacture  of  wagons,  clothing  and  other  military  sup- 
plies. There  may  be  more  land  on  Rock  island  than  will  be  needed  for  the  pro- 
posed establishment,  but  if  this  be  so  the  department  cannot  decide  at  present 
what  part  of  it  will  be  required.  Any  act  that  may  pass  to  authorize  the  sale  of 
it  should,  I  think,  leave  to  the  department  full  power  to  retain  whatever  of  the 
reservation  may  be  found  useful  and  proper  for  the  contemplated  works,  for 
which  it  is  hoped  that  congress  will,  at  some  future  date,  make  the  necessary  ap- 
propriation. The  Mississippi  river  is  one  of  the  great  highways  of  the  United 
States.  Its  use  is  essential  to  the  public  service  in  peace  and  in  war  and  appro- 
priations from  the  treasury  have  been  made  and  are  now  in  the  course  of  ex- 
penditure for  the  removal  of  natural  obstacles  from  its  channel ;  therefore,  although 
not  directly  connected  with  the  question  of  sale,  it  may  not  be  improper  to  in- 
vite your  attention  to  the  effects  which  would  follow  the  construction  of  a  bridge 
across  the  river  at  Rock  island,  as  implied  in  the  grant  of  the  right  of  way." 

squatters'  attempts  to  gain  foothold. 

The  reader  will  note  that  various  and  numerous  attempts  had  been  made  to 
induce  government  to  open  the  land  on  the  island  to  public  entry  and  at  this 
time  there  were  several  squatters  there  who  had  improved  their  holdings  to 
a  greater  or  less  extent.  It  was  generally  known  in  the  vicinity  of  Davenport 
that  on  the  nth  of  February,  1848,  the  secretary  of  war  had  written  to  the 
secretary  of  the  interior,  formally  relinquishing  the  reservation  of  Rock  is- 
land. It  was  supposed  or  at  least  hoped  that  this  act  of  the  war  secretary  would 
throw  the  island  reservation  into  the  mass  of  the  public  lands  and  that  they  could 
be  acquired  by  preemption.  Subsequently  legal  opinions,  except  that  of  Judge 
McLean  in  the  matter  of  the  United  States  against  the  Railroad  Bridge  com- 
pany, and  of  the  continued  acts  of  the  government  in  refusing  to  convert  the 
island  as  a  part  of  the  public  lands,  show  that  the  action  of  the  secretary  of  war 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  317 

did  not  and  that  he  had  not  the  power  to  return  the  island  to  the  mass  of  the 
pubhc  lands.  His  compliance  with  certain  requirements  of  the  act  of  June  14, 
1809,  made  the  island  a  reservation  by  the  terms  of  that  act,  and  it  could  not  be 
returned  to  the  mass  of  public  lands  except  by  act  of  congress.  It  was  on  ac- 
count of  this  supposed  relinquishment  of  the  island,  however,  that  the  mill 
owners  and  others  at  each  end  of  the  island  supposed  that  they  could  get  that 
part  of  the  island  by  preemption.  It  would  also  appear  further  on  that  other 
intruders  were  appearing  on  the  island  and  by  1854  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island 
Railroad  Company  had  taken  possession  of  land  on  the  island  and  all  the  lands 
of  the  island  were  soon  settled  by  squatters  with  a  view  to  preemption. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  1825,  at  the  request  of  the  secretary  of  war, 
the  whole  of  Rock  island  was  reserved  from  the  public  lands  of  the  United  States 
for  military  purposes,  and  orders  to  that  effect  were  sent  by  the  commissioner 
of  the  general  land  office  in  Washington  to  the  register  in  Springfield,  Illinois. 
Notwithstanding  this,  a  new  land  office  having  been  established  at  Galena,  Ill- 
inois, sometime  in  1832,  Rock  island  was  surveyed  by  a  Mr.  Bennett,  employed 
by  the  United  States  surveyor  agent,  and  was  divided  into  sections  and  quarter 
sections. 

Fort  Armstrong  was  at  that  time  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Wil- 
liam Davenport,  First  United  States  Infantry,  who  at  once  informed  the  war 
department  that  the  survey  had  been  made  and  that  he  feared  it  would  bring 
the  island  into  the  body  of  the  United  States  public  lands  and  subject  to  pre- 
emption. In  the  following  August  Colonel  Davenport  wrote  again  on  the  same 
subject  to  the  adjutant  general  of  the  army,  urging  that  some  action  be  taken 
in  the  matter  and  stating  that  unless  something  was  done  to  prevent  it,  he 
believed  that  the  site  of  the  fort  might  be  acquired  by  settlers  under  the  pre- 
emption laws.  After  some  correspondence  between  the  war  and  interior  de- 
partments the  whole  island  was  again  in  1835  reserved  to  the  war  department 
for  military  purposes,  and  on  September  15,  1835,  the  following  order  was  sent 
to  the  register  at  Galena:  "The  department  of  war  has  apprised  this  office 
that  Rock  island,  in  the  Mississippi  river,  (supposed  to  contain  from  1,500 
to  1,600  acres)  and  which  has  been  in  the  occupancy  of  the  public  since  1816, 
and  a  part  of  it  cultivated  then  and  every  year  since  by  the  troops  at  Fort  Arm- 
strong, is  essentially  necessary  to  be  reserved  to  the  use  of  that  garrison.  You 
are  therefore  directed  to  reserve  the  same  from  any  public  service  and  if  any 
individuals  who  may  have  occupied  by  sufferance  any  portions  thereof  should 
attempt  to  acquire  a  preemption  claim  on  said  island,  in  virtue  of  the  act  of  the 
19th  of  June,  1834,  such  claim  cannot  be  recognized. 

COL.    GEORGE  DAVENPORT's    CLAIM    ALLOWED. 

However,  in  1833  the  w^ar  department  was  informed  by  Colonel  George 
Davenport,  who  then  had  a  trading  post  on  the  island,  that  his  dwelling  house, 
store  and  other  improvements  had  been  settled  on  the  island  since  it  was  first 
occupied  in  1816;  that  he  claimed  the  land  where  he  was  living  under  the  pre- 
emption laws  and  he  recommended  that  his  claim  be  admitted  with  the  reser- 
vation and  that  it  should  not  be  enforced  so  long  as  the  island  was  required  for 


318  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

military  purposes.  After  the  island  was  reserverl  for  military  purposes  and  the 
above  order  obtained  from  the  general  land  office,  Mr.  Davenport's  claim  could 
not  be  admitted,  but  some  years  afterward,  and  after  much  correspondence, 
at  the  request  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  Judge  Knox,  Judge  Drury  and  other  influ- 
ential men  of  IlHnois,  a  special  act  of  congress  was  passed  whereby  Colonel 
Davenport  acquired  title  to  his  estate  on  the  island  which  was  held  by  him  and 
his  family  until  repurchased  by  the  ordnance  department  in  1867  for  $40,740. 

Many  of  these  settlers  or  "squatters,"  as  they  were  called,  before  settling 
on  the  island  had  consulted  Reverdy  Johnson  and  Montgomery  Blair,  of  Wash- 
ington, respecting  the  status  of  the  land,  and  had  obtained  opinions  favorable 
to  the  success  of  their  plans.  They  afterward  retained  both  these  eminent 
lawyers  and  also  Abraham  Lincoln,  then  practicing  law  in  Springfield,  as  counsel. 
These  would-be  preemptors  of  the  land  of  the  island,  when  they  went  to  Spring- 
field to  prove  title  and  pay  for  the  lands  they  had  registered,  were  told  by  the 
register  that  he  had  received  orders  from  Washington  to  stop  all  proceeding  in 
regard  to  the  preemption  of  the  land.  In  December,  1858,  Montgomery  Blair, 
while  acting  as  attorney  for  the  settlers  of  the  island,  had  obtained  a  decision 
from  the  commissioner  of  the  general  land  office  favorable  to  the  cause  of  the 
preemptors.  He  then  informed  his  clients  that  their  title  to  the  land  would  be 
made  good.  It  appeared,  however,  that  the  secretary  of  the  interior  had  not 
concurred  in  the  decision  of  the  commissioner  or  else  that  his  views  were  sub- 
sequently changed,  for  in  January  following,  when  called  upon  for  information 
while  the  bill  was  pending  for  the  sale  of  the  island,  he  wrote  a  letter  which 
effectually  reversed  the  decision  of  the  commissioner. 

The  success  of  the  preemptors  excited  much  interest  at  this  time  and  was 
the  subject  of  many  articles  in  the  newspapers.  During  the  year  1859  "o  other 
advance  was  made  by  the  settlers  toward  obtaining  a  title  to  the  lands  but  they 
still  remained  on  the  island.  During  the  summer  of  1859  an  indictment  against 
the  settlers  was  obtained  in  the  United  States  district  court  for  cutting  timber 
and  other  acts  committed  on  the  island.  The  case  came  up  before  Judge  Drum- 
mond  in  Chicago  in  August,  1859,  and  the  following  were  the  published  pro- 
ceedings : 

Indictment  for  cutting  timber,  etc..  on  the  island  of  Rock  island. 

These  cases  involving  the  preempted  character  of  the  goverrmient  lands  on 
this  island  came  up  for  trial  in  the  United  States  court  before  Judge  Drummond 
on  Saturday  last.  District  Attorney  Fitch  appeared  for  the  prosecution  and 
J.  J.  Beardsley,  Esquire,  of  Rock  Island,  and  Walker  &  Van  Armand,  of  this 
city,  for  the  defense. 

After  the  discussion  of  divers  matters  of  law  it  was  finally  agreed  to  take 
the  pro  forma  verdict  of  guilty  against  defendants  Hortel  &  Millard,  subject 
to  a  motion  for  a  new  trial  aw^aiting  the  result  of  certain  action  of  ejectment 
which  was  to  be  brought  to  determine  more  fully  the  rights  of  the  preemptors. 
The  subject  of  title  and  right  of  preemption  remained,  therefore,  undeter- 
mined. 

The  settlers  were  well  satisfied  with  the  above,  for  it  was  their  desire  that 
the  legality  of  the  preemption  claim  might  be  tried  before  tlie  United  States 
supreme  court  and  it  was  the  opinion  of  their  counsel  that  in  such  trial  they 


OLD  MILL,  ROCK  ISLAND  ARSENAL 


STORE  HOTSE.  ROCK  ISLAND  ARSENAL 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  321 

would  be  successful  and  their  title  established.  Judge  Drummond  and  the 
United  States  district  attorney  earnestly  opposed  the  settlers  in  their  attempt 
to  get  possession  of  the  island.  In  the  summer  of  i860,  nothing  more  having 
been  heard  of  further  proceedings  in  the  matter,  one  of  the  settlers  went  to 
Chicago  to  see  Judge  Drummond  about  it  and  it  was  then  discovered  that  the 
papers  in  the  case  were  lost  or  at  any  rate  they  could  not  be  found  and  nothing 
further  was  done  that  year.  In  the  spring  of  1861  the  Civil  war  began  and 
more  pressing  matters  occupied  the  attention  of  all  concerned. 

THE   GOVERNMENT    ENTERS    INTO    FULL    POSSESSION. 

From  the  beginning  the  settlers  who  had  gone  to  the  island  from  Rock 
Island  and  vicinity,  stated  that  if  the  government  should  ever  wish  to  occupy 
the  island  for  armory  or  arsenal  purposes  they  would  not  prosecute  their  pre- 
emption claims,  but  would  willingly  resign  them  for  the  purpose  of  securing 
so  desirable  an  object.  If,  however,  the  lands  were  public  lands  and  subject  to 
preemption  and  were  to  be  acquired  in  this  way  by  any  one,  they  would  not  then 
resign  them  to  others.  When  the  act  of  congress,  locating  the  arsenal  on  the 
island,  was  passed  in  July,  1862,  they  relinquished  their  claims  and  have  taken 
no  action  in  regard  to  them  since.  There  is  correspondence  to  show,  however, 
that  lawyers  and  others  who  had  been  interested  in  the  claims  of  preemptors 
continued  their  efforts  to  obtain  a  title  to  the  lands  until  as  late  as  1868.  The 
preemptors  gave  up  their  claims  and  moved  away  as  soon  as  the  island  was 
occupied  by  the  United  States.  All  of  the  mill  owners  and  others  having  prop- 
erty on  the  east  end  of  the  island,  except  the  Moline  Water  Power  company 
and  D.  B.  Sears,  vacated  the  premises  occupied  by  them  and  moved  away  as 
soon  as  they  were  required  to  do  so  by  the  United  States.  The  claims  of  the 
railroad  company,  the  Moline  Water  Power  company,  D.  B.  Sears,  the  Daven- 
port estate  and  some  minor  claims  of  the  city  of  Rock  Island,  of  the  city  of 
Moline  and  parties  who  had  purchased  land  of  D.  B.  Sears,  were  settled  by 
purchase  and  by  contracts  made  in  pursuance  of  special  acts  of  congress.  All 
except  the  claim  of  the  railroad  and  water  power  companies  were  settled 
through  a  re-purchase  by  the  United  States  of  all  the  property  that  the  claim- 
ants had  acquired.  The  property  re-purchased  cost  the  government  the  sum 
of  $221,035.  The  claims  of  the  railroad  and  water  power  companies  were 
settled  by  contracts  entered  into  in  pursuance  of  the  recommendation  of  the 
board  of  commissioners  and  by  virtue  of  certain  acts  of  congress.  The  rail- 
road contract  provided  for  the  removal  of  its  tracks  and  bridge  and  the  aban- 
donment of  its  old  right  of  way  and  the  construction  of  a  new  route  across  the 
west  end  of  the  island,  the  expense  of  which  was  born  by  the  United  States 
and  the  railroad  company  jointly,  and  gave  the  company  a  new  right  of  way 
over  the  new  route.  The  Water  Power  company's  contract  required  that  the 
company  should  relinquish  its  franchise  to  the  United  States,  that  the  United 
States  should  build  and  maintain  the  water  power  and  give  to  the  company  a 
portion  of  the  power  obtained,  free  of  cost,  forever.  The  construction  of  a 
portion  of  the  water  power  which  the  contract  gave  to  the  Water  Power  com- 
pany has  cost  the  United  States  nearly  $500,000. 


FIRST  BRIDGE  THAT  SPANNED  THE  MISSISSTPPI  RIVER 
Iowa    Ap])r()ach    near   Federal    and   East    River    Streets 


PRESENT  GOVERNMENT  BRIDGE 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
THREE  BRIDGES  TO  THE  ISLAND. 

A  RAILROAD  ON  EACH  SIDE  OF  THE  RIVER  MADE  A  BRIDGE  NECESSARY CHARTERS  ON 

INJUNCTIONS ACTS    OF    CONGRESS    AND    COURT    INTERPRETATIONS THE    ROCK 

ISLAND  ROAD  IN  PARTNERSHIP  WITH  THE  GOVERNMENT THE  FIRST  BRIDGE  TO  BE 

THROWN  ACROSS  THE  MISSISSIPPI RIVER  INTERESTS  AROUSED ABRAHAM  LIN- 
COLN IN  BRIDGE  LITIGATION PRESIDENTIAL  VISITORS. 

In  1 85 1  a  special  charter  was  granted  by  the  IlHnois  legislature  to  the 
Chicago  &  Rock  Island  Railroad  company  for  the  construction  of  a  railroad 
from  Chicago  to  Rock  Island,  a  point  directly  across  the  Mississippi  river  from 
Davenport.  The  work  of  construction  was  shortly  after  commenced  and  in 
the  winter  of  1854  the  road  was  completed  to  the  Mississippi  river,  and  on 
Washington's  birthday  of  that  year  the  first  train  arrived  at  Rock  Island  from 
Chicago.  Twenty-two  months  had  been  consumed  in  the  completion  of  the 
road,  but  to  the  country  at  large  and  especially  to  the  immediate  community 
this  was  considered  remarkable.  In  1852  a  charter  was  granted,  authorizing 
the  construction  of  a  railroad  line  from  Davenport,  by  way  of  Des  Moines,  to 
the  Mississippi  river  at  Council  Bluffs,  and  under  that  charter  the  Mississippi 
&  Missouri  Railway  company  was  organized,  being  capitalized  at  $6,000,000, 
of  which  the  city  of  Davenport  subscribed  $75,000  and  the  county  of  Scott 
$50,000,  while  the  individual  subscriptions  amounted  to  $100,000.  On  April 
ist  of  that  year  the  first  shovelful  of  earth  was  turned  for  the  construction  of 
the  great  work  by  Antoine  LeClaire.  The  legislature  of  Illinois  on  the  17th 
of  June,  1853,  also  granted  a  charter  to  the  "Railroad  Bridge  company"  for 
the  construction  of  a  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  river  for  the  purpose  of 
connecting  the  above  mentioned  two  lines  of  railroads.  Subsequent  to  this  the 
Mississippi  &  Missouri  Railway  company  was  merged  into  that  of  the  Chicago 
&  Rock  Island  Railroad  company,  and  is  now  known  as  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  company. 

As  has  been  said,  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  Railroad  company  completed 
its  road  from  Chicago  to  Rock  Island  in  1854.  and  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri 
Railroad  company  then  built  its  road  from  Davenport  to  Council  Bluffs,  but 


326  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

prior  to  this  it  became  apparent  to  all  concerned  that  it  was  necessary  to  have 
a  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  to  connect  the  two  roads,  and  the  "Railroad 
Bridge  company"  was  organized  for  this  purpose.  Its  plan  was  for  a  bridge 
from  the  Illinois  shore  to  the  island,  a  bridge  from  the  Iowa  shore  to  the  island, 
and  an  embankment  across  the  island  to  connect  the  two  bridges,  or  more  prop- 
erly, the  two  parts  of  the  Rock  Island  bridge.  This  bridge  was  constructed 
near  the  home  of  Col.  Davenport  and  is  not  to  be  confused  with  the  bridge  of 
the  present  day.  The  old  bridge  has  long  since  been  removed  and  no  vestige 
of  it  remains  but  part  of  one  of  the  abutments  which  forms  one  of  the  attrac- 
tions of  the  island  to  visitors. 

Considerable  controversy  subsequently  arose  between  the  railroad  company 
and  the  government  as  to  the  company's  right  of  way  across  the  island.  The 
railroad  company's  claim  to  a  right  of  way  and  to  lands  occupied  by  the  com- 
pany on  the  island  and  its  right  to  construct  bridges  from  the  main  land  to  the 
island  was  based  upon  two  acts  of  the  legislature  of  the  state  of  Illinois,  one 
dated  in  1847  and  the  other  in  1851,  incorporating  and  authorizing  the  company 
to  locate  a  railroad  from  Chicago  to  Rock  Island,  and  upon  further  action  of 
the  legislature  in  January,  1853,  creating  the  "Railroad  Bridge  company,"  with 
authority  to  construct  a  bridge  at  or  near  Rock  Island.- 

BUILDING  OF  BRIDGE  IMPEDED. 

An  act  of  congress  of  August  4,  1852,  granted  a  right  of  way  to  all  rail  and 
plank  road  or  macadam  and  turnpike  companies  through  the  public  lands  of  the 
United  States,  but  excepted  from  the  operation  of  the  act  all  lands  held  for 
public  use  by  improvements  thereon  and  all  other  lands  except  such  as  were 
held  for  private  entry  or  sale  and  such  as  were  unsurveyed.  It  is  now  beyond 
■  controversy  that  the  lands  of  Rock  island  were  among  those  exempted  from 
the  operation  of  the  act,  but  the  act  of  1852  seems  to  have  been  sufficient  unto 
Judge  McLean's  methods  of  reasoning  for  his  decision  refusing  to  grant  to  the 
United  States  an  injunction  to  prevent  the  railroad  company  from  constructing 
the  road  on  the  island  and  building  its  bridges.  It  was  further  held  that  the 
states  had  authority  to  grant  the  right  of  way  over  public  lands  (the  property  of 
the  United  States)  within  the  state,  but  it  became  clear  that  the  lands  in  question 
had  never  been,  since  1816,  public  lands  within  the  meaning  of  the  act,  and  con- 
sequently the  acts  of  the  legislature  of  the  state  of  Illinois  were  inoperative. 
Nevertheless  the  motion  for  an  injunction  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  in 
the  case  referred  to  was  overruled  by  Judge  McLean,  more,  perhaps,  because 
the  railroad  and  bridge  were  held  to  be  a  great  public  benefit,  a  necessity,  and 
considered  an  advantage  to  the  United  States  through  its  proprietorship  of  the 
island,  and  it  was  further  considered  that  a  connection  with  the  railroads  on  the 
main  land  through  railroad  bridges  and  a  railroad  on  the  island  was  a  necessary 
part  of  the  plans  for  a  great  arsenal. 

The  claims  of  the  railroad  company  and  the  wants  and  necessities  of  the 
arsenal  were  all  laid  before  the  board  of  commissioners  constituted  by  the  gov- 
ernment, and  a  plan  was  finally  fixed  upon  which  would  satisfy  the  require- 
ments both  of  the  company  and  the  United  States.     This  plan  was  drawn  up 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  327 

and  approved  both  by  General  Rodman  and  the  officers  of  the  railroad  com- 
pany, and  was  recommended  by  the  commissioners.  The  main  features  of  this 
plan  were  that  the  railroad  company  should  give  up  their  old  right  of  way 
across  the  island  and  remove  their  tracks  and  bridge,  that  a  new  bridge  should 
be  built  at  the  extreme  west  end  of  the  island,  the  cost  of  which  should  be 
borne  by  the  railroad  company  and  the  United  States,  and  that  the  railroad 
company  should  have  a  right  of  way  over  that  bridge  and  across  the  west  end  of 
the  island.  The  bridge  and  track  across  the  island  would  be  so  constructed  as 
to  fulfill  the  requirements  of  the  railroad  company  and  be  out  of  the  way  of  the 
improvement  purposes  of  the  government,  and  at  the  same  time  admit  of  con- 
necting the  arsenal  with  the  railroad  company's  tracks  and  fulfill  the  require- 
ments of  the  arsenal  in  this  respect.  The  recommendations  of  the  board  of 
commissioners  were  approved  by  the  chief  of  ordnance  and  secretary  of  war, 
and  the  legislation  necessary  for  carrying  out  the  plans  was  passed  by  congress. 

GUARANTEE   BY   THE   CHICAGO,   ROCK   ISLAND   &   PACIFIC   RAILROAD   COMPANY. 

Whereas  by  an  act  of  congress  of  the  United  States  of  America,  entitled 
"An  act  making  further  provision  for  the  establishment  of  an  armory  and  ar- 
senal of  construction,  deposit,  and  repair  on  Rock  island,  in  the  state  of  Illi- 
nois," approved  June  27,  1866,  it  is  enacted  as  follows,  viz. : 

That  the  secretary  of  war  be,  and  is  hereby,  authorized  and  directed  to 
change,  fix  and  establish  the  position  of  the  railroad  across  Rock  island  and  the 
bridge  across  the  Mississippi  river  at  and  on  the  island  of  Rock  island,  so  as 
best  to  accord  with  the  purposes  of  the  government  in  its  occupancy  of  said 
island  for  military  purposes;  and  in  order  to  effect  this  he  is  authorized  to 
grant  to  the  railroad  company  a  permanent  location  and  right  of  way  on  and 
across  Rock  island,  to  be  fixed  and  designated  by  him,  with  such  quantity  of 
land,  to  be  occupied  and  held  by  the  company  for  railroad  purposes,  as  may  be 
necessary  therefor,  and  that  the  said  grant  and  change  be  made  on  such  terms 
and  conditions  previously  arranged  between  the  secretary  of  war  and  the  com- 
panies and  parties  in  interest,  as  will  best  effect  and  secure  the  purposes  of  the 
government  in  occupying  the  island. 

Second.  That  the  secretary  of  war  be.  and  is  hereby,  authorized  to  grant 
to  the  companies  and  parties  in  interest  such  other  aid,  pecuniary  or  otherwise, 
towards  effecting  the  change  in  the  present  location  of  their  road  and  bridge, 
and  establishing  thereon  a  wagon  road  for  the  use  of  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  to  connect  said  island  with  the  cities  of  Davenport  and  Rock 
Island,  to  be  so  constructed  as  not  materially  to  interfere  with,  obstruct,  or 
impair  the  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  river,  as  may  be  adjudged  to  be  fair 
and  equitable  by  the  board  of  commissioners,  authorized  under  the  act  of  April 
19,  1864,  entitled  "An  act  in  addition  to  an  act  for  the  establishment  of  certain 
arsenals,"  and  may  be  approved  by  him. 

And  whereas  said  board  of  commissioners,  in  a  report  upon  the  matter  of 
the  railroad  and  bridge  across  Rock  island  and  the  Mississippi  river,  under  the 
date  of  February  2,  1867,  adopted  and  recommended  the  following  propositions 
as  to  the  kind  of  wagon  road  that  should  be  established  and  the  amount  and 


328  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

kind  of  aid  that  should  fairly  and  equitably  be  granted  by  the  government 
towards  effecting  that  object,  to  wit: 

"The  government  to  build  over  the  main  channel  of  the  river  an  iron  draw- 
bridge, in  accordance  with  the  conditions  prescribed  in  the  act  of  congress  of 
July  25,  1866;  the  frame  to  be  of  proper  breadth  for  a  double  track.  The  gov- 
ernment to  give  the  company  the  right  of  way  over  this  bridge  and  across  the 
island,  upon  the  payment  of  half  the  cost  of  the  superstructure  of  the  bridge, 
the  bridge  to  be  built  with  due  regard  to  economy,  having  reference  to  strength 
and  durability.  The  company  to  have  five  years  from  January  i,  1867,  in 
which  to  connect  with  the  new  bridge  and  to  remove  its  present  track  across  the 
island  and  the  old  bridge  and  piers  from  the  main  channel.  The  company  to 
open  wagon  ways  for  the  use  of  government  through  their  present  embankment 
on  the  island,  and  remove,  as  far  as  practicable,  present  obstructions  to  wagon 
traffic  between  the  island  and  city  of  Rock  Island ;  the  government  to  have  the 
right  to  connect  with  the  track  of  the  company  such  sidetracks  as  may  be  de- 
sired for  the  United  States  and  at  such  points  as  the  ordnance  department  may 
select." 

And  whereas  the  chief  of  ordnance.  Brevet  ]\Iajor-General  A.  B.  Dyer,  in  a 
report  to  the  secretary  of  war,  dated  February  8,  1867,  approved  the  foregoing 
recommendations  of  the  said  board  of  commissioners  respecting  the  location  of 
the  railroad  across  the  island  and  the  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  river,  the 
granting  of  a  permanent  right  of  way  across  the  island  and  the  kind  and  char- 
acter of  the  bridge  to  be  erected ;  which  recommendation,  so  approved  by  the 
chief  of  ordnance  and  adopted  by  him,  is  understood  and  here  taken  to  be  the 
recommendation  of  that  officer  to  which  reference  is  made  in  the  first  section  of 
the  act  of  congress  of  March  2,  1867,  hereinafter  mentioned. 

And  whereas  by  the  first  section  of  the  act  of  congress  entitled  "An  act 
making  appropriations  for  the  support  of  the  army  for  the  year  ending  June  30, 
1868,  and  for  other  purposes,"  approved  March  2,  1867,  there  is  appropriated 
"for  the  erection  of  a  bridge  at  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  as  recommended  by  the 
Chief  of  ordnance,  $200,cxdo;  Provided,  That  the  ownership  of  said  bridge  shall 
be  and  remain  in  the  United  States ;  and  the  Rock  Island  and  Pacific 
Railroad  Company  shall  have  the  right  of  way  over  said  bridge  for  all 
purposes  of  transit  across  the  island  and  river  upon  the  condition  that  the 
said  company  shall,  before  any  money  is  expended  by  the  government, 
agree  to  pay  and  shall  secure  to  the  United  States  first,  half  the  cost  of  said 
bridge ;  and,  second,  for  the  expenses  of  keeping  said  bridge  in  repair ;  and 
upon  guaranteeing  said  conditions  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  secretary  of  war, 
by  contract  or  otherwise,  the  said  company  shall  have  the  free  use  of  said 
bridge  for  purposes  of  transit,  but  without  any  claim  to  ownership  thereof." 

And  whereas  by  a  joint  resolution  of  the  congress  of  the  United  States  "in 
relation  to  the  Rock  Island  bridge."  approved  July  20,  A.D.  1868,  it  was  pro- 
vided as  follows : 

"Be  it  resolved  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United 
State  in  Congress  Assembled,  That  the  act  of  congress  making  appropriations 
for  the  support  of  the  army  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1868,  and  for  other 
purposes,  approved  March  2,  1867,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby,  so  amended  as 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  331 

to  authorize  and  direct  the  secretary  of  war  to  order  the  commencement  of  the 
work  on  the  bridge  over  the  Mississippi  river  at  Rock  island,  to  connect  the  said 
island  with  the  cities  of  Davenport  and  Rock  Island :  Provided,  That  the  own- 
ership of  said  bridge  shall  be  and  remain  in  the  United  States;  and  the  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company  shall  have  the  right  of  way  over  said  bridge 
for  all  purposes  of  transit  across  the  island  and  river,  upon  condition  that  the 
said  railroad  company  shall  pay  to  the  United  States:  first,  half  of  the  cost  of 
the  superstructure  of  the  bridge  over  the  main  channel,  and  half  the  cost  of 
keeping  the  same  in  repair,  and  shall  also  build  at  its  own  cost  the  bridge  over 
that  part  of  the  river  which  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  island  of  Rock  island,  and 
also  the  railroad  on  and  across  said  island  of  Rock  island ;  and  upon  a  full  com- 
pliance with  these  conditions  said  railroad  company  shall  have  the  use  of  said 
bridge  for  the  purposes  of  free  transit,  but  without  any  claim  to  the  ownership 
thereof ;  and  said  railroad  company  shall  within  six  months  after  said  new 
bridge  is  ready  for  use  remove  their  old  bridge  from  the  river  and  their  railroad 
track  from  its  present  location  on  the  island  of  Rock  island:  And  provided  fur- 
ther, That  the  agreement  may  permit  any  other  road  or  roads  wishing  to  cross 
on  said  bridge  to  do  so  by  paying  to  the  parties  then  in  interest  the  proportion- 
ate cost  of  said  bridge  and  securing  to  be  paid  its  proportionate  cost  of  keeping 
the  same  in  repair,  but  no  such  permission  to  other  roads  shall  impair  the  right 
hereby  granted  to  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  and 
the  total  cost  of  said  bridge  shall  not  exceed  the  estimate  made  by  the  commis- 
sioners appointed  under  the  act  approved  June  twenty-seven,  eighteen  hundred 
and  sixty-six; /if wcf  provided  also,  That  in  no  case  shall  the  expenditure  on  the 
part  of  the  United  States  exceed  one  million  dollars. 

"Section  2.  And  he  it  further  resolved.  That  in  case  the  Rock  Island  &  Pa- 
cific Railroad  Company  shall  neglect  or  fail  for  sixty  days  after  the  passage  of 
this  resolution  to  make  and  guarantee  the  agreement  specified  in  the  act  of  ap- 
propriation aforesaid,  approved  March  second,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven,  then  the  secretary  of  war  is  hereby  authorized  and  required  to  direct  the 
removal  of  the  existing  bridge  and  to  direct  the  construction  of  the  bridge  afore- 
said, and  expend  the  money  appropriated  in  said  act;  and  the  said  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific  Railroad  Company  shall  not  have,  acquire,  or  enjoy  any  right  of  way 
or  privilege  thereon,  or  the  use  of  said  bridge,  until  the  agreement  aforesaid  shall 
be  made  and  guaranteed  according  to  the  terms  and  conditions  of  said  act  of 
appropriation.  All  acts  or  parts  of  acts  inconsistent  with  these  resolutions  are 
hereby  repealed. 

"Section  3.  And  he  it  further  resolved,  That  any  bridge  built  under  the 
provisions  of  this  resolution  shall  be  constructed  so  as  to  conform  to  the  require- 
ments of  section  two  of  an  act  entitled  'An  act  to  authorize  the  construction  of 
certain  bridges  and  establish  them  as  post-roads,'  approved  July  twenty-fifth, 
eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-six." 

Now,  therefore,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  into  full  efl^ect  the  provisions 
of  the  several  laws  aforesaid,  and  for  the  considerations  hereinafter  set  forth, 
the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  by  John  F.  Tracy,  its 
president,  who  is  duly  authorized  and  empowered  by  the  said  company  to  bind 
the   same  hereunto,  hereby  covenants  and  agrees  with   the  United   States  of 


332  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

America,  hereinafter  represented  in  this  behalf  by  John  M.  Schofield,  secretary 
of  war,  as  follows: 

First.  The  said  company  will,  at  its  own  expense,  relocate  its  railroad  track 
across  the  island  of  Rock  island,  upon  such  line  as  may  be  there  designated  by  the 
secretary  of  war  in  pursuance  of  the  act  of  June  27,  1866,  above  cited ;  and  the 
secretary  of  war  shall  grant  to  said  company,  upon  the  line  so  designated,  a  per- 
manent location  and  right  of  way,  of  a  width  to  be  fixed  by  him,  with  such  quan- 
tity of  land  to  be  occupied  and  held  by  the  company  for  railroad  purposes  as  may 
be  necessary  for  the  convenient  construction  of  its  track  and  the  passage  of  its 
trains ;  which  grant  shall  not  authorize  the  company  to  erect  any  structures  upon 
the  land  so  granted  except  the  railroad  tracks  necessary  for  its  business,  nor 
to  use  said  land  for  other  purposes  than  the  construction  and  keeping  in  repair 
of  its  necessary  tracks  and  the  passage  of  its  trains ;  and  the  United  States  shall 
have  the  right  to  connect  with  the  track  of  the  company  upon  said  island  such 
side  tracks  as  may  be  desired  for  the  use  of  the  United  States,  and  at  such  point 
on  said  island  as  the  ordnance  department  may  select. 

Second.  Said  company  will,  at  its  own  cost,  construct  that  part  of  the  bridge 
to  connect  the  island  with  the  cities  of  Davenport  and  Rock  Island,  which  is  on 
the  east  side  of  the  island ;  to  be  of  such  character  and  to  be  built  in  such  manner 
as  shall  be  agreed  upon  between  the  said  company  and  the  secretary  of  war,  the 
same  to  be  completed  as  soon  as  that  portion  of  said  bridge  on  west  side  of  the 
island  is  completed. 

Third.  The  company  shall,  on  the  first  day  of  January,  A.  D.,  1872,  pay  to 
the  government  of  the  United  States  one-half  the  cost  of  the  superstructure  of 
that  portion  of  said  bridge  which  is  to  be  built  by  the  government  of  the  United 
States  over  the  main  channel  of  said  river :  Provided,  That  the  aggregate  cost 
of  the  said  bridge  shall  not  exceed  twelve  hundred  and  ninety-six  thousand,  two 
hundred  and  ninety-two  dollars  and  eleven  cents,  the  estimate  of  the  same  made 
by  the  commissioners  appointed  under  the  act  approved  June  2y,  1866:  And 
provided  further,  That  the  said  bridge  shall  be  completed  in  such  manner  as  to 
afford  a  safe  and  proper  crossing  for  the  railroad  trains  of  said  company,  and  in 
such  manner  that  the  railroad  of  said  company  can  be  connected  therewith  by 
suitable  and  practical  embankments,  before  the  money  stipulated  to  be  paid  herein 
by  said  company  to  the  United  States  shall  become  due  and  payable :  And  pro- 
vided further.  That  the  said  bridge  shall  be  built  upon  a  plan  to  be  agreed  upon 
between  the  said  company  and  the  secretary  of  war ;  or,  in  case  of  failure  to  make 
such  agreement,  the  point  in  controversy  shall  be  finally  determined  by  one 
competent  engineer,  to  be  appointed  by  the  secretary  of  war,  and  one  to  be 
appointed  by  the  said  company,  these  two  to  choose  a  third,  in  case  of  their 
disagreement,  to  act  as  umpire. 

Fourth.  The  United  States  are  to  keep  said  bridge  in  repair,  and  the  said 
company  agrees  to  forever  pay  one-half  of  the  cost  thereof,  from  time  to  time, 
as  the  same  shall  accrue;  but  the  sleepers  and  rails  are  to  be  put  down  upon 
the  bridge  and  kept  in  repair  at  the  expense  of  the  railroad  company,  with- 
out cost  to  the  United  States,  who  will  make  all  repairs  to  the  wagon  road 
ivithout  cost  to  the  company. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  333 

Fifth.  The  said  company  agrees  to  relocate  the  track  across  said  island 
and  to  remove  its  present  bridge  across  the  main  channel  of  said  river  west 
of  said  island  within  six  months  after  the  completion  of  the  said  new  bridge 
ready  for  use. 

In  witness  whereof  these  presents  are  signed  by  the  secretary  of  war,  on  be- 
half of  the  United  States,  and  by  John  F.  Tracy,  president  of  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  he  being  thereto  lawfully  authorized,  and 
the  seal  of  said  company  being  hereunto  affixed. 

j.  m.  schofield, 
John  F.  Tracy, 
President  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific. 
Railroad  Company. 

Ebenezer  Cook, 
Secretary  of  C.  R.  I.  &  P.  R.  R.  Co. 

THREE  GOVERNMENT  BRIDGES. 

The  first  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  at  Davenport  was  built  by  the  Missis- 
sippi River  Bridge  Company  in  1853-55,  and  the  moss-covered  pier  above 
mentioned  is  all  that  remains  of  it.  This  bridge  first  bore  the  weight  of  a 
train  of  cars,  consisting  of  a  locomotive  and  eight  cars,  April  i,  1856.  On  the 
6th  of  May  of  that  year,  the  first  span  east  of  the  draw,  250  feet  in  length,  was 
destroyed  by  fire,  communicated  by  the  steamer  Effie  Afton,  which  had  collided 
and  burned  at  one  of  the  piers.  With  the  opening  of  the  river  in  March,  1868, 
heavy  floating  cakes  of  ice,  jamming  against  it,  the  pier  on  the  Iowa  side  was 
pushed  into  the  river  twenty-five  feet  from  its  foundation  and  in  the  month  fol- 
lowing, a  terrific  windstorm  settled  the  fate  of  the  structure  by  lifting  the  draw 
span  from  its  masonry,  tilting  it  so  that  it  hung  supported  only  by  the  draw  pier, 
with  both  ends  up  in  midair.  The  second  bridge,  for  the  construction  of  which 
a  compact  was  entered  into  by  and  between  the  United  States  government  and 
the  "Railroad  Bridge  Company,"  as  herein  described  in  detail,  was  completed 
in  October,  1872,  and  opened  for  traffic  in  1873.  Its  total  length  was  1,500  feet, 
consisting  of  five  spans  and  a  draw.    The  cost  was  practically  $1,000,000  dollars. 

As  the  country  grew  and  prospered  and  traffic  became  more  intense,  the 
necessity  for  another  and  stronger  bridge  made  itself  apparent  and  the  pres- 
ent structure  is  the  result.  The  piers  of  the  second  bridge  were  utilized  for 
the  new  one  and  on  them,  in  the  winter  of  1894,  was  suspended  a  double-decked 
superstructure,  with  double  railroad  tracks  above  the  double  street  car  tracks 
and  wagon  road  below.  The  trusses  of  this  modern  and  one  of  the  great  bridges 
of  the  countr>'  are  calculated  to  bear  a  total  moving  load  of  11.360  pounds  per 
lineal  foot,  of  which  8,000  pounds  are  on  the  railway  floor  and  3,360  pounds  on 
the  roadway  floor.  The  solid  corrugated  steel  railway  floor,  together  with  the 
yuard  angles  and  rail  plates,  weigh  about  940  pounds  per  lineal  foot  of  the 
bridge.  The  draw  span,  which  weighs  approximately  2,500,000  pounds,  is  one 
of  the  heaviest  in  existence.  The  chain  motion  for  the  draw  span  is  one  of 
the  salient  departures  from  the  usual  methods.    At  the  north  end  of  the  bridge 


C34  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

the  first  span  is  260  feet  in  length,  the  second,  third  and  fourth  are  each  220 
feet,  the  fifth  is  260  feet  and  the  draw  is  368  feet.  The  approach  span  on  the  Dav- 
enport side  is  200  feet  and  on  the  island  end  about  one-half  this  length.  Ralph 
Modjeska,  son  of  the  noted  actress.  Madam  Modjeska.  who  recently  passed 
away  in  California,  and  whose  body  was  taken  to  her  beloved  Poland  for 
sepulture,  was  chief  engineer  of  the  new  bridge. 

At  the  southwest  limit  of  the  island  is  a  wagon  bridge  twenty-two  feet  in 
the  clear,  in  the  form  of  a  viaduct,  under  which  trains  pass.  There  are  foot 
walks  outside  the  chords,  each  six  feet  in  width.  At  its  eastern  end  the  south 
branch  or  Sylvan  Water,  is  spanned  by  a  bridge  connecting  the  island  with 
Moline.  This  bridge  is  711  feet  in  length  and  has  five  spans  of  142  feet  in 
lens^th   each. 

DESCRIPTION   OF  THE  FIRST  BRIDGE. 

On  January  17,  1854,  the  original  wooden  bridge  which  cost  about  $500,000 
with  the  sylvan  or  "slough"  bridge,  and  the  line  of  rails  connecting  them,  was 
started,  and  the  draw  was  first  swung  open  on  April  9,  1856,  over  two  years 
later.  The  wood  work  was  constructed  by  the  firm  of  Stone,  Boomer  &  Boyn- 
ton,  of  Davenport,  and  the  piers  were  built  by  John  Warner  of  Rock  Island. 
These  piers  were  seven  feet  wide  at  the  top,  thirty-five  feet  long  and  thirty- 
eight  feet  high,  resting  upon  solid  rock.  Each  span  was  250  feet  in  length.  The 
draw  span  was  285  feet  long  and  had  a  clear  channel  of  120  feet  on  each  side 
of  the  draw  pier.  The  length  of  the  bridge  was  1.581  feet.  There  were  1,080,- 
000  feet  of  lumber,  400.000  pounds  of  wrought  iron  and  290.000  pounds  of  cast 
iron  used  in  its  construction.  On  April  11.  1856,  a  meeting  was  called  to  pro- 
vide ways  and  means  for  celebrating  the  opening  of  the  bridge.  A  committee 
of  twenty-five  citizens  was  appointed  to  make  all  necessary  arrangements  for 
the  event.  On  the  14th  of  April,  following,  another  public  meeting  was  held, 
at  which  a  committee  of  five  was  appointed  to  solicit  funds ;  Ebenezer  Cook, 
Austin  Corbin,  Antoine  LeClaire,  J.  Lambrite,  and  L.  C.  Dessaint  were  the 
members  of  that  committee.  The  celebration  was,  however,  deferred  by  re- 
quest of  the  railroad  officials,  as  it  appeared  to  them  that  the  regular  traffic 
would  pay  better  than  complimentary-  trains  run  to  bring  in  distinguished 
strangers. 

The  Gazette  of  date  April  2;^.  1850,  had  this  to  say  of  the  completed  bridge: 
"The  2 1st  day  of  April,  1856.  can  be  set  down  as  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in 
the  history  of  Davenport,  as  on  that  day  the  first  locomotive  crossed  the  great 
bridge  which  spans  the  Mississippi  river  at  this  point.  The  event  occurred  at 
dusk  in  the  evening,  very  few  persons  being  eye  witnesses,  the  company,  with 
their  proverbial  silence  in  regard  to  their  operations,  having  kept  ever^-thing 
quiet  in  relation  to  the  matter.  Slowly  the  locomotive  Des  Moines  proceeded  on 
the  bridge,  very  cautiously  crossed  the  draw,  and  then  with  accelerated  speed 
rushed  on  to  the  Iowa  shore  where  it  was  welcomed  by  the  huzzas  of  those  who 
had  there  assembled  to  witness  the  event. 

"The  last  link  is  now  forged  in  the  chain  that  connects  Iowa  and  the  great 
west  with  the  states  of  the  Atlantic  seaboard.     The  iron  hand  that  will  span  our 


^mmBr^s^-:"' 

W 

-?! 

m^- 

■t-» 

.    iir 

HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  337 

hemisphere  has  been  welded  at  Davenport ;  one  mighty  barrier  has  been  over- 
come ;  the  Missouri  is  yet  to  be  crossed  and  then  the  locomotive  will  speed  on- 
ward to  the  Pacific. 

"Who  can  conjecture  the  effect  of  the  completion  of  the  road  upon  the  city  of 
Davenport !  As  it  progresses  business  must  continue  to  augment,  and  when  at 
last  a  communication  is  effected  with  the  distant  and  wealthy  state  of  California, 
how  vastly  must  that  business  increase.  There  is  a  future  for  Iowa  that  promises 
to  make  her  the  brightest  star  in  the  galaxy  of  states.  Her  extent  of  territory, 
fertility  of  soil,  everything  warrants  this  conclusion,  and  commensurate  with  her 
progress  must  be  the  advance  of  Davenport." 

ABRAHAM    LINCOLN    AND   THE   FIRST  BRIDGE. 

River  men  and  the  city  of  St.  Louis  were  bitterly  opposed  to  the  erection  of 
a  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  river,  and  did  all  in  their  power  to  place  ob-. 
structions  in  the  path  of  the  railroad  company,  both  by  legal  and  illegal  means, 
to  prevent  its  construction.  But  in  spite  of  the  St.  Louis  chamber  of  commerce 
and  steamboat  companies,  whose  officials  used  every  means  that  money  and  polit- 
ical influence  could  command,  the  work  of  constructing  the  bridge  went  on  and 
continued  until  finished.  In  the  Des  Moines  Register  appeared  a  letter  written 
by  Hon.  Robert  Lowry,  who  was  a  citizen  of  Davenport  from  1851  to  1883,  and 
later  became  Indian  agent  and  secretary  of  the  land  office  at  Huron,  South  Da- 
kota. In  the  communication,  which  follows  below,  he  gives  a  lucid  and  very  in- 
teresting story  regarding  the  first  bridge  and  its  troubles : 

"The  attempt  to  bridge  the  father  of  waters  united  the  steamboat  interests 
from  New  Orleans  to  St.  Paul  and  on  the  Ohio  river  to  Pittsburg.  In  the  places 
mentioned  those  interested  claimed  that  under  the  provision  of  an  old  English 
law.  renewed  by  legislation  in  this  country,  the  navigable  rivers,  particularly 
one  of  such  national  importance  as  the  Mississippi,  were  the  king's  highways, 
and  could  not  be  obstructed  by  bridges  of  any  character.  The  courts  were  be- 
seeched  for  applications  for  attachments  and  injunctions  and  several  attempts 
to  burn  the  bridge  were  made.  At  last,  amidst  the  most  discouraging  hindrances 
and  obstructions,  the  great  bridge  was  completed.  Shortly  thereafter,  in  May, 
1856.  the  steamer  Effie  Afton,  a  large  boat  from  the  Ohio  river,  carr>'ing  many 
passengers  and  a  heavy  cargo  of  freight,  was  passing  under  the  bridge  when  it 
swung  against  the  south  stone  pier  with  such  force  as  to  break  the  boat  in  two. 
The  wreck  and  bridge  were  set  on  fire.  A  number  of  persons  were  drowned  and 
the  boat  completely  lost.  Immediately  following  the  accident  suit  was  brought 
against  the  railroad  company  with  a  view  to  having  the  bridge  declared  an  ob- 
struction and  securing  its  removal.  The  suit  was  brought  before  Justice  John 
McLean,  of  the  United  States  supreme  court  at  Chicago.  The  railroad  company 
employed  some  of  the  best  lawyers  in  the  country  to  defend  this  case,  among 
them  being  Abraham  Lincoln  and  N.  B.  Judd.  The  title  of  the  case  was  'Hurd 
et  al.,  vs.  Railroad  Bridge  Company.'  When  the  case  was  called  up  a  large  num- 
ber of  witnesses  from  Davenport  and  Rock  Island  went  to  Chicago  and  with  them 
numerous  parties  interested  in  the  suit.  When  I  entered  the  courtroom  there 
was  a  large  number  present.     Justice  McLean  was  in  his  chair  and  Mr.  Lincoln 


338  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

was  upon  the  floor,  addressing  the  court.  His  towering  figure,  six  feet,  three 
and  a  half  inches  in  height,  impressed  me.  He  was  talking  in  a  loud  voice  and 
twisting  and  bending  his  long  thin  form  in  all  manner  of  shapes,  emphasizing 
his  words  by  gestures  of  his  sapling-like  arms.  He  said :  The  American  people 
are  a  progressive  people:  our  forefathers  used  to  travel  on  horseback  and  in 
coaches,  the  latter  in  the  west  being  superseded  by  Fink  &  Walker's  hack,  when 
each  passenger  was  obliged  to  carry  a  fence  rail  to  assist  the  driver  in  prying  the 
hack  from  the  mud.  Afterward  came  the  steamboat.  If  it  please  the  court,  I 
have  had  some  experience  in  fiatboating.  I  have  taken  a  number  of  flatboats 
to  New  Orleans  and  returned  by  steamboat ;  but  our  people  were  not  satisfied  to 
travel  on  the  steamboat  at  the  rate  of  eight  or  ten  miles  an  hour,  stopping  at 
every  little  village  or  hamlet  to  take  on  fuel  or  freight.  They  soon  wanted  to  go 
on  railroads  at  the  rate  of  thirty  or  forty  miles  an  hour,  and  to  facilitate  travel, 
streams  and  rivers  must  be  bridged;  millions  of  dollars  have  been  spent  on 
navigable  rivers  yearly  in  removing  obstacles  from  them  and  keeping  their  chan- 
nels clear.  Railroads,  like  navigable  rivers,  are  great  national  highways,  and  the 
rivers  must  yield  so  much  of  their  vested  rights  as  to  permit  bridges  to  be  built 
ax:ross  them  to  accommodate  travel  and  commerce  that  naturally  seek  the  railroads.' 

A   LINCOLN    STORY. 

"It  will  be  remembered  by  the  oldest  citizens  that  the  cities  of  Wheeling  and 
Pittsburg  claimed  to  be  at  the  head  of  navigation  of  the  Ohio  river,  and  that  there 
was  much  rivalry  between  them.  In  1845  the  people  of  Wheeling  built  a  bridge 
over  the  Ohio  river  at  that  point  and  when  completed  the  newspapers,  in  bold 
headlines,  announced  that  that  city  was  the  head  of  navigation  of  the  Ohio  river. 
This  was  true.  The  bridge  was  so  low,  however,  that  the  larger  steamers  could 
not  pass  under  it.  Pittsburg  and  the  vicinity  became  greatly  excited.  Mass 
meetings  were  held,  speeches  were  made  and  resolutions  passed  denouncing  the 
Wheeling  bridge  and  declaring  it  an  obstruction  to  free  navigation.  Its  removal 
was  therefore  demanded.  Hon.  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  afterward  Mr,  Lincoln's 
secretary  of  war,  Hon.  Moses  Hampton  and  Hon.  Wilson  McCandless  were 
employed  by  the  citizens  of  Pittsburg  to  bring  suit  against  the  Wheeling  Bridge 
company  in  the  federal  courts.  This  fact  apparently  flashed  upon  Mr.  Lincoln 
while  earnestly  addressing  Judge  McLean,  and  fixing  his  eyes  squarely  on  him, 
said  'Will  your  Honor  please  pardon  me  if  I  relate  a  little  incident  which  will 
have  a  bearing  upon  this  case?'  Being  assured  by  the  judge  that  he  had  a  perfect 
right  to  talk,  Mr.  Lincoln  continued:  'I  once  had  some  business  in  New  Albany 
upon  the  Ohio  river.  After  registering  at  the  hotel  I  took  a  walk  down  to  the 
river.  A  number  of  steamboats  were  lying  at  the  wharf.  Two  of  them.  Telegraph 
No.  I,  and  Hibernian  No.  2,  were  very  large  boats,  and  had  smoke  stacks  that 
seemingly  touched  the  clouds.  I  could  not  comprehend  why  they  were  so  tall. 
While  looking  at  them  an  Irishman  came  along  with  his  dray.  He  proved  to  be 
a  true  son  of  the  Emerald  isle.  I  asked  him  if  he  could  tell  me  why  those  two 
boats  had  chimneys  so  much  higher  than  the  other  boats.  "Yez  must  be  a  stranger 
about  here,"  says  Pat.  I  told  him  that  I  was,  and  that  I  lived  at  Springfield, 
Illinois.    "And  faith,  that's  where  they  have  the  milk  sickness."    I  told  him  that  I 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  339 

could  never  locate  the  disease,  but  would  like  to  know  something  about  those  tall 
chimneys.  ^'Well,  yez  see,  them's  Pittsburg  boats.  Don't  yez  know  that  them 
Wheeling  chaps  has  built  a  bridge  over  the  Ohio  river  and  then  declared  that 
town  was  the  head  of  navigation  of  the  Ohio  river  ?  The  Pittsburg  fellows  swore 
that  the  bridge  was  an  obstruction  and  must  come  down.  And  by  the  powers 
of  Kilkenny  and  the  bogs  of  Tyrone,  they  made  good  their  oath  by  building 
chimneys  so  high  that  the  boats  couldn't  go  under  the  bridge,  and  there  yez  sees 
two  of  the  Pittsburg  boats.'  " 

Mr.  Lincoln's  imitation  of  the  Irishman's  rich  brogue  was  so  ludicrous  and  in- 
teresting that  even  Judge  McLean  threw  himself  back  in  his  chair  and  joined  the 
attorneys  and  spectators  in  a  hearty  laugh.  Mr.  Lincoln  won  his  suit  and  the 
bridge  was  allowed  to  remain  until  superseded  by  the  fine  iron  structure  built 
by  the  government  which  now  spans  the  Mississippi  river  at  Davenport." 

Mr.  Lincoln,  in  preparing  his  arguments  in  this  case,  took  advantage  of  and 
put  into  use  the  survey  of  the  upper  rapids  of  the  Mississippi  river  made  in  1837 
by  a  young  lieutenant  of  United  States  engineers,  and  it  probably  occurred  to 
him  that  in  1832,  when  cholera  was  rampant  at  Fort  Armstrong,  on  Rock  island, 
it  was  often  unwise  and  dangerous  for  boats  to  land  there  and  that  a  steamboat, 
carrying  Black  Hawk,  the  noted  Sac  warrior,  as  a  prisoner,  was  in  charge  of 
a  lieutenant  of  the  United  States  army  on  a  steamboat  anchored  in  the  stream  a 
few  hundred  feet  above  the  site  of  the  bridge. 

Looking  back  over  the  years  that  have  long  since  passed  away,  an  unusual 
interest  is  centered  in  the  personnel  of  some  of  those  whose  memories  are  par- 
ticularly connected  with  the  history  of  the  bridge  and  Rock  island,  for  during 
the  war  which  convulsed  the  nation  three  and  a  half  years  after  this  notable  trial 
the  attorney  who  defended  the  bridge  company  was  president  of  the  United  States  ; 
the  lieutenant  who  made  the  survey,  Robert  E.  Lee,  was  commander  in  chief  of 
the  army  of  the  Confederacy,  while  the  lieutenant  who  brought  Black  Hawk 
to  Prairie  du  Chien,  Jefferson  Davis,  was  president  of  the  so-called  confederate 
states  of  America. 

PLOT  TO    BURN   THE   BRIDGE. 

A  dispatch  from  Chicago,  of  date  August  8,  i860,  was  sent  to  and  published 
in  the  Democrat,  stating  that  Josiah  Bissell,  a  young  man,  smooth-spoken,  plau- 
sible, an  architect,  engineer  and  bridge  builder,  and  a  prime  mover  in  the  raid 
against  the  great  bridge,  was  arrested  in  that  city  by  Officer  Dennis,  of  Pinker- 
ton's  police  force,  and  that  Walter  E.  Chadwick  had  been  arrested  at  Rock  Island 
by  Officer  Webster  upon  warrants  charging  them  with  conspiracy  to  burn  the 
railroad  bridge  across  the  Mississippi  river  at  Rock  Island.  The  dispatch  gave 
the  further  information  that  on  the  morning  of  August  8th,  indictments  had  been 
found  against  the  accused  by  the  grand  jury  of  the  recorder's  court,  then  in  ses- 
sion, and  that  a  large  quantity  of  inflammable  material  in  bottles  had  been  seized 
by  the  officers  at  the  time  of  the  arrest  of  Bissell ;  that  Bissell  was  the  agent  of  the 
St.  Louis  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  Chadwick  an  attorney  in  cases  pending 
against  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  company.  In  its  mention  of  the  matter  the 
Chicago  Press  and  Tribune  had  the  following  to  say,  after  describing  the  parties 
under  arrest: 


340  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

"In  April  last,  Mr.  Bissell  came  to  this  city  and  stopped  at  the  Richmond 
house.  He  had  a  business  interview  with  Cyrus  P.  Bradley,  a  well-known  de- 
tective of  this  city,  and  after  finishing  other  important  matters,  came  out  plumply 
with  the  proposition  to  pay  him  $5,000  if  he  would  cause  the  bridge  to  be  burned. 
He  paid  Mr.  Bradley  a  compliment,  saying  that  if  he,  Mr.  Bradley,  undertook 
it,  it  would  be  done.  Bissell  at  the  time  lamented  the  previous  failure  last  fall 
and  that  it  must  be  done  sure  this  time.  He  said  the  law-suits  would  never  move 
the  bridge,  'but  let  it  once  be  burned  and  we'll  get  out  an  injunction  against  re- 
building it.  Do  you  see?'  Captain  Bradley  did  'see,'  and  took  the  bait.  Not  long 
thereafter  Superintendent  Tracy,  of  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  Railroad  com- 
pany, and  Hon.  B.  C.  Cook,  of  Ottawa,  attorney  for  the  company,  were  acquainted 
with  the  facts  and  from  that  time  to  day  before  yesterday  Messrs.  Bissell  and 
Chadwick,  with  C.  P.  Bradley,  silent  partner  of  this  interesting  bridge  destroying 
firm,  enjoyed  plain  sailing  straight  into  the  lion's  jaws.  They  have  had  con- 
versations in  this  city  in  a  card  room  carefully  prepared  with  a  skillful  shorthand 
reporter,  taking  evidence  'behind  the  arras,'  and  at  times  citizens  well  chosen 
for  standing  and  probity  have  been  placed  equally  well  to  hear  how  it  was  to  be 
done — the  burning  of  the  bridge. 

"On  Tuesday,  by  previous  agreement,  a  package  of  combustibles  came  by 
express  to  this  city  from  St.  Louis.  It  contained  fifty  champagne  bottles  filled 
with  a  highly  combustible  treacle-like  fluid,  known  as  Greek  fire.  This  was  to 
be  kept  as  Bradley's  stock  in  trade,  among  other  things.  All  seemed  to  be  ready 
for  the  harvest.  Officer  Dennis  took  Mr.  Bissell  into  custody  at  the  Richmond 
house  that  evening  and  Special  Deputy  Tim  Webster  and  Mr.  J.  R.  Reed,  bridge 
master  of  the  railroad  company  at  Rock  Island,  served  the  papers  almost  simul- 
taneously on  Chadwick  in  that  city.  This  latter  arrest  was  neatly  done.  Mr. 
Chadwick  was  invited  to  the  depot  to  look  at  some  papers  in  Webster's  posses- 
sion. Then  it  turned  out  that  the  paper  was  accidentally  in  Mr.  Webster's 
valise  in  the  cars  and  just  as  the  two  went  into  the  car  of  the  up-bound  night 
train,  to  see  the  paper,  Chadwick  did  see  and  too  late,  that  it  was  a  warrant  for 
his  arrest  and  he  a  prisoner  and  the  train  already  under  headway  for  Chicago. 
Chadwick  and  Bissell  joined  company  here  under  arrest  yesterday.  These  men 
were  tried  for  the  crime  alleged  against  them  and  on  December  15,  i860,  the 
jury  returned  a  verdict  of  not  guilty  against  Bissell.  Chadwick  was  never  brought 
to  trial." 

Timothy  Webster,  who  made  the  arrest  of  Chadwick  in  Rock  Island,  came  to 
Davenport  immediately  after  the  attempt  to  bum  the  Rock  Island  bridge  in  the 
summer  of  1858,  and  remained  here  for  several  years.  He  was  not  known, 
however,  as  Timothy  Webster,  but  as  J.  R.  Reed,  and  from  the  logic  of  events 
it  became  apparent  that  his  object  in  taking  up  his  residence  in  Davenport  was 
to  employ  his  time  as  a  member  of  the  Pinkerton  detective  agency  in  the  interest 
of  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  company  in  ferreting  out  the  instigators  of  the 
plot  to  burn  the  bridge.  Mr.  Reed  was  well  known  in  this  city  during  his  resi- 
dence here  and  in  i860  was  elected  alderman  from  the  fifth  ward,  but  for  reasons 
best  known  to  himself  at  the  time  he  declined  to  qualify  for  the  office.  He  was 
a  Jacksonian  democrat,  a  great  admirer  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas  and  took  an 
active  part  in  the  presidential  campaign  of  i860.    In  this  relation  it  might  be  well 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  341 

to  add  that  in  the  later  '60s  Allen  Pinkerton,  of  Chicago,  a  member  of  the  famous 
detective  firm  bearing  that  name,  published  a  pamphlet  in  New  York  city  in 
which  Timothy  Webster  is  given  the  credit  of  discovering  and  making 
known  to  the  authorities  the  plot  to  assassinate  Abraham  Lincoln 
while  on  his  way  from  Springfield  to  Washington  for  his  inauguration 
as  president  of  the  United  States,  which  was  to  take  place  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1861.  Letters  from  Hon.  N.  B.  Judd,  Governor  Curtin  and  others  plainly 
indicated  that  the  plot  was  discovered  and  frustrated  by  members  of  the  Pin- 
kerton force  and  not  by  persons  in  New  York,  who  have  claimed  the  credit. 
In  the  pamphlet  above  referred  to  Mr.  Pinkerton  gives  credit  to  Timothy  Web- 
ster in  the  words  following:  "Timothy  Webster,  one  of  my  detective  force,  ac- 
companied me  upon  this  eventful  occasion.  He  served  faithfully  as  a  detective 
among  the  secessionists  of  Maryland  and  acquired  many  valuable  and  important 
secrets.  He,  among  all  the  force  who  went  with  me,  deserves  the  credit  of  sav- 
ing the  life  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  even  more  than  I  do.  He  was  a  native  of  Princeton, 
New  Jersey,  a  life-long  democrat,  but  he  felt  and  realized  with  Jackson  that  the 
Union  must  and  should  be  preserved.  He  continued  in  important  detective  service 
and  after  I  assumed  charge  of  the  secret  service  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac 
under  Major  General  McClellan,  Mr.  Webster  was  most  of  the  time  within  the 
rebel  lines.  True,  he  was  called  a  spy  and  martial  law  says  that  a  spy,  when  con- 
victed, must  die.  Yet,  spies  are  necessary  in  war,  ever  have  been  and  ever  will 
be.  Timothy  Webster  was  arrested  in  Richmond  and  upon  the  testimony  of 
members  of  the  'secesh'  army  in  Washington,  named  Levi,  for  whom  I  had  done 
some  acts  of  kindness,  he  was  convicted  as  a  spy  and  executed  by  Jefferson  Davis, 
April  30,  1862.  His  name  is  unknown  to  fame  but  few  were  braver  or  more 
devoted  to  the  Union  cause  than  was  Timothy  Webster."  While  in  Davenport 
Timothy  Webster  secured  appointment  as  bridge  superintendent,  succeeding  Seth 
Gurney,  the  first  incumbent. 

GEO.    E.    HUBBELL    LINCOLN'S   ASSOCL\TE    COUNSEL. 

Associated  with  Abraham  Lincoln  in  the  bridge  cases  was  George  E.  Hub- 
bell  of  the  Davenport  bar.  He  was  engaged  for  several  months  in  taking  dep- 
ositions in  this  vicinity  and  up  and  down  the  river,  and  this  evidence  was  in 
Mr.  Lincoln's  possession  when  the  cases  came  up  for  trial.  Mr.  Hubbell  tells 
of  seeing  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  eldest  son,  then  a  boy,  in  a  hotel  at  Dubuque,  where 
Mr.  Lincoln  had  journeyed  on  legal  business.  The  martyred  president  never 
visited  Davenport,  although  that  statement  is  often  made.  The  only  presidents 
who  have  been  in  this  city  are  Millard  Fillmore,  who  accompanied  the  party  on 
the  first  train  over  the  Rock  Island  road  and  was  given  a  hearty  reception  here, 
Theodore  Roosevelt  who  spoke  here  during  the  McKinley  campaign  and  Presi- 
dent Taylor,  who  was  met  by  a  reception  committee  of  British  and  Indians  at 
Credit  island  in  the  war  of  1812.  President  Taft,  while  secretary  of  war,  was  one 
of  a  distinguished  company  entertained  by  the  Tri-City  Press  club  at  a  banquet  at 
the  Commercial  club,  and  in  1900,  Theodore  Roosevelt  also  made  Davenport  a 
stopping  place  while  on  a  campaigning  tour  in  the  west.  While  attorney  in  the 
bridge  cases  Abraham  Lincoln  came  to  the  bridge  to  study  the  location  of  draw 
pier  and  direction  of  currents.  He  was  within  a  few  hundred  feet  of  Davenport 
but  did  not  cross  the  bridge. 


W.  L.  CLARK 


CHAPTER  IX. 
IOWA'S  EARLIEST  LIVING  RESIDENT 

CAPT.  WARNER  L.   CLARK  AND   HIS  VARIED   EXPERIENCES ACQUAINTED  WITH    MANY 

MEN  OF  PROMINENCE HAS  REMARKABLE   MEMORY — PIONEER  CUSTOMS CAPT. 

CLARK's   HOME   TOWN   THE  FIRST  TO   BE   PLATTED   IN    SCOTT   COUNTY ^DESCRIP- 
TION OF  THE  PIONEER  CABIN INDIAN  NEIGHBORS INCIDENTS  OF  INDIAN  LIFE 

WHY  BUFFALO  FELL  BEHIND  IN  THE  RACE. 

On  the  morning  of  a  beautiful  sunshiny  day  in  the  early  part  of  March, 
1910,  the  writer  and  an  expert  stenographer  reached  the  quiet  little  village  of 
Buffalo  and  upon  inquiry,  learned  the  location  of  Captain  Clark's  home,  which 
proved  to  be  quite  a  half  mile  distant  from  the  depot  and  commanding  a  promi- 
nent and  most  desirable  position  overlooking  the  "father  of  waters."  The  visitors 
were  early  ones,  it  being  but  a  few  minutes  past  8  o'clock,  yet  when  ushered  into 
the  cottage,  which  was  built  in  1845  but  is  in  a  splendid  state  of  preservation, 
they  found  the  old  pioneer  in  his  sitting  room,  ready  to  receive  his  callers.  Capn 
tain  Clark  was  soon  in  possession  of  the  reason  for  being  called  on  to  enter- 
tain strangers  and  soon  the  reminiscent  muse  impelled  him  to  gratify  the  de- 
sire to  obtain,  at  first  hand,  his  recollections  of  the  primitive  times,  scenes  and 
people  of  this  locality.  We  were  told  by  him  that  his  memory,  although  almost 
eighty-eight  years  had  passed  over  his  head,  was  practically  as  good  as  when 
he  was  in  his  prime,  and  he  made  the  statement  an  emphatic  one  when  he  said 
he  never  permitted  himself  to  assert  the  truth  or  falsity  of  a  thing  unless  he 
knew  he  was  right.  His  rule  of  action  has  probably  been  that  attributed  to 
Davy  Crockett — "Be  sure  you're  right,  then  go  ahead."  And  the  kindly,  inter- 
esting old  gentleman  opened  up  his  Pandora's  box  of  precious  tales  of  the  early 
days  in  Scott  county  and  after  handing  over  the  copy  of  an  article  he  had  writ- 
ten for  another  publication,  he  let  his  memory  carry  him  hither  and  yon,  first 
on  this  subject  and  then  on  that,  always,  let  it  be  understood,  keeping  in  view 
the  main  object — the  past  and  its  relation  to  Scott  county. 

Captain  Warner  Lewis  Clark  will  be  eighty-eight  years  old  in  November 
and  is  now  living  on  the  claim  taken  up  for  him  by  his  father  seventy-seven 
years  ago.     Today  he  is  the  oldest  living  pioneer  and  settler  not  only  of  Scott 


346  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

county  but  also  of  the  state  of  Iowa.  The  relation  of  early  times  and  events 
in  this  locality  herein  recorded  is  from  the  lips  and  pen  of  Captain  Clark  and 
is  of  much  importance  as  a  part  of  this  work. 

From  1847  until  1859,  Captain  Clark  made  his  home  in  Davenport,  but  in 
the  latter  year  returned  to  Bulifalo,  where  for  the  past  half  century  he  has  re- 
sided. Fifty  years  ago  he  put  on  the  river  a  packet  line,  to  connect  with  the 
railroad,  and  during  the  twelve  years  he  resided  in  Davenport,  his  main  busi- 
ness was  that  of  steamboating.  While  retired  from  active  business  pursuits,  he 
is  still  able  to  keep  an  eye  on  whatever  concerns  his  financial  affairs.  The  fol- 
lowing incident  relates  to  his  remarkable  talent  for  remembering  things :  He 
was  walking  past  the  Democrat  office  one  day  when  David  N.  Richardson 
(Dick)  espied  him  and  called  him  into  the  editorial  den.  "Dick"  Richardson, 
thinking  he  had  the  captain  on  the  hip  and  that  the  latter  would  have  to  step 
down  from  his  pedestal  of  infallibility  in  the  correctness  of  his  historic  data, 
opened  up  on  the  patriarch  by  asking  him:  "Captain,  who  was  the  first  post- 
master of  Davenport  and  of  Buffalo?"  "Why,"  immediately  answered  the  cap- 
tain, "my  father  was  the  first  postmaster  of  Buffalo  and  Antoine  LeClaire  was 
the  first  one  of  Davenport.  I  have  told  you  that  before."  "I  must  confess  to 
you,  Captain  Clark,"  returned  the  editor,  "that  in  this  you  are  wrong,  and  it  is 
the  first  time  in  our  long  acquaintance  that  I  have  ever  found  you  making  a 
mistake  of  that  kind.  Now,  to  prove  to  you  that  you  did  make  a  mistake  as 
to  these  postmasters,  here  is  a  letter  from  the  postoffice  department  in  Wash- 
ington, in  which  it  is  stated  positively  that  Duncan  C.  Eldridge  was  Daven- 
port's first  postmaster  and  the  first  in  Buffalo  to  handle  the  mails  was  M.  N. 
Bosworth.  I  am  sorry,  captain,  but  you'll  have  to  admit  your  mistake  in  this 
instance,"  concluded  Mr.  Richardson.  But  Captain  Clark  stood  his  ground  and 
reinstated  himself  on  his  pedestal.  He  proved  to  the  satisfaction  of  Editor 
"Dick"  Richardson  that  notwithstanding  the  postal  officials  in  Washington  had 
given  Eldridge  and  Bosworth  a  place  in  Scott  county  history,  that  might  have 
tickled  the  vanity  of  those  gentlemen  and  given  the  postoffice  historian  at  Wash- 
ington an  abnormal  assurance  of  his  importance  as  a  collector  of  statistics, 
still,  he,  Captain  Clark,  knew  that  Eldridge  and  Bosworth  were  not  in  Scott 
county  for  a  year  or  more  subsequent  to  the  appointment  of  his  father  and 
Antoine  LeClaire.     And  Mr.  Clark  was  right. 

KNEW    ANTOINE   LE  CLAIRE. 

"I  knew  Antoine  LeClaire  very  well,"  said  Mr.  Qark.  "When  I  first  met 
him,  a  young  man,  he  was  then  five  feet,  seven  inches  in  height,  and  weighed 
about  175  pounds.  He  was  a  compactly,  well  built  man,  and  filled  out  later  in 
life  until  he  weighed  over  300  pounds.  I  remember  him  well  as  a  fiddler,  and 
he  was  a  good  one,  too !  He  would  often  be  found  at  country  dances,  playing 
his  fiddle  to  the  delight  of  all  in  the  merry  crowd.  He  was  also  fond  of  danc- 
ing and  was  very  spry  on  his  feet.  He  was  considered  a  good  dancer  and  never 
wanted  for  a  partner.  He  was  a  simple-minded  man,  a  good  neighbor  and 
kind  to  everybody.     He  was  clever,  but  you  could  not  say  he  was  a  good  busi- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  347 

ness  man.     Notwithstanding  he  met  with  business  reverses,  yet  at  his  death  he 
left  a  large  property  to  be  distributed  among  the  claimants  to  his  estate." 

Captain  Clark  casually  remarked  that  he  could  talk  "Indian"'  and  that  when 
a  child  he  had  Indians  for  his  playmates.  He  knew  the  noted  Chief  Keokuk 
very  well,  who  was  also  one  of  his  playmates,  and  a  number  of  years  after 
Keokuk  had  acquired  wealth  and  joined  the  Methodist  church  he  invited  the 
chief  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  Scott  County  Old  Settlers'  association,  which 
Keokuk  accepted  but  for  some  reason  never  put  in  an  appearance.  Captain 
Qark  also  said:  "Father  had  the  first  ferry  on  the  Mississippi  and  the  most 
noted  above  St.  Louis.  He  established  the  ferry  to  reach  the  mining  country 
in  those  days.  He  could  have  claimed  his  land  in  Davenport,  below  Harrison 
street,  just  as  well  as  in  Buffalo,  but  if  he  had  gone  to  Davenport  he  would 
have  had  the  two  branches  of  the  Rock  river  to  ferry,  as  we  didn't  think  of 
bridging  rivers  in  those  days.  This  (Buffalo)  was  far  the  prettier  place.  We 
had  every  advantage  here  and  were  ahead  in  everything." 

KNEW    STEPHEN    A.    DOUGLAS. 

Continuing  in  a  desultory  way,  Captain  Clark  told  of  having  lived  under 
every  president  from  James  Monroe  to  William  Howard  Taft,  and  that  he 
joined  the  Old  Settlers'  association  when  it  was  organized  in  1858,  and  had 
never  missed  but  two  or  three  of  its  meetings.  "I  knew  quite  a  good  deal  of 
'Abe'  Lincoln,  but  never  met  him.  Stephen  A.  Douglas  I  had  met  on  more 
than  one  occasion.  He  was  a  brilliant  man.  I  have  no  picture  of  my  father 
— we  didn't  know  much  about  pictures  in  those  days — but  my  old  acquaintances 
said  that  my  father  and  Douglas  were  as  nearly  alike  in  appearance  as  two 
brothers  could  be.  I  was  running  the  Jennie  Lind,  one  of  my  packet  boats,  and 
went  to  Burlington  one  time  when  a  convention  was  to  be  held  there.  On  board 
my  boat  en  route  to  the  convention  were  John  Wentworth,  'Long  John,'  of 
Chicago,,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  Congressman  Richards  from  Adams  county 
General  Jones  and  General  A.  C.  Dodge.  I  took  them  all  down  in  my  boat  and 
they  had  a  rally  at  Burlington  the  next  night.  Here  I  might  add  that  it  was 
not  a  common  thing  to  lay  over  with  a  steamboat  twelve  hours  to  pick  up  noted 
men." 

WRITTEN    BY    CAPTAIN    W.    L.    CLARK. 

Benjamin  W.  Clark  was  bom  in  Wyth  county,  Mrginia,  and  came  to  Black 
Hawk's  Purchase  in  June,  1833,  where  he  took  up  claims  and  bought  others  two 
and  one- fourth  miles  in  length  on  the  Mississippi  river,  above  and  below  where 
the  town  of  Buffalo  is  now  situated.  He  built  a  log  cabin  at  the  lower  end  of 
W.  L.  Clark's  present  property,  one  near  where  the  Dorman  store  and  postoffice 
now  stands,  one  at  what  is  now  the  upper  end  of  town  and  one  on  the  river 
bank  above  where  the  public  highway  crosses  the  Rock  Island  railroad,  on  the 
Dodge  farm,  all  embracing  what  are  now  the  W.  L.  Clark.  Springmeir,  Kautz, 
Zerker,  Erie  Dodge,  Henry  Alford.  and  the  south  part  of  the  Harsch,  Stickle- 
berger  and  Dodge  farms,    or    about    2.000    acres.     In    the    spring    of    1833    he 


348  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

planted  corn,  potatoes  and  a  vegetable  garden  where  Buffalo  now  stands. 
These  were  the  tirst  crops  in  the  county.  His  nearest  neighbor  north,  on  the 
river,  was  at  Dubuque,  135  miles.  The  nearest  one  south  was  at  Flint  Hills, 
now  Burlington  (Shacacon,  the  Indian  namej,  ninety  miles  distant,  and  not  a 
house  to  the  Pacific  coast. 

The  spot  chosen  by  him  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  on  the  great  river  be- 
tween St.  Louis  and  St.  Paul.  Here  were  low  lying  hills,  set  well  back  from 
the  river  and  covered  with  a  fine  growth  of  valuable  timber,  with  building  stone 
and  coal  cropping  out  of  the  sides  of  many  of  the  creeks,  fine  sulphur  springs 
of  clear,  delicious,  healthful  water,  and  besides  all  these  natural  advantages 
that  of  being  on  a  direct  line  between  Alonmouth,  Illinois,  forty  miles  south, 
and  Dubuque  by  airline  seventy-four  miles  north  to  the  lead  mines.  The  river 
here  had  beautiful  pebbly,  rocky  shores,  and  here  he  established  Clark's  ferry, 
which,  after  emigration  set  in,  became  the  most  noted  in  the  Black  Hawk  Pur- 
chase. It  was  the  only  ferry  between  Burlington  and  Dubuque;  in  other 
words,  we  were  the  first.  Here  it  was  the  first  house  was  built,  the  first  ferry 
established,  the  first  plowing  done,  the  first  crop  planted,  the  first  brickyard,  the 
first  blacksmith  shop,  where  the  mill-irons  for  the  Green  grist  mill  at  Rochester, 
also  the  irons  for  the  Whittlesy  mill,  both  in  Cedar  county,  were  made;  the 
first  town  between  Flint  Hill  and  Dubuque,  the  first  bam,  thirty  by  forty  feet, 
now  standing,  the  first  coal  mine  opened,  and  the  first  white  child  born,  David 
H.  Qark,  April  21,  1834;  the  second  in  schools — for  Pleasant  Valley  was  the 
first  there.  We  were  first  and  foremost  in  everything  else,  for  we  were  here 
first  and  went  to  work  with  a  will.  The  first  girl  born  here  was  Harriet 
Mounts  (Fridley)  on  September  2,  1835. 

During  the  winter  of  1833-34,  Captain  Benjamin  W.  Clark  had  several  men 
making  rails  to  fence  four  of  his  farms  on  the  river. 

EARLY   HISTORY. 

Having  raised  a  crop  of  sod  corn,  in  1834,  the  manufacture  of  breadstuff 
became  a  vital  subject.  Wheaten  flour  was  out  of  the  question  for  daily  use. 
Some  means  had  to  be  provided  for  the  making  of  corn  meal,  and  this  is  the 
way  we  did  it.  We  sawed  off  from  a  log  thirty  inches  in  diameter  a  piece  three 
and  one-half  feet  long,  setting  it  on  one  end.  With  our  crude  tools  we  cut  and 
burned  out  a  hollow  mortar  to  hold  a  peck  or  more  of  corn ;  then  with  two  poles 
and  a  prop  against  a  tree  (not  unlike  the  old  well  sweep)  we  rigged  our  mill. 
The  end  coming  straight  down  had  a  hole  bored  in  it,  a  pin  driven  through 
leaving  an  end  on  each  side  long  enough  for  a  man  to  take  hold  of.  The  lower 
end  forming  a  pestle  had  a  ring  around  it  and  an  iron  wedge  driven  in.  Two 
men  would  then  take  hold  and  soon  pound  sufficient  meal  for  the  day.  These 
articles  were  in  use  in  the  year  1834.  Two  years  later,  1835-6,  Messrs.  Davis 
and  Haskel  built  a  little  mill  on  Crow  creek,  and  J.  H.  Sullivan  and  H.  C. 
Morehead  built  a  steam  mill  at  Rockingham,  which  did  away  with  the  pestle 
and  mortar  and  supplied  not  only  the  residents  of  the  community  but  furnished 
breadstuffs  to  ship  away. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  349 

CUSTOMS  OF  THE   PIONEERS. 

For  the  first  horseshoeing,  done  early  in  December,  1833,  the  writer  went  a 
long  distance.  He  rode  one  horse  and  led  another.  The  first  day  he  made 
Monmouth,  Illinois,  forty  miles ;  the  next  day,  reached  Macomb,  Illinois,  forty 
miles  further ;  the  third  day,  by  noon,  twenty  miles  further ;  in  all,  100  miles 
to  Crooked  Creek,  where  lived  and  worked  one  Elijah  Bristow,  a  blacksmith. 
Bristow  himself  made  all  shoes  and  nails  used  by  him,  as  all  the  smiths  did  at 
that  time.  The  calks  were  of  cast  steel,  the  hind  calks  were  made  square 
where  they  joined  the  shoe,  then  drawn  to  a  point.  The  smith  must  have  been 
an  unusually  efficient  workman,  or  took  extra  pains  with  my  horses,  since  every 
shoe  remained  firm  until  the  following  spring.  On  the  return  trip  I  procured  a 
wagon  and  harness  and  drove  back,  bringing  with  me  John  Bristow,  Michael 
Shelly,  William  Shelly,  Orian  Moss  and  W.  H.  Gabbert  to  split  rails  for  my 
father.  Three  of  these  men  took  up  claims  and  settled  near  us,  one  taking  the 
now  H.  C.  Morehead  farm,  one  the  now  Theodore  Kautz  farm  and  one  the 
upper  end  of  the  now  Miller  farm. 

liUFFALO  FIRST  TOWN  PLATTED. 

Buffalo  was  the  first  town  platted  in  what  is  now  Scott  county,  and  was  laid 
out  in  May,  1836,  by  Captain  Benjamin  W.  Clark,  Captain  E.  A.  Mix  and  Dr. 
Pillsbury,  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  named  in  honor  of  the  latter  place.  At 
the  time  of  laying  out  it  had  the  widely  known  Clark  ferrv'  which  enjoyed  the 
trade  of  a  large  extent  of  territory,  being  in  a  direct  line  with  southern  Illinois 
and  Dubuque  and  the  lead  regions.  Here  all  the  first  settlers  with  teams 
crossed  the  river  into  Black  Hawk's  Purchase,  and  on  their  way  to  Muscatine, 
Linn,  Cedar  and  all  the  western  portion  of  Scott  countly,  Buffalo,  being  situ- 
ated in  a  fine  timbered  section  of  country  with  coal  creeping  out  of  almost  every 
creek,  a  flouring  mill  in  process  of  erection  (by  Benjamin  Nye),  good  roads 
to  Moscow  and  Rochester,  also  to  the  groves,  namely,  Center,  Hickory,  Allen's, 
Big  and  Little  Walnut,  Poston's,  Red  Oak,  Stuart  Mason,  and  all  the  Cedar 
river  valley,  the  whole  western  country  was  brought  tributary  to  Buffalo,  which 
was  having  a  fine  trade  with  all  these  western  settlers. 

Davenport  was  laid  out  later,  also  Rockingham,  Montevideo,  Iowa,  Mont- 
pelier,  Salem,  Wyoming,  Geneva,  and  Bloomington,  being  ten  towns  in  twenty- 
nine  miles,  each  clamoring  for  supremacy  over  the  other.  This  was  then 
Michigan  territory;  our  first  delegates  met  at  Detroit.  The  central  position  of 
Buffalo  gave  us  advantages  over  all  the  other  places,  and  how  to  override  our 
natural  advantages  and  give  supremacy  to  some  one  of  the  rival  towns,  was 
the  seemingly  untiring  object  of  our  rivals.  We  had  the  most  beautiful  locality 
in  the  Black  Hawk  Purchase,  where  the  river  front  was  of  gravel  and  stone 
with  a  gradual  rise  for  100  to  300  rods  to  very  gently  rising  hills ;  on  the  second 
level  was  most  fertile  farm  land,  covered  with  a  heavy  growth  of  timber,  white 
oaks  predominating;  coal  underlying  the  whole  country  for  many  miles;  fine 
springs  and  creeks  with  great  quantities  of  limestone  and  fire  clay  gives  only  a 
partial  description  of  Buffalo  in  1836. 


350  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

buffalo's  first  postmaster. 

The  first  postmaster  of  Buffalo  was  Captain  Benjamin  W.  Clark,  in  1836-7. 
The  office  was  kept  in  his  residence;  mail  was  carried  on  a  line  of  hacks  which 
ran  from  Dubuque  to  Burlington  once  a  week.  The  contractor  was  Ansel 
Briggs,  afterward  the  first  governor  of  Iowa.  Postage  stamps  were  not  then 
in  use.  The  postmaster  had  to  collect  on  each  letter,  prices  varying.  Less  than 
three  hundred  miles  the  postage  was  twenty-five  cents.  No  envelopes  being 
in  use,  there  was  wrapped  around  each  letter  a  printed  slip  containing  address 
and  price.  To  save  postage  and  paper,  it  was  the  custom  to  write  both  ways 
on  a  page.  Letters  were  infrequent  and  precious.  A  jubilee  occurred  when 
one  was  received  in  a  family.  Often  a  letter  would  remain  in  the  office  a  long 
time,  waiting  for  the  recipient  to  raise  enough  money  to  pay  the  postage. 

A    BEAUTIFUL    COUNTRY. 

Everywhere  near  streams  forest  trees  abounded,  intermixed  with  crab-ap- 
ple and  plum  trees,  vines,  berry  and  hazlenut  bushes.  Walnut  and  hickory 
trees  were  numerous,  also  many  large  pecan  trees  which  yielded  hundreds  of 
bushels  of  nuts,  of  which  the  Indians  were  very  fond  and  which  they  traded 
or  sold  to  the  whites.  These  latter  trees  grew  mostly  upon  the  islands.  The 
sloughs  also  produced  an  abundance  of  wild  rice,  which,  when  gathered  by 
squaws  (of  course)  and  properly  threshed  and  cleaned,  made  a  palatable  dish 
for  them  as  well  as  for  the  whites.  Without  doubt  many  of  the  large  forest 
trees  could  now  be  found  growing  from  the  corn  hills  described  in  another 
place.  The  large  elms  were  utilized  by  the  Indians  in  this  way:  the  squaws 
in  the  springtime  would  cut  through  the  bark  to  the  wood,  above  and  below, 
strip  it  off  and  use  for  siding  and  roofing  their  summer  homes,  at  the  town  of 
Sau-ke-nuk. 

The  river  abounded  in  fish  :  we  white  people  would  eat  only  pike,  pickerel, 
bass,  salmon,  sunfish  or.  if  hard  pushed,  the  bluecat  of  six  or  eight  pounds. 
In  my  younger  days  it  was  our  custom  to  cross  the  Mississippi  to  Rock  river, 
where  we  easily  caught  in  a  short  time  all  the  fish  we  could  use. 

THE    PIONEER   CABIN. 

My  readers  may  wish  to  know  how  the  pioneer  homes  or  cabins  were  built. 
They  were  of  logs  cut  about  sixteen  feet  in  length  and  of  almost  even  size,  then 
hauled  to  the  number  of  eight  or  ten,  to  a  side  of  the  space  where  the  building 
was  to  stand.  Then  the  neighbors  came  to  the  "house  raising,"  as  it  was 
called ;  four  good  choppers,  with  axes,  would  each  take  a  corner  where  a  log 
was  rolled  up,  would  cut  a  notch  to  fit  the  "saddle"  previously  cut,  then  two 
men  would  fit  the  saddle  and  notch  together,  continuing  this  until  the  walls  were 
high  enough ;  then  put  the  next  log  in  three  feet,  then  another  end  log,  running 
each  in  three  feet  until  the  ends  were  topped  off ;  this  leaves  it  ready  to  cover 
with  clapboards,  which  are  four  feet  long  and  made  by  cutting  down  a  large 
straight   grained  tree,   sawing   in    four-foot   lengths,    then   split   these   logs   into 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  353 

"bolts."  take  the  heart  out,  then  vvitli  a  "frow"  and  mallet  drive  them  into  boards 
a  half  inch  thick  and  ten  inches  wide,  laying  them  on  the  cross  logs  above  de- 
scribed, breaking  joints  until  a  course  is  laid ;  over  these  lay  a  small  log  or  pole 
to  hold  the  boards  firmly  down ;  continuing  this  until  the  roof  is  completed. 
These  roofs  were  fairly  good  for  turning  rain,  but  many  a  time  when  sleep- 
ing in  the  loft,  as  the  upper  floor  was  called,  we  would  feel  the  snow  blowing  be- 
tween the  boards  of  the  roof.  We  boys  would  cover  our  heads  and  sleep  soundly, 
but  in  the  mornins^  our  beds  would  be  covered  with  snow.  The  stairs  were  pins  of 
wood  driven  into  the  logs  which  we  ascended  through  a  hole  cut  in  the  floor. 
Talk  of  hardships — we  did  not  consider  them  so ;  it  was  real  fun  for  the 
youngsters. 

The  doors  were  made  of  clapboards  fastened  to  a  frame  with  wooden  pins. 
The  hinges  were  made  of  wood,  the  latch  and  fixtures  of  wood,  a  strong  buck- 
skin string  was  fastened  to  the  latch,  then  passed  up  through  a  hole  in  the  door, 
to  open  which  one  pulled  the  string,  which  was  seldom  done ;  hence  the  saying 
"the  latch  string-  is  always  out  to  you."  Genuine  hospitality  was  the  order  of 
the  day.  The  windows  were  made  by  cutting  out  half  of  two  logs,  and  putting 
in  small  sticks  which  were  covered  with  oiled  paper;  this  was  before  glass  could 
be  obtained,  which  was  not  until  as  late  as  1834 — and  about  the  same  time  we 
were  able  to  procure  nails,  both  brought  from  St.  Louis,  the  nearest  shipping 
point  of  any  importance.  The  inside  finish  of  these  houses  was  called  "chink- 
ing and  daubing."  The  chinking  was  done  by  driving  cordwood  sticks  in  the 
spaces  left  by  the  round  of  the  logs ;  the  daubing  was  made  of  clay,  wet  to 
])roper  consistency  and  put  on  as  nearly  like  plaster  now  is  as  the  rough  sur- 
face would  permit.  This  combination  made  a  house  warm  in  winter  and  cool 
in  summer.  To  beautify  we  whitewashed  inside  and  outside  with  a  pipe  clay, 
such  as  Indians  used  to  make  their  pipes ;  this  added  greatly  to  the  neatness  and 
beauty  of  the  building.  The  chimney  was  an  opening  of  about  eight  feet  wide 
on  one  side  of  the  log  house,  walled  part  way  with  stone  and  mud,  then  topped 
out  with  split  sticks  like  laths,  only  thicker;  these  were  laid  up  with  mud  and 
thoroughly  plastered  inside  with  the  mud,  using  the  hands,  thus  preventing  the 
danger  of  fire  inside.  A  hearth  was  laid  with  stone,  if  possible,  if  not,  it  was 
filled  in  with  clay  well  pounded  down.  All  cooking  was  done  in  these  "fire- 
places." The  floor  was  made  by  hewing  one  side  of  small  straight  logs  laid  one 
way  for  sleepers  on  joists,  then  split  puncheons  from  straight  grained  logs  six' 
to  eight  feet  long,  hewed  with  a  broad  ax  as  smooth  as  possible,  straight  with 
ax  and  chalk  line,  then  laid  down ;  this  made  a  ver}'  solid  floor.  No  cellars  were 
used.  In  the  place  of  these  we  used  "root  houses,"  which  were  made  by  dig- 
ging into  the  side  of  a  bank,  covering  with  poles,  then  with  coarse  slough  grass, 
then  dirt  on  top  of  that,  when  it  was  ready  for  use.  We  had  no  matches  thus 
early,  but  later  were  able  to  buy  Lucifer  matches.  We  started  fires  with  a  flint 
and  steel,  holding  a  piece  of  "punk,"  a  tough  kind  of  rotten  wood,  or  else  we 
rubbed  tow  (refuse  flax)  thoroughly  with  gun  powder,  then  primed  a  flint  lock 
musket  and  got  a  flash  of  powder  in  the  pan,  which  would  ignite  the  powder  and 
tow,  which  put  to  dry  hay.  would  soon  be  a  flame.     At  night  we  carefully  ar- 


354  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

rangfed  the  fire  to  keep  until  morning',  by  raking  together  and  covering  with 
ashes.  It  was  not  uncommon  to  go  half  a  mile  to  a  neighbor's  to  "borrow  fire." 
After  establishing  a  ferry  at  Bufifalo,  Captain  Clark  laid  out  a  road  to  Du- 
buque, seventy-four  miles  due  north  from  Bufifalo;  also  to  Monmouth,  forty 
miles  due  south.  He  had  a  man.  named  John  Shook,  take  a  claim  on  the  Wap- 
sie,  and  sent  Wallace  and  Solomon  Pence  to  establish  a  ferry  on  the  Alaquoketa 
river.  Shook  built  a  little  log  cabin  in  the  fall  of  1834,  then  came  home  for 
supplies,  leaving  his  traps,  flour  and  tobacco  in  the  cabin.  After  cold  weather 
set  in  he  took  his  winter  supplies  and  the  writer,  an  energetic,  twelve  year  old 
boy,  went  with  him,  taking  two  horses  and  two  dogs  with  our  packs.  We  reached 
what  is  now  Allen's  Grove  at  night;  the  creek  was  frozen  over  so  smooth  that 
the  barefooted  horses  could  not  cross  the  ice,  so  we  turned  them  loose  to  go 
back  home.  I  had  to  arrange  for  camping  while  Shook  sat  down  and  fell  asleep. 
I  found  a  large  red  oak  tree  that  had  fallen  north  and  south ;  with  the  bark 
taken  from  the  tree,  after  raking  away  the  snow  I  soon  made  a  fire  on  the  west 
side,  so  the  smoke  and  heat  would  blow  over  the  log;  and  then  cut  the  limbs 
from  the  little  trees  that  had  leaves  on  to  make  our  beds.  Next  I  broiled  some 
meat  over  the  fire  and  peeled  a  large  onion,  then  waked  Shook  to  eat  supper.  He 
had  but  one  chew  of  tobacco  (a  very  much  used  article  in  those  days),  which 
he  took  from  his  mouth,  turned  his  hat  upside  down  and  placed  the  quid  upon 
it  while  eating.  We  spread  our  blankets  and  I,  having  one  dog  at  my  feet  and 
one  at  my  side,  slept  nicely  in  spite  of  the  cold  and  snow.  The  next  morning 
we  started  to  make  the  four  miles  remaining  to  the  cabin.  Shook  was  anxious 
for  his  tobacco.  When  we  reached  there  the  door  was  open  and  his  first  words 
were:  "The  Indians  have  been  here  and  I  fear  my  tobacco  is  gone,"  and  so  it 
was,  as  well  as  the  flour,  traps  and  all ;  but  the  tobacco  was  the  greatest  loss  to 
him.  Like  any  boy,  I  was  glad  when  he  decided  that  we  must  go  back  home ;  we 
tramped  about  six  miles,  and  camped  for  the  night,  again  eating  fat  broiled 
meat  and  frozen  onion  for  supper.  The  next  day  we  took  the  fourteen  miles 
through  the  snow,  over  the  open  prairie,  for  eleven  miles  without  a  house,  until 
we  struck  the  river.  Sometimes  Shook  would  sit  down  and  go  quickly  and 
soundly  to  sleep.  I  would  arouse  him,  making  him  believe  he  had  slept  a  long 
time.  As  we  reached  a  place  where  we  could  see  the  river  timber,  when  not 
blinded  by  snow,  I  began  to  be  frightened,  knowing  people  often  perished  in 
snow  storms.  Sbon  we  came  to  a  ravine  running  toward  the  timber  and  I  pro- 
posed to  follow  it.  Shook  consented;  it  struck  other  and  larger  ravines  until 
it  became  a  branch,  then  a  creek,  then  the  river  at  the  upper  end  of  where  Mont- 
pelier  now  is  situated.  We  found  there  a  cabin  which  John  Richie  had  closed 
while  he  went  to  be  married  to  Frances  Pace.  In  the  cabin  he  had  left  an 
earthen  jar  of  honey,  and  as  we  had  eaten  nothing  for  twelve  hours,  and  only 
broiled  pork  and  frozen  onion  within  forty-eight  hours,  the  thought  of  that 
honey  was  very  tempting.  I  climbed  up  and  opened  the  clapboard  roof,  went 
down  inside  and  with  a  splinter  from  the  logs  took  out  the  honey,  which  was 
candied,  or  hardened,  and  pushed  it  through  the  openings  between  the  logs  to 
Shook,  but  of  course  not  forgetting  myself.  We  continued  until  we  had  eaten 
all  that  was  safe  for  us,  or  in  fact,  too  much  for  our  own  good.    We  then  turned 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  355 

up  the  river  for  our  home,  five  miles  distant,  and  the  only  house  between  there 
and  Dubuque.  You  may  rest  assured  that  my  boyish,  adventurous  spirit  was 
satisfied  by  that  time  by  that  hard,  lonely,  bitter  tramp  through  unbroken 
blinding  snow.  Shortly  afterward  father  sent  Shook  alone  with  an  outfit  for 
his  winter  support.  It  proved  a  very  severe,  cold  winter;  ice  on  the  Mississippi 
being  twenty-four  inches  thick.  One  night  about  four  weeks  later  the  door 
opened  and  in  walked  Shook.  All  were  glad  to  see  him,  and  father  asked  if  he 
were  not  frozen ;  he  answered,  "No."  After  eating  supper  and  chatting  awhile, 
he  showed  signs  of  pain  in  his  feet;  people  were  too  hardy  for  small  complain- 
ings in  those  days,  and  like  the  Indians,  would  scorn  them;  but  we  could  see 
he  was  suffering.  Upon  trying  to  remove  his  boots  we  found  them  frozen  to 
his  feet,  so  they  had  to  be  cut  off.  The  toes  on  one  foot  were  as  hard  as  ice ; 
in  short,  it  was  a  very  bad  case.  All  possible  was  done  by  poulticing  and  such 
simple  remedies  as  we  possessed  to  relieve  him,  but  without  success.  I  took 
a  sleigh  and  drove  him  up  to  Fort  Armstrong  to  see  Dr.  Emerson,  who  was 
stationed  there,  but  the  doctor  had  gone  to  St.  Louis,  so  we  had  to  bring  Shook 
back  home.  We  prepared  a  room  in  one  of  the  claim  cabins,  where  he  lay  on 
his  back  on  the  floor  for  weeks.  I  went  out  and  hunted  for  the  swelling  buds 
of  the  linwood  tree  to  use  for  poultices,  which  brought  the  left  foot  out  all 
right,  but  the  flesh  of  the  toes  on  the  right  foot  dropped  off,  leaving  the  bone  ex- 
posed. There  was  no  doctor  nearer  than  Galena,  Illinois,  107  miles  distant 
(even  that  was  doubtful).  My  father  had  a  man  working  for  him,  named 
Smith  Mounts,  who  told  Shook  he  could  take  off  the  blackened  ends  of  the 
toes.  It  was  arranged  for  him  to  do  so.  Mount  sharpened  a  carpenter's  chisel, 
and  we  moved  Shook  so  that  the  foot  would  be  at  the  end  of  a  smooth  log  that 
formed  the  fireplace,  Shook  lying  on  his  back  on  the  floor  while  we  held  the 
foot  steady  to  the  timber.  Mounts  with  his  sharp  chisel  and  mallet  would  ad- 
just the  chisel,  then  hit  it  a  strong  blow,  when  the  toe  would  fly  off.  Poor 
Shook  groaned,  but  put  his  foot  up  again,  another  blow,  another  toe  off;  con- 
tinuing until  in  due  time  all  were  removed.  Shook  recovered  except  for  a  halt 
in  his  walk.  This,  we  believe,  was  the  first  surgical  operation  in  Scott  county, 
if  not  in  the  state — crude,  unscientific,  without  anesthetics,  but  effective. 

The  Doctor  Emerson,  mentioned  in  the  above,  was  the  owner  of  Dred  Scott, 
a  slave  whom  the  doctor  brought  to  Fort  Armstrong  as  a  servant,  and  whom 
the  writer  often  saw  there.  This  negro  brought  about  the  famous  "Dred  Scott 
Decision,"  in  the  Supreme  court  of  the  United  States,  by  Roger  B.  Taney,  who 
was  chief  justice.  Said  decision  was  the  starting  point  of  the  Civil  war,  many 
years  later. 

INDIAN    CUSTOMS. 

The  following  the  writer  personally  witnessed :  The  Indians  made  a  ring 
half  as  large  as  a  circus  ring  by  beating  down  the  grass.  The  crowd  assembled, 
the  braves  outside,  the  squaws  and  papooses  inside  the  ring;  the  latter  carrying 
switches  and  sticks.  The  two  culprits  f  Winnebagos)  were  led  almost  nude,  into 
the  ring  and  turned  loose  and  compelled  to  run  in  a  circle,  the  squaws  and  pa- 


356  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

pooses  prodding-  and  switching-  as  they  ran,  -while  the  warriors  sung  or  chanted 
"ha-\va-\ve.  ha-\va-\ve,"  keeping  up  a  continuous  jumping,  mostly  in  a  stooping 
posture.  When  the  prisoners  were  tired  out,  an  opening  was  made,  a  line  formed 
on  either  side  of  squaws  and  papooses  with  switches,  each  anxious  to  administer 
the  hardest  blow,  and  bring  blood  if  possible.  After  they  had  run  this  last  gaunt- 
let, they  were  told  that  if  they  were  ever  again  caught  stealing  horses  the  certain 
penalty  would  be  death.  This  was  done  under  the  command  of  Chief  Black 
Hawk,  he  being  present.  At  night  the  entire  tribe  had  a  dog  feast,  the  animals 
having  been  killed  and  hung  up  long  enough  to  be  nicely  tainted  and  tender.  A 
squaw  will  steal  a  fat  puppy  rather  than  anything  else  on  earth.  To  revert  to  the 
whipping:  an  Indian  can  be  subjected  to  no  greater  degradation  than  to  be 
switched  by  a  scjuaw,  and  greatly  prefers  death  by  shooting  if  dealt  by  a  warrior. 
Hence,  this  mode  of  punishment  was  administered  for  appropriating  their  most 
valued  ]-)0ssession.  horses. 

nil)IX(;  WINTER  SUPPLIES  OF  CORN. 

The  Sacs  and  Foxes,  to  hide  their  corn  and  other  food,  after  selecting  a  suit- 
able spot,  usually  among  old  fallen  tree-tops,  dug  holes,  lining  them  with  leaves 
and  dry  bush,  placed  sacks  made  from  linn  or  basswood  bark,  holding  one  and 
one-half  bushels,  containing  corn  and  beans,  covering  the  place  with  brush,  then 
dirt  at  the  top,  over  all  placing  brush  again  to  hide  the  fresh  earth  from  the 
thieving  Winnebagos,  and  frequently  has  the  writer  seen  them  with  long  musk- 
rat  spears  prodding  around  to  strike  the  soft  spot  and  once  saw  them  find  it  and 
carry  away  its  contents  in  triumph  over  the  absent  foe. 

Tlil.EPHONINC    THE    NEWS. 

I>uring  the  summer  of  1828  a  company  of  Sacs  and  Foxes  went  in  their  canoes 
to  where  Jackson  and  Clinton  counties  were  eleven  years  later  laid  out,  on  a  sum- 
mer hunt.  A  number  of  their  most  bitter  enemies,  the  Sioux,  killed  two  of  their 
warriors.  The  remainder  of  the  party  entered  their  canoes  for  home.  It  was  a 
beautiful,  clear  afternoon,  .so  it  happened  the  trail  was  well  filled  with  Indians, 
consequently  the  news  had  preceded  the  returning  party.  As  it  had  been  halloed 
first  down  the  river  before  they  landed,  to  the  Indians  at  the  trading  post,  these 
])assed  it  in  the  same  manner  along  the  island  to  the  fort,  then  across  the  slough, 
next  down  tlie  trail  to  the  village,  all  within  the  space  of  a  very  few  minutes. 
At  once  about  two  hundred  of  the  warriors  armed  themselves,  taking  their  canoes, 
paddled  down  the  Sinnisippi  or  Rock  river  to  the  Mississippi,  up  the  latter  to  Rock 
island  (the  island,  for  of  course  there  was  no  city).  These  warriors  were  upon 
the  war  path  to  avenge  their  fallen  comrades.  The  Sioux  had.  however,  fled 
toward  their  own  country,  so  were  not  caught  and  punished. 


It  is  difficult  for  the  writer  to  separate  the  different  parts  of  his  narrative, 
this  section  belonging  not  to  the  Iowa  but  to  the  Rock  Island  side  of  his  life 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  357 

history.  All  farm  work  was  done  by  the  squaws.  In  fact,  they  did  all  work 
including  packing  the  ponies ;  also,  when  stopping  at  night,  they  cut  the  poles  and 
made  the  wiccaups  which  were  just  the  shape  of  the  upper  half  of  a  palm  leaf 
fan.  In  1827  there  was  a  brush  fence  running  from  the  foot  of  the  bluff,  south 
of  where  the  Rock  Island  station  now  is  (in  Rock  Island)  down  to  Rock  river 
(Sinnisippi)  west  of  what  is  now  Black  Hawk's  tower.  This  fence  was  built  by 
setting  posts  in  the  ground,  then  lashing  poles  with  withes  to  these  posts  and 
weaving  in  brush,  perhaps  four  feet  high.  This  was  done  to  keep  out  the  Indian 
ponies.  The  ground  was  dug  up  with  a  heavy  hoe,  worked  into  large  round 
hills,  similar  to  the  southern  sweet  potato  hills,  which  were  planted  with  corn, 
beans,  potatoes  and  squashes.  The  corn  was  called  squaw  corn.  It  had  small 
ears,  grains  short  and  flat  intermixed  with  blue  and  white,  soft  and  easily  cooked, 
a  little  sweetish  to  the  taste  and  readily  dried.  The  same  hills  were  used  year 
after  year,  with  little  additional  work. 

SINKING   CANOES. 

Before  starting  on  the  winter  hunt  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  would  bring  their 
canoes  around  from  the  village,  which  was  situated  near  where  Milan  now  is, 
paddling  down  Sinnisippi  or  Rock  river  to  its  mouth,  then  turn  up  the  Mississippi 
until  they  reached  the  shore  near  where  our  family  lived,  and  where  the  Rock 
Island  railroad  bridge  now  crosses  the  river.  They  would  place  sufficient  rock 
in  their  canoes  to  sink  and  hold  them  under  water  until  their  return  in  the  spring. 
They  marked  the  spot  by  sighting  from  a  large  boulder  or  a  certain  tree.  The 
Indians  chose  this  particular  place,  because  in  low  water,  after  disposing  of 
their  boats,  they  could  readily  ford  the  slough  to  the  government  island  and  Fort 
Armstrong". 

MODE   OF    BURIAL. 

For  the  squaws  and  papooses,  shallow  holes  were  dug,  the  bodies  wrapped  in 
mats  made  of  woven  flags  or  rushes  fastened  together,  with  cords  made  of  lint 
of  nettles,  then  after  being  covered  with  earth  the  graves  were  surrounded  with 
split  or  round  pickets.  The  chiefs  were  set  upright,  lashed  firmly  to  stakes  with 
their  war  implements  around  them ;  slabs  of  wood  were  put  in  and  usually  a  pole 
was  set  up  with  a  flag  on  it.  The  braves  were  well  cared  for,  and  in  two  in- 
•stances  that  the  writer  knows  of,  a  hollow  tree  was  split  to  form  a  trough  or 
coffin  shape,  the  remains  put  in  with  guns,  bows,  arrows  and  other  accoutrements. 
After  arranging  these  the  whole  was  raised  several  feet  from  the  ground  and 
suspended  by  strong  lassoes  made  from  rawhide,  to  the  limbs  of  the  trees.  The 
flags  mentioned  above  were  of  red  or  any  other  dark  shade  of  cotton  cloth,  usually 
calico.  The  writer  has  also  seen  dishes  or  bowls  placed  about  the  graves  and 
containing  remnants  of  food  which  was  supposed  to  sustain  them  through  the 
journey  to  the  spirit  land. 

HOW    THE   INDIANS    WERE   SW'INDLED   BY   TRADERS. 

Benjamin  Pike,  afterward  the  first  sheriff  of  Rock  Island  county,  told  the 
writer  that  while  in  the  employ  of  the  Indian  trader  who,   finding  that  Phelps, 


358  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

of  the  lower  Yellow  Banks  (now  Oquawka) — a  branch  of  the  American  Fur 
Company,  was  intending  to  send  men  up  Rock  river  to  where  the  Indians  were 
on  their  winter  hunt,  gave  Pike  an  outfit  which  consisted  of  a  ten  gallon  keg  of 
whiskey  and  little  else.  When  he  reached  Prophetstown  Pike  put  up  his  tent  for 
trade,  but  would  not  sell  anything  until  night.  The  Indian  custom  is  that  when 
going  into  a  drunken  spree,  they  set  apart  a  certain  number  to  keep  sober,  and  to 
these  they  give  in  charge  the  knives,  guns  and  weapons  to  keep  during  the  carou- 
sal. An  Indian  drunk  is  a  fighting  maniac,  and  will  froth  at  the  mouth  like  a 
mad  dog.  When  all  was  ready  Pike  opened  the  keg  of  whiskey,  drew  a  bottle 
full  (all  trade  was  by  bottles  containing  three  half  pints)  exchanged  it  for  a  four 
dollar  otter  skin.  Pike  had  pails  of  water  in  his  tent  out  of  which  he  filled  his  keg 
as  emptied,  still  exchanging  the  watered  whiskey  for  a  deer  skin  or  a  lot  of  skins 
worth  several  dollars.  Pike  had  also  brought  a  lot  of  bright  tin  brooches,  costing 
about  ten  cents  a  dozen,  also  brass  rings ;  one  of  each  of  these  he  traded  for  a 
beaver  or  otter  skin  to  these  drunken  Indians.  Pike's  whiskey  at  first  made 
them  all  drunk,  but  by  the  filling  process  the  water  sobered  them  again,  until  by 
morning  he  had  many  hundreds  of  dollars  worth  of  skins  while  the  poor  Indians 
had  not  a  dollar  to  show  and  all  sober.  Was  it  any  wonder  that  Davenport  did 
not  want  the  white  people  to  come  to  this  country? 

WHY  BUFFALO  FELL  REMIND. 

When  BuflFalo  was  so  prosperous.  Black  Hawk's  Purchase  had  but  two  coun- 
ties, Dubuque  and  Des  Moines.  The  territorial  legislature,  during  the  winter  of 
1837,  subdivided  the  two  counties  into  many  others  and  in  the  assembly  Dr.  Eli 
Reynolds,  of  Geneva,  (four  miles  above  Bloomington,  now  Muscatine)  wanted 
to  make  his  town  as  near  central  as  possible,  while  Alex  McGregor,  of  Daven- 
port, also  a  member,  wanted  to  kill  Buffalo,  as  we  had  the  most  thriving  town 
between  Burlington  and  Dubuque.  The  two  men  then  joined  forces  and  ran 
Muscatine  county  up  to  its  present  boundary  on  the  river  and  McGregor  gave 
Montpelier  township  to  Muscatine  county,  so  as  to  throw  BuflFalo  near  the  lower 
end  of  Scott  county,  thus  rendering  it  impossible  for  BuflFalo  to  become  the  county 
seat :  and  this  is  the  reason  BuflFalo  dropped  behind  in  the  race  for  the  seat  of 
government.  Had  Scott  county  been  extended  down  to  Salem,  (now  Fairport) 
BuflFalo  would  have  been  the  county  seat  and  the  largest  town  in  Scott  county. 


A  'rvricAi.  i-Ait.M  s(']:.\K  ix  scott  corxTY 


CHAPTER  X. 
TOWNSHIPS  AND  TOWNS. 

HISTORY  OF  THE  TOWNSHIPS   FROM   THE  CLOSE  OF  THE   BARROWS    HISTORY THEIR 

RECORD  IN   PATRIOTISM  DURING  THE  DAYS  OF  '6l THE  PROSPERITY  THAT   HAS 

COME  TO  THE  FARMERS  OF  THE  COUNTY — RURAL    SCHOOLS    AND    CHURCHES — 

TOWNSHIP    OFFICIALS THE    MANY    SMALL    SETTLEMENTS    THAT    FORM    SOCIAL 

CENTERS  IN  THE  COUNTY BETTENDORF THE  VILLAGE  OF  LE  CLAIRE. 

LE  CLAIRE  TOWNSHIP. 

The  history  of  this  township  is  brought  down  to  1863  by  Mr.  Barrows,  but 
some  things  he  omits,  that  became  of  importance  later  on,  are  here  included  in 
bringing  this  sketch  of  LeQaire  township  up-to-date. 

The  stone  found  at  LeClaire  is  of  a  fine  quality  and  is  now  quarried  by 
Bremer  &  Abel,  a  Davenport  firm.  The  quarry  is  located  on  land  north  of  the 
town  settled  by  Eli  Smith,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Scott  county.  LeClaire  town- 
ship was  the  birthplace  of  the  noted  Indian  scout  and  showman,  William  F. 
Cody,  better  known  all  over  the  world  as  "Buft'alo  Bill."  His  father  came  to 
Scott  county  in  1839,  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  entered  a  tract  of  land  in 
LeGaire  township  upon  which  he  made  improvements  and  also  opened  a  small 
general  store  in  Parkhurst.  Early  in  1841  he  returned  to  Cincinnati  and 
brought  back  with  him  his  wife  and  little  girl,  in  the  spring  of  1842.  On  his 
way  he  met  Dennis  Barnes,  at  St.  Louis,  and  persuaded  Mr.  Barnes  to  accom- 
pany him  to  Iowa,  which  he  did,  and  upon  arriving  in  LeQaire  township  he 
entered  a  tract  of  land  near  Mr.  Cody's  and  at  once  made  improvements  there- 
on and  began  farming.  A  near  neighbor  to  the  Barnes  and  Codys  was  Eleazer 
Parkhurst,  the  first  to  open  a  farm  here,  which  is  now  in  the  possession  of 
Julius  Woler,  and  it  was  on  February  26,  1845,  O"  the  Cody  farm,  that  the 
future  famous  "Buffalo  Bill"  was  born.  Later  the  elder  Cody  and  his  friend 
Barnes  joined  the  stampede  for  the  gold  fields  of  California  and,  forming  a 
partnership  for  better  or  worse,  disposed  of  their  property  and  in  the  spring  of 
1850,  with  their  families,  made  ready  to  start  overland  for  the  new  Eldorado. 


362  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Stories  of  Indians  massacres  and  depredations  upon  caravans  moving  across  the 
prairies  cooled  the  ardor  of  their  desire  to  reach  the  gold  fields,  so  that  having 
dispossessed  themselves  of  their  lands  and  farming  implements,  by  force  of 
circumstances  they  retired  to  the  villages,  Barnes  to  LeClaire  and  Cody  to 
Parkhurst.  Finally,  in  1852,  Mr.  Cody  took  his  family  to  the  territory  of  Kan- 
sas, where  the  boy,  William,  grew  up  and  acquired  a  great  fondness  for  horses, 
over  which  he  had  a  wonderful  control,  and  at  the  age  of  ten  years  became  a 
"pony  express"  rider,  carrying  mail  and  despatches  over  the  plains  and  gaining 
that  knowledge  of  the  Indians  and  skill  with  a  rifle  that  made  his  fame  world- 
wide and  in  later  years  made  him  much  sought  after  by  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment to  act  as  guide,  and  also  by  the  nobility  of  foreign  lands  visiting 
America  and  venturesome  enough  to  trust  their  lives  in  the  then  "wild  and 
woolly  west." 

In  the  old  steamboat  days  LeClaire  was  the  heatlquarters  for  a  large  num- 
ber of  river  men  and  furnished  many  pilots  and  engineers  for  tlie  numerous 
craft  then  plying  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi.  But  of  course,  with  the  advent 
of  the  railroad,  transportation  by  water  has  dwindled  away,  but  there  are 
a  few  of  these  river  men  still  in  the  business  who  made  their  homes  at  LeClaire : 
Captain  I.  S.  Spinsby,  of  the  U.  S.  Mac;  Captain  E.  J.  Lancaster,  of  the 
Eclipse;  Captain  George  Tromley ;  J.  VV.  \'anSant.  Also  Pilots  Orrin  Smith. 
Zach  Suiter  and  D.  F.  Dorrance. 

The  schools  of  LeClaire  always  had  first  place  in  the  hearts  and  thoughts 
of  her  people  and  have  always  been  kept  at  a  high  standard  of  proficiency. 
Such  men  as  Judges  Barnes  and  Linderman,  were  pupils  at  these  schools  and 
many  others  made  places  for  themselves  of  distinction  at  the  bar,  who  received 
their  early  educational  training  in  LeClaire.  Among  them  may  here  be  men- 
tioned W.  D.  Kalsey,  now  of  Colorado;  G.  M.  Boyd,  Chicago;  A.  P.  VanDuzer, 
California;  Henry  McCaflfrey ;  the  Hanley  boys,  and  others. 

When  the  Civil  war  broke  out  in  1861  LeClaire  was  quick  to  come  to  "atten- 
tion" and  respond  to  "Honest  Abe's"  proclamation  for  volunteers  to  put  down 
the  rebellion,  and  sent  a  number  of  her  best  young  men  to  the  front  and,  in 
1862,  Captain  S.  B.  By  ram  organized  what  later  became  Company  K  of  the 
Twentieth  Iowa  Infantry,  which  made  a  splendid  record,  details^of  which  ap- 
pear on  another  page  of  this  history.  But  a  short  time  after  the  organization 
of  Company  K  other  recruits  from  LeClaire  were  assigned  to  Company  A, 
Fourteenth  Iowa  Infantry,  and  still  others  joined  the  Second  Iowa  Cavalry,  all 
of  whom  are  given  honorable  mention  in  the  chapter  herein  devoted  to  Scott 
county  in  the  Civil  war. 

PRINCETON    T0WN,SHIP. 

A  very  interesting  chapter  on  the  first  settlement  of  Princeton  township 
was  written  by  Mr.  Barrows  in  his  history  of  Scott  county  herein  published  to 
which  the  reader  is  referred.  But  quite  a  number  of  the  earliest  settlers  not 
mentioned  by  him  are  given  a  place  here.  Settlement  in  the  township  was  at 
first  quite  slow,  but  even  at  that  the  Methodist  circuit  rider  thought  fit  to  visit 
the  community  and  hold  religious  services.     It  was  not  long  before  there  were 


PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH,  PRINCETON 


MAIN  STREET,  PRINCETON 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  365 

tliree  denominations  represented,  the  Presbyterian,  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
and  the  EvangeUcal  Lutheran.  All  of  these  erected  church  buildings.  In  1853 
Jerry  Goodrich,  James  Todd  and  Porter  McKinstry,  members  of  the  Methodist 
church,  with  friends  and  neighbors,  built  a  brick  church  edifice  near  Lost  Grove. 
Services  were  held  there  about  three  years,  when  the  members  afterwards  at- 
tended meeting  at  Princeton,  on  account  of  the  death  of  several  of  the  priniepal 
members  of  the  congregation.  In  February,  1856,  Rev.  Daniel  Garber  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church  organized  a  church  of  that  faith  in  this  township. 
A  meeting  was  held  in  May  following  at  which  Isaac  Daughenbaugh  was 
elected  elder,  Samuel  Gast,  deacon.  Meetings  were  then  held  in  the  vacated 
Methodist  church  and  continued  there  until  1859.  when  the  congregation 
erected  a  building  of  their  own  in  Princeton,  which  was  turned  over  to  the 
Methodists  in  exchange  for  the  Methodist  church  at  Lost  Grove.  Meetings 
have  been  held  there  from  that  time  up  to  the  present.  The  first  school  was 
taught  here  in  1846- 1847  by  Miss  Hannah  Peaslee  in  a  log  house  owned  by  H. 
H.  Pinneo,  in  what  is  now  known  as  Princeton  independent  district.  Miss 
l^easlee's  successors  were  Mrs.  Charles  Budd  and  Milcah  Goodrich.  Some- 
time afterwards  an  old  barn  was  purchased  by  Giles  M.  Pinneo  and  Wilbur 
Warren,  who  remodeled  the  building  and  which  was  for  a  period  used  for 
both  school  and  church  purposes.  A  brick  school  building  was  built  in  1852 
and  Mathias  E.  Pinneo  was  the  first  teacher.  This  was  the  schoolhouse  of 
Princeton  until  1864,  when  it  was  consolidated  with  other  schools  which  occu- 
pied the  ground  floor  of  a  hall  on  Front  street.  Then,  in  1862,  district  No.  i 
was  changed  into  an  independent  district  and  in  1866  a  large  and  substantial 
stone  school  building  was  erected  on  Third  and  Clay  streets  at  the  cost  of 
about  $5,000.  The  city  of  Princeton  was  incorporated  in  January,  1857,  and 
in  March,  following,  the  first  election  was  held,  at  which  Samuel  Porter  be- 
came the  first  mayor,  but  resigned  from  the  office  in  May,  following.  To  fill 
this  vacancy  a  special  election  was  held  and  William  Shew  was  chosen  mayor. 
The  town  contained  at  this  time  about  250  inhabitants,  two  hotels,  one  church, 
two  stores,  a  blacksmith  shop,  a  steam  saw  mill,  and  about  fifty  dwellings.  In 
1858  William  H.  Tompson  was  elected  mayor  and  at  that  time  there  were  about 
500  inhabitants.  Improvements  kept  up  steadily  in  the  town  and  it  be- 
came a  place  of  considerable  importance.  A  steam  saw  mill  was  built  by 
Isaac  Sherman,  of  Qeveland,  Ohio,  costing  $8,000,  and  whose  output  equalled 
30.000  feet  per  day.  Two  steam  grist  mills  were  also  built,  one  by  Herbert  M. 
Flshback,  which  cost  about  $9,000,  and  the  other  by  McKinstry  and  Hubbard, 
which  cost  $12,000.  About  this  time  Dr.  G.  L.  Bell  erected  a  very  pretentious 
residence  for  that  day  at  a  cost  of  $5,000.  In  1862  a  disastrous  fire  visited  the 
little  city  of  Princeton  and  destroyed  a  valuable  three-story  business  and  office 
building  w^hich  had  been  erected  by  F.  G.  Welsh  and  also  the  business  house 
owned  by  Christian  Schmaltz.  At  this  time  the  Princeton  house  barely  escaped 
destruction. 

The  citizens  of  Princeton  take  a  pride  in  the  honor  which  her  sons  reflected 
upon  the  town  through  their  services  in  the  Civil  war.  Its  bright  roll  of  honor 
is  to  be  found  in  the  chapter  on  the  Civil  war  in  this  history.  The  First  Metho- 
dist church  of  Princeton  was  built  in  1858.     This  church  takes  pride  in  the  his- 


366  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

tory  of  its  Sunday  school  which  began  at  the  time  of  its  organization  in  1849 
by  Father  Pinneo  and  others.  In  1887  the  Methodist  society  erected  a  church 
edifice  at  a  cost  of  $2,500  and  is  at  this  day  in  a  very  prosperous  condition.  On 
the  site  of  the  old  church  building  the  Presbyterians  erected  a  new  church  struc- 
ture in  1888  which  cost  about  $3,000.  In  1898  the  Salem  Evangelical 
Lutheran  church  put  up  a  neat  structure  while  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Kun- 
klenian.     Adjoining  the  church  building  is  the  parsonage. 

WINFIELD  TOWNSHIP. 

In  addition  to  what  has  already  been  written  of  Winfield  township  by  Mr. 
Barrows,  the  following  is  appended :  John  Quinn.  who  was  the  first  perma- 
nent settler  in  this  township,  struck  out  further  west  from  his  home  in  Meigs 
county,  Ohio,  when  a  young  man,  and  landed  in  Chicago,  then  nothing  but  a 
frontier  village.  Here  he  worked  at  his  trade  of  blacksmithing  for  one  year. 
He  had  located  a  claim  in  the  windy  city,  but  by  some  chicanery  he  was  dis- 
possessed of  it  and  losing  all  faith  in  the  people  there,  he  left  and  went  to 
Galena,  arriving  there  in  1832.  Being  joined  by  his  brother  William  in  1835 
he  went  to  Clinton  county,  and  after  remaining  there  awhile  he  and  his  brother 
finally  settled  in  Winfield  township,  where  they  improved  a  farm  which  afterwards 
came  into  the  possession  of  John  T.  Mason,  who  lived  on  it  for  over  forty  years. 
It  is  said  that  had  Mr.  Quinn  remained  in  Winfield  township  he  would  have  be- 
come wealthy,  for  at  one  time  he  owned  large  bodies  of  timber  land  on  the  Wap- 
sipinicon  bottoms,  which  brought  him  good  prices  at  their  sale,  but  being  of  a 
wandering  disposition  he  left  the  locality  and  returned  to  Ohio.  Not  being  con- 
tented there  he  once  more  found  his  way  back  to  Iowa,  from  whence  he  went  to 
Kansas,  and  then  to  Oregon,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 

Leonard  Cooper,  one  of  the  first  settlers,  left  a  large  family  of  eight  sons  and 
two  daughters,  none  of  whom  are  now  living  in  Winfield  township.  One  son 
lives  in  Davenport,  one  in  Dubuque.  A.  A.  Cooper,  whose  celebrated  wagons  find 
a  market  in  a  number  of  states.  Charles  Elder,  a  pioneer  of  this  township,  left 
two  sons  and  one  daughter,  of  whom  the  daughter  and  one  son  are  dead :  Joseph 
Elder,  the  other  son.  is  a  resident  of  Long  Grove.  At  the  time  of  the  settlement 
in  Winfield  township  of  the  four  Quinn  brothers,  the  township  was  nine  miles 
square  and  included  parts  of  Lincoln,  Sheridan  and  Butler  townships.  It  was 
on  the  creek  north  of  Walnut  Grove  that  George  Daly,  mentioned  by  Mr.  Bar- 
rows, built  a  grist  mill,  which  was  also  arranged  to  saw  logs.  Burrs  in  those  days 
were  expensive  and  difficult  to  obtain.  In  his  perplexity  Mr.  Daly,  the  "honest 
miller,"  as  he  was  called,  went  to  Alexander  Brownlie  who  assisted  him  in  making 
a  set  of  millstones  out  of  a  large  bowlder  found  on  the  prairie.  It  is  said  that 
much  of  this  grist  was  ground  on  those  bowlder  millstones,  and  that  the  only 
reason  that  the  mill  did  not  perform  its  work  more  steadily  and  regularly  was 
because  of  the  lack  of  water  at  times.  H.  M.  Thompson  married  the  youngest 
daughter  of  Mrs.  Robertson,  a  widow  of  seventy  years  of  age,  who  had  come 
from  Scotland  and  settled  in  this  township  in  1844.  Mr.  Thompson  became  quite 
prominent  in  the  affairs  of  Scott  county.  He  was  selected  as  the  first  president 
of  the  Scott  County  Agricultural  Society  and  remained  in  that  office  for  seven 


ST.   AXXE'S   CATHOLIC  CHURCH.   L(»XC   CROVE 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  369 

years,  when  he  resigned.  He  was  also  for  a  number  of  years  superintendent  of 
Agricultural  college  farm  at  Ames  and  was  also  a  representative  from  this  county 
in  the  general  assembly  of  Iowa.  He  died  in  1887  at  the  age  of  seventy-six 
years.  At  his  death  his  wife  was  living  at  the  age  of  ninety-two  years.  The 
Brownlies  are  still  prominent  and  quite  numerous  in  Winfield  township.  Of  the 
second  generation  there  are  three  merrtbers  still  residents  of  Long  Grove,  A.  W. 
Brownlie,  son  of  James  Brownlie,  who  was  a  little  over  a  year  old  when  his 
parents  settled  in  the  township  ;  he  is  doing  business  with  his  brother,  R.  K. 
Brownlie.  A.  D.  Brownlie,  only  son  of  Alexander  Brownlie,  is  living  on  the 
original  homestead  where  his  father  settled  when  he  came  to  the  state  of  Iowa. 

LINCOLN    TOWNSHIP. 

Lincoln  township  when  first  settled  was  an  expanse  of  prairie  covered  with 
tall  luxuriant  grass,  where  deer  and  other  animals  abounded.  This  township  was 
organized  in  1866  and  embraces  congressional  township  No.  79,  range  4  east,  and 
is  lacking  one  tier  of  sections  on  the  east  side  of  being  a  full  township.  The  first 
trustees  divided  the  township  into  seven  road  districts,  but  in  1903  these  districts 
were  merged  into  one.  and  since  that  time  the  roads  have  been  worked  on  the 
township  plan.  The  first  township  officers  were:  A.  J.  Green,  J.  H.  Mohr,  and 
James  Henry,  trustees;  Richard  Proud  foot,  clerk.  A  very  attractive  place  of 
those  days  was  an  elevation  of  ground  called  Saddle  Mound  which  is  now  owned 
by  William  Moeller.  On  the  Guinan  place  is  another  interesting  spot.  Goose 
Pond.  Robert  Criswell  was  the  first  settler  of  this  township.  He  was  a  Penn- 
sylvanian  and  located  at  Long  Grove  in  1844.  After  three  years'  residence  there 
he  settled  on  section  23,  which  he  improved  and  upon  which  he  built  a  home.  Mr. 
Criswell  lived  on  this  place  and  prospered  until  1867,  when  he  retired  to  Princeton 
and  died  there  at  the  age  of  eighty-one.  William  H.  Jones  left  New  York  in 
1844  and  settled  in  LeClaire  and  ran  the  first  threshing  machine  in  that  neighbor- 
hood, and  in  1848  he  broke  up  the  sod  for  Mr.  Criswell  on  part  of  his  section. 
Mr.  Jones  married  the  widow  Chuck,  who  was  in  her  maidenhood  Mary  Van 
Duzer.  She  came  from  Scott  county  in  1835.  Mr.  Jones  died  in  1893  and  his 
widow  followed  him  in  1905,  after  a  residence  in  Davenport.  Charles  and 
Henry  Lau  are  the  sons  of  Peter  N.  Lau,  who  came  to  Lincoln  township  in  1853. 
They  are  still  residents  of  this  township.  One  of  the  most  prominent  citizens 
of  the  county  was  M.  J.  Rohlfs,  who  came  to  Lincoln  township  in  1848,  after  a 
residence  in  Davenport  of  one  year.  Mr.  Rohlfs  served  his  county  in  the  Iowa 
legislature  four  terms  and  for  twelve  years  served  Scott  county  as  its  treasurer, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Rudolph  in  that  office,  who  proved  a  worthy  suc- 
cessor to  his  father.  The  first  schoolhouse  in  Lincoln  township  was  built  on 
section  No.  23  and  became  known  as  the  Jones  schoolhouse.  The  first  school 
was  presided  over  by  J.  O.  Jamison.  After  the  township  was  organized  it  was 
divided  into  eight  sub-districts  upon  which  are  now  erected  good  substantial 
modern  schoolhouses,  where  the  children  are  given  the  advantages  of  nine 
months'  instruction  during  the  year.  This  towmship  has  never  had  but  one 
church.  It  was  organized  July  6,  1858.  by  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason,  with  twenty- 
eight  members.     It  is  known  as  Summit  Presbyterian  church. 


370  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

PLEASANT   VALLEY   TOWNSHIP. 

Pleasant  \'al!ey  township  lies  east  of  Davenport,  bordering  on  the  Missis- 
sippi. It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lincoln  and  LeClaire  townships  and  on 
the  east  by  a  portion  of  the  lower  sections  of  LeClaire  township.  It  is  well 
watered  and  timbered,  especially  in  the  northeast  and  southwest  portions. 
Duck  creek,  quite  a  large  stream,  empties  into  the  Mississippi  river  at  the 
southwest  part  of  the  township.  This  township  was  early  settled  and  Mr.  Bar- 
rows goes  into  all  the  details  relating  thereto.  The  soil  is  fertile,  the  farms 
have  been  well  improved,  it  has  good  roads  and  bridges,  telephone  lines,  rural 
mail  delivery  and  other  conveniences  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  modern 
farmer.  This  is  not  a  whole  township,  the  Mississippi  cutting  through  it  at  a 
point  beginning  at  the  east  half  of  the  second  section  from  the  north  and  run- 
ning diagonally  southwest.  It  has  three  sub-districts  in  which  there  are  well 
appointed  school  houses.  The  value  of  the  land  in  this  township,  as  in  other 
sections  of  the  county,  has  increased  in  value  until  at  this  time  land  that  sold 
from  $6  to  $15  an  acre  in  1865  will  now  readily  bring  from  $100  to  Si 25  per 
acre. 

CLEONA  TOWNSHIP. 

This  township  was  organized  in  1857.  Its  name  was  suggested  by  E.  P.  . 
Putnam,  who  declared  that  it  signified  fair  or  beautiful  country.  Cleona  town- 
ship is  in  the  second  tier  of  townships  from  the  north  and  is  the  first  on  the 
east.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Liberty  township  and  on  the  west  by 
Hickory  Grove.  Its  western  boundary  is  Cedar  county  and  southern,  Musca- 
tine county.  It  was  one  of  the  last  townships  organized.  It  is  exclusively  ag- 
ricultural and  there  is  practically  no  waste  land  within  its  borders.  The  first 
settlement  made  here  was  in  April,  1851.  Jacob  Royal  made  the  first  entry  in 
the  township  September  15,  185 1,  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  25.  Rob- 
ert Johnson  and  James  Paul  entered  land  on  section  23  in  1852.  Mr.  Paul 
also  entered  land  on  section  23.  Ebenezer  Cook  made  entry  on  section  34  early 
in  1856.  In  1852  the  only  house  in  the  township  was  on  section  12,  built  by  the 
Suiter  brothers,  John  and  Joseph.  In  the  spring  of  the  following  year  the 
Suiter  boys  helped  Robert  Johnson  build  a  house  on  section  23.  Thomas  John- 
son, Robert's  father,  settled  in  the  township  in  the  spring  of  1853,  ^"d  in  the  fall 
of  the  same  year  William  Paul  and  his  family  settled  in  the  township  and  lived 
in  a  house  built  by  his  brother  James  until  1858.  E.  P.  Putnam  was  a  native  of 
Ohio  and  settled  on  section  19  in  1854.  The  same  }-ear  came  Jacob  and  George 
Wetherhold  from  Germany.  They  were  the  first  Germans  to  settle  in  the 
township.  Ephraim  Ellis,  an  Englishman,  was  also  a  settler  of  the  township  in 
1854.  P>ankiin  Ball,  Samuel  Learner.  John  and  Conrad  LeGrange,  William 
M.  Murray.  Henry  Egbert.  C.  M.  Stevens,  wife  and  son  Morgan,  and  Gothardt 
Moeller,  from  Germany,  all  settled  here  in  the  year  1856.  Samuel  Leamer 
broke  a  piece  of  prairie  on  his  claim  and  returned  to  Pennsylvania.  He  came 
back  in  1857  with  his  brother  Washington  and  both  made  a  permanent  settle- 
ment. The  first  birth  in  the  township  was  that  of  John  Suiter  in  1852.  He 
was  a  son  of  John  Suiter,  the  first  settler  in  Cleona  township.     The  first  mar- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  371 

riage  to  lake  place  in  the  township  was  that  of  John  Jamison,  of  I.eClaire,  ami 
Annie  Johnson.  In  1857  a  school  building  was  erected  on  section  28,  but  later 
removed  to  section  31.  Franklin  Ball,  James  Paul,  Washington  and  Samuel 
Learner,  Ephraim  Ellis,  E.  P.  Putnam  and  Robert  Johnson  were  the  men  in- 
strumental in  founding  this  first  educational  institution  of  Cleona  township. 
Harriet  Callem  received  $16  a  month  for  her  services  as  the  first  teacher  of 
this  school.  The  township  has  good  schools  in  seven  sub-districts.  Of  the 
early  settlers  the  Suiters  came  from  England ;  the  Johnsons  and  Pauls  from 
Ireland ;  Henry  Peterson,  who  came  to  the  township  in  1866,  and  John  Rymers, 
were  natives  of  Holstein,  Germany;  William  Rains  of  Waldeck,  Prussia,  set- 
tled on  section  4  in  1868,  and  today  the  township  has  a  large  number  of  German 
citizens  who  are  the  best  of  farmers  and  prosperous  in  their  undertakings. 

BUTLER   TOWNSHIP. 

Butler  township  was  organized  in  1865  and  was  first  named  Ben  Butler  in 
honor  of  the  gentleman  of  that  name  who  became  famous  in  the  Civil  war  and 
later  as  a  statesman.  Later  the  board  of  supervisors  abbreviated  the  name  by 
dropping  the  prefix  Ben.  Butler  is  in  the  north  tier  of  townships  bordering  on 
Clinton  county.  The  northern  sections  of  the  township  are  irregular  and  cut 
into  by  the  Wapsipinicon  river.  In  the  northern  portion  of  the  township  is 
considerable  timber,  especially  in  the  northwest  part,  and  the  west  central  sec- 
tion of  the  township  has  considerable  timber  in  the  locality  of  Walnut  Grove. 
The  western  boundary  of  Butler  township  is  Winfield,  the  southern  Lincoln 
and  the  eastern  Princeton  townships.  The  first  election  for  town  officers  took 
place  October  8,  1865,  and  the  first  entry  of  land  was  made  in  1836  by  Henry 
Harvey  Pease  and  John  G.  GrafiFord,  jointly.  This  entry  consisted  of  500  acres 
in  what  was  known  as  Walnut  Grove  on  section  19.  Alphonso  Warren  had 
previously  indicated  his  ownership  of  this  claim  by  having  "blazed"  trees 
thereon.  He  relinquished  his  interests  to  Pease  and  GralTord  for  the  sum  of 
$100.  Pease,  the  pioneer  of  Butler  township,  built  the  first  cabin  and  Alphonso 
Warren  built  the  second  on  section  20  in  the  fall  of  1838,  as  he  had  preceded 
both  Pease  and  Graflford  as  settlers  in  the  count)^  Mr.  Warren  had  come  to 
the  township  from  New  York  and  operated  a  grindstone  quarry  in  the  town- 
ship for  several  years  before  he  removed  to  Kansas.  George  Daly,  a  native  of 
Ohio,  had  spent  some  time  in  Moline,  Illinois,  and  in  1839  erected  a  flour  mill 
on  section  17,  near  a  stream  of  water  known  at  that  time  as  Daly's  creek.  Daly 
afterward  settled  in  Jackson  county,  then  removed  to  Plymouth  coimty,  where 
he  died.  Clinton  W.  Pease,  son  of  H.  H.  Pease,  was  the  first  white  child  born 
in  the  township.  His  birth  occurred  September  i,  1839.  George  Daly  and  Re- 
becca Arble  were  the  first  couple  married  in  the  township.  The  wedding  took 
place  in  1839.  Miss  Alice  Alvord  in  1846  taught  the  first  school  in  the  town- 
ship in  an  old  log  house  at  Walnut  Grove.  James  and  Alexander  Brownlie. 
Presbyterian  divines,  held  the  first  religious  services  in  this  section  of  the 
county  at  the  residence  of  H.  H.  Pease  in  1838.  Circuit  rider  Brace,  a  Metho- 
dist minister,  would  often  stop  at  the  Pease  home  and  hold  services.  The  first 
schoolhouse  was  a  log  structure  and  was  erected  on  section  18  in  1850.     In  1861 


372  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

the  Mount  Joy  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  built  on  section  30  and  had  for 
its  first  pastor  Rev.  S.  H.  Harmer.  Mount  Union  church  was  built  in  1868  by 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  organization  on  section  35,  and  Rev.  McBride 
was  its  first  pastor.  About  185 1  Claus  Boltz  settled  on  section  15.  Charles 
Bennet  settled  on  section  35  in  1850.  George  Washington  Martin  and  Lafay- 
ette Martin  were  located  in  this  township  long  before  it  was  separated  from 
Winfield  township.  They  came  here  in  1843.  John  C.  McCausland  located  on 
section  23  in  1855;  William  Mooney,  in  1852;  Henry  F.  Schlotfeldt,  in  1853; 
Qaus  Mundt  in  1855 ;  George  Baughman  settled  in  Winfield  township  in  1847  ^"^ 
removed  to  Butler  township  in  1855 ;  and  in  1859  J.  Helble,  a  native  of  Germany, 
settled  on  section  26.     Butler  township  has  nine  school  districts  and  three  churches. 

SHERIDAN    TOWNSHIP. 

Sheridan  township  was  organized  in  1866  and  is  the  central  township  of  the 
county.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Winfield,  on  the  south  by  Davenport, 
on  the  west  by  Hickory  Grove  and  on  the  east  by  Lincoln  townships.  Much  of 
the  early  history  of  this  township  has  been  told  in  the  story  of  the  first  settle- 
ments in  the  county  by  Mr.  Barrows.  It  was  originally  named  Phil  Sheridan 
township,  after  the  noted  cavalry  officer  of  the  Civil  war.  but  later  Phil  was 
dropped.  The  township  was  formed  by  subtracting  eighteen  sections  from 
Winfield  and  eighteen  sections  from  Davenport.  The  first  election  was  held  on 
a  certain  Tuesday  of  October.  1866.  the  polling  place  being  at  Claus  H.  Kuhl's 
tavern.  At  this  election  H.  H.  Fry  was  chosen  as  supervisor ;  Christ  Vogt, 
James  Quinn  and  Gilbert  Wicks,  trustees;  Anderson  Martin,  assessor;  B.  F. 
Berkley,  clerk;  William  Saddoris  and  Asmus  H.  Lamp,  justices  of  the  peace; 
Peter  Weis  and  James  Morrison,  constables.  Samuel  Sloper  settled  on  sec- 
tion 28.  in  the  territory  now  comprising  Sheridan  township,  in  1840,  and  in  1841 
Lyman  Osborn  took  up  a  claim  on  section  29.  Among  others  who  followed 
these  hardy  pioneers  may  be  mentioned :  ex-Governor  Rusch ;  Hans  Schneck- 
loth ;  Claus  Hagedorn ;  Joseph  Seaman ;  William  Rigg ;  Dr.  A.  J.  Emeis :  Benja- 
min Barr;  Captain  LeMarinel ;  C.  Myer;  John  and  Nathan  Greer;  Moses  Bar- 
ber; James  and  Joseph  Quinn;  Christ  Vogt;  Peter  Blunk;  Hans  and  Juergen 
Schmidt.  Dr.  A.  J.  Emeis  was  the  first  physician  to  take  up  his  residence  in  the 
township,  and  Henry  Kuntzen  was  the  first  to  open  a  blacksmith  shop.  He 
erected  his  building  on  section  25.  Mr.  Sloper  was  the  first  to  turn  up  the 
prairie  for  cultivation.  There  are  nine  sub-districts  in  Sheridan  township, 
each  of  which  has  a  good  school  building  where  the  children  are  taught  from 
eight  to  nine  months  in  the  year.     Eldridge  also  has  an  independent  school. 

There  is  but  one  village  in  Sheridan  township — Eldridge  Junction,  established 
in  1871  by  J.  M.  Eldridge.  It  is  situated  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  township,  on 
section  11,  at  the  junction  of  the  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  railroad  and  the  Maquoketa 
branch.  Soon  after  the  advent  of  the  railroad  shops  were  located  here  by  the 
company,  giving  employment  to  a  large  number  of  workmen.  This  gave  an  im- 
petus to  the  young  village  and  for  a  time  the  prospects  were  good  for  a  large 
and  thriving  settlement ;  but  the  railroad  magnates  saw  fit,  some  years  since,  to 
remove  the  shops,  which  was  a  death  blow  to  the  embryo  "city  of  Eldridge." 


BIG  ROCK  PUBLIC  SCHOOL 


TURXER  HALL.  ELDRIDGE 


RESIDENCE  OF  CAPT.  W.  L.  CLARK. 
BUFFALO 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  375 

Many  of  its  business  places,  hotels,  etc.,  were  soon  after  closed  and  a  number  of 
buildings  have  since  been  torn  down  and  removed  from  the  place.  The  first  school 
election  in  the  township  was  held  in  1867,  when  the  following  board  was  chosen: 
Alexander  Murrison,  James  Calderwood,  Albert  Brugman,  Henry  Fellner,  A.  J. 
Emeis,  William  Rogers.  A  church  edifice  was  erected  by  the  Presbyterian  so- 
ciety of  Eldridge  Junction  about  the  year  1874.  James  Mason  was  the  first  pas- 
tor. Eldridge  Lodge,  No.  132,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  was  organized  in  1877,  with  John 
Rogers  P.  M.  W. ;  E.  T.  Morgan,  M.  W. ;  J.  W.  Davidson,  G.  F. ;  J.  D.  McCor- 
mick,  O. ;  J.  A.  Pollock,  recorder;  James  Youmans,  financier;  G.  A.  Hastings, 
receiver;  P.  Herbold,  G. ;  J.  G.  Quinn,  I.  W. ;  L.  Cohman,  O.  W.  For  a  full 
description  of  Eldridge  see  another  page. 

HICKORY   GROVE  TOWNSHIP. 

Hickory  Grove  is  one  of  the  oldest  townships  of  Scott  county  and  was  first 
settled  in  1836,  Alfred  Carter  making  the  first  claim  on  the  northwest  quarter 
of  section  16.  He  was  a  native  of  Shenandoah  valley,  Virginia,  and  came  here 
from  Indiana.  This  township  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Allen's  Grove  and  on 
the  south  by  Blue  Grass,  on  the  west  by  Cleona  and  on  the  east  by  Sheridan  town- 
ships. It  is  mostly  prairie,  which  is  well  watered,  and  takes  its  name  from  a 
tract  of  timber  in  the  central  portion  of  the  township  known  as  Hickory  Grove. 
At  the  time  Alfred  Carter  came  to  this  section  of  the  country  wild  animals 
roamed  the  prairies  and  hills.  The  wolves  and  wildcats  were  very  troublesome, 
committing  depredations  on  the  settlers'  live  stock.  Hickory  Grove  was  at  that 
time  a  great  rendezvous  for  deer.  One  night  while  Mr.  Carter  was  absent  in  Hen- 
derson county,  Illinois,  where  he  had  journeyed  in  quest  of  provisions  for  himself 
and  neighbors,  ten  Indians  came  suddenly  upon  the  house  and  asked  for  a  night's 
lodging. 

Fearing  to  refuse  them  Mrs.  Carter  granted  their  request.  Mr.  Carter  and  his 
sons,  Charles  P.,  John  and  Martin,  often  joined  the  Indians  in  hunting  deer. 
Early  in  its  history  there  were  three  tracts  of  timber  which  were  known  as 
Hickory  Grove,  Pilot  Grove  and  Linn  Grove ;  the  two  latter  have  practically  dis- 
appeared. In  1837  Philip  Baker  of  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  took  up  a  claim 
on  section  9,  and  at  about  the  same  time  came  Jonathan  Porter  from  Muskingum 
county,  Ohio,  also  Daniel  and  John  Porter.  John  Spicer  had  preceded  them 
from  Muskingum  county  in  the  fall  of  1836,  settling  on  section  9.  William  and 
Daniel  Porter  also  came  in  1836.  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  furnished  George 
Schuck,  who  settled  in  the  township  on  section  10  in  1838,  and  died  there  in  1848. 
John  Schuck  also  came  in  1838  and  built  a  hewn  log  house  on  section  15.  He  re- 
moved to  Nebraska  in  1859.  Samuel  Freeman,  whose  native  place  was  New 
London,  Connecticut,  arrived  in  E>avenport  on  December  3,  1839,  and  a  short 
time  thereafter  entered  a  tract  of  land  near  Kirtle's  ferry  on  the  Wapsipinicon, 
but  lost  his  claim  by  being  too  slow  in  filing  on  it.  Eventually  after  many  vicis- 
situdes he  was  able  to  gather  enough  money  to  purchase  a  farm  near  Slopertown. 
This  was  sold  in  a  few  years  for  another  farm  near  Hickory  Grove,  where  he  re- 
mained until  the  day  of  his  death.  The  first  school  was  held  in  the  winter  of 
1837-8  at  the  home  of  Alfred  Carter,  George  F.  Emery,  a  highly  educated  man 


376  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

and  a  native  of  Boston,  having  been  employed  by  Mr.  Carter  to  teach  his  children. 
The  first  birth  in  the  township  occurred  November  lo,  1838,  and  was  that  of 
William  H.  Baker,  son  of  Philip  and  Catherine  Baker.  The  first  death  was  that 
of  Alfred  Carter  in  1839.  The  first  marriage  took  place  at  the  home  of  Philip 
Baker  in  1842,  the  contracting  parties  being  Alexander  Wells  and  Julia  Carter. 
The  ceremony  was  performed  by  Squire  Grace  at  Walnut  Grove.  Hickory 
Grove  township  takes  pride  in  the  fact  that  the  great  apostle  of  Methodism,  Rev. 
Peter  Cartwright  thundered  his  philippics  against  sin  and  unrighteousness  in 
homes  of  the  settlers  here  who  threw  them  open  to  him  for  reHgious  services. 
It  is  especially  remembered  that  he  preached  a  sermon  at  the  home  of  Alfred 
Carter  in  1838.  In  November,  1851,  Elder  Jonas  Hartzell,  later  of  Davenport, 
organized  the  Linn  Grove  Christian  church.  It  was  then  known  as  the  Allen's 
Grove  Church  of  Christ  and  was  removed  to  Linn  Grove  in  1858  and  its  name 
changed.  Both  in  Allen's  Grove  and  Linn  Grove  the  congregation  held  services 
in  the  school  houses,  but  a  modest  frame  house  was  built  in  1866,  where  services 
were  afterwards  held.  This  township  today  has  eight  sub-school  districts  where 
school  is  taught  during  summer  and  winter  from  eight  to  nine  months  in  the  year. 

BLUE   GRASS   TOWNSHIP. 

In  Barrows'  history  will  be  found  concisely  told  a  narrative  of  the  first  settling 
/>f  Blue  Grass  township,  which  is  a  full  township  of  thirty-six  square  miles,  and 
has  for  its  northern  boundary  Hickory  Grove  township ;  on  the  west  bounded 
by  Muscatine  county,  on  the  south  by  Buffalo  township,  and  on  the  east  by  Daven- 
port and  Rockingham  townships.  It  has  but  fittle  timber  and  is  watered  by  few 
streams.  Lines  of  the  Rock  Island  road  cross  this  township,  one  at  the  north 
and  one  at  the  south,  the  southern  branch  entering  the  village  of  Blue  Grass  and 
the  main  line  the  village  of  Walcott.  There  are  seven  sub-districts  in  this 
township  which  are  well  patronized  by  the  children  during  a  greater  part  of  the 
year,  and  Walcott  and  Blue  Grass,  both  thriving  villages,  each  have  excellently 
conducted  graded  schools.    A  description  of  the  towns  is  given  elsewhere. 

ALLENS   GROVE   TOWNSHIP. 

Aliens  Grove  township  originally  comprised  the  present  township  limits 
and  that  of  Liberty.  It  is  bounded  on  the  east  by  Winfield  township,  on  the  west 
by  Liberty,  the  south  by  Hickory  Grove  and  on  the  north  by  the  Wapsipinicon 
river.  The  name  of  the  township  was  derived  from  a  Mr.  Allen,  who  settled  in 
the  township  in  1836.  F.  E.  Rothstein,  who  settled  on  section  28  in  1859,  built 
a  steam  saw  and  gristmill  in  i860  and  removed  it  to  the  Wapsipinicon  river  in 
1865.  He  remained  at  Aliens  Grove  until  1867,  when  he  removed  to  Clinton 
county  after  selling  his  stock  to  Martin  O'Neil.  Mr.  O'Neil  remained  in  busi- 
ness until  1872,  when  W.  B.  Stevens  became  his  successor.  The  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul  railroad  cuts  across  the  township  diagonally,  entering  at  the 
southeast  corner  and  leaving  it  at  Dixon,  in  the  northwest  corner.  A  branch  of 
the  Rock  Island  railroad  crosses  the  township  from  west  to  east,  entering  at 
New   Dixon.     Truly   remarkable   has   been  the   development   of  Aliens   Grove 


NEW  Ur.EUTV  SCHODF. 


x?:w  TjBEinv 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  379 

township  during  the  past  half  century,  and  the  years  which  have  come  and  gone 
since  its  history  was  pubhshed  by  Dr.  Barrows  in  1863,  have  witnessed  continuous 
and  substantial  progress  in  various  Hnes.  Whereas  in  the  early  days  the  mail 
was  brought  from  Davenport  by  different  ones  of  the  neighborhood,  perhaps 
twice  a  week  or  whenever  any  one  happened  to  go  to  that  city,  the  township  now 
enjoys  the  advantage  of  a  rural  daily  mail  delivery,  and  is  closely  connected 
with  other  sections  of  the  county  by  the  telephone  system,  while  the  time  is  doubt- 
less not  far  distant  when  Aliens  Grove  will  enjoy  the  added  advantage  of  com- 
munication with  other  points  by  means  of  the  electric  trolley  line.  The  old  time 
subscription  schools,  held  in  log  cabins,  have  long  since  ceased  to  exist,  while 
modern  buildings  and  methods  have  been  instituted  in  their  place,  and  today  the 
township  can  boast  of  having  six  of  the  finest  school  buildings  in  the  rural  dis- 
tricts, each  equipped  with  the  latest  conveniences,  while  one  of  them  represents 
an  expenditure  of  $1,880. 

LIBERTY   TOWNSHIP. 

According  to  Mr.  Barrows,  settlement  in  Liberty  township  first  began  in  1837. 
Those  who  «ame  to  this  section  of  the  county  were  men  and  women  who  were 
determined  to  make  an  abiding  place  for  themselves  and  children.  One  of  these 
not  mentioned  was  Josiah  Figley.  who  came  to  Davenport  from  Columbiana 
county,  Ohio,  and  stopped  at  the  Davis  House,  a  small  story  and  a  half  structure 
on  Harrison  street.  This  was  in  February,  1850.  Later  he  went  to  Aliens 
Grove  where  he  drove  a  team  and  also  carried  the  mail  to  and  from  Davenport. 
At  that  time  a  Mr.  Eldridge  was  postmaster.  The  country  at  that  time  was  teem- 
ing with  fur-bearing  animals  of  the  smaller  kind  and  deer  were  plentiful.  The  set- 
tlers were  forced  to  put  up  with  the  most  primitive  arrangement  for  a  habitation 
and  furniture.  This  Mr.  Figley  in  1852  married  Eleanor  Heller,  who  was  born 
in  Scott  county.  It  was  but  a  few  years  until  the  farmers  of  this  township  began 
to  prosper  and  on  a  farm  owned  by  Mrs.  Figley's  father  Dr.  Dixon  laid  out  the 
town  of  Dixon.  It  was  in  the  '50s  that  the  farmers  of  this  township  were  very 
much  annoyed  by  the  depredation  of  horse  and  cattle  thieves.  Two  of  them  were 
eventually  captured  and  tried  by  a  jury  selected  by  a  band  of  the  settlers  who  had 
formed  an  organization  for  the  punishment  of  suchlike  evil-doers.  George  Rule, 
Sr..  settled  on  Rock  creek  and  erected  a  grist  mill  which  was  an  improvement 
greatly  appreciated  by  the  settlers  for  many  miles  around.  Roads  were  laid  out, 
bridges  built  and  the  bountiful  harvests  of  grain  were  marketed  at  Davenport. 
Today  the  town  of  Dixon  is  one  of  the  most  important  in  the  county  and  is 
described  elsewhere  in  this  history.  Horace  Woods  with  his  family  located  on 
section  11  early  in  1837.  and  following  closely  on  his  heels,  in  July  of  the  same 
year,  came  Jacob  Heller  and  family,  above  referred  to,  who  settled  on  section 
12.  now  the  town  site  of  Dixon.  About  the  same  time  came  John  Heller  and 
family,  and  with  him  were  Mark  C.  Jacobs  and  John  Grace,  who  were  employed 
by  Jacob  Heller.  Mrs.  Figley  is  given  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  white 
female  born  in  Scott  county.  The  first  cabin  built  in  the  township  was  by  Jacob 
Heller  in  1837,  and  the  first  prairie  land  broken  in  the  township  was  for  Jacob 
Heller,  the  work  being  done  by  John  Grace  and  Mark  C.  Jacobs.    The  land  was 


380  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

sowed  to  winter  wheat.  John  Heller  settled  on  section  14  and  M.  C.  Jacobs  took 
up  a  claim  on  section  24.  The  first  school  house  was  a  log-  cabin  built  in  1842  and 
slabs  cut  from  logs  were  fashioned  into  benches  for  the  pupils.  Today  the  town- 
ship has  seven  school  houses  in  as  many  districts  and  two  independent  districts, 
one  in  New  Liberty  and  the  other  in  Dixon.  The  school  in  Dixon  is  a  graded 
one  with  two  teachers.  There  are  also  three  churches  in  the  township,  two  at 
Big  Rock  and  one  at  Dixon.  The  soil  in  Liberty  township  is  of  the  best  and  more 
or  less  rolling.  Two  beautiful  groves  of  timber,  Big  and  Little  Walnut  groves, 
add  very  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  landscape,  and  cutting  through  these  groves 
is  Walnut  creek,  a  beautiful  little  stream,  fed  by  living  springs  of  water.  There 
is  also  in  the  township  an  abundance  of  good  gravel  and  limestone. 

BETTENDORF. 

It  would  take  no  Rip  Van  Winkle  awakening  from  a  twenty  years'  nap  to  rub 
his  eyes  when  he  visits  Gilberttown  and  descries  Bettendorf.  A  very  few  years 
of  stay  would  do  it.  The  steady  people  of  Gilbert  raised  onions  and  cultivated 
pretty  flower  beds,  kept  early  hours  and  good  habits  and  were  content  with  quiet 
life  in  the  eastern  suburbs  of  Davenport,  when  all  of  a  sudden  they  awoke  in  a 
whirl  of  industry,  with  chimneys  that  smoke  and  wheels  that  hum,  mammoth  hy- 
draulic presses  that  make  steel  cars  and  shears  that  chew  up  boiler  plate.  The 
necromancer,  W.  P.  Bettendorf  and  his  associates  have  worked  the  transforma- 
tion. The  town  changed  in  name  as  well  as  nature  and  has  become  the  second 
in  the  county.  An  army  of  men  are  employed  in  axle  works  and  car  works,  gas 
machine  factory,  automobile  works,  stone  crushers  and  other  industries.  Betten- 
dorf has  a  mayor  and  council,  is  improving  the  streets  and  arranging  for  a  muni- 
cipal septic  tank.  The  trains  of  the  C.  B.  &  Q.,  the  C.  M.  &  St.  P.  and  the  I.  &  I. 
interurban  stop  for  freight  and  passengers.  The  street  cars  of  the  Davenport 
system  provide  speedy  and  cheap  transit.  Suburban  homes  are  becoming  plenti- 
ful on  the  bluffs  at  Bettendorf.  Everything  points  to  a  great  growth  in  this  city 
of  industry.  Davenport  is  already  looking  with  covetous  eyes  and  hopes  to  make 
this  growing  suburb  the  seventh  ward  of  the  city  at  no  distant  date. 

BUFFALO. 

The  principal  town  in  Buffalo  township  is  Buffalo.  It  is  about  ten  miles 
below  Davenport  on  the  Mississippi  river  and  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pa- 
cific railroad,  whose  track  is  also  used  by  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
railway.  This  gives  the  town  two  means  of  transportation  by  railroad.  It 
now  has  about  400  inhabitants.  In  1900  one  of  the  finest  public  school 
buildings  in  the  county  outside  of  Davenport  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $5,000.  It 
has  Methodist,  Catholic  and  Lutheran  churches.  Quite  a  number  of  coal 
mines  are  in  operation  within  two  miles  of  the  village,  and  with  quite  a  sprink- 
ling of  timber  land  near  at  hand  fuel  is  plentiful  and  comparatively  low  in  price. 
One  of  the  largest  brick  manufactories  in  the  county  is  maintained  here,  which 
turns  out  superior  quality  of  work  and  gives  employment  to  about  forty  men. 
There  are   four  pearl   button    factories   in   operation   at    Buffalo ;   three   general 


lUFFALO  TOWX  IIAI.L 


MAIN  siiM:i:'r.  iuffatj 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  383 

stores;  a  bank;  a  drug  store;  bakery;  meat  market;  lumber  yard;  farm  imple- 
ment concern ;  a  very  good  hotel ;  livery  stable ;  blacksmith  shop ;  two  physi- 
cians ;  and  ihree  or  four  saloons. 

NEW    LIBERTY. 

The  leading  town  in  Liberty  township  is  New  Liberty.  It  is  situated  on  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroad.  It  has  a  population  of  about  150.  It 
has  one  bank ;  one  opera  house ;  three  saloons ;  two  general  stores ;  an  imple- 
ment concern ;  lumber  yard ;  physician ;  blacksmith  and  harness  maker ;  two  ele- 
vators ;  stock  yards ;  and  livery  stable. 


Big  Rock  is  in  the  northern  part  of  Liberty  township  and  on  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  railroad.  This  place  is  noted  as  the  home  of  Farmer 
Burns,  the  ex-champion  catch-as-catch-can  wrestler  of  the  world.  There  are 
in  Big  Rock  a  lumber  yard;  elevator;  drug  store;  general  store;  meat  market; 
confectionery  store ;  blacksmith ;  wagon  maker ;  hotel ;  opera  house. 


Dixon  is  the  leading  town  in  Aliens  Grove  township  and  is  on  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  railroad,  twenty-two  miles  northwest  of  Davenport.  In 
1905  the  population  was  325.  It  has  a  good  school  employing  two  teachers.  Oppo- 
site the  schoolhouse  is  the  Christian  church.  The  town  has  one  bank;  two  ho- 
tels ;  saloons ;  a  drug  store ;  two  blacksmith  shops ;  stock  yards ;  meat  market ; 
implement  concern ;  two  general  stores ;  two  physicians ;  an  elevator ;  and  a 
livery  stable. 

NEW   DIXON. 

New  Dixon,  also  in  Aliens  Grove  township,  is  situated  on  a  junction  of  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  and  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  rail- 
ways, about  one  mile  southeast  of  Dixon,  and  has  a  population  of  something  like 
100.  The  town  has  one  general  store;  an  elevator;  lumber  yard;  hotel:  a 
blacksmith  shop. 

MCCAUSLAND. 

McCausland  is  situated  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Butler  township  on  the 
Rock  Island  railroad,  twenty  miles  north  of  Davenport.  It  has  three  general 
stores;  two  implement  concerns:  two  hardware  stores;  a  bank;  two  blacksmith 
shops ;  one  livery ;  one  elevator ;  stock  yards ;  a  lumber  yard ;  two  physicians ;  a 
hotel ;  a  general  machine  shop. 


384  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

DONAHUE. 

Donahue  is  situated  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  township  on  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul,  seventeen  miles  northeast  of  Davenport.  It  has  a  hotel;  a 
bank;  a  general  store;  a  livery;  an  elevator;  a  lumber  yard;  a  blacksmith  and 
wagon  making  shop;  and  stock  yards. 


Eldridge  is  a  town  of  300  population.  It  is  about  twelve  miles  north  of  Daven- 
port in  Sheridan  township,  and  is  on  the  junction  of  the  Maquoketa  branch  and 
Monticello  branch  of  the  Chicago.  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  railroad.  It  has  a 
fine  school  building  and  Union  church.  In  Eldridge  are  to  be  found  one  bank; 
implement  store ;  stock  yards ;  lumber  yard ;  elevator ;  two  general  stores ;  a 
meat  market ;  two  hotels ;  furniture  store ;  two  blacksmith  shops ;  a  physician ; 
harness  dealer;  saloons;  drug  store;  barber  shop;  jeweler;  and  livery  stable. 


The  leading  town  of  LeClaire  township  is  LeClaire.  It  has  a  population  of 
about  800.  It  is  situated  about  fifteen  miles  north  of  Davenport  on  the  Mississippi 
river,  directly  opposite  Port  Byron,  Illinois.  It  has  good  railroad  facilities  on 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  and  the  Illi- 
nois and  Iowa  Interurban  railways ;  also  passenger  steamers  on  the  Mississippi 
furnish  the  town  with  transportation  and  freight  service.  It  has  a  graded 
school,  employing  five  teachers,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  best  in  the  county. 
The  Methodist,  Presbyterian,  Christian  and  Baptist  churches  have  beautiful 
and  large  edifices.  Here  is  the  LeClaire  stone  quarry  on  the  north  edge  of  the 
town  which  employs  a  number  of  men.  LeClaire  has  a  flourishing  bank ;  a  news- 
paper— the  LeClaire  Advance ;  six  general  stores ;  two  meat  markets ;  a  hard- 
ware store;  a  drug  store;  three  physicians;  an  implement  store;  two  hotels;  a 
dentist;  a  livery  stable;  blacksmith  shop;  a  shoe  store;  a  tailor;  two  restau- 
rants ;  saloons  ;  two  meat  dealers  ;  and  two  lumber  dealers. 

Among  the  famous  ex-residents  of  LeClaire  is  Captain  Sam  Van  Sant,  river 
man.  Ex-governor  of  Minnesota  and  commanders  of  the  National  organization  of 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

LONG   GROVE. 

Long  Grove  is  in  Winfield  township  about  twelve  miles  north  of  Davenport,  on 
the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  railroad.  It  takes  its  name  from  a  large 
grove  of  .timber  near  by  and  the  village  is  surrounded  by  very  rich  farm  coun- 
try. It  has  a  fine  school  with  two  teachers ;  two  churches ;  two  dealers  in  gen- 
eral merchandise ;  a  feed  mill ;  a  creamery ;  two  farm  implement  concerns ;  two 
blacksmith  shops ;  a  cigar  factory ;  a  meat  market ;  grain  elevator ;  lumber  and 
coal  yards ;  a  large  nursery ;  a  physician ;  and  a  hotel.  It  is  the  center  of 
twelve  telephone  lines  radiating  in  all  directions. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  385 

PRINCETON. 

Princeton  has  a  population  of  about  500  and  is  the  leading  town  in  the  town- 
ship of  that  name.  It  is  directly  opposite  Cordova,  Illinois,  on  the  Mississippi 
river,  and  twenty  miles  from  Davenport.  It  is  on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy,  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  and  the  Illinois  &  Iowa  Interurban 
railways;  also  steamers  on  the  Mississippi  furnish  its  citizens  with  transporta- 
tion. The  school  is  a  graded  one  employing  three  teachers.  There  is  a  Pres- 
byterian, Lutheran  and  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  each  having  a  liberal  at- 
tendance of  worshipers.  There  are  two  hotels ;  one  bank ;  two  physicians ;  an 
undertaker ;  two  general  stores ;  a  hardware  store ;  an  implement  store ;  a  harness 
shop ;  a  shoe  store ;  a  blacksmith  shop ;  a  livery  stable ;  lumber  yard ;  photograph 
gallery ;  meat  market ;  drug  store ;  an  elevator ;  two  saloons,  newspaper,  the  Prince- 
ton Review. 

BLUE   GRASS. 

This  thriving  little  village  was  laid  out  in  1853  by  J.  E.  Burnsides,  John  Perrin 
and  James  W.  Reynolds  on  sections  31  and  32,  Blue  Grass  township  and  on  sec- 
tions 5  and  6.  Buffalo  township.  John  Perrin  was  the  first  postmaster,  from  1849 
until  1853.  when  he  was  succeeded  by  a  Mr.  Colvin.  A  merchant  of  Muscatine, 
named  John  Baker,  opend  the  first  store  here  in  the  spring  of  1856.  Christ  Meeke, 
in  1852,  became  the  first  blacksmith.  The  first  wagon  maker  was  Henry  Greebe, 
in  1853.  He  remained  a  few  years,  then  moved  to  Nebraska,  where  he  became 
quite  prominent  in  politics.  The  first  shoe  maker  was  William  Souerman.in  1855. 
William  Moss,  in  1853,  opened  the  first  carpenter  shop.  The  first  hotel  was  builf 
by  J.  E.  Burnsides  in  1855.  Garret  Clawson  was  its  first  landlord.  The  Baptists 
in  1854  built  the  first  church  and  in  1859  the  second  church  was  built  by  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  society.  The  church  building  w^as  subsequently  removed  from  the 
village,  after  which  the  Methodists  erected  another  church  on  a  more  elaborate 
scale.  The  Presbyterians  came  next  in  1873  and  built  a  church.  In  1859  the  first 
school  house  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $1,000.  J.  E.  Burnsides  in  1856  erected  a 
steam  flouring  mill.  The  second  steam  flouring  mill  was  built  in  1867  by  a  Mr. 
Dorman.  Brick  was  first  made  in  Blue  Grass  in  the  summer  of  1845  by  Ezra  Car- 
penter. Within  the  limits  of  the  brickyard,  six  feet  below  the  surface,  the  fossil 
remains  of  a  mastodon  were  found.  The  tusks  resembled  petrified  hickory  and 
were  estimated  to  be  eleven  feet  long.  Blue  Grass  is  located  on  a  branch  of  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroad,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  township  of 
thaj;  name,  and  is  about  ten  miles  west  of  Davenport.  It  has  a  graded  school ;  two 
churches ;  a  bank ;  two  general  stores ;  a  lumber  yard ;  meat  market ;  implement 
store ;  blacksmith  shop ;  barber  shop  ;  one  physician ;  saloons  ;  telephone,  telegraph 
and  express  offices. 


Walcott  was  laid  out  in  1853  on  sections  7  and  8,  by  Cook  and  Sargent,  of  Dav- 
enport, and  the  first  passenger  train  that  ever  ran  over  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri 
railroad  carried  a  delegation  to  attend  the  sale  of  lands  of  the  village.     F.  W.  Kef- 


386  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

erstein  was  the  first  merchant.  He  removed  to  Davenport  in  1871.  The  post- 
office  was  established  in  the  town  in  1855  and  Mr.  Keferstein  was  the  first  post- 
master. Samuel  VenchoflF  was  the  first  blacksmith  and  the  firm  of  Bach  &  Sears 
established  the  first  harness  shop.  The  railroad  company  built  a  warehouse  in 
1855  and  in  1867  an  elevator  was  built.  Walcott  is  an  incorporated  town  and  is  on 
the  Chicago.  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  railroad,  twelve  miles  northwest  of  Davenport. 
It  has  a  population  of  about  500.  It  has  a  graded  school ;  water  works ;  two 
banks,  one  of  which  has  deposits  of  nearly  S500.000 ;  three  general  stores;  two 
elevators;  two  drug  stores;  a  furniture  store;  a  hardware  and  stove  store;  two 
blacksmith  shops ;  a  harness  shop ;  a  meat  shop ;  three  implement  concerns ;  and  is 
an  important  shipping  point  for  grain  and  live  stock.  Contiguous  to  Walcott  the 
country  is  mainly  settled  by  Germans. 


LECLAIRE   VILLAGE. 

The  article  here  following  is  from  the  ready  and  faithful  pen  of  Mary  E. 
Parkhurst,  and  was  prepared  for  and  published  in  the  Half  Centun,'  Democrat : 

"LeClaire  is  a  beautiful,  historic,  and  restful  town,  nestling  beneath  green 
hills  and  kissed  by  the  caressing  waves  of  the  'father  of  waters,'  and  bathed  by 
the  early  rays  of  the  morning  sun.  Health,  happiness  and  prosperity  are  the 
guardian  angels  of  her  future  welfare  and  destiny.  The  past  to  her  is  a  rich 
treasury  of  sacred  and  historic  interest.  Many  a  noble  and  worthy  citizen  has 
passed  to  the  beyond,  yet  the  cherished  history  surrounding  the  early  pioneer, 
breathing  a  hallowed  influence  upon  this  town  like  a  sweet  benediction,  will  ever 
abide. 

"Following  the  tread  of  civilization,  two  towns,  LeClaire  and  Parkhurst,  sprang 
into  being.  Separating  the  two  was  a  dense  forest,  called  by  Edward  Russell 
'The  Gulf,'  extending  on  the  bank  of  the  river  westward  between  Silver  creek 
and  Holland  street.  A.  H.  Davenport  and  R.  H.  Rogers,  owning  this  strip  of 
land,  divided  it  into  town  lots.  In  1855  on  petition  of  the  inhabitants  of  both 
towns  the  legislature,  by  an  act,  incorporated  the  city  of  LeClaire,  including  with- 
in its  limits  the  town  of  Parkhurst.  LeClaire  was  a  thriving  city.  It  was  the  home 
of  the  river  man,  the  professional  and  business  man,  and  the  craftsman,  all  find- 
ing an  avenue  for  activity  and  success.  At  low  water  the  packets  and  floating 
rafts,  when  darkness  of  night  gathered,  anchored  at  LeClaire,  awaiting  the  early 
dawn  when  some  trusty  pilot  would  safely  guide  the  way  over  the  treacherous 
rapids.  The  social,  religious,  educational  and  commercial  were  interwoven  into  a 
harmonious  whole  for  the  growth  of  this  promising  city.  Lectures  were  gi'wen 
before  literary  and  temperance  societies ;  musical  societies  met  weekly ;  Sunday 
and  public  school  exhibitions  entertained  the  people :  the  Methodist,  Episcopal, 
Congregational,  Baptist,  Disciples,  and  Universalist  churches,  all  having  worship, 
cultivated  and  fostered  the  religious  sentiment.  'A  vocal  and  instrumental  soiree' 
was  given  by  Miss  Helen  M.  Ekin,  now  Mrs.  Helen  M.  Starrett,  a  mother  of  sev- 
eral highly  educated  sons,  and  a  well  known  writer  and  educator  of  Chicago.  'A 
May  ball'  was  given  in  Davenport's  hall.  The  committee  of  arrangements  were 
selected  from  the  surrounding  towns.  Room  managers  were  C.  S.  Disney,  L.  S. 
Chamberlin,  A.  M.  White.     Supper  was  served  at  the  Bratton  House,  M.  D.  West- 


CATHOLTC  rHiRCH.  BLFFALO 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  389 

lake,  proprietor.  Bill,  $3.00.  Music  was  furnished  by  White's  band,  conducted 
by  Alfred  Milo  White,  the  noted  violinist. 

"The  hum  of  industry  was  heard.  From  the  LeClaire  Marine  railway  the 
ring-  of  the  hammer  in  building-  and  repairing  boats,  and  the  buzz  of  the  saws 
from  the  two  sawmills,  joined  with  the  machine  shop  of  Charley  Kattenbracker 
and  Adolph  Weithe,  in  musical  notes  of  industry.  'The  Swan  Mills,'  operated 
by  Terhune  and  Grout,  'manufactured  a  very  superior  article  of  flour.'  They 
stated  in  1856,  'We  deliver  our  flour  by  ten  barrels  and  upward  within  fifteen  or 
eighteen  miles  of  our  mill  free  of  charge.'  Disney,  Stonebraker  &  Company, 
wanted  thirty  thousand  bushels  of  corn  for  cash.  Dry  goods,  clothing,  hardware, 
boat  and  provision  stores,  blacksmith,  tin,  copper,  cabinet,  candy  and  tailor 
shops,  house  and  ship  carpenters,  stone  masons  and  bricklayers,  supplied  the  grow- 
ing needs  of  the  city.  Drs.  S.  W.  Treat,  James  Gamble,  and  Hill  guarded  the 
public  health,  while  Rufus  Linderman,  the  lawyer,  promoted  peace  and  tranquility. 
Messrs.  H.  Fleming,  William  Craig,  Francis  H.  Impy  and  Edward  Russell 
swayed  public  opinion,  through  'The  Weekly  Express.' 

"Education  was  an  important  factor  in  this  progressive  city.  The 
school  district  was  divided  by  the  state  into  four  districts  under 
one  organization.  The  following  communication  was  received :  'Office  of 
School  Fund  Commissioner,  Davenport,  May  15.  1855.  To  the  voters  of 
school  district  No.  10,  LeClaire  Town :  It  having  been  made  known  that 
your  district  is  without  officers,  I  have  appointed  Daniel  Hagedorn,  president, 
Dennis  Barnes,  secretary  and  Homer  Carpenter,  treasurer  of  said  district  until 
the  first  Monday  in  May,  A.  D.  1856,  and  until  their  successor  shall  be  elected 
and  qualified.  H.  Price,  Fund  Commissioner,  Scott  County,  Iowa.'  At  a  school 
meeting  in  LeClaire  in  district  No.  7,  in  1856,  Mr.  Spaulding,  chairman,  and  A.  M. 
Larimer,  secretary,  Laurel  Summers,  introduced  the  following-  resolution :  Re- 
solved, That  school  district  No.  7,  LeClaire,  is  in  favor  of  uniting  with  districts 
No.  2,  10  and  11,  and  thereby  forming  'a  union  of  the  four  distrcts.  Each 
district  as  it  now  stands  does  not  forfeit  or  surrender  its  title  or  ownership  to 
the  school  property.' 

"In  1855  it  was  agreed  between  Daniel  Hagedorn,  Dennis  Barnes,  Homer 
Carpenter  and  Pardon  H.  Owen,  that  said  Ow^en  should  teach  one  of  the  schools 
for  the  term  of  three  months  for  the  sum  of  $33.33  1/3  per  month.  A.  P.  Westfall 
was  witness  to  the  contract.  Pardon  H.  Owen  was  a  scholarly  man.  Eighty-seven 
bright  boys  and  girls  attended  his  school  during  the  year.  The  following  school- 
houses  have  been  used  in  LeClaire  during  the  last  fifty  years  :  the  brick  building  in 
Parkhurst  town  ;  the  Baptist  church  on  Wisconsin  avenue  ;  the  Presbyterian  church 
on  Jones  street,  called  the  'black  school'  owing  to  the  unpainted  and  weatherbeaten 
condition  of  the  building:  the  school  house  built  in  1850  on  Ferry  street,  called 
the  'White  school ;'  the  old  Methodist  church  on  Main  street ;  the  Catholic  church, 
beautifully  situated  upon  one  of  the  high  bluffs;  the  German  school  house  and 
the  present  building,  built  in  1870.  Only  two  of  these  old  buildings  remain  stand- 
ing. Four  schools  continued  in  LeClaire  until  1868.  when  one  primary  school  was 
disbanded,  leaving  three  schools;  the  high  school,  one  intermediate,  and  one 
primary,  called  for  convenience  'the  stone,  the  black  and  the  white  schools.'  The 
first  principal  was  Mr.  Raymond,  in  1857.    Mr.  Baldwin  in  1858.  L.  W.  Weller  in 


390  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

1859,  H.  M.  Hoon  in  i860.  The  high  school  then  moved  from  the  old  Methodist 
church  to  the  Catholic  church.  H.  M.  Hoon  completed  his  term  of  service  and 
Mr.  Stewart  and  Charles  Clark  were  principals  in  this  building.  The  high  school 
then  moved  to  the  German  school  house,  William  Sanderson  and  J.  W.  Coates 
being  principals.  In  1871  all  the  schools  were  held  in  the  present  building.  The 
following  have  been  in  charge  of  the  schools  since :  J.  W.  Austin,  J.  W.  Coates, 
C.  E.  Birchard,  J.  F.  Lavender,  J.  T.  Marvin,  J.  A.  Holmes,  E.  A.  Hamilton, 
W.  D.  Wells,  Victor  L.  Dodge,  E.  S.  Kinley,  A.  E.  Baker,  W.  C.  Hicks,  C.  W. 
Bartine,  A.  W.  Schantz,  John  F.  Ogden,  S.  M.  Carlington,  W.  E.  B.  Marks,  J.  F. 
Norman.  Alessrs.  Hoon,  Coates,  Birchard,  Lavender.  Kinley,  Wells  and  Bartine 
married  LeClaire  ladies. 

"Mrs.  M.  L.  Marks  taught  a  private  school  in  LeClaire  for  ten  years. 
Nearly  every  boy  and  girl  at  that  time  attended  her  school  part  of  the  year.  In 
1859  Dr.  Ekin,  the  Presbyterian  minister,  conducted  a  Ladies'  Seminary  at  Maple 
Dale;  now  the  home  of  Captain  I.  H.  Spinsby.  The  influence  of  Dr.  Ekin  and 
family  was  helpful  and  elevating  to  the  people  of  LeClaire.  In  1856  an  'English 
and  Classical  School'  was  kept  in  LeClaire  by  A.  W.  Alvord  and  R.  C.  Hitchcock. 
Miss  Mary  Payson  conducted  a  private  school  for  some  time.  She  returned  east 
and  married  a  Mr.  Pierce,  the  grandfather  of  one  of  Davenport's  real  estate 
agents.  Mrs.  Sarah  Hurd  and  Mrs.  M.  L.  Follette  conducted,  for  some  time,  a 
select  school.  Mrs.  Hurd  taught  painting,  music,  embroidery  and  other  fine 
arts.  In  1859  Mrs.  Elsie  A.  Curtis,  Mrs.  Stella  Tromley  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Daw- 
ley  were  elected  school  directors.  They  completed  their  term  in  office  with 
credit  to  themselves  and  profit  to  the  public  schools. 

"The  LeClaire  Lyceum  and  Library  association  was  incorporated  in  1867. 
The  object  of  the  society  was  twofold:  literary  improvement  and  the  establish- 
ment of  a  public  library.  In  1867  an  exhibition  was  given  in  Davenport's  hall. 
The  program  occupied  four  hours.  All  seemed  highly  pleased.  The  proceeds 
were  used  in  purchasing  books.  A  season  ticket  cost  fifty  cents  and  included  the 
regular  weekly  meeting,  also  the  lectures.  Ten  cents  admission  was  demanded  at 
the  door  from  all  who  did  not  have  season  tickets  at  the  regular  weekly  meeting. 
Between  five  and  six  hundred  volumes  were  bought  by  this  society,  which  are 
now  anchored  in  the  school  building  and  called  the  public  Hbrary.  Time,  thought 
and  labor  were  freely  expended  by  this  society  for  the  public  and  future  benefit 
of  LeClaire.  The  following  are  some  of  the  worthy  citizens  who  were  interested 
in  this  work:  Hon.  Laurel  Summers,  Hon.  A.  M.  Larimer,  H.  A.  Harrington, 
James  Powell,  P.  H.  Owen,  Milton  Parkhurst,  F.  Snyder,  Captain  S.  E.  Van 
Sant,  N.  F.  Home,  Mrs.  Mary  Summers,  Mrs.  Sarah  Headley,  Mrs.  James  Powell, 
Mrs.  James,  Mrs.  Decker,  Miss  Minnie  Robinson,  now  Mrs.  Waggoner  of  Blue 
Grass,  and  many  others.  A  few  remain  in  LeQaire ;  some  have  moved  to  other 
places,  while  some  have  journeyed  to  the  other  world.  The  public  library  is  the 
legacy  these  worthy  citizens  have  left  to  coming  generations.  May  it  ever  be 
guarded  as  a  precious  relic  from  the  past! 

"LeClaire  still  has  much  literary  talent  and  many  ambitious  young  people. 
Mrs.  M.  L.  Follett  writes  verse  which  has  the  true  poetic  ring.  J.  D.  Barnes  is 
an  interesting  writer  of  historical  sketches.  Miss  Gertie  Dawley  is  a  teacher  of 
Greek  and  Latin  in  the  high  school  at  Oak  Park,  near  Chicago.     Miss  Alice  Lan- 


HISTORY'  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  391 

caster  is  a  student  at  Iowa  City  and  a  teacher  of  physical  training.  Mrs.  Rose 
Eldridge  delights  with  her  camera  to  reproduce  the  historic  and  picturesque. 
Miss  Tuna  Isherwood  will  soon  complete  her  studies  at  the  state  university. 
Dr.  Alvina  Kattenbracker  has  been  a  practicing  physician  for  twenty-five  years. 
For  a  number  of  years  she  presided  over  a  happy  home.  Her  husband  having 
died  and  her  two  sons  married,  she  still  continues  to  practice  in  her  profession, 
having  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  LeClaire  people. 

"Several  newspapers  have  been  started  in  this  place;  among  them  the  Weekly 
Express  and  the  LeClaire  City  Express.  This  paper  was  devoted  to  religion, 
art,  science,  literature,  agriculture,  mechanics,  news,  commerce,  enterprise  and 
progress.  The  motto,  'Be  just  and  fear  not;  let  all  the  ends  thou  aims't  at  be 
thy  country's,  thy  God's  and  Truth's.'  Several  papers  followed:  The  LeClaire 
Republican,  the  Scott  County  Register,  the  LeClaire  Pilot,  the  LeClaire  Journal, 
and  the  LeClaire  Advance,  which  is  now  (1905)  in  the  sixth  year  of  success 
and  prosperity.  J.  E.  Fedderson  is  editor  and  publisher.  A  new  press  will 
soon  be  in  use.     Mr.  Fedderson  married  one  of  LeClaire's  fair  daughters. 

"The  ferry,  the  Twin  City,  through  the  sweep  of  time  and  the  lashing  of  the 
cruel  waves,  became  disabled,  and  a  new  ferry  was  built  by  R.  A.  Edwards, 
named  the  May  Flower.  These  boats,  as  well  as  the  owners,  served  the  people 
well  and  faithfully.  They  were  owned  by  different  partie's  at  various  times, 
but  P.  M.  Smith  guided  his  neat  ferries  across  the  waters  thirty-five  years.  With 
the  advent  of  the  railroad  the  ferry  business  departed. 

"In  1858  this  advertisement  appeared  in  the  LeClaire  Enterprise:  'Banking 
house  of  Davenport,  Rogers  &  Company.  Exchange,  gold,  silver  and  uncur- 
rent  money.'  Forty-seven  years  drifted  down  the  stream  of  time  ere  LeClaire 
was  favored  with  the  LeClaire  Savings  bank ;  C.  S.  Simpson,  president ;  W.  P. 
Headley,  vice  president;  J.  E.  Parker,  cashier;  capital  $100,000.  the  stock  being 
subscribed  by  thirty  of  the  most  progressive  and  influential  citizens  of  the 
community.  From  the  first  the  bank  has  proven  a  convenience  and  a  help  to  the 
business  interests.  Its  deposits  average  over  $80,000  and  are  constantly  in- 
creasing. Many  of  the  active  business  men  in  this  place  today  are  brave  sons  of 
LeClaire,  and  are  an  honor  to  their  native  town.  They  loyally  watch 
every  public  interest  and  carry  many  burdens  of  public  responsibility. 
A.  N.  Davisson  was  a  business  man  thirty  years.  C.  P.  Disney  has  been  in  busi- 
ness forty-six  years  and  mayor  seven  times.  Waldo  Parkhurst  was  a  merchant 
forty  years.  Dr.  James  Gamble  practiced  medicine  fifty-six  years.  L.  Schworm 
kept  a  boot  and  shoe  store  forty-eight  years  and  Mrs.  Jane  Jack  kept  a  millinery 
store  thirty  years.  Mrs.  Mary  Summers  is  the  only  one  living  who  has  had  a 
continuous  residence  in  LeClaire  since   1842. 

"LeClaire  is  no  longer  a  city  but  a  peaceful,  restful  town  of  800 
inhabitants.  Many  of  her  industries  have  crumbled  before  the  stern  and  re- 
lentless tread  of  Time,  yet  with  the  many  beautiful  homes,  town  hall,  school 
building,  churches  and  public-spirited  citizens  prosperity  and  happiness  may  ever 
await  the  guardian  angels  at  her  gateway.  She  is  no  longer  isolated  for  the 
railroad  and  interurban  have  linked  her  with  the  great  outside  world,  of  which 
she  is  a  beautiful  and  symetrical  part." 


ANTOIXE  LE  CEAIRE 


CHAPTER  XL 
DAVENPORT'S  FIRST  CITIZEN. 

ANTOINE    LE  CLAIRE    PROMINENTLY    IDENTIFIED    WITH    THE    CITY,    TERRITORY    AND 

STATE ^THE  OWNER  OF  A  HALF-DOZEN  SECTIONS  OF  LAND  GIVEN  HIM  BY  INDIAN 

FRIENDS GENEROUS  TO  ALL MARGUERITE   LECLAIRE,    HIS   WIFE   WHO   SHARED 

HIS  PLEASURE  IN  MAKING  OTHERS  HAPPY A  TRIBUTE  BY  PERE  PELAMOURGUES 

— LECLAIRE  AND  DAVENPORT — NAMES  INSEPARABLE. 

ANTOINE  LECLAIRE. 

Scattered  throughout  these  pages,  here  and  there,  the  name  of  Antoine  LeCIaire 
appears.  He  was  a  man  so  prominently  identified  with  the  territory,  state  and 
city  of  Davenport  in  their  early  stages  of  development,  was  so  broad-minded,  lib- 
eral in  his  views,  enterprising,  generous  to  friends  and  enthusiastic  and  helpful  in 
the  promotion  of  the  city's  advancement,  and  always  at  the  head  of  and  a  liberal 
contributor  to  every  public  enterprise  of  his  day,  that  necessarily  his  name  was 
more  frequently  and  respectfully  used  than  any  other  man  of  this  community. 
Many  incidents  of  his  life  are  noted  herein  by  those  who  knew  him  intimately, 
which  leave  the  writer  of  this  sketch  naught  to  do  but  give  a  general  outline  of  the 
life  of  that  great  pioneer. 

Antoine  LeCIaire  was  born  December  15,  1797,  at  St.  Josephs,  Michigan.  He 
was  the  son  of  Francois  LeQaire,  who  immigrated  from  France  to  Canada  and 
eventually  took  up  his  residence  in  Detroit.  Francois  LeCIaire  married  the  grand- 
daughter of  a  Pottawattamie  chief,  who  became  the  mother  of  Antoine.  At  this 
time  the  territory  of  the  northwest,  out  of  which  a  half  dozen  mighty  states  have 
been  formed,  was  peopled  almost  solely  by  the  redmen,  with  here  and  there  one  of 
a  different  race,  fearless  enough  to  brave  the  perils  of  the  frontier  life  among  the 
dusky  denizens  of  the  wilderness.  Francois  LeCIaire  was  one  of  these.  In  1808 
he  established  a  trading  post  at  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  exchanging  manufactured 
articles  for  various  kinds  of  furs.  In  1809  he  engaged  to  some  extent  in  the 
business  in  connection  with  John  Kinzie,  at  Fort  Dearborn,  now  Chicago,  Illinois. 
In  1812,  though  surrounded  with  the  Indian  tribes  with  whom  he  was  trading  and 


396  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

who  through  the  influence  of  British  emissaries  were  generally  hostile  to  the  United 
States,  Francois  LeClaire  espoused  the  American  cause,  engaging  actively  in  the 
service,  and  was  in  the  contest  at  Peoria,  where  with  others  he  was  taken  prisoner. 
The  prisoners  were  confined  at  Alton,  Illinois,  but  were  released  during  the  same 
year. 

ENTERS  GOVERNMENT  SERVICE. 

About  this  period,  at  the  solicitation  of  Governor  Qark  of  Missouri,  Antoine  • 
LeClaire  entered  the  service  of  the  government  and  was  placed  at  school  that  he 
might  acquire  a  proper  knowledge  of  the  English  language.  At  that  time  he  could 
speak  French  and  Spanish  fluently.  In  1818  he  was  sent  to  Fort  Armstrong  and 
there  acted  as  interpreter  under  Captain  Davenport,  and  the  same  year  returned 
to  Peoria,  where  in  1820  he  married  the  granddaughter  of  Acoqua  (The  Kettle), 
a  Sac  chief.  The  same  year  he  was  sent  to  Arkansas  to  watch  the  movements  of 
Indians  in  that  locality.  He  was  returned  to  Fort  Armstrong  in  1827  and  was 
present  as  interpreter  in  1832  when  the  treaty  was  made  by  which  the  United  States 
purchased  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  tribes  the  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi  river. 
The  treaty,  on  account  of  the  presence  of  cholera  among  the  soldiers  at  Fort  Arm- 
strong, was  entered  into  on  the  Iowa  shore  opposite  to  the  island.  Here  the  great 
chief  of  the  Sacs,  Keokuk,  whose  admiration  for  LeClaire  could  never  be  con- 
cealed, made  a  reserve  of  a  section  of  land  which  he  donated  to  Mr.  LeClaire's 
wife,  requiring  as  the  only  condition  that  Mr.  LeClaire  should  build  his  house 
on  the  section  and  on  the  spot  then  occupied  by  the  marquee  of  General  Scott 
in  making  the  treaty,  which  condition  Mr.  LeClaire  afterward  fulfilled  to  the 
letter.  The  Sacs  and  Foxes  also,  gave  him  another  section  of  land  at  the  head  of 
the  rapids,  where  the  village  of  LeClaire  now  stands.  The  Pottawattamies  in  the 
treaty  of  Prairie  du  Chien  reserved  two  sections  on  the  Illinois  side  which  they 
presented  to  Mr.  LeClaire.  On  this  reservation  now  stands  the  thriving  city  of 
Moline.  The  treaty  was  ratified  by  congress  the  following  winter.  In  the  spring 
of  1833  Mr.  LeClaire  erected  a  small  building  in  the  then  Fox  village,  "Morgan," 
which  had  occupied  this  ground  for  years  previous.  Of  the  tribe  having  this  as 
their  headquarters  Ma-que-pra-um  was  the  head  warrior  and  Poweshiek  the  head 
chief.    In  the  fall  of  1834  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  left  here  for  the  Cedar  river. 

In  1833  Mr.  LeClaire  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Davenport,  the  first  one 
to  occupy  that  position  in  the  town,  and  also  justice  of  the  peace,  to  settle  all 
matters  of  difference  between  the  whites  and  Indians.  His  jurisdiction  extended 
over  all  the  territory  purchased  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  west  of  the  Mississippi 
from  Dubuque  on  the  north  to  Burlington  on  the  south.  The  population  of  Bur- 
lington at  that  time  was  about  20Q — that  of  Dubuque,  about  250.  An- 
toine LeClaire  was  an  accomplished  linguist.  As  has  been  stated,  he  spoke 
French  and  Spanish,  understood  thoroughly  and  conversed  in  fourteen  In- 
dian dialects,  and  by  reason  of  this  mainly  was  present  as  interpreter  at 
many  other  treaties,  that  of  the  Great  and  Little  Osages,  in  St.  Louis  in  1825  ; 
that  of  the  Kansas  at  St.  Louis,  in  1825 ;  of  the  Chippewas  at  Prairie  du  Chien 
in  1829;  the  Winnebagos  at  the  same  place  in  August,  1829;  at  the  same  place 
with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  in  1826 ;  also  at  Prairie  du  Chien  with  the  Winnebagos 
in  1832;  at  the  treaty  of  Fort  Armstrong  held  on  the  Iowa  side  with  the  Sacs 


ANTOINE  LeCLAIRES   TREATY   8ITE   HOME   AS   IT  NOW   LOOKS    \T 
420  WEST  FIFTH  STREET 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  399 

and  Foxes  at  Davenport  in  1836;  at  Washington  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  in 
1837;  and  with  the  Sacs  and  Fox  tribes  at  Agency,  now  Wapello  county,  Iowa, 
in  1842. 

FOUNDER  OF  DAVENPORT. 

A's  Stated  elsewhere  in  this  work,  Mr.  LeClaire  assisted  in  the  formation  of 
a  land  company  that  laid  out  the  town  of  Davenport,  and  he  became  one  of  its 
most  active,  progressive  and  influential  business  men.  On  this  spot  where  Daven- 
port now  stands  there  was  once  an  Indian  village,  of  which  no  data  is  now  at 
hand  whereby  it  can  be  described.  Doubtless  it  was  the  camping  place  or  village 
of  the  Indians  centuries  before  this  continent  was  discovered  by  Columbus,  and 
it  is  said  also,  although  it  is  a  matter  of  dispute  among  historians,  that  here,  too. 
Father  Marquette  landed  in  June,  1673,  and  that  he  was  the  first  white  man  whose 
foot  ever  touched  the  soil  of  Iowa.  When  Keokuk  so  generously  presented  to 
Marguerite  LeClaire  the  section  of  land  whereon  Davenport  now  stands  he  little 
dreamed  that  a  thriving,  prosperous  city  would  be  built  upon  it.  The  first  house 
having  been  built  by  Antoine  LeClaire,  and  he  having  been  so  closely  associated 
with  all  movements  that  led  up  to  the  city's  existence,  it  is  easy  to  feel  that  it 
should  have  received  his  name.  But  being  of  a  generous  and  modest  mind,  he 
named  the  city  in  honor  of  his  friend.  Colonel  George  Davenport. 

Antoine  LeClaire  became  possessed  of  great  wealth  for  a  man  of  his  day.  His 
every  desire  seemed  to  be  centered  in  the  future  and  welfare  of  Davenport. 
Everything  that  would  advance  the  city  in  any  way  appealed  to  his  generous 
spirit  and  by  a  liberal  expenditure  of  money  and  by  gifts,  churches,  schoolhouses, 
hotels  and  other  public  buildings  came  into  existence  at  his  expense.  The  first 
cathedral  of  the  Sacred  Heart  (St.  Marguerite's)  was  built  and  furnished  with 
bell,  organ,  paintings,  statuary  and  fonts  complete,  with  eighty  acres  of  ground 
for  a  cemetery,  by  his  munificence.  The  church  and  cemetery  were  named  St. 
Marguerite's  in  honor  of  his  wife,  with  its  imposing  appearance  and  lofty  spires 
standing  on  a  large  city  block  of  ground,  crowning  the  hilltop  overlooking  the 
majestic  Mississippi.  In  early  days  he  also  gave  a  block  of  ground  between  Fourth 
and  Fifth,  on  Brady  and  Main  streets,  and  erected  thereon  St.  Anthony's  church, 
school  house  and  rectory  complete.  This  block  is  now  partially  occupied  by 
business  buildings  which  bring  a  large  revenue  to  the  diocese.  Mr.  LeOaire  was 
a  devout  Catholic,  and  as  the  word  implies,  was  broad  in  his  views,  as  he  not  only 
gave  of  his  substance  to  his  own  church  but  also  as  well  to  the  Protestant  churches 
of  that  time,  donating  grounds  and  contributing  liberally  to  the  buildings  erected 
thereon. 

FROM   BLOCK    HOUSE  TO   MANSION. 

His  first  home  was  a  small  log  house  soon  replaced  by  a  more  pretentious 
structure  from  which  he  eventually  removed  into  a  splendid  mansion  on  the 
bluiTs,  which  commanded  a  beautiful  view  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  three  cities. 
After  the  death  of  Mrs.  LeClaire  it  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  Catholic 
diocese  and  was  used  as  a  residence  for  Bishop  McMullen,  and  at  his  death  it 
was  the  residence  of  his  successor.  Bishop  Cosgrove,  who  also  died  there.    Then 


400  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

came  Bishop  Davis,  who  disposed   of   the    residence,    which    still   stands   on    its 
original  site. 

As  Mr.  LeClaire  grew  older  his  avoirdupois  increased  materially  from  his 
former  small  frame  to  a  portly  embodiment  which  made  his  physique  noticeable 
wherever  he  appeared.  In  fact,  his  weight  was  something  over  300 
pounds.  He  died  September  25,  1861,  suddenly  from  a  third  attack  of  paralysis. 
His  funeral  was  attended  on  the  26th  of  September  by  a  multitudinous  proces- 
sion of  citizens  and  old  settlers  of  the  county,  on  foot,  walking  mournfully  to 
the  church  and  the  grave,  attended  by  Rev.  Pelamourgues  and  two  other  priests. 
The  funeral  sermon  was  subsequently  preached  by  Rev.  John  Donlan.  The  body 
was  interred  in  the  yard  close  to  St.  Marguerite's  church,  a  costly  monument 
was  placed  at  the  grave  by  his  widow,  and  when  she  died,  her  body  was  interred 
beside  that  of  her  husband.  Subsequently  when  the  costlier  monument  to  the 
memory  and  generosity  of  Antoine  LeQaire,  St.  Marguerite's  church,  was  razed 
to  the  ground,  to  give  way  to  the  Sacred  Heart  cathedral,  the  bodies  of  these 
noted  pioneers  were  disinterred  and  found  their  last  resting  place  in  St.  Mar- 
guerite's cemetery,  where  the  monument  purchased  by  Mrs.  LeQaire  was  also 
removed. 

MARGUERITE  LECLAIRE. 

Mrs.  Marguerite  LeClaire,  wife  of  Antoine  LeClaire,  died  at  the  family  resi- 
dence, in  Davenport,  October  18,  1876. 

Mrs.  LeClaire  was  born  at  Portage  des  Sioux,  St.  Charles  county,  Missouri, 
October  16,  1802.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Antoine  LePage,  a  Canadian,  and 
the  granddaughter  of  the  Sac  chief,  Acoqua  (The  Kettle),  the  leading  chief  of 
his  nation.  Her  early  life  was  spent  in  her  native  village  where  her  education 
was  superintended  by  one  of  the  orders  of  nuns,  under  whom  she  studied  French 
and  English.  In  1820  she  was  married  to  Antoine  LeClaire  in  Peoria,  who  was 
then  acting  as  interpreter  between  the  Indians  and  the  government,  and  frequently 
accompanied  her  husband  on  his  excursions  among  the  Indians  in  Arkansas, 
whom  he  was  sent  to  watch,  when  acting  as  scout  or  interpreter  for  the  govern- 
ment, during  seven  years.  During  her  residence  in  Davenport  and  before  and 
since  the  death  of  her  husband,  delegations  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  visited 
her  place  every  year,  where  they  were  always  made  welcome,  entertained  as  long 
as  they  wished  to  remain,  and  when  leaving,  always  carried  away  as  a  free  gift 
what  necessaries  they  required — corn,  flour,  etc. 

Being  an  earnest  and  devout  Catholic,  her  own  church  and  sect  were  recipi- 
ents of  her  charity  to  a  very  large  degree;  but  as  said  before,  when  called  upon 
for  aid  to  any  public  or  philanthropic  enterprise,  she  never  stopped  to  inquire  as 
to  creed  or  sect,  all  alike  being  partakers  of  her  bounty.  She  died  about  nine  in 
the  morning,  after  receiving  at  the  hands  of  Father  Cosgrove  the  solemn  rites 
of  the  church  of  which  she  was  a  devout  and  consistent  member.  The  funeral 
sermon  was  preached  by  Father  Cosgrove,  in  St.  Marguerite's  church,  ot  which 
she  was  a  member  and  which  was  built  and  furnished  by  her  husband  during  his 
lifetime.  Her  remains  were  deposited  in  the  burial  lot  beside  her  husband  at 
the  entrance  of  the  church. 


MAiaifEinTE  LK  CLAIUK 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  403 

A  PICTURESQUE  PERSONALITY. 

"One  of  the  picturesque  personalities  that  will  lend  charm  to  the  history  of 
Davenport,"  said  the  Democrat  in  its  issue  of  June  17,  1899,  "will  be  Antoine  Le- 
Claire,  the  Indian's  friend,  companion,  protector,  incorporator  of  Davenport  and 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century  one  of  its  most  public-spirited  citizens,  esteemed  and 
loved  by  redmen  and  white  till  the  day  of  his  death.  The  banished  tribesmen  no 
longer  make  their  annual  pilgrimage  here  to  seek  his  counsel  and  companionship, 
his  activity  no  longer  contributes  to  our  civic  life  or  his  benevolence  to  the  good 
works  that  others  are  carrying  on  in  his  stead,  but  his  memory  continues  fresh 
in  the  minds  of  those  who  knew  him.  That  his  name  lingers  all  over  our  city 
map  in  addition  after  addition,  attaches  to  one  of  our  streets  and  to  a  city  at  the 
head  of  the  rapids  is  because  he  faithfully  served  the  friends  of  his  childhood, 
the  Indians,  who  years  ago  made  their  abode  in  this  vicinity,  counted  by  them,  as 
it  may  still  lay  claim  to  be,  the  garden  spot,  of  the  west.  In  connection  it  may 
be  noted  that  the  removal  of  the  Indians  from  this  neighborhood  onto  a  reserva- 
tion further  west  did  not  prevent  them  from  showing,  their  affection  for  and 
remembrance  of  LeClaire  in  after  life.  For  years  large  delegations  of  the  tribes- 
men came  here  every  fall,  whole  villages  at  a  time,  and  camped  near  his  house 
and  enjoyed  the  hospitality  of  the  family.  When  Colonel  Davenport  was  mur- 
dered on  the  island  here  Indians  came  back  from  interior  Iowa  to  guard  the 
LeQaire  home.  Yearly  the  delegations  grew  smaller  as  the  lines  of  civilization 
drew  tighter  about  the  Indian  reservations,  pushing  the  redmen  farther  west, 
while  death  thinned  the  ranks  of  those  whose  hunting  grounds  had  been  here 
and  who  owned  to  having  a  friend  in  the  government  interpreter  of  former  days. 
Their  pilgrimages  hither  continued,  however,  up  to  the  time  of  LeClaire's  death, 
and  his  widow  received  visits  from  many  of  the  Indians  afterwards.  Before 
Antoine's  death  it  had  been  agreed  that  the  surviving  relatives  of  himself  and 
wife  should  take  their  property  in  equal  shares  and  fifty-seven  of  their  kindred 
therefore  shared  equally  under  his  will  after  the  decease  of  his  widow." 

A  TRIBUTE  BY  FATHER  PELAMOURGUES. 

Father  Pelamourgues  spoke  at  the  third  banquet  of  the  Scott  County  Pioneer 
Settlers  association  to  the  toast:  "Antoine  LeClaire — the  pioneer  of  pioneers  in 
this  county,  and  the  first  president  of  the  pioneers'  association — identified  with 
our  city  and  county  by  almost  every  old-time  memory,  and  by  every  association  of 
feeling  and  interest — may  he  live  long  to  bless  the  festive  occasions  with  his 
great  presence,  and  to  witness  the  full  rearing  of  these  corporate  structures,  Da- 
venport and  Scott  county,  whose  comer  stones  his  hands  laid." 

"Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  I  am  afraid  that  in  responding  to 
this  toast  I  shall  do  injustice  to  Mr.  LeQaire,  and  to  the  Old  Settlers  associa- 
tion, before  which  I  have  the  honor  to  speak,  and  I  am  sorry  that  a  more  competent 
person  than  myself  was  not  selected  to  stand  in  my  place.  It  is  true  a  country- 
man of  the  great  Lafayette  is  always  welcome  in  an  American  gathering,  let  his 
merits  be  ever  so  little.  I  have  so  often,  since  my  residence  among  you,  experi- 
enced the  kindness  of  our  first  president  and    of    the  old  settlers,  who  always 


404  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

tendered  me  the  hand  of  friendship,  that  I  am  encouraged  to  say  a  few  words. 
My  task  is  rendered  Hght  from  the  fact  that  all  of  you  are  well  acquainted  with 
Antoine  LeQaire,  all  of  you  having  been  like  myself  welcomed  to  the  home  of 
your  choice  by  the  pioneer  of  pioneers  of  Scott  county.  Many  of  you  found, 
perhaps,  a  shelter  under  his  roof — for  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  he  tendered 
always  to  the  stranger  that  benevolent  hospitality  which  was  rendered  especi- 
ally pleasant  by  the  unaffected  kindness  of  her  who  presided  over  his  log  cabin, 
who  encouraged  him  in  his  hours  of  trial,  and  who  more  than  any  one  else  has 
pointed  to  him  the  good  that  was  to  be  done. 

"LeClaire  and  Davenport !  Those  two  names  are  and  will  be  for  a  long  time 
to  come,  inseparable.  Davenport,  though  destined  to  be  a  city,  might  have  lan- 
guished if  it  had  not  been  for  the  enterprising  genius  and  liberal  mind  of  An- 
toine LeClaire.  He  is  not  a  man  of  one  idea;  he  seems  to  be  made  on  purpose 
for  being  the  founder  of  a  city.  Liberal  in  his  views,  he  never  inquired  of  a  man 
from  what  country  he  was  coming,  or  to  what  creed  he  belonged.  He  was  kind 
to  all  and  encouraged  all ;  he  tried  to  be  a  benefactor  to  all ;  he  encouraged  the 
mechanic  and  the  professional  man;  he  was  the  friend  of  the  poor  as  well  as  the 
rich.  He  always  knew  how  to  accommodate  himself  to  circumstances  and  he 
was  as  cheerful  trying  his  musical  skill  on  a  three  stringed  fiddle,  and  amusing 
some  of  those  old  settlers — who  perhaps  now  listen  to  me — as  he  is  now  in  his 
elegant  mansion  surrounded  by  all  those  comforts  that  can  render  a  man  happy 
if  happiness  can  be  found  upon  earth. 

"Davenport  and  LeClaire!  Names  inseparable.  He  built  the  first  log  cabin, 
and  in  it  every  newcomer  became  his  guest;  he  built  the  first  church,  in  which 
he  continued  for  many  years  to  lead  in  singing  the  praises  of  God  till  his  means 
permitted  him  to  rear  an  edifice  more  suitable  for  the  worship  of  the  Almighty. 
He  erected  that  hotel  which  for  many  years  attracted  the  attention  of  all  who 
passed  in  front  of  our  village.  He  was  instrumental  in  building  the  first  foundry, 
helped  that  great  benefactor  of  our  town  and  county,  A.  C.  Fulton,  to  erect  the 
first  mill,  and  passing  over  many  other  good  deeds,  he  was  the  first  man  who 
worked  on  a  railroad  west  of  the  Mississippi  river. 

"I  will  close,  Mr.  President,  by  saying :  May  he  long  live  to  bless  these  festive 
occasions  with  his  great  presence  and  witness  the  full  rearing  of  those  corporate 
structures,  Davenport  and  Scott  county,  whose  corner  stones  his  hands  laid." 


AXTOIXE  LE  CLAIRE'S  OLD  RESIDENCE 
First  Railroad  Depot  west  of  the  Mississippi  River 


TTTTRD  TIO:\IE  OF  AXTOINE  LE  CLAIRE 


CHAPTER  XII. 
PIONEER  LIFE. 

THE  LOG  CABIN  WAS  THE  PALACE  OF  THE  PIONEER CHINKED  LOGS,   COVERED  WITH 

CLAPBOARDS — RIFLE  AND  SPINNING  WHEEL — ALMOST  ANYTHING  WAS  A  BED- 
ROOM  COOKING   WAS   PRIMITIVE   FOR   SHARP   APPETITES WELCOME     FOR     THE 

WAYFARER — PRAIRIE  FIRES  AND  WOLF  HUNTS AMUSEMENTS  FOR  THE  FRON- 
TIER PEOPLE  WERE  NOT  LACKING WHAT  UNREMITTING  TOIL  HAS  ACCOM- 
PLISHED. 

PIONEER  LIFE. 

Most  of  the  early  settlers  of  Iowa  came  from  older  states,  as  Pennsylvania, 
New  York  and  Ohio,  where  their  prospects  for  even  a  competency  were  very 
poor.  They  found  those  states  good — to  emigrate  from.  Their  entire  stock  of 
furniture,  implements  and  family  necessities  were  easily  stored  in  one  wagon, 
and  sometimes  a  cart  was  their  only  vehicle. 

THE  LOG  CABIN. 

After  arriving  and  selecting  a  suitable  location,  the  next  thing  to  do  was  to 
build  a  log  cabin,  a  description  of  which  may  be  interesting  to  many  of  the 
younger  readers,  as  in  some  sections  these  old  time  structures  are  no  more  to 
be  seen.  Trees  of  uniform  size  were  chosen  and  cut  into  logs  of  the  desired 
length,  generally  twelve  by  fifteen  feet,  and  hauled  to  the  spot  selected  for  the 
future  dwelling.  On  an  appointed  day  the  few  neighbors  who  were  available 
would  assemble  and  have  a  "house-raising."  Each  end  of  every  log  was  saddled 
and  notched  so  that  they  would  lie  as  close  down  as  possible;  the  next  day  the 
proprietor  would  proceed  to  "chink"  and  "daub"  the  cabin,  to  keep  out  the  rain, 
wind  and  cold.  The  house  had  to  be  redaubed  every  fall,  as  the  rains  of  the 
intervening  time  would  wash  out  the  greater  part  of  the  mortar.  The  usual  height 
of  the  house  was  seven  or  eight  feet.  The  gables  were  formed  by  shortening 
the  logs  gradually  at  each  end  of  the  building  near  the  top.  The  roof  was  made 
by  laying  very  straight  small  logs  or  stout  poles  suitable  distances  apart,  and  on 
these  were  laid  the  clapboards,  somewhat  like  shingling,  generally  about  two  and 


408  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

a  half  feet  to  the  weather.  These  clapboards  were  fastened  to  their  place  by 
"weight  poles"  corresponding  in  place  with  the  joists  just  described,  and  these 
again  were  held  in  their  place  by  "runs"  or  "knees"  which  were  chunks  of  wood 
about  eighteen  or  twenty  inches  long  fitted  between  them  near  the  ends.  Clap- 
boards were  made  from  the  nicest  oaks  in  the  vicinity,  by  chopping  or  sawing 
them  into  four  foot  blocks  and  riving  these  with  a  frow,  which  was  a  simple 
blade  fixed  at  right  angles  to  its  handles.  This  was  driven  into  the  blocks  of 
wood  by  a  mallet.  As  the  frow  was  wrenched  down  through  the  wood,  the 
latter  was  turned  alternately  over  from  side  to  side,  one  end  being  held  by  a 
forked  piece  of  timber. 

The  chimney  to  the  western  pioneer's  cabin  was  made  by  leaving  in  the 
original  building  a  large  open  place  in  one  wall,  or  by  cutting  one  after  the 
structure  was  up,  and  by  building  on  the  outside  from  the  ground  up,  a  stone 
column,  or  a  column  of  sticks  and  mud,  the  sticks  being  laid  up  cob  house  fashion. 
The  fireplace  thus  made  was  often  large  enough  to  receive  fire  wood  six  to  eight 
feet  long.  Sometimes  this  wood,  especially  the  "back-log,"  would  be  nearly 
as  large  as  a  saw  log.  The  more  rapidly  the  pioneer  could  burn  up  the  wood  in  his 
vicinity  the  sooner  he  had  his  little  farm  cleared  and  ready  for  cultivation.  For 
a  window,  a  piece  about  two  feet  long  was  cut  out  of  one  of  the  wall  logs,  and 
the  hole  closed,  sometimes  by  glass,  but  generally  with  greased  paper.  Even 
greased  deer  hide  was  sometimes  used.  A  doorway  was  cut  through  one  of  the 
walls  if  a  saw  was  to  be  had,  otherwise  the  door  would  be  left  by  shortened  logs 
in  the  original  building.  The  door  was  made  by  pinning  clapboards  to  two  or 
three  wood  bars  and  was  hung  upon  wooden  hinges.  A  wooden  latch,  with 
catch,  then  finished  the  door,  the  latch  was  raised  by  any  one  on  the  outside  by 
pulling  a  leather  string.  For  security  at  night  this  latch  string  was  drawn  in, 
but  for  friends  and  neighbors,  and  even  strangers,  the  "latch  string  was  always 
hanging  out,"  as  a  welcome.  In  the  interior  over  the  fireplace  would  be  a  shelf, 
called  the  "mantel,"  on  which  stood  the  candlestick  or  lamp,  some  cooking  and  table 
ware,  possibly  an  old  clock,  and  other  articles.  In  the  fireplace  would  be  the 
crane,  sometimes  of  iron,  sometimes  of  wood.  On  it  the  pots  were  hung  for 
cooking.  Over  the  door,  in  forked  cleats,  hung  the  ever  trustful  rifle  and  pow- 
der horn.  In  one  corner  stood  the  larger  bed  for  the  "old  folks,"  and  under  it 
the  trundle  bed  for  the  children.  In  another  stood  the  old  fashioned  spinning 
wheel,  with  a  smaller  one  by  its  side,  in  another  the  heavy  table,  the  only  table, 
of  course,  there  was  in  the  house.  In  the  remaining  was  a  rude  clapboard  hold- 
ing the  table  ware,  which  consisted  of  a  few  cups  and  saucers  and  blue  edged 
plates  standing  singly  on  their  edges  against  the  back,  to  make  the  display  of 
table  furniture  more  conspicuous,  while  around  the  room  were  scattered  a  few 
splint  bottom  or  Windsor  chairs  and  two  or  three  stools.  These  simple  cabins 
were  inhabited  by  a  kind  and  true  hearted  people.  They  were  strangers  to 
mock  modesty  and  the  traveler  seeking  lodging  for  the  night,  or  desirous  of 
spending  a  few  days  in  the  community,  if  willing  to  accept  the  rude  offering,  was 
always  welcome,  although  how  they  were  disposed  of  at  night  the  reader  might 
not  easily  imagine,  for,  as  described,  a  single  room  was  made  to  answer  for 
the  kitchen,  dining  room,  sitting  room,  bedroom  and  parlor,  and  many  families 
consisted  of  six  or  eight  members. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  409 

SLEEPING   ACCOMMODATIONS. 

The  bed  was  very  often  made  by  fixing  a  post  in  the  floor  about  six  feet 
from  one  wall  and  four  feet  from  the  adjoining  wall,  and  fastening  a  stick  to 
this  post  about  two  feet  above  the  floor  on  each  of  two  sides,  so  that  the  other 
end  of  each  of  the  two  sticks  could  be  fastened  in  the  opposite  wall.  Clapboards 
were  laid  across  these,  and  thus  the  bed  made  complete.  Guests  were  given 
this  bed,  while  the  family  disposed  of  themselves  in  another  corner  of  the  room, 
or  in  the  "loft."  When  several  guests  were  on  hand  at  once  they  were  some- 
times kept  over  night  in  the  following  manner :  When  bedtime  came  the  men 
were  requested  to  step  out  of  doors  while  the  women  spread  out  a  broad  bed 
upon  the  mid-floor  and  put  themselves  to  bed  in  the  center.  The  signal  was 
given  and  the  men  came  in  and  each  took  his  place  in  bed  next  his  own  wife, 
and  the  single  men  outside  beyond  them  again. 


To  witness  the  various  processes  of  cooking  in  those  days  would  alike  sur- 
prise and  amuse  those  who  have  grown  up  since  cooking  stoves  and  ranges  came 
into  use.  Kettles  were  hung  over  the  large  fire,  suspended  with  pot  hooks,  iron 
or  wooden,  on  the  crane,  or  on  poles,  one  end  of  which  would  rest  upon  a  chain. 
The  long  handled  frying  pan  was  used  for  cooking  meat.  It  was  either  held 
over  the  blaze  by  hand  or  set  down  upon  coals  drawn  out  upon  the  hearth.  This 
pan  was  also  used  for  baking  pancakes,  also  called  "flap-jacks,"  batter  cakes,  etc. 
A  better  article  for  this,  however,  was  the  cast  iron  spider,  or  Dutch  skillet.  The 
best  thing  for  baking  bread  those  days,  and  possible  even  in  these  latter  days, 
was  the  flat  bottomed  bake  kettle,  of  greater  depth,  with  closely  fitting  cast  iron 
cover,  and  commonly  known  as  the  Dutch  oven.  With  coals  over  and  under  it 
bread  and  biscuit  would  quickly  and  nicely  bake.  Turkey  and  spare-ribs  were 
sometimes  roasted  before  the  fire,  suspended  by  a  string,  a  dish  being  placed 
underneath  to  catch  the  drippings. 

Hominy  and  samp  were  very  much  used.  The  hominy,  however,  was  gen- 
erally hulled  corn — boiled  corn  from  which  the  hull  or  bran  had  been  taken  by 
hot  lye,  hence  sometimes  called  "lye  hominy."  True  hominy  and  samp  were 
made  of  pounded  corn.  A  popular  method  of  making  this,  as  well  as  real  meal 
for  bread,  was  to  cut  out  or  burn  a  large  hole  in  the  top  of  a  huge  stump  in  the 
shape  of  a  mortar  and  pounding  the  corn  in  this  by  a  maul  or  beetle  suspended 
by  a  swing  pole  like  a  well  sweep.  This  and  the  well  sweep  consisted  of  a  pole 
twenty  to  thirty  feet  long  fixed  in  an  upright  fork  so  that  it  could  be  worked, 
"teeter"  fashion.  It  was  a  rapid  and  simple  way  of  drawing  water.  When 
the  samp  was  sufficiently  pounded  it  was  taken  out,  the  bran  floated  ofif,  and  the 
delicious  grain  boiled  like  rice. 

The  chief  articles  of  diet  in  an  early  day  were  corn  bread,  hominy  or  samp, 
venison,  pork,  honey,  pumpkin  (dried  pumpkin  for  more  than  half  the  year), 
turkey,  prairie  chicken,  squirrel  and  some  other  game,  with  a  few  additional 
vegetables  a  portion  of  the  year.     Wheat  bread,  tea,  coflfee  and  fruit  were  lux- 


410  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

uries  not  to  be  indulged  in  except  on  special  occasions,  as  when  visitors  were 
present. 

women's  work. 

Besides  cooking  in  the  manner  described,  the  women  had  many  other  arduous 
duties  to  perform,  one  of  the  chief  of  which  was  spinning.  The  "big  wheel" 
was  used  for  spinning  yarn  and  the  "little  wheel"  for  spinning  flax.  These 
stringed  instruments  furnished  the  principal  music  of  the  family,  and  were 
operated  by  our  mothers  and  grandmothers  with  great  skill,  attained  without  pe- 
cuniary expense,  and  with  far  less  practice  than  is  necessary  for  the  girls  of  our 
period  to  acquire  a  skillful  use  of  their  costly  and  elegant  instruments.  But  those 
wheels,  indispensable  many  years  ago,  are  all  now  superseded  by  the  mighty 
factories  which  overspread  the  country,  furnishing  cloth  of  all  kinds  at  an  ex- 
pense ten  times  less  than  would  be  incurred  now  by  the  old  system. 

The  loom  was  not  less  necessary  than  the  wheel,  though  they  were  not  needed 
in  so  great  numbers.  Not  every  house  had  a  loom,  one  loom  having  a  capacity 
for  the  needs  of  several  families.  Settlers,  having  succeeded  in  spite  of  the  wolves 
in  raising  sheep,  commenced  the  manufacture  of  woolen  cloth.  Wool  was  carded 
and  made  into  rolls  by  hand  cards  and  the  rolls  were  spun  on  the  "big  wheel." 
We  still  occasionally  find  in  the  house  of  old  settlers  a  wheel  of  this  kind,  some- 
times used  for  spinning  and  twisting  stocking  yarn.  They  are  turned  with 
the  hand  and  with  such  velocity  that  it  will  run  itself  while  the  nimble  worker, 
by  her  backward  step,  draws  out  and  twists  her  thread  nearly  the  whole  length 
of  the  cabin.  A  common  article  woven  on  the  loom  was  linsey,  or  linsey  woolsey, 
the  chain  being  linen  and  the  filling  woolen.  This  cloth  was  used  for  dresses 
for  the  women  and  girls.  Nearly  all  the  clothes  worn  by  the  men  were  also  home 
made.  Rarely  was  a  farmer  or  his  son  seen  in  a  coat  made  of  any  other.  If 
occasionally  a  young  man  appeared  in  a  suit  of  "boughten"  clothes,  he  was  sus- 
pected of  having  gotten  it  for  a  particular  occasion,  which  occurs  in  the  life  of 
nearly  every  young  man. 

HOSPITALITY. 

The  traveler  always  found  a  welcome  at  the  pioneer's  cabin.  It  was  never 
full.  Although  there  might  already  be  a  guest  for  every  puncheon,  there  was 
still  "room  for  one  more,"  and  a  wider  circle  would  be  made  for  the  newcomer 
at  the  big  fire.  If  the  stranger  was  in  search  of  land  he  was  doubly  welcome  and 
his  host  would  volunteer  to  show  him  all  the  "first-rate  claims  in  this  neck  of 
the  woods,"  going  with  him  for  days,  showing  the  corners  and  advantages  of 
every  "congress  tract"  within  a  dozen  miles  of  his  own  cabin. 

To  his  neighbors  the  pioneer  was  equally  liberal.  If  a  deer  was  killed,  the 
choicest  bits  were  sent  to  his  nearest  neighbor,  a  half  dozen  miles  away  per- 
haps. When  a  "shoat"  was  butchered,  the  same  custom  prevailed.  If  a  new- 
comer came  in  too  late  for  "cropping,"  the  neighbors  would  supply  his  table 
with  just  the  same  luxuries  they  themselves  enjoyed,  and  in  as  liberal  quantity, 
until  a  crop  could  be  raised.  When  a  newcomer  had  located  his  claim,  the 
neighbors  for  miles  around  would  assemble  at  the  site  of  the  newcomer's  pro- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  411 

posed  cabin  and  aid  him  in  "gettin"  it  up.  One  party  with  axes  would  cut  down 
the  trees  and  hew  the  logs,  another  with  teams  would  haul  the  logs  to  the  ground, 
another  party  would  "raise"  the  cabin,  while  several  of  the  old  men  would  "rive 
the  clapboards"  for  the  roof.  By  night  the  little  forest  domicile  would  be  up  and 
ready  for  a  "house  warming,"  which  was  the  dedicatory  occupation  of  the 
house,  when  music  and  dancing  and  festivity  would  be  enjoyed  at  full  height. 
The  next  day  the  newcomer  would  be  as  well  situated  as  his  neighbors. 

An  instance  of  primitive  hospitable  manners  will  be  in  place  here.  A  traveling 
Methodist  preacher  arrived  in  a  distant  neighborhood  to  fill  an  appointment. 
The  house  where  services  were  to  be  held  did  not  belong  to  a  church  member, 
but  no  matter  for  that.  Boards  were  collected  from  all  quarters  with  which  to 
make  temporary  seats,  one  of  the  neighbors  volunteering  to  lead  off  in  the 
work,  while  the  man  of  the  house,  with  the  faithful  rifle  on  his  shoulder,  sallied 
forth  in  quest  of  meat,  for  this  truly  was  a  "ground-hog"  case,  the  preacher 
coming  and  no  meat  in  the  house.  The  host  ceased  not  the  chase  until  he  found 
the  meat  in  the  shape  of  a  deer.  Returning,  he  sent  a  boy  out  after  it,  with  direc- 
tions on  what  "pint"  to  find  it.  After  services,  which  had  been  listened  to  with 
rapt  attention  by  all  the  audience,  mine  host  said  to  his  wife,  "Old  woman,  I 
reckon  this  'ere  preacher  is  pretty  hungry  and  you  must  git  him  a  bite  to  eat." 
"What  shall  I  get  him?"  asked  the  wife  who  had  not  seen  the  deer ;  "thar's  nuthin' 
in  the  house  to  eat."  "Why  look  thar,"  returned  he,  "thar's  a  deer,  and  thar's 
plenty  of  corn  in  the  field ;  you  git  some  corn  and  grate  it  while  I  skin  the  deer, 
and  we'll  have  a  good  supper  for  him."  It  is  needless  to  add  that  venison  and 
corn  bread  made  a  supper  fit  for  any  pioneer  preacher  and  was  thankfully  eaten. 


PRAIRIE    FIRES. 

Fires  set  out  by  Indians  or  settlers,  sometimes  purposely  and  sometimes  per- 
mitted through  carelessness,  would  visit  the  prairies  every  autumn  and  sometimes 
the  forests,  either  in  autumn  or  spring,  and  settlers  could  not  always  succeed  in 
defending  themselves  against  the  destroying  element.  Many  interesting  inci- 
dents are  related.  Often  a  fire  was  started  to  bewilder  game,  or  to  bare  a  piece 
of  ground  for  the  early  grazing  of  stock  the  ensuing  spring,  and  it  would  get 
away  under  a  wind  and  soon  be  beyond  control.  Violent  winds  would  often  arise 
and  drive  the  flames  with  such  rapidity  that  riders  on  the  fleetest  steeds  could 
scarcely  escape.  On  the  approach  of  a  prairie  fire  the  farmer  would  immedi- 
ately set  about  "cutting  off  supplies"  for  the  devouring  enemy  by  a  "back  fire." 
Thus  by  starting  a  small  fire  near  the  bare  ground  about  his  premises  and  keep- 
ing it  under  control  next  his  property,  he  would  burn  off  a  strip  around  him  and 
prevent  the  attack  of  the  on-coming  flames.  A  few  furrows  or  a  ditch  around 
the  farm  were  in  some  degree  a  protection. 

An  original  prairie  of  tall  and  exuberant  grass  on  fire,  especially  at  night, 
was  a  magnificent  spectacle,  enjoyed  only  by  the  pioneer.  Here  is  an  instance 
where  the  frontiersman,  proverbially  deprived  of  the  sights  and  pleasures  of 
an  old  community,  is  privileged  far  beyond  the  people  of  the  present  day  in  this 
country.  One  could  scarcely  tire  beholding  the  scene,  as  its  awe  inspiring  fea- 
tures seemed  constantly  to  increase,  and  the  whole  panorama  unceasingly  changed 


412  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

like  the  dissolving  views  of  a  magic  lantern,  or  like  the  aurora  borealis.  Laa- 
gfuage  cannot  convey,  words  cannot  express  the  faintest  idea  of  the  splendor  and 
grandeur  of  such  a  conflagation  at  night.  It  was  as  if  the  pale  queen  of  night, 
disdaining  to  take  her  accustomed  place  in  the  heavens,  had  dispatched  myriads 
upon  myriads  of  messengers  to  light  their  torches  at  the  altar  of  the  setting  sun 
until  all  had  flashed  into  one  long  and  continuous  blaze. 

The  following  graphic  description  of  prairie  fires  was  written  by  a  traveler 
through  this  region  in  1849: 

"Soon  the  fires  began  to  kindle  wider  and  rise  higher  from  the  long  grass. 
The  gentle  breeze  increased  to  stronger  currents,  and  soon  formed  the  small, 
flickering  blaze  into  fierce  torrent  flames,  which  curled  up  and  leaped  along  in 
resistless  splendor,  and  like  quickly  raising  the  dark  curtain  from  the  luminous 
stage,  the  scenes  before  me  were  suddenly  changed  as  if  by  the  magician's 
wand,  into  one  boundless  amphitheater,  blazing  from  earth  to  heaven  and  sweep- 
ing tlie  horizon  round, — columns  of  lurid  flames  sportively  mounting  up  to  the 
zenith,  and  dark  clouds  of  crimson  smoke,  curling  away  and  aloft  till  they  nearly 
obscured  stars  and  moon,  while  the  rushing,  crashing  sounds,  like  roaring  cata- 
racts mingled  with  distant  thunders,  were  almost  deafening.  Danger,  death,  glared 
all  around;  it  screamed  for  victims,  yet,  notwithstanding  the  imminent  peril 
of  prairie  fires,  one  is  loth,  irresolute,  almost  unable  to  withdraw  or  seek  refuge." 

WOLF    HUNTS. 

In  the  early  days  more  mischief  was  done  by  wolves  than  by  any  other  wild 
animals  and  no  small  part  of  their  mischief  consisted  in  their  almost  constant 
barking  at  night,  which  always  seemed  so  frightful  and  menacing  to  the  settlers. 
Like  mosquitoes,  the  noise  they  made  appeared  to  be  about  as  dreadful  as  the 
depredations  they  committed.  The  most  effectual,  as  well  as  the  most  exciting 
method  of  ridding  the  country  of  these  hateful  pests,  was  that  known  as  the 
"circular  wolf  hunt,"  by  which  all  the  men  and  boys  would  turn  out  on  an  ap- 
pointed day  in  a  kind  of  circle  comprising  many  square  miles  of  territory,  with 
horses  and  dogs,  and  then  close  up  toward  the  center  of  their  field  of  operations, 
gathering  not  only  wolves,  but  also  deer  and  many  smaller  "varmint."  Five, 
ten,  or  more  wolves  by  this  means  would  sometimes  be  killed  in  a  single  day. 
The  men  would  be  organized  with  as  much  system  as  a  little  army,  every  one 
being  well  posted  in  the  meaning  of  every  signal  and  the  application  of  every 
rule.  Guns  were  scarcely  ever  allowed  to  be  brought  on  such  occasions,  as  their 
use  would  be  unavoidably  dangerous.  The  dogs  were  depended  upon  for  the 
final  slaughter.  The  dogs,  by  the  way,  had  all  to  be  held  in  check  by  a  cord  in 
the  hands  of  their  keepers  until  the  final  signal  was  given  to  let  them  loose, 
when  away  they  would  all  go  to  the  center  of  battle,  and  a  more  exciting  scene 
would  follow  than  can  easily  be  described. 

SPELLING  SCHOOLS. 

The  chief  public  entertainment  for  many  years  was  the  celebrated  spelling 
school.     Both  young  and  old  looked  forward  to  the  next  spelling  school  with 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  413 

as  much  anticipation  and  anxiety  as  we  nowadays  look  forward  to  a  general 
4th  of  July  celebration.  And  when  the  time  arrived  the  whole  neighborhood, 
yea,  and  sometimes  several  neighborhoods,  would  flock  to  the  scene  of  academical 
combat,  where  the  excitement  was  often  more  intense  than  had  been  expected. 
It  was  far  better,  of  course,  when  there  was  good  sleighing,  then  the  young 
folks  would  turn  out  in  high  glee  and  be  fairly  beside  themselves.  The  jollity 
is  scarcely  equaled  at  the  present  day  by  anything  in  vogue. 

When  the  appointed  hour  arrived,  the  usual  plan  of  commencing  battle  was 
for  two  of  the  young  people  who  might  agree  to  play  against  each  other,  or  who 
might  be  selected  to  do  so  by  the  teacher,  to  "choose  sides,"  that  is,  each  con- 
testant would  choose  the  best  speller  from  the  assembled  crowd.  Each  one  choos- 
ing alternately,  the  ultimate  strength  of  the  respective  parties  would  be  about 
equal.  When  all  were  chosen  one  could  be  made  to  serve,  each  side  would  "num- 
ber," so  as  to  ascertain  whether  amid  the  confusion  one  side  had  more  spellers 
than  the  other.  In  case,  he  had  some  compromise  would  be  made  by  the  aid  of 
the  teacher,  the  master  of  ceremonies,  and  then  the  plan  of  conducting  the  cam- 
paign, or  counting  the  mispelled  words,  would  be  canvassed  for  a  moment. 
There  were  several  ways  of  conducting  the  contest,  but  the  usual  way  was  to 
"spell  across,"  that  is,  the  first  on  one  side  would  spell  the  first  word,  then  the 
first  on  the  other  side ;  next  the  second  in  line  on  each  side,  alternately,  down  to 
the  foot  of  each  line.  The  question  who  should  spell  the  first  word  was  deter- 
mined by  the  "choosers."  One  would  have  the  first  choice  of  spellers,  the 
other  spell  the  first  word.  When  a  word  was  missed,  it  would  be  repronounced, 
or  passed  along  without  repronouncing  (as  some  teachers  strictly  followed  the 
rule  never  to  repronounce  a  word),  until  it  was  spelled  correctly.  If  a  speller 
on  the  opposite  side  finally  spelled  a  missed  word  correctly,  it  was  counted  a 
gain  of  one  to  that  side.  If  the  word  was  finally  corrected  by  some  speller  on 
the  same  side  on  which  it  was  originated  as  a  missed  word,  it  was  "saved"  and 
no  tally  mark  was  made.  An  hour  perhaps  would  be  occupied  in  this  way  and 
then  an  "intermission"  was  had,  when  the  buzzing,  cackling,  hurrahing  and  con- 
fusion that  ensued  for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  were  beyond  description. 

Coming  to  order  again,  the  next  style  of  battle  to  be  illustrated  was  to  "spell 
down,"  by  which  process  it  was  ascertained  who  were  the  best  spellers  and  could 
continue  standing  the  longest.  But  often  good  spellers  would  inadvertently  miss 
a  word  in  an  early  stage  of  the  contest  and  would  have  to  sit  down  humiliated, 
while  a  comparatively  poor  speller  would  often  stand  till  nearly  or  quite  the  last, 
amid  the  cheers  of  the  assemblage.  Sometimes  the  two  parties  first  "chosen 
up"  in  the  evening  would  again  take  their  places  after  recess,  so  that  by  the 
"spelling  down"  process  there  would  virtually  be  another  race  in  another  form; 
sometimes  there  would  be  a  new  "choosing  sides,"  for  the  "spelling  down"  con- 
test, and  sometimes  the  spelling  down  would  be  conducted  without  any  party- 
lines  being  made.  It  would  occasionally  happen  that  two  or  three  very  good 
spellers  would  retain  the  floor  so  long  that  the  exercise  would  become  monotonous, 
when  a  few  outlandish  words  like  "chevaux-de-frise."  "Ompompanoosuc"  or 
"baugh-naugh-claugh-ber,"  as  they  used  to  spell  it  sometimes,  would  create  a 
little  ripple  of  excitment  to  close  with.  Sometimes  these  words  would  decide 
the  contest,  but  generally  when  two  or  three  good  spellers  kept  the  floor  until 


414  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

it  became  tedious,  the  teacher  would  declare  the  race  ended  and  the  standing 
spellers  acquitted  with  a  "drawn  game." 

The  audience  dismissed,  the  next  thing  was  to  go  home,  very  often  by  a  round- 
about way,  "a-sleighing  with  the  girls,"  which,  of  course,  was  the  most  inter- 
esting part  of  the  evening's  performances,  sometimes,  however,  too  rough  to 
be  commended,  as  the  boys  were  often  inclined  to  be  somewhat  rowdyish. 

THE  BRIGHT  SIDE. 

The  history  of  pioneer  life  generally  presents  the  dark  side  of  the  picture, 
but  the  toils  and  privations  of  the  early  settlers  were  not  a  series  of  unmitigated 
sufferings.  No;  for  while  the  fathers  and  mothers  toiled  hard,  they  were  not 
adverse  to  a  little  relaxation  and  had  their  seasons  of  fun  and  enjoyment.  They 
contrived  to  do  something  to  break  the  monotony  of  their  daily  life  and  furnish 
a  good  hearty  laugh.  Among  the  more  general  forms  of  amusements  were 
the  "quilting  bee,"  "corn  husking,"  "paring  bee,"  "log  rolling"  and  "house  rais- 
ing." Our  young  readers  will  doubtless  be  interested  in  a  description  of  these 
forms  of  amusements,  when  labor  was  made  to  afford  fun  and  enjoyment  to 
all  participating.  The  "quilting  bee,"  as  its  name  implies,  was  when  the  indus- 
trious qualities  of  the  busy  little  insect  that  "improves  each  shining  hour"  were 
exemplified  in  the  manufacture  of  quilts  for  the  household.  In  the  afternoon, 
ladies  for  miles  around  gathered  at  the  appointed  place,  and  while  their  tongues 
would  not  cease  to  play,  the  hands  were  as  busily  engaged  in  making  the  quilts, 
and  the  desire  always  manifested  to  get  it  out  as  quickly  as  possible,  for  then 
the  fun  would  begin.  In  the  evening  the  gentlemen  came,  and  the  hours  would 
then  pass  quickly  by  in  "plays,"  games,  singing  and  dancing.  "Corn  huskings" 
were  when  both  sexes  united  in  the  work.  They  usually  assembled  in  a  large 
barn  which  was  arranged  for  the  occasion,  and  when  each  gentleman  had  selected 
a  lady  partner,  the  husking  began.  When  a  lady  found  a  red  ear  of  corn  she 
was  entitled  to  a  kiss  from  every  gentleman  present.  When  a  gentleman  found 
one  he  was  allowed  to  kiss  every  lady  present.  After  the  corn  was  all  husked, 
a  good  supper  was  served,  then  the  "old  folks"  would  leave,  and  the  remainder 
of  the  evening  was  spent  in  the  dance  and  in  having  a  general  good  time.  The 
recreation  afforded  to  the  young  people  on  the  annual  recurrence  of  these  fes- 
tive occasions  was  as  highly  enjoyed  and  quite  as  innocent  as  the  amusements 
of  the  present  boasted  age  of  refinement  and  culture. 

The  amusements  of  the  pioneers  were  peculiar  to  themselves.  Saturday  after- 
noon was  a  sort  of  half  holiday.  The  men  usually  went  to  town  and  when  that 
place  was  reached,  "fun  commenced."  Had  two  neighbors  business  to  transact, 
here  it  was  done.  Horses  were  "swapped,"  difficulties  settled  and  free  fights 
indulged  in.  Whiskey  was  as  free  as  water.  Twelve  and  a  half  cents  would 
buy  a  quart,  and  35  cents  or  40  cents  a  gallon,  and  at  such  prices  enormous 
quantities  were  consumed. 

WHAT    THE    PIONEERS    HAVE    DONE. 

Iowa  is  a  grand  state,  and  in  many  respects  second  to  none  in  the  Union, 
and  in  everything  that  goes  to  make  a  live,  prosperous  community,  not  far  be- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  415 

hind  the  best.  Her  harvests  are  bountiful;  she  has  a  medium  dimate  and  many 
other  things  that  make  here  people  contented,  prosperous  and  happy;  but  she 
owes  much  to  those  who  opened  up  these  avenues  that  have  led  to  her  present 
condition  and  happy  surroundings.  Unremitting  toil  and  labor  have  driven  off 
the  sickly  miasmas  that  brooded  over  swampy  prairies.  Energy  and  persever- 
ance have  peopled  every  section  of  her  wild  lands  and  changed  them  from  wastes 
and  deserts  to  gardens  of  beauty  and  profit.  When  but  a  few  years  ago  the 
barking  wolves  made  the  night  hideous  with  their  wild  shrieks  and  howls,  now 
is  heard  only  the  lowing  and  bleating  of  domestic  animals.  Only  a  half  century 
ago  the  wild  whoop  of  the  Indian  rent  the  air  where  now  are  heard  the  engine 
and  rumbling  trains  of  cars,  bearing  away  to  markets  the  products  of  our  labor 
and  soil.  Then  the  savage  built  his  rude  huts  on  the  spot  where  now  rise  the 
dwellings  and  schoolhouses  and  church  spires  of  civilized  life.  How  great  the 
transformation.  This  change  has  been  brought  about  by  the  incessant  toil 
and  aggregated  labor  of  thousands  of  tired  hands  and  anxious  hearts,  and  the 
noble  aspirations  of  such  men  and  women  as  make  any  country  great.  What 
will  another  half  century  accomplish?  There  are  few,  very  few  of  these  old 
pioneers  yet  lingering  on  the  shores  of  time  as  connecting  links  of  the  past  with 
the  present.  What  must  their  thoughts  be  as  with  their  dim  eyes  they  view  the 
scenes  that  surround  them?  We  often  hear  people  talk  of  the  old  fogy  ideas 
and  fogy  ways  and  want  of  enterprise  on  the  part  of  the  old  men  who  have  gone 
through  the  experiences  of  pioneer  life.  Sometimes,  perhaps,  such  remarks 
are  just,  but  considering  the  experiences,  education  and  entire  Hfe  of  such  men, 
such  remarks  are  better  unsaid.  They  have  had  their  trials,  hardships,  misfor- 
tunes and  adventures,  and  shall  we  now,  as  they  are  passing  far  down  the  west- 
ern declivity  of  life,  and  many  of  them  gone,  point  to  them  the  finger  of  derision 
and  laugh  and  sneer  at  the  simplicity  of  their  ways?  Let  us  rather  cheer  them 
up,  revere  and  respect  them,  for  beneath  those  rough  exteriors  beat  hearts  as 
noble  as  ever  throbbed  in  the  human  breast.  These  veterans  have  been  compelled 
to  live  for  weeks  upon  hominy,  and  if  bread  at  all,  it  was  bread  made  from  corn 
ground  in  hand  mills,  or  pounded  up  with  mortars.  Their  children  have  been 
destitute  of  shoes  during  the  winter ;  their  families  had  no  clothing  except  what 
was  carded,  spun,  wove  and  made  into  garments  by  their  own  hands ;  schools 
they  had  none ;  churches  they  had  none :  afflicted  with  sickness  incident  to  all 
new  countries,  sometimes  the  entire  family  at  once;  luxuries  of  life  they  had 
none ;  the  auxiliaries,  improvements,  inventions  and  labor-saving  machinery  of 
today  they  had  not;  and  what  they  possessed  they  obtained  by  the  hardest  of 
labor  and  individual  exertions ;  yet  they  bore  these  hardships  and  privations 
without  murmuring,  hoping  for  better  times  to  come,  and  often,  too,  with  but 
little  prospect  of  realization. 

As  before  mentioned,  the  changes  written  on  every  hand  are  most  wonder- 
ful. It  has  been  but  three  score  years  since  the  white  man  began  to  exercise 
dominion  over  this  region,  erst  the  home  of  the  red  men;  yet  the  visitor  of 
today,  ignorant  of  the  past  of  the  country,  could  scarcely  realize  that  within  these 
years  there  has  grown  up  a  population  of  1.500,000,  who  in  all  the  accomplish- 
ments of  life  are  as  far  advanced  as  are  the  inhabitants  of  the  older  states. 
Schools,   churches,   colleges,    palatial   dwellings,    beautiful   grounds,   large,   well 


416  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

cultivated  and  productive  farms,  as  well  as  cities,  towns  and  busy  manufactories,  ■ 
have  grown  up  and  occupy  the  hunting-  grounds  and  camping  places  of  the  In- 
dians, and  in  every  direction  there  are  evidences  of  wealth,  comfort  and  luxury. 
There  is  but  little  of  the  old  landmarks  left.  Advanced  civilization  and  the  pro- 
gressive demands  of  revolving  years  have  obliterated  all  traces  of  Indian  oc- 
cupancy, until  they  are  remembered  only  in  name. 

In  closing  this  section  we  again  would  impress  upon  the  minds  of  our  read- 
ers the  fact  that  they  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  those  who  pioneered  this  state, 
which  can  be  but  partially  repaid.  Never  grow  unmindful  of  the  peril  and  ad- 
venture, fortitude,  self-sacrifice  and  heroic  devotion  so  prominently  displayed  in 
their  lives.  As  time  sweeps  on  in  its  ceaseless  flight,  may  the  cherished  memories 
of  them  lose  none  of  their  greenness,  but  may  future  generations  alike  cherish 
and  perpetuate  them  with  a  just  devotion  to  gratitude. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
TERRITORIAL  DAYS. 

WILLIAM    B.    CONWAY   MADE  FIRST   TERRITORIAL     SECRETARY     OF     IOWA COMES     TO 

DAVENPORT    AND    MEETS    ANTOINE    LECLAIRE    AND    GEORGE    DAVENPORT HE    IS 

GOVERNOR  OF   IOWA  AND  DAVENPORT   IS    ITS   CAPITAL  CITY A   CAUSTIC   LETTER 

TO   THE    STATE    COUNCIL THE    INDIGNANT    REPLY    OF    THE    COMMITTEE — CON- 
WAY'S UNTIMELY  DEATH  AND  BURIAL  IN  THIS  CITY A  VALUABLE  CITIZEN. 

WILLIAM    B.    CONWAY    MADE    FIRST    TERRITORIAL    SECRETARY    OF    IOWA — COMES    TO 
DAVENPORT   AND   MEETS   ANTOINE   LCCLAIRE   AND   COLONEL   GEORGE  DAVENPORT. 

In  the  year  1838  William  B.  Conway,  a  young  Pennsylvanian  who  had  been 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  his  state  and  had  taken  an  active  part  in  politics  at  that 
time,  came  to  the  young  and  growing  city  of  Davenport.  He  had  been  previously 
appointed  by  President  Van  Buren  as  secretary  of  the  then  newly  formed  terri- 
tory of  Iowa.  He  immediately  fell  in  love  with  this  section  of  the  country  and, 
meeting  such  men  as  Antoine  LeClaire  and  Colonel  Davenport,  was  led  to  believe 
by  them  and  others  that  Davenport  was  the  greatest  town  in  the  territory  and 
had  a  magnificent  future  before  her.  In  a  letter  published  in  the  "Annals  of 
Iowa"  in  July.  1865,  a  production  of  T.  S.  Parvin.  that  gentleman  had  the  follow- 
ing to  say  concerning  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Conway,  his  important  position 
and  certain  of  the  incidents  that  grew  out  of  his  incumbency  of  the  office.  Mr. 
Parvin  in  his  article  says  that  prior  to  the  appointment  of  William  B.  Conway 
to  the  office  of  secretary  of  the  territory  of  Iowa,  in  1838.  he  was  editing  a 
small  political  paper  in  the  city  of  Pittsburg  which  supported  General  Jackson 
during  his  candidacy  for  the  presidency.  It  was  a  rabid,  violent,  partisan  paper, 
quite  in  accord  with  many  of  the  personal  traits  of  the  editor,  and  by  reason  of 
the  earnestness  of  his  advocacy  of  the  election  of  General  Jackson  and  his  suc- 
cessor, Martin  Van  Buren.  he  was  appointed  by  the  latter  secretary  of  the  terri- 
tory of  Iowa  in  June,  1838.  a  few  days  after  the  approval  of  the  act  separating 
Iowa  from  Wisconsin  and  creating  it  into  an  independent  territorial  district — 
the  act  to  take  effect  in  July,  following,  from  which  period  Iowa  dated  its  terri- 
torial existence. 


420  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

CONWAY  AN   ENTHUSIAST. 

Mr.  Conway  had  never  held  a  political  office  and  had  had  no  experience  in 
public  affairs,  but  was  an  enthusiast  of  his  own  kind  and  immediately  left  Pitts- 
burg for  the  new  territory,  landing  at  Davenport  in  the  month  of  July.  He  was 
an  Irishman  and  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  very  naturally,  upon  his 
arrival  in  Davenport,  made  the  acquaintance  of  Antoine  LeClaire,  one  of  the 
founders  of  this  city,  and  also  of  Colonel  Davenport,  then  residing  on  the  island 
of  Rock  island.  These  gentlemen  made  Mr.  Conway  believe  that  Davenport  was 
the  greatest  town  in  the  territory  and  the  coming  city  of  the  west,  and  that  it 
was  the  only  proper  place  for  the  capital  of  the  new  territory.  The  organic 
law  provided  that  the  governor  should  "designate  the  temporary  capital  of  the 
territory,  to  continue  as  such  until  the  legislature  should  establish  the  territorial 
capital."  The  organic  act  also  provided  that  the  governor  should  "divide  the 
territory  into  three  judicial  districts"  and  assign  one  of  three  judges  appointed 
at  the  same  time  with  Conway,  to  each  of  said  districts.  It  also  provided  that 
the  governor  should  issue  a  proclamation  "ordering  the  election  of  members 
for  the  territorial  legislature  and  designate  the  time  of  its  convening." 

The  Hon.  Robert  Lucas  (twice  governor  of  the  state  of  Ohio  and  president 
of  the  national  convention  which  nominated  Martin  Van  Buren  for  the  presi- 
dency), appointed  governor  of  the  new  territory,  had  not  yet  arrived  and  Mr. 
Conway's  new  Davenport  friends  persuaded  him  into  the  belief  that  he  was 
"acting  governor"  of  the  territory.  The  organic  act  provided  that  "in  the  ab- 
sence or  death  of  the  governor"  the  secretary  of  the  territory  should  act  as  gov- 
ernor. In  this  belief  the  young  secretary  of  the  territory  issued  his  three 
proclamations,  naming  Davenport  as  the  territorial  capital,  ordering  an  election 
of  the  members  of  the  legislature  and  providing  for  three  judicial  districts. 

A  few  weeks  later  Governor  Lucas,  who  had  been  detained  by  reason  of  low 
water  in  the  Ohio,  arrived  at  Burlington  and  was  confronted  with  these  proclama- 
tions. He  became  very  indignant,  declaring  that  all  the  acts  of  the  secretary  as 
"acting  governor"  were  null  and  void  inasmuch  as  no  vacancy  had  been  created 
either  by  his  death  or  absence,  as  he  had  not  yet  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  his 
official  duties.  He,  however,  confirmed  the  action  of  the  secretary  in  relation  to 
dividing  the  territory  into  three  judicial  districts  and  the  assignment  of  the  judges 
— Mason  to  the  first  district,  a  resident  of  Burlington ;  Wilson  to  the  third,  a  resi- 
dent of  Dubuque  and  Judge  Joseph  Williams,  of  Pennsylvania,  to  the  second  dis- 
trict. Upon  Governor  Lucas'  arrival  in  October  following,  however,  he  selected 
Bloomington,  now  Muscatine,  as  his  residence. 

UNKINDLY   FEELINGS   NEVER   HEALED. 

These  acts  of  Governor  Lucas  created  in  the  breast  of  Secretary  Conway 
nnkindly  feelings,  which  were  never  wholly  healed.  But  Governor  Lucas,  being 
a  man  of  great  experience  in  public  life  and  familiar  with  the  administration  of 
public  affairs,  looked  upon  the  acts  of  his  younger  associate,  ignorant  in  these 
matters,  as  an  offensive  usurpation  of  authority.  It  was  in  issuing  the  above 
mentioned  proclamation  that  the  secretary  signed  himself  "acting  governor."  Later 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  421 

the  secretary  again  came  into  collision  with  the  governor  in  relation  to  the 
administration  of  the  affairs  of  his  office  and  upon  the  convening  of  the  legis- 
lative assembly  by  his  indiscreet  acts  he  met  with  opposition  from  that 
body  from  which  he  was  extricated  only  through  the  good  offices  of  his  friend 
and  fellow  statesman,  Judge  Joseph  Williams. 

T.  S.  Parvin,  LL.  D.,  at  that  time  editor  of  Annals  of  Iowa,  had  in  the  July, 
1865,  issue  an  article  concerning  the  Iowa  territorial  legislature.  At  the  time 
the  events  written  of  occurred  he  was  private  secretary  to  the  governor : 

The  legislature  had  before  this  gotten  into  a  controversy  which  if  not  exciting 
was  at  least  ridiculous,  with  the  secretary  of  the  territory  and  finding  themselves 
hard  pushed  by  his  excellency  and  in  need  of  allies  made  their  peace  with  the  sec- 
retary, and  very  adroitly  enlisted  him  in  their  cause. 

Inasmuch  as  the  communications  and  proceedings  in  relation  thereto  were 
withdrawn  (in  legislative  language)  or  rather  "expunged"  I  have  drawn  them 
forth  from  my  portfolio  of  old  documents  and  give  them  to  our  readers  as  a  mat- 
ter of  serious  history  of  early  times. 

On  Friday  morning   (an  unlucky  day),  Nov.  23,   1838, 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Hughes : 

Resolved,  that  the  secretary  of  the  territory  be  requested  to  furnish  the  mem- 
bers of  the  council  with  penknives,  stamps,  half-a-dozen  inkstands  and  a  tin  pan 
for  each  stove  in  the  council  chamber. 

conway's  remarkable  letter. 

In  reply  to  this  resolution  the  Hon.  Secretary  addresses  to  the  Hon.  Council 
the  communication  following,  upon  receipt  of  which  the  following  proceedings 
were  had. 

The  president  laid  before  the  council  a  communication  from  the  secretary  of 
the  territory. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Hempstead : 

Ordered,  that  said  communication  do  not  appear  in  the  journal,  and  that  it 
be  referred  to  the  committee  upon  expenditures. 

Secretary's  Office,  Nov.  24,   1838. 
To  the  Honorable,  the  President  of  the  Council: 

Sir — A  resolution  in  relation  to  knives,  tin  pans,  etc.  w^as  duly  transmitted 
to  this  department  of  the  territorial  government,  where  it  received  that  attentive 
consideration  which  the  magnitude  of  the  subject  appeared  to  demand. 

To  prevent  an  interruption  of  that  perfect  harmony  which  has  heretofore 
existed,  still  exists  and  should  continue  to  exist  between  the  honorable,  the  legis- 
lative assembly  and  the  department"  of  state  it  becomes  necessary  to  offer  in  a 
very  respectful  manner  a  few  explanatory  observations,  and  especially  in  relation 
to  the  knives.    The  secretary  would  therefore  beg  leave  to  explain. 

In  the  latter  part  of  last  summer  a  young  man  of  rather  interesting  personal 
appearance  and  associated  as  then  alleged,  with  the  executive  department,  called 
on  the  secretary  and  stated  that  he  (the  young  man)  was  then  on  his  way  to  Cin- 


422  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

cinnati  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  on  business  connected  with  the  territorial  library 
and  then  and  there  delivered  an  executive  opinion  that  it  would  doubtless  be 
better  to  purchase  the  stationery  at  Cincinnati  and  politely  offered  the  use  and 
exercise  of  his  own  talents  in  procuring  the  same,  if  authorized  so  to  do.  The 
matter  was  then  held  under  advisement  and  in  the  meantime  a  letter  was  received 
from  the  executive  department  directing  the  attention  of  the  secretary  to  the  facili- 
ties afforded  by  the  visit  of  the  young  man  to  Cincinnati,  where,  it  was  believed, 
that  stationery  could  be  procured  on  better  terms  than  at  any  other  place.  In 
reply  the  secretary  proposed  a  conference  with  the  executive  which  resulted  in 
a  letter  of  instruction  to  the  young  man,  then  at  or  on  his  way  to  Cincinnati, 
authorizing  him  to  make  the  purchases  which  it  is  alleged  he  did  make  with  his 
usual  ability  and  on  advantageous  terms.  A  bill  of  articles  has  been  returned 
and  the  young  man  has  returned,  but  he  found  it  inconvenient,  or  to  use  his  own 
language,  impossible,  to  bring  on  the  stationery.  This  young  man  was  vested 
with  certain  discretionary  powers  and  for  reasons  which  satisfied  his  discretion 
after  much  mental  exertion  and  consultation  he  omitted  the  purchase  of  knives. 

The  navigation  of  the  Ohio  was  entirely  suspended.  This  was  the  act  of 
God  whose  holy  name  is  pronounced  with  deep  reverence  and  to  whose  holy  will 
it  is  our  duty  to  submit.  Human  power  cannot  resist  the  dispensation  of  his 
providence  nor  can  human  wisdom  counteract  his  unfathomable  designs.  His 
excellency,  the  governor,  in  pursuance  of  law  named  a  day  on  which  the  legis- 
lature should  convene;  and  the  secretary  to  meet  the  difficulties  of  a  very  diffi- 
cult case  proceeded  to  St.  Louis  to  make  preparations  for  the  approaching  session, 
and  returned  in  despite  of  every  peril  to  provide  for  the  comfort  of  the  honor- 
able, the  legislative  assembly;  in  which  dutiful  design — always  excepting  knives. 

Much  exertion  has  been  made  to  procure  knives  in  Burlington  but  knives  of  a 
suitable  finish  and  quality  cannot  be  procured;  nor  can  knives  in  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  any  quality  be  obtained,  and  the  secretary  can't  make  knives.  If  he 
could  do  so,  he  would  do  so  with  expedition  and  pleasure,  but  if  it  should  comport 
with  his  own  wishes  and  the  wishes  of  all  those  whom  it  may  concern,  that  he 
should  occupy  his  present  station  until  the  next  session,  he  will  take  especial  care 
to  supersede  the  necessity  of  any  further  legislation  on  the  subject  of  knives; — 
for  it  is  the  earnest  and  anixous  wish  of  the  secretary  that  all  the  members  should 
have  knives  and  stamps  and  folders ;  and  all  and  singular,  such  thing  or  things,  de- 
vice or  devices  whatsoever,  as  may  facilitate  the  operations  of  the  hands  in  yielding 
assistance  to  the  deliberations  of  the  head. 

The  part  of  the  resolution  which  relates  to  extra  ink-stands  and  tin  pattypans, 
can,  and  will  be  promptly  complied  with  ;  as  well  as  the  separate  resolution  thus 
acknowledged  which  requires  increased  accommodations  for  spectators  in  the  lobby 
and  in  conclusion  the  secretary  renders  to  the  honorable  members  of  the  council, 
individually  and  collectively,  the  fullest  assurance  of  that  high  consideration  which 
they  cannot  be  more  anxious  to  receive  than  he  is  to  bestow ;  and  whilst  he  has 
no  reason  to  invoke  their  indulgence,  he  would  make  every  proper  exertion  to 
conciliate  their  respect,  remaining  most  entirely  their  obed't  serv't, 

W.  B.  Conway,  Secretary  of  the  Territory. 

A  few  days  later  the  committee  presented  the  following: 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  423 


The  committee  on  expenditures  to  whom  was  referred  the  communication  of 
the  Hon.  WilHam  B.  Conway,  secretary  of  the  territory  of  Iowa,  dated  Nov.  24, 
1838,  beg  leave  to  make  the  following  report : 

That  in  the  discharge  of  the  duty  assigned  them  they  find  with  much  regret 
the  report  of  the  honorable  secretary  of  our  territory  to  the  council, 
dated  Nov.  24th,  is  of  such  a  nature  as  to  call  forth  a  severe  animadversion  upon 
its  tone  and  spirit.  The  evident  intention  of  that  communication  was  not  only  to 
treat  the  resolution  offered  by  Mr.  Hughes  and  adopted  by  the  council  with  irony 
and  contempt  but  at  the  same  time  to  convey  the  idea  that  articles  asked  for  by  the 
resolution  were  unnecessary  and  unimportant. 

The  reason  of  the  adoption  of  the  resolution  offered  by  Mr.  Hughes  is  obvious 
to  every  member  of  the  council  but  it  may  not  be  known  to  the  community  at  large, 
that  great  pains  were  taken  to  prevent  the  merchants  and  citizens  of  Burlington 
from  crediting  the  officers  of  the  council  and  house  of  representatives  of  this  terri-^ 
tory  for  small  articles  necessary  for  their  use,  and  the  honorable  secretary  of  the 
territory  was  understood  to  intimate  that  accounts  made  by  the  officers  of  the 
legislature  would  not  be  paid  by  him.  It  therefore  became  necessary  to  ask  by 
resolution  the  furnishing  of  small  articles. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  members  of  the  legislature,  in  accordance  with  the  proc- 
lamation of  the  governor,  they  found  the  house  which  they  were  to  occupy  (not- 
withstanding the  great  "peril"  which  the  honorable  experienced  in  returning  from 
St.  Louis  "to  provide  for  the  comfort  and  convenience,  the  ease,  elegance  and 
dignity  of  the  honorable  legislative  assembly")  unfurnished  and  unprepared  for 
their  reception  and  the  reason  assigned  by  the  honorable  secretary  for  this  delay 
is  that  it  "was  the  act  of  God,  etc."  Your  committee  would  not  pretend  to  impute 
blame  to  the  honorable  secretary  for  the  frustration  of  his  great  design  by  the 
Creator  of  the  universe,  whose  powerful  arm  can  arrest  the  progress  of 
governors,  secretaries  and  legislatures ;  yet  your  committee  do  think  it  somewhat 
surprising  that  the  acts  of  God  so  far  intervened  as  to  prevent  the  oflficers  of  the 
council  and  house  of  representatives  from  getting  upon  the  credit  of  the  legis- 
lature a  few  tin  cups  and  a  bucket  to  drink  out  of,  which  articles  as  well  as  many 
others  the  honorable  secretary  on  account  of  peril  or  some  other  cause  unknown 
to  your  committee  neglected  to  furnish. 

As  the  legislature  was  not  supplied  with  many  necessary  articles  of  stationery 
and  furniture  they  were  left  with  no  other  alternative  than  to  inform  the  hon- 
orable secretary  of  the  territory  of  their  wants,  presuming  that  so  far  as  he  was 
able,  he  would  comply  with  their  request ;  nor  do  your  committee  believe  that  any 
resolution  has  passed  the  council  during  the  present  session  in  any  disrespect  to 
the  honorable  secretary  or  his  office;  nor  could  the  council  possibly  imagine  from 
their  friendly  intercourse  with  him  heretofore  that  he  would  ever  reply  to  a  resolu- 
tion of  their  body  with  such  a  communication  as  the  committee  now  have  imder 
their  consideration,  and  it  is  a  source  of  much  regret  that  the  honorable  secretary 
should  have  so  far  forgotten  the  dignity^  which  he  owed  to  himself,  his  officers  and  . 
the  representatives  of  the  people  as  to  attempt  to  ridicule  their  proceedings  and 
make  their  acts  the  subject  of  merriment  and  derision.     The  honorable  secretary 


424  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

may  rest  assured  that  the  present  legislature  will  not  tamely  submit  to  the  insults 
and  derision  of  any  officer  of  this  territory  and  they  at  all  times  defend  to  the  last 
their  honest  rights  and  the  liberty  of  the  people  whom  they  have  the  honor  to 
represent. 

Robert  Ralston, 
Steph.  Hempstead, 
Jem.  D.  Payne. 

This  report  was  adopted  by  the  council  and  the  affair  known  as  the  "penknife 
and  tin-pan  controversy,"  occasioned  no  small  talk  until  the  27th  of  December, 
when  it  was  ended  as  the  following  printed  proceedings  show : 

The  president  submitted  the  following  communication  from  the  secretary  of 
the  territory: 

Secretary's  Office,  Territory  of  Iowa,  Dec.  27,  1838. 
To  the  Honorable  the  Legislative  Council : 

Gentlemen  :  In  compliance  with  the  friendly  suggestions  of  his  honor,  Judge 
Wilson,  who  kindly  consents  to  be  the  bearer  of  this  note,  I  hereby  inform  the 
honorable  body  that  I  am  willing  to  withdraw  my  communication  to  that  body  of 
the  24th  of  last  November  provided  the  report  of  the  committee  on  expenditures 
together  with  the  subsequent  proceedings  of  the  council  in  reference  to  said  com- 
munication be  consequently  withdrawn,  which  I  have  been  informally  advised, 
the  council  are  disposed  to  do.  And  if  so,  I  am  prepared  to  renew  my  relations 
with  the  council,  official  and  personal,  as  they  existed  prior  to  the  24th  of  last  No- 
vember. 

If,  however,  there  be  any  misapprehension  as  regard  the  disposition  of  the 
council  toward  the  secretary  of  the  territory  this  note  will  be  immediately  re- 
turned to  me  by  the  honorable  gentleman  to  whom  it  has  been  intrusted. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

William  B.  Conway, 
Secretary  of  the  Territory. 

Whereupon  Mr.  Payne  offered  the  following: 

Resolved,  that  the  secretary  be  allowed  to  withdraw  his  communication  of  the 
24th  of  November,  and  that  the  proceedings  of  the  council  in  relation  thereto  be 
also  withdrawn. 

These  controversies  growing  out  of  a  conflict  of  jurisdiction  between  co- 
ordinate  branches  of  the  government  were  never  thoroughly  healed. 

The  legislature  attempted  to  override  the  functions  of  the  governor  and  secre- 
tary and  did  many  foolish  things  and  we  present  the  following  as  one  of  them : 

Resolved,  by  the  council  and  house  of  representatives  of  the  territory  of 
Iowa  that  the  postmaster  of  Davenport,  Scott  county,  Iowa,  be  and  he  is  hereby 
authorized  to  have  the  mail  from  Davenport  to  Dubuque  conveyed  in  two-horse 
post  coaches  during  the  present  session  of  the  legislative  assembly. 

Here  is  the  doctrine  of  "state  (or  territorial)  sovereignty"  first  asserted  for 
young  Iowa,  it  having  before  been  supposed  that  congress  regulated  the  mails. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  425 

T.  S.  PARVIN  governor's  SECRETARY. 

The  young  man  whom  Conway  refers  to  in  his  letter  to  the  territorial  council 
was  T.  S.  Parvin,  who  had  come  from  Ohio  to  serve  as  governor's  clerk.  Governor 
Lucas  sent  his  young  fellow  Ohioan  to  Cincinnati  after  books  and  suggested  that 
he  purchase  stationery  there.  Congress  had  appropriated  $5,000  for  a  territorial 
library  and  Mr.  Parvin  was  appointed  librarian.  Mr.  Parvin  came  to  Davenport 
to  consult  Secretary  Conway  and  was  joined  by  him  on  the  boat,  and  the  two 
made  the  trip  to  Galena  together  arranging  the  prospective  purchases.  Conway 
was  disbursing  officer  for  all  funds  appropriated  by  congress  and  held  all  to  the 
letter  of  instructions,  thus  becoming  involved  in  trouble  with  both  the  governor 
and  legislature.  In  the  Bloomington  Herald  of  Dec.  25,  1840,  for  which  paper 
Mr.  Parvin  was  acting  as  legislative  correspondent,  Mr.  Parvin  writes,  "The 
Towa  Minstrel'  was  one  of  Nature's  poets,  and  had  he  lived  would  have  left  more 
numerous  proofs  of  his  claims  to  the  proud  title  which  has  so  justly  been  awarded 
him.  Should  your  distant  readers  ask  to  whom  I  refer,  tell  them  the  late  Secre- 
tary Conway,  the  scholar  and  the  poet  whose  untimely  death  deprived  his  adopted 
land  of  one  of  its  brightest  ornaments,  and  the  literary  world  of  a  devoted  son  and 
an  aspirant  after  all  that  is  noble  and  worthy  of  emulous  fame." 

In  penning  these  lines  the  great  man  who  in  after  years  was  one  of  the  most 
honored  citizens  of  Iowa  showed  his  magnanimity  toward  an  associate  who  for 
a  long  portion  of  their  acquaintance  delighted  in  belittling  him  and  systematically 
spelled  Parvin  with  a  small  p  in  all  communications  referring  to  him  by  name. 

conway's  death. 

William  B.  Conway  died  at  Burlington  in  the  prime  of  life,  November  6,  1838, 
some  four  months  after  his  arrival  in  the  territory  and  after  a  brief  illness  of 
typhoid  fever.  He  was  succeeded  in  office  by  James  Clark,  at  that  time  editor  of 
the  Burlington  Gazette,  who  became  the  last  of  the  three  territorial  governors 
of  Iowa.  The  young  secretary  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  gifted  men  in 
the  territory  and  had  endeared  himself  to  everyone  in  Davenport  for  his  many 
traits  of  character,  brilliant,  eccentric  and  otherwise,  and  also  on  account  of  his 
stanch  support  of  everything  that  tended  to  the  upbuilding  and  progress  of  the 
city.  His  body  was  received  in  Davenport  on  the  9th  of  November  by  a  committee 
appointed  for  the  purpose  and  was  taken  to  St.  Anthony's  church  where  solemn 
services  for  the  dead  were  performed  by  Rev.  Father  Pelamourgues.  On  the 
morning  of  the  9th  a  public  meeting,  whose  proceedings  were  solemn  and  impres- 
sive, was  held  by  the  citizens  of  Davenport,  which  convened  at  the  Davenport 
hotel.  The  object  of  this  meeting  was  for  the  purpose  of  the  citizens  to  testify 
their  respect  to  the  memory  of  William  B.  Conway.  T.  S.  Hoge  was  called  to 
the  chair  and  Judge  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell  was  appointed  secretary. 

On  motion  it  was  ordered  that  John  H.  Thorington,  Thomas  S.  Hoge,  Duncan 
C.  Eldridge,  Ira  Cook,  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell,  Richard  Pearce,  Antoine  LeClaire  and 
John  Owens  be  appointed  a  committee  to  make  the  necessary  arrangements  for  the 
funeral  of  the  deceased,  and  also  to  draft  and  report  resolutions  expressive  of  the 


426  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

sense  of  this  meeting.    The  committee  having  retired  for  a  short  time  reported 
the  following  resolutions  which  were  unanimously  adopted: 

Resolved,  That  this  meeting  has  heard  with  the  most  profound  regret  of  the 
death  of  William  B.  Conway,  Esq.,  late  secretary  of  the  territory  of  Iowa.  Posses- 
sing a  mind  richly  cultivated  and  improved,  a  disposition  amiable  and  kind,  he  was 
generous  and  hospitable;  of  manners  the  most  bland  and  courteous;  respected, 
honored  and  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him.  We  feel  that  in  his  death  this  neigh- 
borhood has  lost  its  brightest  ornament,  and  the  territory  one  of  its  ablest  and 
most  worthy  officers  and  highly  valued  citizens. 

Resolved,  That  this  meeting  sincerely  condole  with  the  family  of  the  deceased 
in  their  severe  and  deep  affliction,  and  pray  that  He  who  tempers  the  blast  to  the 
shorn  lamb  may  support  and  protect  them. 

Resolved,  That  as  a  mark  of  respect  for  the  memory  of  the  deceased,  we  will 
wear  the  usual  badge  of  mourning  for  thirty  days. 

Resolved,  That  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  be  signed  by  the  chairman  and 
secretary,  and  the  Iowa  Sun  and  other  papers  throughout  the  territory  be  re- 
quested to  publish  the  same. 

Resolved,  That  Antoine  LeClaire  and  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell  be,  and  they  are  hereby 
appointed  a  committee  to  deliver  a  copy  of  the  proceedings  of  this  meeting  to 
the  respected  widow  of  the  deceased. 

Th.  S.  Hoge,  Chairman, 

G.  C.  R.  Mitchell,  Secretary. 

During  Secretary  Conway's  Davenport  residence  he  used  his  influence  in  con- 
gress to  bring  to  Rock  island  a  government  arsenal  and  armory. 


THE  FEUllY    •DAVEXPoin- 


DAVENPORT  WATERWORKS  AND  SETTLING  BASIN 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
THE  GREAT  RIVER. 

THE  GLORY  AND  MAJESTY  OF  THE  FATHER  OF  WATERS — ^DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  KEEL- 
BOAT AN   EARLY  TRIP  FROM   CAIRO  TO  GALENA ^A   LIST  OF  THE  EARLY  STEAM 

CRAFT  THAT  BREASTED  THE   CURRENTS  OF  THE  UPPER  RIVER BRINGING  DOWN 

THE  LOGS ^THE  FERRIES  WHICH   HAVE  BROUGHT  PEOPLE  INTO  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  LONG-AWAITED  HENNEPIN   CANAL. 

In  April,  1823,  Daniel  Smith  Harris,  a  lad  of  fifteen,  left  Cincinnati  on  the 
keel-boat  Colonel  Bumford  for  the  LeFevre  lead  mines,  now  Galena,  where  he 
arrived  June  20th,  following,  after  a  laborious  voyage  down  the  Ohio  and  up  the 
Mississippi.  It  came  about  in  the  evolution  of  things  required  for  specific  pur- 
poses that  the  keel-boat  was  constructed.  This  boat  was  built  to  go  up  stream 
as  well  as  down.  It  was  a  well  modeled  craft,  sixty  to  eighty  feet  long  and  fifteen 
to  eighteen  feet  wide,  sharp  at  both  ends  and  often  with  fine  lines,  clipper  built 
for  passengers  or  traffic.  It  had  usually  about  four  feet  depth  of  hold.  Its  cargo 
box,  as  it  was  called,  was  about  four  feet  higher,  sometimes  covered  with  a  light 
curved  deck,  sometimes  open,  with  a  "gallows  frame"  running  the  length  of  the 
hold,  over  which  tarpaulins  were  drawn  and  fastened  to  the  sides  of  the  boat  for 
the  protection  of  the  freight  and  passengers  in  stormy  weather.  At  either  end 
of  the  craft  was  a  deck  eight  or  ten  feet  in  length,  the  forward  or  forecastle  deck 
having  a  windlass  or  capstan  for  pulling  the  boat  off  bars  or  warping  through 
swift  water  or  over  rapids.  Along  each  side  of  the  cargo  box  ran  a  narrow  walk 
about  eighteen  inches  in  width,  with  cleats  nailed  to  the  deck  twenty-eight  or 
thirty  inches  apart  to  prevent  the  crew  from  slipping  when  poling  up  stream. 
'About  the  time  the  keel-boat  Colonel  Bumford  was  passing  St.  Louis  the  steamer 
Virginia  departed  for  the  upper  river  with  a  load  of  supplies  for  the  United 
States  military  post  at  Fort  Snelling.  She  arrived  at  Fort  Snelling  May  10,  1823, 
the  first  boat  propelled  by  steam  to  breast  the  water  of  the  upper  Mississippi.  She 
was  received  by  a  salute  of  cannon  from  the  fort  and  carried  fear  and  consterna- 
tion to  the  Indians,  who  watched  the  smoke  rolling  from  her  chimneys  and  the 
exhaust  steam  from  her  escape  pipe  with  a  noise  that  simply  terrified  them.    The 


430  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Virginia  was  scarcely  longer  than  the  largest  keel-boat,  being  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  long  and  twenty-two  feet  beam.  She  had  no  upper  cabin,  the  ac- 
commodations for  the  passengers  being  in  the  hold  in  the  stern  of  the  boat,  with 
the  cargo  box  covering  so  common  to  the  keel-boat  of  which  she  herself  was  but 
an  evolution. 

AN   EARLY  RIVER  PANORAMA. 

What  did  the  young  steamboat  man  see  in  his  voyage  from  Cairo  to  Galena 
in  1823?  In  his  later  years,  in  speaking  of  this  trip  he  said  that  where  Cairo  now 
stands  there  was  but  one  log  building,  a  warehouse  for  the  accommodation  of 
keel-boat  navigators  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers.  Cape  Girardeau,  St. 
Genevieve  and  Herculaneum  were  small  settlements  averaging  a  dozen  families 
each.  St.  Louis  was  built  almost  entirely  of  frame  structures  and  had  a  popu- 
lation of  about  5,000.  The  levee  was  a  ledge  of  rocks  with  scarcely  a  fit 
landing  place  on  the  whole  frontage.  Alton,  Clarksville  and  Louisiana  were 
minor  settlements.  What  is  now  Ouincy  consisted  of  one  log  cabin  only,  which 
was  built  and  occupied  by  John  Woods,  who  afterwards  became  lieutenant  gov- 
ernor of  the  state  of  Illinois  and  acting  governor.  This  intrepid  pioneer  was 
"baching  it,"  being  industriously  engaged  in  clearing  a  piece  of  land  for  farming 
purposes.  The  only  settler  at  Hannibal  was  one  John  S.  Miller,  a  blacksmith, 
who  removed  to  Galena  in  the  autumn  of  1823.  In  later  years  Hannibal  was 
to  claim  the  honor  of  being  the  birthplace  of  Mark  Twain,  the  humorist  historian 
of  the  lower  Mississippi  pilot  clans.  The  last  farm  house  between  St.  Genevieve 
and  Galena  was  located  at  Cottonwood  Prairie,  (now  Canton)  and  was  occupied 
by  one  Captain  White,  who  was  prominently  identified  with  the  early  develop- 
ment of  the  northwest.  There  was  a  government  garrison  at  Keokuk  which  was 
then  known  as  Fort  Edwards,  and  another  at  Fort  Armstrong  on  Rock  Island. 
The  settlement  at  Galena  consisted  of  but  a  dozen  log  cabins,  a  few  frame  shan- 
ties and  a  smelting  furnace.  If  Mr.  Harris  was  looking  only  for  the  signs  of  an 
advancing  civilization,  the  above  probably  covers  about  all  he  saw  on  his  trip. 
Other  things  came  to  his  notice,  however — the  great  river  flowing  in  its  pristine 
glory  unvexed  to  the  sea ;  islands  set  like  emeralds  in  the  tawny  flood ;  the  trees 
and  bushes  taking  on  their  summer  dress  of  green  in  the  warm  May  sunshine ; 
prairies  spreading  away  in  boundless  beauty,  limited  only  by  his  powers  of  vision. 
Later,  as  his  craft  stemmed  the  flood  and  advanced  up  the  river,  he  saw  the  hills 
beginning  to  encroach  upon  the  valley  of  the  river,  narrowing  his  view ;  and 
later  ihe  crags  and  bastions  of  the  bluffs  of  the  upper  river  beetling  over  the 
very  channel  itself  and  lending  an  added  grandeur  to  the  simple  beauty  of  the 
banks  already  passed.  His  unaccustomed  eyes  saw  the  wickyups  and  tepees  of 
the  Indians  scattered  among  the  islands  and  on  the  lowlands,  the  hunters  of 
the  tribes  changing  the  firelock  for  the  spear  and  net  as  they  sought  to  reap 
the  water  of  its  harvest  of  returning  fish.  It  was  all  new  to  the  young  traveler 
who  was  later  to  become  the  best  known  steamboat  man  of  the  upper  river,  the 
commander  of  a  greater  number  of  steamboats  than  any  of  his  compeers  and  who 
was  to  know  the  river  in  all  its  meanderings  and  in  all  its  curves  better  than 
any  other  who  ever  sailed — Daniel  Smith  Harris,  of  Galena,  Illinois. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  431 

THE  BOATS  OF  OTHER  DAYS. 

Of  the  early  boats  stopping  at  this  port  Captain  W.  L.  Clark  furnishes  the 
names,  and  the  steamers  that  came  up  from  St.  Louis  in  1827,  for  the  government 
and  for  traffic  at  the  Galena  lead  mines  and  with  supplies  for  the  few  settlers; 
they  were :  Red  Rover,  Captain  Otis  Reynolds ;  the  Shamrock,  Captain  James 
May;  the  Indiana  and  Black  Rover,  captains'  names  not  recalled.  The  captains 
in  1831  and  1832  were:  Throckmorton,  steamer  Warrior;  O'Flagerty,  Forsyth, 
VanHouten.  Captains  from  1833  until  1836:  Cole,  Smith  Harris,  Orin  Smith, 
Scribe  Harris,  Ben  Campbell,  Cameron,  Clime,  Ward,  John  Atchinson,  George 
!i\tchinson,  Mark  Atchinson  and  Hardin  Roberts ;  from  1836  until  1842 :  Leroy 
Dodge,  Reilley,  Littleton,  Brock,  Morehouse,  Pierce,  C.  Gall,  McAllister,  William 
Gabbert.  Blakesley,  K.  Lodwich,  John  Lodwich  and  Barger. 

Several  of  the  commanders  named  above  continued  on  the  upper  river  until 
1850,  and  three  or  four  until  the  early  '60s.  Mrs.  Erie  Dodge,  of  Buffalo,  Scott 
county,  kept  a  record  of  early  years  and  noted  the  following  list  of  names  of  ves- 
sels that  plied  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi :  1845 — War  Eagle,  St.  Croix,  For- 
tuna,  Mungo  Park,  Monona,  Mendota,  Galena,  Falcon,  Lynx,  Uncle  Toby, 
Time,  St.  Louis,  Oak,  Sarah  Ann,  Cecilia,  General  Block,  Osprey,  Potosi,  Reveille, 
Lebanon,  LaSalle,  Confidence,  Amaranth,  Brazil,  Iron  City,  Iowa  Mermaid,  Dial, 
Nimrod,  Otter,  U.  S.  Mail,  Herald,  Iowa,  New  Haven,  Archer,  Jasper,  Ohio; 
1848 — Iowa  City,  Uncle  Toby,  Montauk,  Bon  Accord,  Senator,  Red  Wing,  Pearl, 
Domain,  Clermont,  Confidence,  Falcon,  Piazza,  Mondoanna,  Mary  Blain,  Ellen, 
Dubuque,  St.  Peters,  Time  and  Tide,  Alexander  Hamilton,  Highland  Mary,  Odd 
Fellow,  Ohio  Mail,  Otter,  DeKalb,  Eliza  Stewart,  Kentucky,  North  Alabama, 
Dan  Rice;  1849 — Senator,  St.  Croix,  American  Eagle,  Dr.  Franklin,  Bon  Accord, 
St.  Peters,  Time  and  Tide,  Newton,  Wagoner,  Otter,  Archer,  Oswego,  War 
Eagle,  Dubuque,  Clermont  No.  2,  Montauk,  Highland  Mary,  Financier,  Anthony 
Wayne,  Cora,  Kentucky,  Red  Wing,  Bay  State  Planter,  Oregon,  Wisconsin,  Palo 
Alto.  Saranak,  Revenue  Cutter,  Herald,  American,  Yankee,  Mary  Blaine,  Domain, 
Allegheny  Mail,  Tiger,  Piazza,  Magnet,  Danube,  Minnesota,  Caroline,  No  Name. 
John  P.  Robertson,  a  Davenport  boy  of  long  ago,  loved  the  river  and  kept  this 
list  of  boats  which  landed  here  from  1850  to  1852:  Amaranth,  Archer,  Asia,  An- 
thony Wayne,  Bon  Accord,  Black  Hawk,  Brunette,  Brazil,  Ben  Campbell,  Ben 
Franklin,  Cora,  Caleb  Cope,  Danube,  Di  Vernon,  Diadem,  Enterprise,  Express, 
Excelsior,  Fortune,  Falcon,  Fleetwood,  Financier,  Galena,  General  Gaines,  Golden 
Era.  G.  W.  Sparhawk,  Glaucus,  Highland  Mary,  Iron  City,  Iowa,  lone,  Irene,  J. 
H.  McKee,  Jennie  Lind,  Lamertine,  Lynx,  Mendota,  Minnesota,  Monogahela, 
Mary  Blaine,  Montauk,  Martha  No.  i,  Martha  No.  2,  Mary  O,  Northerner,  Nau- 
voo,  Osprey,  Ohio,  Oshkosh,  Oneoto,  Ocean  Wayne,  Pembina,  Potosi,  Prairie 
Bird,  Red  Wing.  Robert  Fulton,  Ripple,  St.  Paul,  Shenandoah,  St.  Croix,  Silas 
Wright,  Swamp  Fox,  Senator,  Time  and  Tide,  Tempest,  Tobacco  Plant, 
Uncle  Toby,  War  Eagle,  Wisconsin,  Warrior,  Wyoming.  All  these  boats  were 
built  for  freight  and  passengers  and  the  most  of  them  were  side-wheelers.  Trade 
was  immensely  profitable.  Previous  to  1850  there  were  no  boat  lines  as  we  have 
today  represented  locally  by  agents.  Each  captain  solicited  freight  when  his  boat 
came  to  land.     Emigration  was  tremendous  and  freight  rates  high.    Steamboats 


432  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

costing  fifty  thousand  dollars  would  pay  for  themselves  in  a  single  season.  In 
the  season  of  1855  from  the  arrival  of  the  first  boat,  March  15th,  to  the  time  of 
the  river  closing,  December  8th,  there  were  1,113  arrivals  and  departures  of  steam- 
boats at  the  Davenport  landing.  Of  all  these  boats  about  six  were  lost  during 
the  season,  four  being  burned  and  two  sunk. 

GREAT  RIVER  STORIES. 

"Old  Times  on  the  Upper  Mississippi  River" — the  recollections  of  a  steamboat 
pilot  from  1854  to  1863,  was  written  by  Captain  George  Byron  Merrick  and  pub- 
lished in  1909.  Of  his  earlier  experiences  on  the  Mississippi  river  he  has  the  fol- 
lowing, in  part,  to  say : 

"The  majesty  and  glory  of  the  great  river  have  departed;  its  glamour  remains, 
fresh  and  undying  in  the  memories  of  those  who,  with  mind's  eye,  still  can  see 
it  as  it  was  a  half  century  ago.  Its  majesty  was  apparent  in  the  mighty  flood 
which  then  flowed  throughout  the  season,  scarcely  diminished  by  the  summer 
heat ;  its  glory  in  the  great  commerce  which  floated  upon  its  bosom,  beginnings  of 
great  commonwealths  yet  to  be  ;  its  glamour  is  that  indefinable  witchery  with  which 
memory  clothes  the  commonplace  of  long  ago,  transfiguring  the  labors,  cares, 
responsibilities  and  dangers  of  steamboat  life  as  it  really  was  into  a  mid-summer 
night's  dream  of  care-free,  exhilarating  experiences  and  glorified  achievements. 
There  were  steamers  running  between  St.  Louis  and  Fort  Snelling,  near  St.  Paul, 
from  the  year  1823  in  more  or  less  regularity.  The  Virginia,  Captain  Crawford, 
was  the  first  steamboat  to  reach  Fort  Snelling,  which  occurred  May  10,  1823. 
The  crowning  achievement  of  Captain  William  Fisher,  of  Galena,  was  the  taking 
of  the  City  of  Quincy  from  St.  Louis  to  St.  Paul,  Captain  Brock  being  his  partner 
for  the  trip.  The  City  of  Quincy  was  a  New  Orleans  packet  that  had  been  char- 
tered to  take  an  excursion  the  length  of  the  river.  The  vessel  was  of  1,600 
tons  burden,  with  length  of  350  feet  beam  and  was  the  largest  boat 
ever  making  the  trip  above  Keokuk  rapids.  Two  or  three  incidents 
of  Captain  Fisher's  river  life,  among  the  many  which  he  related  to  me,  are 
of  interest  as  showing  the  dangers  of  the  Mississippi.  The  following  is  one  which 
he  believed  was  an  omen  prophetic  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion.  I  give  it  as  told 
to  me: 

"I  am  going  to  tell  you  this  just  as  it  happened.  I  don't  know  whether  you  will 
believe  me  or  not.  I  don't  say  that  I  would  believe  it  myself  if  I  had  not  seen  it 
with  my  own  eyes.  If  some  one  else  had  told  it  to  me  I  might  have  set  it  down 
as  a  'yarn.'  If  they  never  have  had  any  experience  on  the  river  some  men  woula 
make  yams  to  order.  It  is  a  mighty  sight  easier  to  make  them  than  it  is  to  live 
them — and  safer. 

"  'When  this  thing  happened  to  me  I  was  entirely  sober  and  I  was  not  asleep. 
If  you  will  take  my  word  for  it  I  have  never  been  anything  else  but  sober.  If  I 
had  been  otherwise  I  would  not  be  here  now  telling  you  this  at  eighty-two  years 
old  (the  relator  told  the  story  in  1903).  Whiskey  always  gets  'em  long  before 
they  see  the  eighty  mark.  And  you  know  that  a  man  can't  run  a  steamboat  while 
asleep — that  is  very  long.  Of  course  he  can  for  a  little  while,  but  when  he  hits 
the  bank  it  wakes  him  up. 

"  'This  story  ought  to  interest  you  because  I  was  on  your  favorite  boat  when 
it  happened.    The  Fannie  Harris  was  sold  in  1859,  in  May  or  June,  to  go  south. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  433 

She  came  back  right  away,  not  going  below  St.  Louis,  after  all.  I  took  her  down 
to  that  port.  Joseph  Jones,  of  Galena,  had  bought  the  bar  for  the  season  when 
she  was  sold,  and  lost  thirty  dollars  in  money  by  the  disposal  of  the  boat.  Captain 
W.  H.  Gabbert,  who  died  a  few  months  since,  was  in  command  and  I  was  pilot. 
I  left  Galena  in  the  evening.  It  was  between  changes  of  the  moon  and  a  beautiful 
star-light  night— as  fine  as  I  ever  saw.  By  the  time  we  got  down  to  Bellevue 
the  stars  had  all  disappeared  and  it  had  become  daylight,  not  twilight,  but  broad 
daylight,  so  light  that  you  could  not  see  the  brightest  star,  and  from  1 1 130  to  12 :30, 
a  full  hour,  it  was  as  bright  as  any  day  when  the  sun  was  under  a  cloud.  At  mid- 
night I  was  right  opposite  Savanna.  Up  to  this  time  Captain  Gabbert  had  been 
asleep  in  the  cabin,  although  he  was  on  watch.  We  were  carrying  neither  pas- 
sengers nor  freight  for  we  were  just  taking  the  boat  down  to  deliver  her  to  her 
new  owners.  The  captain  woke  up  or  was  called  and  when  he  saw  the  broad  day- 
light and  that  his  watch  indicated  that  it  was  only  just  midnight,  he  was  surprised 
and  maybe  scared,  just  as  everyone  else  was.  He  ran  out  on  the  roof  and  called 
out  "Mr.  Fisher,  land  the  boat,  the  world  is  coming  to  an  end."  I  told  him  that  if 
the  world  were  coming  to  an  end  that  we  might  as  well  go  in  the  middle  of  the 
river  as  at  the  bank,  and  kept  on  going.  It  took  just  as  long  to  get  dark  again  as 
it  did  to  get  light — about  an  hour.  Then  in  another  half  hour  the  stars  had  come 
out,  one  by  one,  just  as  you  see  them  at  sunset — the  big  bright  ones  first  and 
then  the  whole  field  of  Httle  ones.  I  looked  for  all  the  stars  I  knew  by  sight  and 
as  they  came  back,  one  by  one,  I  began  to  feel  more  confidence  in  the  reality  of 
things.  I  couldn't  tell  at  all  where  the  light  came  from — but  it  grew  absolutely 
broad  daylight.  That  one  hour's  experience  had  more  to  do  with  turning  my  hair 
white  than  anything  that  ever  occurred  to  me,  for  it  certainly  did  seem  a  strange 
phenomenon.  "Was  it  worse  than  going  into  a  battle?"  I  asked.  Yes,  a  hundred 
times  worse,  because  it  was  dififerent.  When  you  go  into  battle  you  know  just 
what  danger  is,  and  you  nerve  yourself  to  meet  it.  It  is  just  the  same  as  bracing 
yourself  to  meet  a  known  danger  in  your  work — wind,  lightning  or  storm — you 
know  what  to  expect  and  if  yoa  have  any  nerve  you  just  hold  yourself  in  and 
let  it  come.  This  was  different ;  you  didn't  know  what  was  coming  next,  buf  I 
guess  we  all  thought  just  as  the  captain  did,  that  it  was  the  end  of  the  world. 
I  confess  that  I  was  scared,  but  I  had  the  boat  to  look  out  for  and  until  the  world 
did  really  come  to  an  end  I  was  responsible  for  her,  and  so  stood  by  and  you  know 
that  helps  to  keep  your  nerves  where  they  belong.  I  just  hung  on  to  the  wheel  and 
kept  her  in  the  river,  but  held  one  eye  on  the  western  sky  to  see  what  was  coming 
next.  I  hope  when  my  time  comes  I  shall  not  be  scared  to  death,  and  I  don't  be- 
lieve I  shall  be.  It  will  come  in  a  natural  way  and  there  won't  be  anything  to 
scare  a  man.  It  is  the  unknown  and  mysterious  that  shakes  him  and  this  midnight 
marvel  was  too  much  for  any  of  us.  We  had  a  great  many  signs  before  the  war 
and  I  believe  this  marvel  was  one  of  them,  only  we  didn't  know  how  to  read  it.'  " 

Captain  Merrick  graphically  describes  a  race  between  the  Itasca  and  the  Gray 
Eagle,  which  took  place  in  1856  on  the  Mississippi  from  Dunleith  to  St.  Paul. 
He  says :  "As  a  race  against  time,  the  run  of  the  Gray  Eagle  was  something  really 
remarkable.  A  sustained  speed  of  over  sixteen  miles  an  hour  for  a  distance  of 
300  miles  up  stream  is  a  wonderful  record  for  an  inland  steamboat, 
anywhere,  upper  river  or  lower  river,  and  the  pride  which  Captain  Harris  had  in 


434  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

his  boat  was  fully  justified.  A  few  years  later  she  struck  the  Rock  Island  bridge 
and  sank  in  less  than  five  minutes,  a  total  loss.  It  was  pitiful  to  see  the  old  cap- 
tain leaving  the  wreck,  a  broken-hearted  man,  weeping  over  the  loss  of  his  darling 
and  returning  to  his  Galena  home,  never  again  to  command  a  steamboat.  He 
had,  during  his  eventful  life  on  the  upper  river  built  and  owned  or  commanded 
scores  of  steamboats  and  this  was  the  end."  Captain  D.  Smith  Harris  in  1855 
brought  out  the  Gray  Eagle  which  had  been  built  at  Cincinnati  at  a  cost  of  $60,000. 
He  built  her  with  his  own  money  or  at  least  had  a  controlling  interest  and  in- 
tended her  to  be  the  fastest  boat  on  the  river. 

RAFTING  DAYS. 

Captain  W.  A.  Blair  gives  an  interesting  description  of  rafting  on  the  Missis- 
sippi river  in  the  following  article  which  first  appeared  in  the  Chicago  Timberman : 

"The  rafting  of  logs  began  about  1845  and  reached  its  height  in  1890  when  the 
Chippewa  river  alone  sent  out  over  600,000,000  feet  of  logs,  besides  over  400,000,- 
000  feet  of  sawed  lumber  for  the  yards  at  Burlington,  Keokuk,  Hannibal,  Louis- 
iana, St.  Louis  and  Chester.  The  first  rafts  floated  down  the  Mississippi  were  very 
small,  were  carried  along  by  the  current  and  handled  by  large  oars  on  the  bow 
and  stern.  The  logs  were  rafted  in  strings  seventeen  feet  wide  and  held  together 
by  poles  across  them,  to  which  each  log  was  fastened  by  wooden  plugs  and  lock- 
downs.  These  strings  were  fastened  together  into  rafts  from  five  to  ten  strings 
wide  and  about  250  feet  long.  Delays  by  wind,  sticking  on  sandbars  or  breaKmg 
on  islands  were  common  and  while  the  price  per  thousand  feet  was  very  high,  the 
proceeds  of  the  entire  trip  were  often  required  to  pay  off  the  crew. 

"In  1865  W.  J.  Young,  of  Clinton,  Iowa,  one  of  the  most  successful  pioneers 
of  the  lumber  business,  encouraged  Captain  Cyrus  Bradley  to  try  a  small  steam- 
boat hitched  to  the  stern  of  a  raft  to  push  and  guide  it  in  the  stream.  His  first 
efforts  were  not  highly  satisfactory  but  enough  so  to  induce  him  and  others  to  try 
pushing  rafts  with  better  boats  in  the  same  way,  which  they  did  with  very  gratify- 
ing results. 

THE  CLINTON  "nIGGER" 

"By  1870  the  business  of  towing  rafts  by  steamboats  had  become  well  estab- 
lished but  considerable  trouble  attended  all  their  efforts  to  properly  handle  and 
guide  the  rafts  until  Chauncey  Lamb,  of  Clinton,  Iowa,  invented  the  famous  'Clin- 
ton nigger,'  since  then  in  use  on  every  boat  in  the  rafting  business.  By  its  use 
the  boat's  position  can  be  easily  and  quickly  changed  so  as  to  shove  forward  or 
back  up  in  different  directions  as  the  change  in  wind  or  course  of  the  river  may 
require.  The  boat's  head  is  made  fast  to  the  stern  of  the  raft  as  near  the  middle 
as  possible,  and  the  stem  is  held  in  position  by  two  gang  lines  of  large  ropes  made 
fast  on  the  stern  corners  of  the  raft  and  rove  around  the  drums  of  the  'Clinton 
nigger'  placed  aft  of  the  boat's  center  and  amidships.  'Running  the  nigger'  pulls 
in  one  gang  line  and  passes  out  the  other,  changing  the  direction  of  the  boat  ac- 
cordingly. A  boat  hitched  in  this  way  can  handle  a  much  heavier  tow  than  if 
hitched  in  stiff  depending  entirely  on  the  rudders  for  steering  and  handling.    Ehir- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  437 

ing  the  early  part  of  1895  the  steamer  Saturn,  120  feet  long,  twenty-four  feet 
wide,  with  engine  fifteen  inches  in  diameter,  four  and  a  half  feet  stroke,  made  a 
very  successful  trip  to  St.  Louis  with  a  raft  of  lumber  1,584  feet  long  and  272 
feet  wide,  containing  over  7,cx)0,ooo  feet  of  lumber  besides  shingles,  laths  and 
pickets  enough  to  load  a  good  sized  steamer.  About  the  same  time  the  steamer 
E.  Rutledge  brought  to  Rock  Island  a  raft  of  logs  1,450  long  and  285  feet  wide, 
containing  over  2,000,000  feet  log  measure.  Either  of  these  rafts  would 
cover  ten  acres  but  were  brought  successfully  through  some  very  narrow,  crooked 
places. 

"Floating  rafts  are  a  thing  of  the  past  and  many  of  the  famous  old  floating 
pilots  have  long  since  crossed  to  the  other  shore.  They  were  a  strong,  hardy, 
self-reliant  lot  of  men,  accustomed  to  exposure,  hard  work,  long  watches  and 
the  handling  of  the  rough,  boisterous  men  who  composed  their  crew.  When 
wind-bound  or  tied  up  near  some  small  town  where  liquors  were  to  be  had,  these 
raftsmen  of  the  olden  time  were  much  inclined  to  paint  things  a  very  brilliant  color, 
and  where  local  authorities  failed  to  control  them  they  generally  hunted  up  the 
pilot  to  take  charge  of  his  men  and  save  the  town, 

THE  FIRST  RAFT   PILOT. 

"Captain  S.  B.  Hanks,  now  living  in  Albany,  Illinois,  (1905)  at  the  age  of 
eighty-nine  years,  gets  the  credit  for  having  been  the  first  recognized  raft  pilot. 
He  saw  the  business  grow  from  a  single  trip  to  a  great  industry  in  which  ninety 
steamers  were  engaged  regularly  all  season  long,  whose  crews  numbered,  all 
told,  1,800  men,  with  a  monthly  pay  roll  of  over  $80,000. 

"The  average  raft  steamer  is  130  feet  long,  twenty-six  feet  wide,  four  feet 
hold  and  has  two  inch  pressure  boiler  with  engine  thirteen  inches  in  diameter  and 
six  feet  stroke.  Some  of  them  have  very  nice  cabins  with  accommodation  for  the 
crew  of  twenty  and  a  few  extra.  The  logs  are  driven  down  the  small  tributaries 
into  the  Black,  Chippewa,  St.  Croix  and  upper  Mississippi  rivers,  and  then  flooded 
and  driven  down  loose  into  the  Mississippi  river. 

"Black  river  logs  are  rafted  at  North  LaCrosse  at  the  mouth  of  the  stream. 
Chippewa  logs  are  driven  down  into  the  Mississippi  at  Reed's  Landing,  then  twelve 
miles  down  into  West  Newton  slough,  where  they  are  held,  sorted,  scaled  and 
rafted  by  the  Minnesota  Boom  Company,  which  company  can  turn  out,  when  con- 
ditions are  favorable,  10,000,000  to  15,000,000  feet  per  day.  St.  Croix  logs  are 
rafted  at  Stillwater,  where  the  St.  Croix  river  enters  St.  Croix  lake.  Upper  Mis- 
sissippi river  logs  are  driven  loose  from  St.  Anthony's  falls  and  rafted  between 
Fort  Snelling  and  St.  Paul.  From  these  points  the  steamer  tows  them  to  the  saw 
mills  at  Winona,  LaCrosse,  Lansing,  Guttenberg.  Dubuque,  Bellevue,  Lyons,  Ful- 
ton, Qinton,  Moline,  Rock  Island,  Davenport,  Muscatine,  Burlington,  Fort  Madi- 
son, Keokuk,  Ouincy,  Hannibal  and  St.  Louis,  while  rafted  lumber  is  sometimes 
taken  to  Chester,  eighty  miles  below  St.  Louis. 

"The  average  speed  of  a  tow  boat  and  raft  down  stream  is  three  and  a  half  miles 
an  hour.  Of  late  years  several  operators  have  adopted  the  plan  of  making  their 
rafts  very  long  and  using  a  small  steamboat  fastened  crosswise  of  the  bow.  By 
going  ahead  or  backing  the  bow  boat  the  raft  can  be  pointed  around  or  kept  in  the 


438  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

channel  much  more  quickly  than  the  boat  at  the  stern  could  do  it  alone.  Another 
point  gained  by  this  plan  is  that  while  the  ordinary  raft  is  too  wide  for  the  bridge 
draws,  and  can  only  be  put  through  one  half  at  a  time,  lengthened  out  double 
length  and  half  width,  double  tripping  the  bridge  is  avoided  and  much  time  saved. 

"The  business  has  seen  its  best  days.  Forest  fires  and  the  chopper's  ax  have 
destroyed  nearly  all  the  good  timber  accessible.  The  average  size  of  the  logs  di- 
minishes each  year.  Mill  after  mill  will  close  when  its  supply  of  white  pine  is  ex- 
hausted. One  by  one  the  tow  boats  that  have  chased  each  other  down  the  grand 
old  river  will  be  laid  to  rest  and  rot,  while  their  crew,  who  have  waited  in  vain 
for  the  pleasant  message  to  'get  her  ready  at  once'  will  wander  off,  sadly  trying  to 
catch  a  land  lubber's  step  and  earn  a  hard  living  on  shore,  thinking  often  of  the 
old  familiar  whistle  he  will  hear  no  more." 


FERRIES    CROSSING    THE    MISSISSIPPI. 

Colonel  George  Davenport  established  the  first  public  ferry  between  Warsaw  on 
the  south  and  Prairie  du  Chien  on  the  north,  a  distance  of  500  miles.  This  took 
place  in  Davenport  in  1825  and  full  crews  were  employed,  both  at  the  "slough" 
and  the  main  channel,  for  the  original  ferry  led  across  from  the  island  and  not 
below  it.  The  slough  ferry  touched  the  Illinois  shore  near  where  the  freight 
depot  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  now  stands.  The  island  landing  on 
the  main  channel  was  just  in  front  of  the  Davenport  mansion,  while  on  the 
Iowa  shore  there  were  two,  an  arriving  and  a  departing  landing.  The  rapids 
current  was  strong  and  the  boats,  usually  propelled  by  oar  and  helm,  were  natur- 
ally carried  well  down  stream  in  crossing.  The  first  landing  was  at  a  point 
where  Renwick's  mill  was  subsequently  built,  and  from  this  point  the  boat  was 
poled  up  along  the  shore  to  a  point  at  the  foot  of  Mississippi  avenue,  from  which 
it  returned  to  the  island  landing.  Two  oarsmen  and  a  man  at  the  helm  composed 
the  crew,  and  the  rates  for  putting  a  man  and  horse  across  the  stream  was  $1.25, 
or  $2  for  a  two  horse  team,  and  single  passengers  in  a  skiff  25  cents.  While 
living  at  Andalusia  Captain  Benjamin  W.  Clark  established  a  ferry  at  Buffalo 
before  he  moved  across  the  river.  This  was  for  many  years  the  most  noted  ferry 
between  Burlington  and  Dubuque.  In  1834  Antoine  LeQaire  started  his  ferry 
below  the  island,  which  put  the  Davenport  boats  and  crews  out  of  business.  Le- 
Claire  began  with  flat  boats  and  his  first  captain  was  L.  S.  Colton.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  two  years  Mr.  LeClaire  sold  his  franchise  and  boats  to  John  Wilson  for 
$1,000  and  quit  the  business.  Captain  Wilson  was  a  man  of  energy  and  enter- 
prise and  at  once  began  building  new  boats  and  conducted  the  business  in  a 
methodical  manner.  He  made  commutation  rates  with  the  Rock  river  ferry  at 
the  mouth  of  Green  river,  whereby  one  fare  paid  the  way  over  both  ferries. 
This  arrangement  was  well  advertised  and  greatly  increased  Captain  Wilson's 
business  and  brought  to  this  county  many  people  seeking  homes  who  would  not 
otherwise  have  come  here.  The  Iowa  Sun  of  August  4,  1838,  announced  that 
Captain  Wilson  had  a  steam  ferry  upon  his  docks  which  he  would  launch  in  due 
time.  For  some  reason,  not  now  known,  the  boat  was  not  finished  until  1842,  but 
when  it  appeared  on  the  water  it  was  found  to  be  in  advance  of  the  times,  and 
was  taken  off  to  reappear  no  more  until  1852.     It  was  the  first  steam  ferry  on 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  439 

the  river  above  St.  Louis.  There  were  twelve  ferries  chartered  in  1842.  Every 
town  along  the  river  had  its  ferry.  Captain  P.enjamin  W.  Clark  had  one  at  Buf- 
falo which  existed  up  to  a  few  years  ago.  In  the  spring  of  1838  he  was  licensed 
to  run  a  ferry  at  Bufifalo.  John  H.  Sullivan  and  Adrian  A.  Davenport  had  one 
at  Rockingham  and  Marmaduke  S.  Davenport  at  Credit  island,  which  have  long 
since  gone  out  of  existence.  Just  below  Buffalo  Joseph  and  ^Matthias  Mounts 
had  ferries.  Avery  Thomas  ran  a  flat  boat  at  Pinneo's  landing,  now  Princeton, 
and  Benjamin  Doolittle  had  a  ferry  on  the  Wapsipinicon  near  its  mouth.  These 
men  all  had  fiat  boats.  Gilbert  Marshall  ran  a  ferry  on  the  Wapsipinicon  at 
Point  Pleasant  in  1840,  which  was  subsequently  turned  over  to  J.  W.  Curtley  in 
1842  and  afterward  became  the  property  of  Judge  Grant.  A  ferry  was  started 
at  Pleasant  Valley  by  Lucien  Well  in  1842  and  Parkhurst,  now  LeClaire,  had 
its  ferry  about  the  same  time.  In  the  county  commissioners'  court  at  Rocking- 
ham in  May,  1838,  the  following  schedule  for  licenses  was  adopted :  Davenport, 
$20;  Buffalo,  $10;  Rockingham,  $8;  all  others  at  $5  per  annum.  For  Mississippi 
ferriage  the  following  rates  were  followed : 

Footmen     $  .iS^i 

Man  and  horse 50 

One  vehicle  and  driver 75 

Two  horse  vehicle  and  driver i.oo 

Each  additional  horse  or  mule 18^ 

Neat  cattle,  per  head   12^ 

Sheep  or  hogs   05 

Freight  per  hundred   06^ 

It  was  also  ordered  at  this  meeting  that  each  keeper  give  due  attendance  at 
all  times  from  sunrise  until  8  p.  m.,  but  that  they  shall  be  allowed  double  rates 
on  ferriage  after  sunset. 

Among  the  improvements  instituted  by  Captain  Wilson  was  the  ferry  alarm. 
Says  a  local  writer :  "In  primitive  times  in  order  to  arouse  the  ferryman  on  the 
opposite  shore  the  Stephensonites  (now  Rock  Islanders)  who  had  been  over  here 
in  Davenport  to  attend  evening  services  and  overstayed  their  time,  or  zealous 
Davenporters  who  after  dark  had  occasion  to  visit  Stephenson  in  a  missionary 
cause,  had  to  raise  the  'war-whoop.'  In  order  to  discourage  relics  of  barbarism 
Mr.  Wilson  introduced  the  ferry  triangle,  an  ungainly  piece  of  triangular  steel 
which,  when  vigorously  pounded  with  a  club,  sent  forth  from  its  gallows  tree  a 
most  wretched  clanging  noise.  But  it  brought  the  skiff,  though  it  awakened  the 
whole  town.  That  triangle  was  immortalized  by  Davenport's  local  bard.  In  an 
inspired  moment  he  ground  out  an  epic  or  a  lyric  or  a  something  in  seven  stanzas 
and  from  seven  to  seventeen  poetic  feet.  We  would  reproduce  it  if  we  were 
quite  certain  our  readers  were  all  prepared  to  die." 

After  the  death  of  John  Wilson  the  ferry  fell  into  the  hands  of  his  son-in-law, 
Judge  John  W.  Spencer  and  Thomas  J.  Robinson,  then  associate  judge,  and  in 
1854  Judge  James  Grant,  of  Davenport,  was  added  and  the  firm  name  changed 
from  J.  W.  Spencer  &  Company  to  Spencer,  Robinson  &  Company.  An  extended 
history  of  Judge  Spencer's  life  as  written  by  himself  is  given  in  another  part  of 
this  work.  Thomas  S.  Robinson  left  his  native  state,  Maine,  in  1837  and  landed 
in  Green  county,  Illinois,  where  he  taught  school  several  years,  and  was  county 


440  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

clerk  for  some  time.  In  1847  he  went  to  Rock  Island  county  and  there  engaged  in 
farming  for  two  years.  The  following  three  or  four  years  he  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising at  Port  Byron,  and  from  1853  ^o  1868  almost  without  a  day's  absence 
he  was  the  captain  in  command  of  his  prosperous  steamer,  ever  active,  pleasant  and 
accommodating  and  attending  to  his  business  in  a  business-like  manner.  The 
first  permanent  steam  ferry  boat  that  plied  between  Davenport  and  Rock  Island 
was  the  "John  Wilson."  It  was  followed  by  the  "Davenport"  in  1855  and  ran 
in  connection  with  that  boat  in  those  busy  transfer  times  of  1855  and  1856  before 
the  completion  of  the  railroad  bridge.  In  1857  the  "Rock  Island"  came  into  ser- 
vice and  the  "John  Wilson"  was  sold  to  the  Fulton  &  Lyons'  trade.  The  "Daven- 
port" became  a  government  transport  during  the  Civil  war  and  eventually  met 
the  fate  of  all  things  perishable.  The  "Rock  Island"  continued  in  the  service 
several  years,  when  it  was  supplanted  by  the  "J.  W.  Spencer,"  whose  successor 
was  the  "Augusta."  In  1902  the  "Augusta"  was  remodeled  and  rechristened  as  the 
"T.  J.  Robinson,"  which  name  it  bore  in  honor  of  the  man  who  gave  this  locality 
its  earliest  ferry  service  and  who  kept  it  up  to  a  high  standard  in  the  years  that 
followed.  The  boats  now  in  commission,  "The  Davenport"  and  "Rock  Island," 
furnish  the  finest  service  between  St.  Louis  and  St.  Paul.  They  are  provided 
with  the  latest  approved  machinery  procurable  for  such  service  and  the  accommo- 
dations provided  for  the  traveling  public  are  the  best  possible.  Trips  are  made 
between  the  Rock  Island  and  Davenport  shores  every  fifteen  minutes,  which  are 
kept  up  constantly  during  the  day  and  until  late  in  the  evening.  On  April  7,  1888, 
the  original  license  to  operate  this  ferry  was  issued  by  the  United  States  treasury 
department  and  April  26,  1888,  the  charter  was  issued  to  the  incorporated  body 
— the  Rock  Island-Davenport  Ferry  Company — ^with  a  capital  stock  of 
$60,000.  The  original  incorporators  were  Thomas  J.  Robinson,  D.  Nelson 
Richardson,  Henry  Lischer,  Joe  R.  Lane,  Edward  D.  Sweeny  and  J.  Frank  Rob- 
inson. Thomas  J.  Robinson  died  in  April,  1899,  and  his  stock  in  the  ferry  com- 
pany was  inherited  by  his  son  and  only  heir,  J.  Frank  Robinson,  and  with  the 
stock  went  the  management  which  the  elder  Robinson  had  wisely  administered. 
J.  Frank  Robinson  died  in  May,  1902,  and  bequeathed  his  stock  to  Captain  Mar- 
cus L.  Henderson,  a  cousin  who  had  been  in  charge  of  the  ferry  as  general  man- 
ager since  1896.  At  the  meeting  of  the  stockholders  Captain  Henderson  was 
unanimously  elected  president  and  manager,  with  H.  E.  Casteel  secretary  and 
treasurer. 

THE   HENNEPIN   CANAL. 

The  part  which  a  good  system  of  inland  waterways  would  play  in  the  de- 
velopment of  this  section  was  clearly  understood  by  the  early  settlers.  When 
Davenport  was  but  a  hamlet  the  progressive  citizens  were  alive  to  the  necessity 
of  deepening  the  channel  on  the  rapids.  River  improvement  conventions  were 
held  which  were  attended  by  delegates  from  Burlington,  Muscatine,  Dubuque 
and  Davenport  to  the  number  of  150.  Such  a  convention  was  held  in  Davenport 
in  1846.  but  the  rocks  were  undisturbed  by  the  flow  of  eloquence  for,  as  Hiram 
Price  expressed  it,  "They  had  been  there  since  the  morning  stars  sang  together, 
and  they  did  not  propose  to  be  disturbed  by  long  speeches  or  resolutions  upon 
paper." 


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H^^n 

_ '  ^m^n 

^  flip  "f^lLMM ^     ^ 

HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  443 

In  early  days  the  canal  as  a  means  of  transportation  was  held  in  high  esteem 
and  even  after  the  advent  of  the  railroads  in  this  section  those  interested  in 
freight  rates  well  understood  the  benefit  an  east  and  west  canal  would  be. 
January  19,  1864,  a  Chicago  and  Mississippi  canal  meeting  was  held  at  LeClaire 
hall  and  a  committee  appointed  to  secure  an  appropriation  from  the  Iowa  legis- 
lature for  a  survey.  The  expenses  of  the  committee,  $350  were  pledged.  In 
March  the  efforts  of  the  committee  at  Des  Moines  were  aided  by  the  strike  of  en- 
gineers on  all  Chicago  roads  which  cut  off  Iowa  from  the  world.  The  Iowa 
legislature  appropriated  $i,(X)0,  the  first  money  devoted  to  this  waterway  by 
anybody  having  power  to  vote  funds. 

From  January  19,  1864,  to  November  15,  1907,  the  date  when  the  first  boat 
passed  through  the  completed  Hennepin  canal,  was  a  strenuous  forty-three  years 
for  the  friends  of  the  measure.  Meetings  were  held  in  Davenport  almost  with- 
out number.  The  hat  was  passed  for  expenses  over  and  over  again.  Editorials 
were  written  by  the  mile  and  delegates  attended  uncounted  conventions.  Con- 
gress was  bombarded  with  petitions  and  interviewed  by  delegations.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1874,  the  preliminary  survey  was  completed.  The  following  January 
the  measure  had  favorable  action  in  congress.  Congressman  J.  H.  Murphy  was 
so  insistent  for  the  construction  of  the  canal  that  he  was  nicknamed  "Hennepin" 
Murphy.  In  July,  1882,  the  National  senate  passed  an  appropriation  of  $100,000. 
In  July,  1890,  the  river  and  harbor  bill  carried  $500,000  for  Hennepin.  In  1891 
the  Milan  route  was  approved.  In  November,  1894,  the  first  section  of  the  canal 
was  completed  and  water  admitted  thereto.  In  April,  1895,  the  locks  of  the 
canal  opened  to  receive  the  first  boat.  In  the  fall  of  the  year  the  first  coal  was 
received  in  Davenport  from  the  Hennepin  canal. 

The  building  of  the  canal  from  Hennepin  to  Milan  presented  many  engineer- 
ing problems  but  none  to  compare  with  those  attending  the  construction  of  the 
feeder  ditch  from  Sterling  south  to  Sheffield.  The  canal  is  nearly  105  miles 
long,  the  main  line  measuring  seventy-five  miles,  and  the  Sterling  feeder,  twenty- 
nine  and  three-tenths  miles.  The  canal  is  eighty  feet  wide  at  the  surface, 
fifty-two  feet  wide  at  the  bottom  and  is  seven  feet  deep.  The  construction  of 
the  locks  and  canal  walls  near  Milan  was  the  first  instance  in  the  United  States 
where  cement  construction  was  substituted  for  cut  stone  in  work  of  this  sort. 
The  successful  use  of  concrete  here  caused  its  general  adoption  by  the  govern- 
ment, the  railroads  and  large  contractors  everywhere. 

The  total  excavation  on  the  canal  was  8,080,512  cubic  yards,  the  fill  in  em- 
bankments, 5,551,378,  making  a  total  of  13,631.890  cubic  yards  of  earthwork. 
Timber  and  lumber  were  used  to  the  amount  of  8,250,444  feet.  The  cement  con- 
struction in  the  canal  has  a  total  of  236,348  cubic  yards.  The  Hennepin  is 
spanned  by  seventy  highway  and  farm  bridges,  eight  railway  bridges  and  two 
pontoons,  has  nine  acqueducts,  thirty-three  locks,  fifty-two  culverts,  eight  dams 
and  nine  sluiceways. 

The  total  cost  of  the  canal  was  $7,224,408.77.  Those  who  enjoy  figures  have 
computed  that  the  concrete  used  in  this  canal,  the  first  one  to  be  constructed  by 
the  United  States,  would  lay  a  sidewalk  from  Davenport  to  Boston. 

While  the  completion  of  the  canal  has  not  been  followed  by  the  increase  in 
shipments  anticipated  by  those  who  worked  for  its  construction  for  the  forty 


444  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

years  when  work  was  necessary  to  keep  the  project  moving-,  it  is  confidently 
expected  that  in  the  near  future  the  canal  will  justify  the  expense  of  construc- 
tion and  become  an  important  link  in  a  system  of  interior  water  ways  that  will 
handle  shipments  greatly  in  excess  of  the  capacity  of  the  railroads  to  move. 

HISTORY  OF  A   NOTED   PICTURE. 

In  the  spring  of  1845  John  Casper  Wilde,  a  gentleman  of  considerable  reputa- 
tion as  a  landscape  and  portrait  painter,  made  his  first  appearance  in  Davenport. 
On  his  arrival  here  he  was  totally  dependent  upon  his  talent,  which  was  of  a 
very  high  order.  In  1846  he  painted  a  fancy  sketch  which  was  the  nearest  ap- 
proach to  an  artistical  smile  of  which  Mr.  Wilde  was  ever  known  to  be  guilt>. 
He  had  neither  humor  of  his  own  nor  appreciation  of  humor  in  others.  He 
looked  tragedy,  thought  tragedy  and  his  conversation,  outside  of  business  and 
art,  was  never  much  more  cheerful  than  tragedy.  This  little  oil  sketch,  a  fac- 
simile of  which  appears  in  this  work,  represented  three  notable  characters  of  the 
village,  each  of  whom  at  that  time  was  personally  known  to  almost  every  man, 
woman  or  child  in  the  place.  They  were  collected  at  the  well  remembered  ferry 
house  and  near  the  equally  well  remembered  old  bell  post.  The  bell  there  sus- 
pended was  then  furiously  jingled,  and  often  with  disagreeable  pertinacity,  by 
those  who  wished  to  call  the  old  ferryman,  John  Wilson,  from  the  opposite  shore. 
The  ringer  was  generally  considered  under  personal  obligation  to  stand  at  the 
post  some  time  in  company  with  his  horse  and  vehicle,  if  he  had  any  to  cross 
over,  so  that  the  ferryman  might,  with  proper  deliberation,  determine  whether 
the  skiff  or  horse-power  boat  were  required  by  the  nature  of  the  cargo.  The 
large  person  of  Antoine  LeClaire  sits  in  a  buggy,  to  which  is  attached  the  not- 
able old  white  horse  that  used  to  drag  his  master  about  the  place.  Qose  by 
stands  Gilbert  McKown,  whose  store  was  on  Front  street,  a  few  steps  distant, 
and  whose  burly  figure  and  good-humored  face  when  on  any  street  seemed  a 
part  and  parcel  of  the  town  and  directly  identified  with  its  corporate  existence. 
The  third  figure  is  Sam  Fisher,  as  he  was  familiarly  called  by  every  acquaintance. 
He  then  lived  in  the  house  later  owned  and  occupied  by  George  L.  Davenport  at 
the  corner  of  Brady  and  Third  streets.  Sam  Fisher  was  the  best  fisher  in  the 
town,  a  good  story-teller  and  had  a  most  marvelous  memory  of  past  times  and 
incidents,  facts  and  dates,  which,  united  with  some  peculiar  eccentricities  of  char- 
acter, exclusively  and  honestly  his,  has  since  made  him  a  conspicuous  character. 
One  of  his  smaller  eccentricities  is  shown  in  the  picture.  He  is  standing  with  his 
trousers  turned  up  to  the  top  of  one  boot  and  down  to  the  sole  of  the  other,  doing 
a  favorite  gesture,  and  evidently  doing  the  talking,  of  course. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
LIFE  ON  THE  FRONTIER. 

THE  REMINISCENCES  OF  THE  PIONEER,   JUDGE  JOHN   W.  SPENCER LIFE  AMONG  THE 

SACS    AND    FOXES — WHEN    FRIENDSHIP    CHANGED    TO    DISTRUST     AND     ENMITY 

— NEIGHBOR    BLACK    HAWK INDIAN     AGRICULTURE     AND     HUNTING     TRIPS 

THE    WARS    OF    183I-33 STILLMAN's    DEFEAT    AND   THE    FLAG    OF    TRUCE ^THE 

MERCILESS  SIOUX A   NEIGHBOR   WHO  DREW  THE   LONG  BOW. 

The  following  article  was  published  in  book  form  by  Judge  Spencer  in  1872, 
not  for  general  distribution,  but  for  the  members  of  his  family  and  members 
of  the  Old  Settlers'  association.  It  was,  however,  first  presented  at  an  Old 
Settlers'  meeting  in  Rock  Island  county  and  subsequently  appeared  in  the  Union. 

Judge  Spencer's  long  residence  in  Rock  Island  and  extended  acquaintance  in 
Davenport  and  Scott  county  made  him  a  familiar  figure  here  and  his  experi- 
ences as  a  pioneer  of  this  section,  although  his  residence  was  across  the  river, 
will  assuredly  be  of  interest  to  readers  of  this  history  and  for  that  reason  "The 
Reminiscences  of  Pioneer  Life  in  the  Mississippi  Valley"  is  here  reproduced  in 
toto. 

Judge  John  W.  Spencer  came  to  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  in  1826,  and  died  there 
February  20,  1878.  He  was  the  first  judge  of  the  Rock  Island  county  court 
and  performed  the  first  marriage  ceremony  in  that  county.  In  connection  with 
others  he  built  the  first  dam  at  Moline  in  1841,  and  in  1852,  at  the  death  of  his 
father-in-law,  Captain  Wilson,  succeeded  to  a  controlling  interest  in  the  Rock 
Island  and  Davenport  ferry  from  which  his  estate  still  derives  a  considerable 
revenue. 

I  was  born  in  Vergennes,  Addison  county,  Vermont,  on  the  25th  of  July, 
1801,  and  after  spending  the  early  years  of  my  life  there  started,  on  the  4th  of 
September,  1820,  for  Illinois,  driving  a  two-horse  team  for  a  gentleman  by  the 
name  of  Brush.  Having  an  uncle  in  St.  Louis  county,  Missouri,  I  went  there, 
crossing  the  Mississippi  river  on  the  25th  of  October,  at  St.  Louis.  This  place 
had  about  5,000  inhabitants  at  that  time.  My  uncle  and  many  more  of  the 
early  settlers  were  about  leaving  where  they  had  settled,  on  account  of  Missouri 


448  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

becoming  a  slave  state.  He  and  several  of  his  neighbors  had,  early  in  the  fall 
of  this  year,  visited  the  Illinois  river  country  and  made  some  selections  for  farms, 
about  thirty  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  at  a  settlement  now  called  Bluff- 
dale.  In  order  to  hold  the  lands  they  had  selected  they  were  obliged  to  make 
some  improvement  on  them  which,  having  done,  they  returned  to  Missouri. 

About  the  ist  of  December,  in  company  with  my  cousin,  who  was  five  or 
six  years  my  senior,  with  his  wife  and  two  children,  we  started  for  the  Illinois 
river  where  my  uncle  and  his  party  had  made  their  claims  the  fall  before.  On 
arriving  there  we  found  on  one  of  the  claims  a  log  cabin,  about  fourteen  feet 
square,  about  half  built;  it  lacked  a  roof,  a  floor  and  a  door,  which  we  soon 
added.  Our  horses  we  fed,  and  for  lack  of  a  stable  turned  loose  at  night.  In 
hunting  for  them  one  morning  I  found  them  about  two  miles  from  home,  and 
as  we  turned  on  our  way  homeward  I  discovered  a  large  bear  on  the  bluff,  headed 
for  the  river.  When  he  got  on  the  prairie  bottom  I  rode  after  him ;  the  country 
being  very  smooth  I  found  I  could  drive  him,  so  concluded  to  try  and  drive  him 
home.  Our  cabin,  at  that  time,  was  without  a  door,  and  for  a  substitute  they  had 
hung  up  a  blanket.  The  day  being  very  windy,  they  had  set  a  chest  upon  the 
blanket  to  keep  it  in  place.  This  chest  was  a  very  considerable  part  of  the 
furniture  of  the  cabin,  being  used  as  a  work  table,  a  dining  table,  and  a  place 
for  putting  away  our  most  valuable  things.  My  cousin's  wife  was  busy  getting 
our  breakfast  and  had  rolled  out  a  short-cake  upon  the  chest;  he  was  at  work 
outside  the  cabin,  making  a  rude  bedstead.  On  approaching  the  house  I  hal- 
looed as  loud  as  I  could.  The  cabin  stood  in  the  timber  and  my  cousin  did  not 
discover  the  bear  until  he  was  within  fifty  yards  of  him.  He  ran  in  for  his 
gun  as  soon  as  possible,  and,  by  stepping  on  the  chest  at  the  door  and  putting 
his  gun  over  the  blanket,  he  gave  the  bear  a  mortal  wound  the  first  fire.  He 
then  reloaded  his  gun  and,  going  nearer  him,  fired  a  second  shot,  killing  him. 
But  this  is  not  all;  when  his  wife  looked  for  her  short-cake,  she  found  that  he 
had  put  his  foot  in  it. 

My  neighbors  in  Green  county,  some  of  whom  accompanied  Major  Campbell, 
when  he  started  from  St.  Louis,  in  the  war  of  1812,  for  the  relief  of  the  garri- 
son of  Prairie  du  Chien,  gave  me  the  particulars  of  this  trip,  which  I  do  not 
think  are  familiar  to  our  old  settlers  generally.  We  all  know  that  there  is  an 
island  near  here  named  Campbell's  island,  but  few  know  why  it  bears  this  name. 
In  1812  Major  Campbell,  with  three  keel  boats,  well  manned,  and  loaded  with 
provisions  for  the  relief  of  the  garrison  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  left  St.  Louis  and 
came  along  without  being  disturbed  by  Indians  until,  at  last,  they  reached  Rock 
island.  They  described  the  country  here  as  being  beautiful,  finer  than  any- 
thing they  had  seen  and  they  landed  on  a  prairie,  at  the  foot  of  Rock  island,  on 
the  Illinois  shore.  The  Indians  came  to  the  boats  and  seemed  friendly,  trading 
some  with  them.  The  next  morning,  while  sailing  on  the  right  side  of  Camp- 
bell's island,  the  major  concluded  to  land  for  breakfast,  against  the  wishes  of 
his  command.  He  landed  his  boat  and  tied  to  the  shore,  the  other  two  boats  an- 
choring out  in  the  stream. 

As  soon  as  the  major's  boat  was  made  fast  the  Indians,  who  were  concealed, 
commenced  firing  on  them.  These  boats  were  so  constructed  that  while  the 
men  were  inside  they  were  comparatively  safe,  but  to  cut  their  cable  so  as  to  leave 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  449 

the  shore,  somebody  must  expose  themselves.  They  sent  out  one  after  another 
to  accomplish  this  purpose  until  two  or  three  had  been  shot  down.  Finding  it 
so  hazardous  to  extricate  themselves  in  this  way  they  changed  their  plan  and  by 
swinging  the  stern  of  the  shore  boat  out  and  that  of  the  nearest  boat  at  anchor 
in,  they  managed  to  get  from  the  boat  which  was  made  fast  to  the  shore  into  the 
other  boats,  some  being  killed,  others  wounded.  Among  the  wounded  was 
Major  Campbell,  severely  in  the  shoulder.  They  now  abandoned  the  boat  at 
the  shore  and  the  Indians,  after  plundering  it,  burned  it.  I  have  heard  some  of 
our  first  settlers  say  that  in  low  water  the  wreck  of  this  boat  could  be  seen.  Major 
Campbell  was  now  forced  to  give  up  the  trip  and  returned  to  St.  Louis  with  the 
remaining  boats.  By  the  failure  of  this  expedition  the  garrison  at  Prairie  du 
Chien  was  forced,  for  lack  of  provisions,  to  capitulate  to  the  English,  and  the 
island  near  where  these  brave  men  were  killed  and  others  wounded  was  called 
Campbell's  island.  The  Indians  call  a  steamboat  a  fire-boat.  At  a  dance  of  the 
Indians,  on  Rock  Island,  I  heard  Black  Hawk,  in  making  a  little  speech,  allude 
to  this  boat ;  he  said  when  this  boat  was  burned  it  made  a  real  "fire-boat."  While 
Uving  in  this  part  of  the  state  Alton  was  our  postofifice,  being  forty  miles  from 
our  settlement. 

About  the  year  1826  there  was  great  excitement  in  regard  to  the  lead  mines 
of  the  upper  Mississippi.  In  1827  I  thought  I  would  try  my  luck  one  season  at 
the  mines.  I  passed  Rock  Island  on  my  way  up  the  river,  about  the  last  of  March, 
returning  late  in  the  summer.  This  practice  of  going  up  the  river  in  the  spring 
and  coming  down  in  the  fall  was  so  generally  observed  by  the  first  settlers  of 
Illinois  that  they  were  called  "Suckers."  In  the  fall  of  1828  I  removed  to  Mor- 
gan county,  about  twelve  miles  from  Jacksonville,  on  the  Beardstown  road.  Mr. 
Rinnah  Wells,  in  passing  from  the  mines  to  the  southern  part  of  the  state,  stopped 
with  me  over  night.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  he  .told  me  that  the  Indians 
had  left  their  old  village  at  Rock  island.  Having  seen  the  country  along  the 
Rock  Island  rapids,  in  passing  to  and  from  the  mines,  and  being  much  pleased 
with  it,  in  less  than  a  week,  accompanied  by  Loudon  Case,  Sr.,  I  was  on  my  way 
to  ascertain  if  the  Indians  had  left.  When  about  ten  miles  from  Rock  river 
we  met  a  Mr.  Prince,  who  had  brought  a  load  of  corn  from  his  farm  near 
Peoria,  to  feed  Judge  Pence's  team,  who  was  just  then  moving  to  the  old  Indian 
village  at  Rock  river.  Princeville,  on  the  Peoria  railroad,  bears  his  name.  We 
reached  Rock  river  on  the  9th  of  December.  The  river  seemed  alive  with  ducks. 
I  do  not  think  I  have  ever  seen  as  many  at  one  time  since.  Getting  on  the 
track  of  Judge  Pence's  wagons  we  crossed  to  the  Big  island.  Here  we  found 
Judge  Pence  looking  for  a  place  to  ford,  which  we  found  about  sundown,  be- 
tween the  upper  bridge  and  milldam  on  the  main  stream.  Here  we  found  several 
wigwams  and  took  shelter  in  a  large  one  for  the  night.  Early  in  the  morning 
Judge  Pence  started  out  and  returned  about  breakfast  time,  saying  he  would 
not  unload  his  wagon  here,  as  he  had  found  a  better  wig-\vam  which  proved  to  be 
Black  Hawk's.  These  wigwams  are  very  much  the  shape  of  a  New  England 
barn,  sixteen  or  eighteen  feet  wide,  and  from  twenty  to  fifty  or  sixty  feet  long. 
The  largest  were  calculated  for  from  two  to  four  families.  They  were  built  by 
setting  posts  in  the  ground  and  siding  with  bark  from  elm  trees.  This  bark, 
cut  about  seven  feet  long,  varied  in  width  from  two  to  four  feet,  according  to 


450  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

the  size  of  the  tree  taken  from.  They  had  rafters  and  on  these  were  laid  small 
poles,  upon  the  poles  was  placed  the  bark  making  a  roof  that  turned  rain  very- 
well.  These  wigwams  made  a  very  comfortable  summer  house.  Their  wigwams 
for  fall  and  winter  use  were  very  different,  being  of  flags  woven  into  matting, 
which  could  be  rolled  up  and  enough  to  cover  a  wigwam  carried  on  one  horse. 
They  made  a  frame  of  small  poles,  one  end  sharpened  and  stuck  in  the  ground, 
the  other  bent  over  so  as  to  form  a  circle  of  ten  or  twelve  feet.  They  then 
placed  the  matting  around  and  over  the  poles,  leaving  a  small  opening  in  the  top 
for  the  smoke.  A  little  fire  in  the  center  would  keep  the  wigwam  warm.  The 
Indians  say  "the  white  man  makes  a  great  fire,  and  stands  a  great  way  off,  the 
Indian  makes  a  little  fire  and  gets  very  near  it."  On  our  arrival  here  we  found  no 
Indians,  it  being  the  season  of  the  year  when  they  were  absent  on  their  winter's 
hunt.  The  settlers,  as  well  as  the  officers  of  the  garrison,  thought  they  would 
not  return.  We  found  here  two  white  families,  near  where  the  Farnham  house 
stood,  one  of  them  Captain  Clark,  father  of  Captain  Louis  Clark,  of  Buffalo, 
Scott  county,  Iowa,  the  other  a  discharged  soldier  by  the  name  of  Haney ;  Judge 
Pence  at  Rock  river ;  and  at  the  rapids,  where  Rapids  City  now  stands,  were 
John  and  Thomas  Kinney,  George  Harlan,  Conrad  Leak  and  Archibald  Allen. 
This  constituted  all  the  white  settlement  of  the  main  land.  North  about  seventy 
miles,  on  the  Plumb  river,  was  a  family  by  the  name  of  Davidson ;  two  miles  be- 
low New  Boston  was  a  family  by  the  name  of  Dennison,  and  on  the  lower 
rapids  was  old  Jim  White.  At  this  time  they  only  had  an  occasional  mail  here, 
which  was  got  by  sending  two  soldiers  on  foot  to  Galena.  Soon  after  I  came, 
having  business  at  Galena,  and  the  officers  of  the  garrison  being  anxious  to 
hear  who  had  been  elected  president,  in  November,  it  being  now  the  20th  of 
December,  it  was  arranged  that  I  should  carry  the  mail  to  Galena,  and  bring 
one  in  return,  for  which  I  was  to  receive  $5.00. 

This  trip  had  to  be  made  on  foot,  as  I  had  sent  my  team  home.  So  they  fitted 
me  out  with  a  knapsack  and  taking  a  pair  of  skates  I  started  on  my  trip,  stop- 
ping the  first  night  at  the  head  of  the  rapids.  From  this  point  to  Mr.  Davidson's, 
the  first  house,  was  abojut  fifty  miles,  and  the  days  being  the  shortest  of  the 
year,  it  required  some  energy  to  reach  this  house,  which  would  make  a  good 
stopping  place  for  the  night.  In  the  course  of  the  day  I  met  a  large  party  of 
Winnebagoes,  who  were  moving  and  were  traveling  across  my  track.  I  was  not 
then  much  acquainted  with  the  Indians,  and  hardly  knew  what  would  be  the  best 
course  to  pursue,  but  concluded  it  was  best  to  pass  right  along  among  them,  as 
though  I  was  not  at  all  disturbed.  They  gathered  around  me  and  all  I  could 
understand  was  that  they  wanted  bread.  I  was  skating  along,  at  that  time,  on 
a  large  pond  and  the  Indian  boys  followed  after  me,  very  much  pleased  with 
this,  to  them,  novel  way  of  going.  Before  reaching  Plum  river  it  was  dark  and 
as  the  house  I  wanted  to  reach  was  a  mile  on  the  other  side,  the  river  must  be 
crossed.  I  tried  the  ice  and  found  that  it  would  not  bear  me,  and  concluded  to 
camp  for  the  night.  It  being  a  prairie  and  no  wood  near,  I  remembered  to  have 
seen  some  driftwood  about  a  half  mile  back,  and  returned  there  to  camp  for 
the  night. 

Now  came  the  feat  of  making  a  fire  in  a  dark  night.  I  put  my  hat  on  the 
ground,  with  the  top  up,  putting  some  cotton  on  the  hat  and  sprinkling  some 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  451 

powder  on  the  cotton ;  then  took  my  knife  and  flint  and  tried  to  make  fire.  Not 
succeeding  very  well,  I  poured  a  little  more  powder  on  the  cotton ;  it  being  very 
dark  and  cold,  and  feeling  a  little  uncertain  about  my  success  in  making  a  fire, 
and  knowing  the  great  importance  of  having  a  fire  in  camping  in  winter,  I  re- 
peated the  operation  two  or  three  times.  At  last,  getting  very  anxious,  I  got 
my  face  down  very  near  the  hat  and  with  my  knife  and  flint  succeeded  in  ignit- 
ing the  powder.  I  thought  at  first  my  eyes  were  nearly  put  out,  but  it  being 
very  necessary  to  save  my  fire,  I  succeeded  in  doing  so. 

In  the  morning  I  followed  up  the  river  until  I  found  a  place  so  narrow  that 
I  made  a  crossing.  This  took  me  so  far  out  of  my  way  that  I  did  not  stop  at  Mr. 
Davidson's  at  all  going  up.  I  reached  Galena  safely,  exchanged  the  mails,  trans- 
acted my  other  business  and  about  noon,  on  Christmas  day,  started  on  my  re- 
turn. Traveling  about  twenty  miles  I  came  to  a  wood  chopper's  camp  and 
stayed  all  night.  The  next  morning  I  breakfasted  at  Mr.  Davidson's  at  Plum 
river.  This  was  a  very  excellent  family,  but  I  found  only  Mrs.  Davidson  at 
home.  After  breakfast  I  asked  her  how  much  I  owed  her — she  replied  "a 
quarter."  I  gave  her  a  half  dollar  but  she  could  not  change  it  and  refused  to 
keep  the  whole  of  it.  Meeting  with  her  husband  in  1832  I  told  him  I  was  in- 
debted to  him.  He  said  he  did  not  know  it.  When  I  related  the  circumstances  he 
remarked,  "You  are  a  pretty  honest  fellow." 

Leaving  Plum  river  I  camped  two  miles  or  more  this  side  of  the  Meredosia. 
All  night  I  could  hear  the  wolves  walking  about  me,  and  could  hear  the  Indian 
dogs  barking,  as  there  were  Indians  on  an  island  in  the  river.  The  next  day  I 
reached  the  fort  at  Rock  island,  delivered  the  mail,  and  bringing  the  news  of  the 
election  of  General  Jackson. 

In  coming  into  the  village  when  I  first  came  here  I  noticed  a  number  of 
poles  standing,  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  high.  Some  of  these  poles  had 
branches  or  limbs  left  on  them,  on  which  were  hung  small  gourds.  *  *  * 
I  have  seen,  when  the  Indians  returned  from  their  winter  hunt,  a  dead  dog  tied 
up  to  one  of  these  poles,  by  winding  a  rope  several  times  around  the  pole  and 
dog,  the  head  being  up.  I  always  supposed  this  to  be  a  religious  ceremony. 
Every  time  they  succeeded  in  battle  and  none  of  their  number  was  killed,  a  new 
pole  was  erected  and  upon  the  pole  was  hung  some  of  the  trophies  of  the  victory, 
and  around  it  the  successful  warriors  and  women  danced.  But  if  in  the  battle 
they  lost  any  of  their  number,  even  if  they  had  killed  a  great  number  of  the 
enemy,  there  was  no  dancing  or  any  demonstrations  of  joy. 

The  first  season  I  lived  here,  about  forty  of  our  Indians  swam  the  Missouri 
river  in  the  night,  broke  into  an  encampment  of  100  of  the  Sioux  lodges  and 
killed  fifteen  of  them  with  their  knives,  losing  two  of  their  own  number.  On 
account  of  their  loss  there  was  no  dancing  or  any  rejoicing,  but  when  they  came 
home  they  blackened  their  faces  and  mourned  the  loss  of  their  two  braves.  The 
same  season  three  of  our  Indians,  on  a  scout  on  the  Missouri,  discovered  an 
Omaha  Indian  on  the  prairie.  They  told  me  they  got  into  a  low,  bushy  tree  and 
bleated  like  a  deer,  bringing  the  man  near,  when  they  shot  and  killed  him.  This 
Indian  had  a  gun  and  bridle  with  him ;  these,  with  his  scalp,  they  brought  home 
with  them. 


452  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Now  was  explained  to  me  the  use  of  these  poles.  A  new  one  was  erected 
and  the  gun  and  bridle  hung-  on  the  pole.  They  began  to  dance  around  it — that 
is,  the  three  men  who  killed  the  Indian  and  several  of  the  squaws.  At  these 
dances  none  of  the  men  except  those  who  actually  participated  in  the  battle  danced ; 
but  the  young  men,  gaily  painted,  stood  looking  on.  One  of  the  squaws  carried 
the  scalp  on  a  stick,  about  four  feet  above  her  head.  For  music  they  had  a  drum 
made  by  taking  out  the  head  of  a  powder  keg  and  stretching  a  raw  hide  over  it. 
Some  one  of  the  old  men,  with  one  drum-stick,  such  as  is  used  on  a  bass-drum,  beat 
with  a  slow,  measured  stroke,  while  several  old  men,  sitting  on  the  ground,  accom- 
panied the  drum  by  singing.  This  music,  in  a  still  night,  could  be  heard  three 
or  four  miles.  The  dancers  kept  up  the  entertainment  for  two  or  three  days, 
until  entire  exhaustion  ensued.  At  intervals  during  the  rejoicing  the  music 
and  dancing  would  stop  and  a  man  would  step  forward — usually  an  old  man — 
with  a  tomahawk  or  some  other  instrument  of  war  in  his  hand,  and  make  a 
little  speech,  telling  of  some  war  exploit,  the  Indians  all  responding  with  a 
general  shout.  Then  the  music  and  dancing  were  again  resumed.  I  witnessed 
this  performance  several  times  while  the  Indians  were  here. 

After  coming  in  the  fall  of  1828,  and  making  my  selection  for  a  farm,  I 
moved  from  Morgan  county,  arriving  here  on  the  first  day  of  March,  1829.  As 
there  was  no  house  to  be  had  the  next  best  chance  was  a  wigwam.  We  found 
one  on  the  bluff,  near  where  Henry  Case  now  lives,  which  we  thought  we  could 
use  until  we  could  build  a  cabin.  This  same  spring  there  came  Louden  Case, 
Sr.,  and  his  three  sons — Jonah,  Louden  and  Charles — and  settled  at  the  old 
Case  place.  Rinnah  Wells  and  his  four  sons,  and  Joshua  Vandruff  and  sons 
settled  at  Rock  river.  In  January,  before,  Joel  Wells  settled  near  Hampton, 
and  in  the  spring  Joel  Wells,  Sr.,  and  Levi  and  Huntington  Wells  settled  at  Moline ; 
Joseph  Danforth,  a  son-in-law  of  Rinnah  Wells,  a  mile  above  Moline ;  and 
Michael  C.  Bartlett,  son-in-law  of  Joel  Wells,  Sr.,  about  where  the  quilt  fac- 
tory now  stands.  About  the  last  of  May  came  Mr.  Goble  and  his  son  Benjamin, 
settling  above  Joseph  Danforth.  William  T.  Brashar  settled  on  the  farm  bear- 
ing his  name. 

We  were  here  but  a  few  days  when  two  Indians  came — the  first  we  had 
seen.  One  of  them  commenced  talking  in  a  loud  voice  in  the  Indian  language, 
of  which  we  could  not  understand  a  word.  By  pointing  to  the  wigwam,  saying 
"Saukie  wigeop,"  then  pointing  to  the  ground,  saying  "Saukie  aukie,"  and  re- 
peating this  many  times,  we  understood  he  claimed  the  land  and  the  wigwam  be- 
longed to  the  Indians.  This  man  proved  to  be  Black  Hawk.  We  had  never  heard 
there  was  such  a  chief.  He  had  heard,  way  out  at  his  winter  hunting  grounds, 
that  the  white  man  had  taken  possession  of  their  lands  and  their  wigwams ;  and 
he,  with  the  Indian  who  accompanied  him,  had  walked  in  all  the  way,  to  find  the 
report  too  true.  He  first  went  to  his  own  wigwam,  which  he  found  occupied  by 
Judge  Pence.  This  wigwam  stood  about  100  yards  in  front  of  Rinnah 
Wells'  house,  at  Rock  river.  Black  Hawk  seemed  to  be  very  much  plagued  to 
find  his  wigwam  occupied,  and  showed  Judge  Pence  where  the  fire  had  burned 
the  posts  of  the  wigwam  and  gave  them  to  understand  that  if  they  were  to  have 
such  great  fires  they  ought  to  protect  the  posts.  Coming  from  his  own  wigwam 
over  to  where  we  lived  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  old  man  was  somewhat 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  453 

excited.  About  six  weeks  after  Black  Hawk's  visit  here  he,  with  the  rest  of  the 
Indians,  returned,  and  by  this  time  Judge  Pence  was  Hving  in  his  own  cabin,  in 
their  village.  They  were  very  much  displeased  to  find  white  settlers  so  near 
them,  and  about  two  hundred  of  their  young  men  mounted  their  horses  and  rode 
around  Judge  Pence's  house  several  times.  Mrs.  Pence  and  the  children,  being 
alone,  were  very  much  alarmed,  having  never  seen  so  many  Indians  before.  She 
succeeded  in  sending  one  of  the  children  to  the  fort  on  the  island  for  help.  The 
Indian  agent  being  absent,  Captain  Nelson,  in  command,  sent  down  the  interpreter, 
Antoine  LeClaire,  who  told  the  Indians  they  must  behave  or  they  would  be  visited 
by  the  soldiers.  They  soon  became  quiet,  and  we  got  along  pretty  well  during  the 
season,  except  a  little  trouble  between  the  Indians  and  Rinnah  Wells. 

The  Indians  planted  their  corn  in  the  same  hill  for  many  years.  They  scraped 
off  the  outside  with  a  hoe,  then  dug  up  the  hill  thoroughly,  and  placed  the  corn  in 
the  hill  with  the  hand.  They  cultivated  it  altogether  with  a  hoe,  going  over  it 
three  or  four  times,  making  the  hills  very  large.  After  forty  years  they  are  now 
plainly  to  be  seen  in  the  old  fields.  They  raised  a  good  many  beans  of  a  fine 
quality;  also  squashes  and  a  few  melons.  This  was  their  entire  crop.  This  work 
was  done  mostly  by  the  squaws.  I  have  seen  some  old  men,  and  some  boys  of 
twelve  or  fifteen  years,  working  in  the  field,  but  only  one  young  one  or  middle- 
aged  man,  and  he  was  making  a  fence.  Their  cultivated  grounds  were  fenced  by 
sticking  stakes  in  the  ground  and  tying  poles  to  them,  making  a  very  weak  fence, 
that  would  not  turn  cattle  or  hogs. 

One  day  a  party  of  three  or  four  of  us  called  upon  Keokuk,  feeling  that  he  was 
friendly  to  us,  and  offered  to  plow  his  field.  He  accepted  our  proposition  and  came 
out  frequently  and  treated  us  to  sweetened  water,  which  was  made  by  putting 
maple  sugar  in  the  water,  and  was  considered  by  the  Indians  a  very  nice  drink.  In 
the  spring  of  1829,  when  the  corn  was  about  knee-high,  Keokuk  called  on  all  the 
white  settlers  and  proposed  that  they  should  put  up  their  cattle  at  night,  on  ac- 
count of  the  Indians'  poor  fences,  and  said  the  Indians  would  watch  them  in  the 
daytime,  and  the  cattle  should  not  be  hurt.  All  the  settlers  agreed  to  this  prop- 
osition except  Mr.  Rinnah  Wells,  who  thought  it  too  much  trouble.  When  the 
corn  got  in  good  order  for  roasting  ears  Mr.  Wells'  cattle  came  out  one  night  to 
near  Mr.  Corker's  old  place  and  ate  up  the  corn  of  several  Indian  families.  Mr. 
Wells  had  corn  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road — the  road  running  about  as  it 
does  now.  The  next  night,  when  the  cattle  returned  for  another  meal,  the  Indians 
turned  them  into  Mr.  Wells'  own  field.  After  that  Mr.  Wells  took  care  of  his 
cattle. 

I  became  very  well  acquainted  with  Black  Hawk,  living  one  summer  less  than 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  him.  He  was  a  man  of  medium  size,  and  about  sixty 
years  of  age — a  very  quiet,  peaceable  neighbor.  Black  Hawk  was  a  strong  tem- 
perance man.  In  all  my  acquaintance  with  him  I  never  knew  him  to  have  but  one 
spree.  The  first  summer  I  lived  here  Black  Hawk  accompanied  by  a  few  of  his 
Graves,  made  a  visit  to  a  man  selling  whiskey  to  Indians.  He  rolled  the  barrels  out 
doors  and  with  his  tomahawk  knocked  in  the  heads  and  let  the  whiskey  out.  For 
this  he  was  called  to  account  by  the  Indian  agent  who  told  him  such  conduct  would 
not  be  allowed,  and  that  it  would  bring  him  in  conflict  with  the  government.  After 
leaving  the  council  house  I  heard  him  tell  the  interpreter,  Mr.  LeClaire,  that  he 


454  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

believed  he  would  not  get  himself  into  any  more  trouble  of  this  kind,  as  by  the 
effort  to  keep  his  young  men  from  drinking  he  had  made  himself  a  great  deal  of 
trouble.  As  for  himself  he  said  he  would  not  drink  and  would  wear  wampum, 
but  the  young  men  might  drink  and  wear  swansdown — meaning  he  would  save 
his  property  and  they  might  drink  and  spend  theirs.  After  he  was  deposed  by  the 
government  he  never  tried  to  influence  the  Indians  or  take  any  part  in  their  busi- 
ness. Before  the  war  I  never  knew  him  to  wear  any  part  of  a  white  man's  garb, 
but  after  it  he  wore  a  coat,  hat  and  pants. 

It  was  the  practice  of  our  Indians  to  leave  here  for  their  fall  and  winter  hunting 
grounds  about  the  middle  of  September,  and  return  about  the  middle  of  April. 
They  all  left  on  the  same  day,  if  not  the  same  hour.  In  order  to  move  in  this 
way  it  was  arranged  that  a  man  with  a  strong  voice,  several  days  before  leaving, 
went  through  the  village  telling  them  on  such  a  day  they  would  leave  for  their 
winter  hunting  grounds. 

Our  Indians  consisted  of  the  Sauks  and  Foxes,  these  two  tribes  owning  their 
lands  jointly.  I  noticed  that  when  they  traveled  they  camped  separately.  The 
Foxes,  while  living  here,  lived  on  Jonah  Case's  old  place  up  as  far  as  William 
Brooks'.  The  Foxes  had  mostly  left  previous  to  my  coming  here,  except  a  few 
who  had  intermarried  with  the  Sauks  and  had  made  villages  at  Princeton,  Belle- 
vue  and  Dubuque. 

Our  Indians,  in  starting  for  their  hunting  grounds,  went  down  the  river  with 
the  help  of  their  horses,  of  which  they  had  five  or  six  hundred,  and  their  canoes, 
which  numbered  about  two  hundred.  Before  starting  it  was  understood  by  the 
two  tribes  where  each  should  go,  so  as  to  avoid  confusion.  In  hunting  the  Sauks 
occupied  southern  and  Middle  Iowa,  the  Foxes  northern  Iowa.  Our  Indians 
ascended  the  Iowa,  Skunk,  Des  Moines  and  all  smaller  streams  that  would  admit 
of  a  canoe.  After  the  fall  hunt  they  had  a  rendezvous  appointed,  where  they  as- 
sembled for  winter  quarters.  This  selection  was  made  in  a  large  timbered  bot- 
tom, on  account  of  their  horses  and  security  from  the  Sioux.  They  sometimes 
made  temporary  forts  as  a  protection  against  the  enemy.  After  making  their 
maple  sugar  in  the  spring  they  were  now  ready  to  start  for  the  old  village.  As 
soon  as  possible  they  would  gather  on  the  Mississippi,  those  that  went  to  the 
more  northern  streams  would  wait  for  those  who  went  farther  south.  They 
would  all  gather  together  about  the  Iowa  river  and  move  up  the  river,  waiting 
for  bad  weather,  making  at  best  not  more  than  eight  or  ten  miles  a  day.  They 
had  a  leader,  who  permitted  no  straggling,  having  it  understood  in  the  morn- 
ing where  they  would  camp  at  night.  So  in  the  greatest  order,  keeping  the  canoes 
and  horses  as  near  together  as  possible,  they  would  arrive  here  the  same  hour. 

They  brought  home  little  besides  the  sugar  just  made  and  dried  meat, 
their  skins  and  furs  having  been  disposed  of  to  the  Indian  traders  where  they 
had  been.  Now  they  commenced  looking  for  their  corn,  beans  and  dried  squashes 
they  had  cached  in  the  fall.  This  was  done  by  good  hiding.  The  most  common 
way  was  to  select  a  dry  piece  of  ground  where  there  was  a  blue  grass  sod.  They 
then  cut  out  a  circular  sod  about  eighteen  inches  in  circumference,  or  as  large 
as  would  admit  a  person's  body.  This  sod  was  laid  aside  and  then  a  large  hole 
dug,  enlarging  as  they  went  down,  to  the  depth  of  five  or  six  feet,  so  as  to  make 
it  of  sufficient  size  to  hold  the  corn,  beans,  squashes  and  sometime  crab  apples 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  455 

of  one  family.  These  were  put  in  sacks  of  their  own  making.  They  then  put  in 
bark  on  the  bottom  and  sides  and  inside  of  this  they  put  these  sacks  of  provisions, 
for  the  next  spring's  use.  Then  they  were  covered  with  bark  and  filled  with  dirt, 
and  the  sod  was  carefully  replaced,  so  as  to  make  it  look  perfectly  natural.  They 
then  cleaned  up  all  the  surplus  dirt  and  hid  it  away,  so  there  was  nothing  to 
indicate  that  anything  had  been  buried  there,  or  the  earth  disturbed  at  all.  It  de- 
pended on  the  hiding  whether  there  would  be  any  corn  in  the  spring,  for  as  soon 
as  they  were  gone  the  Winnebagoes  and  other  Indians  came  here  hunting  for 
their  treasure.  These  Indians,  by  the  aid  of  their  muskrat  spears,  feeling  in  the 
ground,  often  succeeded  in  finding,  and  would  take  the  supplies  of  several  families. 
One  family  with  whom  I  was  acquainted,  buried  their  supplies  in  the  center  of 
their  wigwam,  where  they  had  their  fire.  After  burying  their  treasure  they 
had  made  a  large  fire  to  make  it  look  all  right.  But  the  Winnebagoes  hunted 
around  and  stuck  their  spears  in  the  ground  and  finally  discovered  the  place  and 
took  it  all.    The  old  squaw  to  whom  it  belonged  wept  bitterly. 

When  a  family  had  been  robbed  in  this  way  of  all  they  had,  it  was  the  custom 
to  send  some  of  the  young  men  around  the  village,  from  one  wigwam  to  another, 
and  collect  a  small  quantity  of  each  one  for  the  sufferers.  This  robbery  made  no 
disturbance  between  the  different  tribes.  A  large  part  of  the  corn  had  been  boiled 
and  cut  from  the  cob,  and  dried  when  green,  making  very  nice  eating,  which  they 
enjoyed  very  much,  eating  nearly  all  the  time  for  several  days,  being  deprived  of 
this  kind  of  food  for  some  time  before  they  came  home.  Ths  Indians  made  one 
buffalo  hunt  each  year,  leaving  home  the  first  of  July.  This  required  a  good  deal 
of  preparation,  as  they  went  a  long  distance  and  into  the  Sioux  country,  their 
deadly  enemy.  Each  man  was  armed  with  a  gun,  bow,  and  large  bundle  of  arrows. 
They  expected  fighting  and  generally  brought  home  scalps,  dried  meat  and  tallow, 
but  no  robes,  on  account  of  the  hot  weather.  There  happened  this  year  a  circum- 
stance of  some  note.  Our  Indians,  in  an  attack  on  the  Sioux  camp  on  Turkey 
river,  near  where  Dubuque  now  stands,  killed  several  Sioux  and  among  the  rest  a 
Winnebago  squaw  and  a  Menominee  boy.  They  hastened  to  the  Winnebagoes  and 
settled  their  mistake  by  giving  them  some  horses.  This  seems  to  be  the  currency 
of  the  Indians.  They  always  seemed  to  wash  to  avoid  a  rupture  with  the  Winne- 
bagoes, who  were  8,000  strong.  The  Alenominees  spoke  the  same  language  and 
were  particular  friends,  and  being  a  long  distance  away,  they  put  off  settling  with 
them  until  the  next  spring,  when  nine  of  the  principal  men  of  the  Foxes,  of  the 
Dubuque  village,  started  in  a  canoe  for  Prairie  du  Chien  to  make  the  settlement 
for  killing  the  boy.  When  a  little  below  the  Wisconsin  river  they  were  attacked 
by  the  Menominees  and  all  killed.  This  stirred  up  the  spirit  of  revenge  and  in 
August  our  Indians  surprised  the  IMenominees  within  300  yards  of  Fort  Crawford, 
at  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  killed  forty-six  of  them.  men.  women  and  children.  Our 
government  called  our  Indians  to  an  account  for  this,  as  they  had  the  right  to  do  by 
a  former  treaty,  which  was  to  the  effect  that  all  differences  between  these  tribes 
should  be  submitted  to  it  for  settlement.  On  being  called  up,  Keokuk  took  a  stick 
and  balanced  it  on  his  hand  and  said :  "Put  these  nine  principal  men  of  the  Foxes 
on  one  end,  and  the  forty-six  women  and  children  of  the  Menominees  on  the  other 
end,  and  I  think  it  will  be  a  fair  settlement."     And  that  was  the  settlement. 


456  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

The  possessions  of  the  Sauks  and  Foxes  in  Illinois  commenced  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Illinois  river,  keeping  along  that  stream  as  far  as  Peoria,  then  moving  north 
so  as  to  strike  the  Wisconsin  river  seventy  or  eighty  miles  from  its  mouth,  down 
the  Wisconsin  to  the  Mississippi,  and  down  the  Mississippi  to  the  place  of  begin- 
ning. On  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi  they  owned  the  whole  of  what  is  now  the 
state  of  Iowa.  Colonel  Davenport  informed  me,  as  nearly  as  he  could  ascertain,  our 
Indians  originally  occupied  the  country  about  Montreal,  Canada ;  from  there  they 
removed  to  Green  Bay,  possibly  about  200  years  ago ;  and  as  nearly  as  he  could 
ascertain,  they  had  been  hving  here  about  sixty  years  when  I  came  here.  From 
the  growth  of  timber,  from  their  cornfields  and  from  every  indication  by  which  a 
frontier  man  judges  at  the  age  of  a  settlement,  I  have  no  doubt  but  his  information 
was  correct.  Now  they  had  at  last  reached  the  great  "father  of  waters,"  the  most 
beautiful  country  their  eyes  had  ever  seen.  The  rivers  abounded  in  fish,  and  the 
country  was  alive  with  game,  and  they  were  not  willing  to  be  driven  so  unjustly 
from  these  their  fruitful  hunting  grounds. 

There  is  an  old  legend,  said  to  be  believed  by  the  Indians,  in  regard  to  the  island, 
and  this  was  another  reason  why  they  so  much  disHked  to  give  up  that  beautiful 
spot  to  be  made  a  military  post.  They  had  been  taught  to  beheve  that  a  good  spirit 
had  the  care  of  it,  who  lived  in  a  cave  in  the  rocks  immediately  under  the  place 
where  the  fort  was  built.  He  is  said  to  have  been  often  seen  by  the  Indians,  and 
was  white,  with  wings  like  a  swan,  but  ten  times  larger.  The  island  was  much 
frequented  by  them  in  summer,  but  they  were  always  careful  to  make  no  noise  in 
the  part  of  the  island  which  he  inhabited.  They  believed  the  noise  and  confusion 
incident  to  building  and  maintaining  the  fort  drove  him  away. 

The  Indians  were  governed  by  two  sets  of  chiefs — ^peace  or  civil  chiefs,  and  war 
chiefs.  The  duties  of  the  peace  chiefs  were  to  settle  all  troubles  between  their 
tribes  and  other  tribes,  and  also  between  them  and  the  whites ;  while  the  war  chiefs 
never  interfered  in  any  particular,  in  the  business  of  the  village.  The  two  promi- 
nent war  chiefs,  when  I  came  here,  were  Black  Hawk  and  Keokuk.  In  times  of 
trouble  the  prominent  war  and  peace  chiefs  consulted  together  and  there  was  the 
most  perfect  understanding  as  to  the  management  of  affairs. 

When  we  consider  that  these  tribes  were  only  about  2,000  strong,  and  held 
their  lands  by  their  prowess  as  warriors,  it  gives  us  some  idea  of  their  fighting 
qualities.  In  1804  one  of  our  Indians  killed  a  man  in  St.  Louis  and  was  put  in  jail. 
A  deputation  of  five  principal  men  from  here  went  to  St.  Louis,  expecting  to  get 
him  released  by  giving  horses  for  him,  as  was  the  custom  among  the  Indians. 
While  these  men  were  in  St.  Louis  they  sold  all  of  their  lands  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Mississippi  river,  the  government  agreeing  to  pay  them  $2,000  a  year  forever. 
Old  General  Clark,  the  partner  of  Lewis  in  crossing  the  Rocky  Mountains,  was 
the  general  superintendent  of  the  western  Indians  at  that  time,  acting  for  the  gov- 
ernment. 

Colonel  Davenport  told  me  that  he  did  not  believe  Black  Hawk  ever  took  a 
pipeful  of  tobacco  bought  with  that  money.  He  and  a  large  part  of  the  Indians 
were  bitterly  opposed  to  this  sale.  Out  of  this  sale  grew  the  Black  Hawk  war ; 
Black  Hawk  and  his  party  contending  that  the  lands  were  not  sold,  as  the  men  who 
made  the  sale  were  not  authorized  to  sell,  but  went  to  St.  Louis  on  other  business. 
There  was  a  clause  in  the  sale  that  the  Indians  might  occupy  the  land  while  it  be- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  457 

longed  to  the  government.  The  land  had  been  surveyed  several  years  before  I 
came  here  and  before  the  Indians  left  in  the  fall  there  was  a  notice  given  that  the 
lands  would  be  offered  for  sale  in  October,  and  the  Indian  agent  told  them  they 
must  not  come  back.  It  was  hoped  by  the  settlers  that  the  Indians  would  not  re- 
turn, but  in  this  they  were  disappointed,  for  they  came  as  usual,  though  not  as 
many  as  before.  Keokuk  and  his  followers  did  not  return.  He  was  opposed  to 
their  coming  back  and  commenced  a  village  on  the  Iowa  river,  about  twenty  miles 
from  its  mouth.  Keokuk  was  the  head  or  chief  of  what  was  called  the  American 
party.  He  was  not  the  son  of  a  chief,  but  attained  his  rank  by  his  ability  and  tal- 
ent, being  a  remarkable  orator.  Black  Hawk  was  a  born  chief,  belonging  to  a 
royal  family,  and  was  the  head  of  what  was  known  as  the  British  party. 

The  year  of  1830  passed  off  very  well,  considering  the  situation  of  the  whites 
and  Indians.  During  the  summer  our  Indians  received  a  visit  from  sixteen  young 
men  of  the  Kickapoos.  They  were  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  years  of  age.  This 
summer  I  lived  at  the  old  village,  having  good  opportunity  to  see  all  that  transpired 
between  the  Indians.  The  Kickapoos  spoke  the  same  language  as  our  Indians,  as 
well  as  several  other  tribes.  They  entertained  their  guests  right  royally,  keeping 
them  all  at  one  large  wigwam,  making  it  very  pleasant  for  them.  I  wondered  how 
so  many  could  be  entertained  at  one  place,  knowing  that  the  Indians'  supplies  were 
quite  limited.  Nathan  Smith,  who  lived  with  the  Indians,  explained  it  to  me  in 
this  way.  He  said  that  they  were  the  guests  of  the  entire  village  and  that  two  of 
the  young  men  would  go  through  the  village  and  collect  provisions  from  the  differ- 
ent wigwams  for  their  entertainment,  this  being  repeated  as  often  as  necessary, 
while  they  remained.  These  young  men  stayed  about  a  month,  having  a  splendid 
time.  About  the  last  of  their  stay  they  took  one  day  to  visit  each  wigwam  in  the 
village,  at  which  they  danced  and  were  treated  to  something  to  eat,  and  generally 
some  sweetened  water  to  drink.  When  these  young  Indians  came  they  were  on 
foot,  but  our  Indians,  after  entertaining  them  so  handsomely,  gave  each  one  a 
horse  when  they  left  for  home. 

In  1 83 1  came  a  new  era  in  our  history.  The  Indians  returned  in  large  num- 
bers, perhaps  as  many  as  in  1829,  and  with  quite  a  different  spirit  towards  the 
whites.  Black  Hawk  gave  the  settlers  to  understand  that  after  this  season  they 
must  go  south  of  Rock  river,  or  above  Pleasant  Valley.  He  said  this  district  be- 
tween the  rivers  should  be  occupied  exclusively  by  the  Indians,  giving  several  rea- 
sons why  they  could  not  afford  to  give  up  these  pleasant  hunting  grounds.  One 
reason  was  that  on  this  side  of  the  Mississippi  they  were  comparatively  safe  from 
their  enemies  and  another  that  the  region  abounded  with  game  and  fish  and  was 
suited  to  their  mode  of  living,  and  they  would  not  give  it  up.  Black  Hawk  said 
we  could  all  stay  this  season,  except  Joshua  Vandruff  and  Rinnah  Wells,  who  lived 
in  the  midst  of  their  village  and  had  a  large  stock  of  cattle,  which  troubled  the  In- 
dians a  great  deal.  Mr.  Vandruff  showed  Black  Hawk  that  it  would  be  very  hard 
for  him  to  leave  on  so  short  a  notice,  as  he  was  a  poor  man  and  had  twelve  chil- 
dren. Black  Hawk  finally  consented  that  he  could  stay  another  season,  but  Mr. 
Wells  must  go,  and  he  would  give  him  until  the  next  day  to  make  his  choice 
whether  he  would  go  willingly  or  be  put  off.  Mr.  Wells  consulted  with  his  friends, 
and  finally  consented  to  leave  in  thirty  days.  This  move  on  the  part  of  the  Indians 
made  it  necessary  for  the  settlers  to  look  about  and  see  what  they  could  do  for  their 


458  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

protection.  We  had  petitioned  the  governor  of  the  state  in  the  summer  of  1829 
without  his  taking  any  notice,  but  now  we  concluded  to  try  it  again.  We  made  a 
statement  of  our  grievances,  and  of  the  order  of  Black  Hawk  for  our  removal  and 
forwarded  it  with  all  possible  haste  to  the  governor.  This  had  the  desired  effect. 
The  governor  moved  immediately,  going  first  to  Jefferson  Barracks,  Aiissouri, 
where  he  found  "Old  General  Gaines."  He  told  the  General  that  if  he  would  not 
or  could  not  go,  he  would  do  it  himself.  The  General  concluded  to  undertake  the 
business,  and,  taking  the  Sixth  Regiment,  which  was  then  lying  at  Jefferson  Bar- 
racks, he  proceeded  at  once  to  Rock  island.  When  here  he  commenced  firing 
morning  and  evening  guns,  which  had  not  been  the  practice,  also  target  shooting 
with  his  cannon.  He  had  all  the  white  settlers  come  into  the  fort,  bringing  all 
their  horses  and  cattle  onto  the  island  as  expeditiously  as  possible.  When  this  was 
done  he  sent  for  Black  Hawk  for  a  talk  with  him  about  the  village  and  a  day  was 
fixed  for  a  meeting.  Keokuk  and  some  of  his  friends  came  up  from  their  village 
on  the  Iowa  river  and  came  on  to  the  island.  General  Gaines,  the  officers  of  the 
Sixth  Regiment,  the  officers  of  the  garrison,  with  the  citizens,  and  Keokuk  and  his 
friends,  met  in  the  council  house.  Black  Hawk,  with  seventy-five  to  100  war- 
riors, nicely  dressed  and  painted,  drew  near.  When  within  about  100  yards  of  the 
council  house  they  commenced  singing  in  a  ver}^  loud  voice,  which  seemed  to  alarm 
Keokuk  and  party  so  much  that  they  left  in  great  haste.  Those  who  understood 
the  Indians  best  thought,  from  the  singing  and  the  manner  of  the  Indians,  that 
there  would  be  a  general  massacre.  A  man  that  always  accompanied  Black  Hawk 
as  they  entered  the  council  house  commenced  to  sing  in  a  very  boisterous  manner, 
and  gesticulated  as  though  he  was  very  angry,  speaking  very  rapidly.  General 
Gaines  spoke  to  him  very  quietly  of  the  sale  of  their  lands.  The  Indian  said  the 
land  had  never  been  sold.  General  Gaines  then  called  for  the  reading  of  the 
treaty,  which  seemed  to  enrage  him  still  more.  He  said,  "The  white  people  speak 
from  a  paper ;  but,"  he  added,  striking  his  hand  upon  his  breast,  "the  Indians  al- 
ways speak  from  the  heart." 

After  the  purchase  of  these  lands  from  the  Indians,  in  1804,  the  government 
had  exchanged  all  the  lands  north  of  the  old  Indian  boundary  line  (ranging  from 
the  most  southern  bend  of  Lake  Michigan  due  west  to  the  Mississippi,  striking  the 
river  about  where  the  boat-yard  now  is,  in  the  lower  end  of  the  town),  with  the 
Chippewas,  Pottawattamies  and  Ottawas,  for  land  lying  about  Chicago.  In  1829 
the  government  repurchased  these  lands  of  the  Indians,  giving  them  $16,000  a 
year  forever  (that  is  the  way  the  treaty  reads),  and  allowing  them  to  select  a  quar- 
ter section  for  each  of  their  half-breeds.  These  selections  amounted  to  a  great 
deal  of  very  valuable  land.  Antoine  LeClaire  and  brother  selected  theirs  on  the 
Mississippi  river,  commencing  at  Moline  and  running  up  as  far  as  Henry  McNeil's 
old  place. 

The  first  point  Black  Hawk  tried  to  make  when  he  spoke  was  that  "the  land 
had  not  been  sold,  as  the  men  who  went  to  St.  Louis  had  no  authority  to  sell, 
having  been  sent  on  other  business."  By  this  time  we  began  to  think  Black  Hawk 
was  pretty  nearly  right.  The  second  point  he  made  was,  "if  it  was  sold,  they  had 
got  nothing  for  it."  He  said,  over  and  over  again,  "if  a  small  part  of  the  land  was 
worth  $16,000  a  year  forever,  all  of  it  must  be  worth  more  than  $2,000."  When 
the  General  pressed  an  answer  about  his  leaving,  he  said  all  the  time,  "he  would  not 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  459 

fight,  and  he  would  not  leave,  but  if  our  people  came  to  drive  him  off  he  would 
sit  down  in  his  wigivam  and  they  might  do  what  they  pleased  with  him ;  for  him- 
self he  would  do  nothing."  General  Gaines  interpreted  his  talk  to  mean  that  he 
would  fight.  The  General's  force  was  very  small — only  about  500  men  in  all — 
consisting  of  the  Sixth  Regiment,  not  full,  and  two  companies  that  belonged  at  the 
garrison.  The  men  and  boys  of  the  settlement  were  all  at  the  fort,  away  from 
their  homes,  doing  nothing.  I  went  with  another  citizen  and  called  on  the  General 
and  proposed  that  the  men  and  boys  of  the  settlement  be  formed  into  a  company, 
which  was  accordingly  done.  The  company  numbered  fifty-eight  men,  and  was 
called  the  "Rock  River  Rangers."  We  were  mustered  into  service  on  the  5th  of 
June,  1831.  An  election  of  officers  was  held,  which  resulted  in  the  election  of  Ben- 
jamin J.  Pike  as  captain ;  John  W.  Spencer,  first  lieutenant ;  Griffith  Aubery,  sec- 
ond lieutenant;  James  Haskill,  Leonard  Bryant,  and  Edward  Corbin,  sergeants; 
Charles  French,  Charles  Case.  Benjamin  Goble  and  Henry  Benson  corporals.  The 
members  of  the  company  were :  Archibald  Allen.  William  T.  Brashar,  John  Bane, 
Michael  Bartlett.  Joseph  Been,  Jonah  H.  Case,  Joseph  Danforth.  Thomas  Davis, 
Russell  Dance,  Isaiah  Frith,  Thomas  Gardner.  George  W.  Harlan.  Uriah  S.  Hultz, 
Thomas  Hubbard,  Goodridge  Hubbard,  Cyrus  Henderson,  Moses  Johnson,  John 
W.  Kinney,  Samuel  Kinney,  Conrad  Leek,  Thomas  Levit,  Henry  McXeil,  George 
Miller,  Gentry  McGee,  Amos  C.  Noble,  Thomas  Syms,  Robert  Syms,  William  F. 
Sams,  Martin  W.  Smith,  Sevier  Springfield,  Joel  Thompson,  Joshua  Vandruff, 
Henry  Vandruff,  Samuel  Vandruff,  Benjamin  Vannetta,  Gorham  Vannetta,  Ed- 
ward Varner,  Levi  Wells,  George  Wells,  Joel  Wells,  Sr.,  Joel  Wells,  Jr.,  Hunting- 
ton Wells,  John  Wells,  John  Wells,  Samuel  Wells.  Rinnah  Wells,  Asaph  Wells, 
Eri  Wells,  Ira  Wells.  General  Gaines  now  called  on  the  governor  for  help,  and  he 
collected  about  1600  mounted  men,  with  a  rendezvous  at  Beardstown. 

At  the  second  meeting  with  Black  Hawk  he  brought  up  an  old  Indian  by  the 
Tiame  of  Quashquama,  or  Jumping  Fish,  who  was  one  of  the  five  men  who  sold 
the  land.  He  was  a  very  old  man  and  seemed  to  be  in  his  second  childhood,  and 
to  have  lost  all  memory  of  the  sale.  He  was  the  only  one  of  the  five  living  and 
his  testimony  was  of  no  use.  At  the  fourth  and  last  meeting  came  a  middle-aged 
squaw,  who  introduced  herself  to  the  general  and  said  she  was  a  granddaughter  of 
a  prominent  chief,  and  then  began  to  speak  of  the  sale  of  the  lands.  She  said  "the 
men  could  not  sell  the  cornfields,  for  they  belonged  to  the  women — they  had  made 
them."  She  said,  "it  is  very  hard  work  to  dig  up  the  ground."  and  putting  her 
hand  on  her  back  she  said,  "it  made  their  backs  ache."  Another  reason  she  gave 
was,  "that  if  the  men  had  sold  them  they  would  have  told  them  of  it.  which  they 
had  never  done."  While  they  w-ere  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  help  and  parleying 
with  the  Indians.  General  Gaines  fitted  up  the  steamboat  "Winnebago"  with  a 
cannon  on  the  bow  of  the  boat,  and  a  company  of  soldiers  and  proceeded  up  Rock 
river  to  their  village,  passing  within  fifty  yards  of  their  wigwams.  Strange  to 
say,  although  a  steamboat  was  seldom  seen  in  those  days,  the  Indians  seemed  not 
to  take  the  least  notice  of  the  boat,  not  even  looking  at  it,  and  even  the  women 
and  children  showed  no  signs  of  wonder  or  fear.  As  soon  as  the  governor's 
troops  were  collected  together  they  marched  for  Rock  Island,  camping  the  last 
night  within  about  ten  miles  of  the  island.  The  Indians,  being  aware  of  their 
approach,  crossed  the  Mississippi  at  night,  taking  with  them  all  their  effects,  wo- 


460  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

men,  children,  horses  and  dogs.  The  next  day  was  fixed  for  the  attack  upon 
Black  Hawk.  It  was  arranged  that  General  Gaines  should  take  the  boat,  with  one 
company  of  men  from  the  garrison,  and  ascend  Rock  river,  while  Major  Bliss, 
with  the  rest  of  the  forces,  should  cross  over  and  form  on  this  side  and  march 
for  Rock  river.  Just  about  where  the  Rock  Island  railroad  freight  house  now 
stands  we  were  met  by  an  Indian  named  Black  Buffalo,  a  man  I  knew  very  well. 
He  had  a  bridle  in  his  hand  and  was  hunting  his  horse.  He  had  swapped  horses 
with  Jonah  H.  Case,  the  year  before ;  the  horse  did  not  like  to  go  with  the  Indians 
and  had  given  them  the  slip.  Major  Bliss  wished  me  to  ask  him  about  the  Indians, 
where  they  were,  etc.  He  told  me  they  had  all  crossed  the  Mississippi.  The  Ma- 
jor told  me  to  tell  him  if  he  did  not  tell  the  truth  he  would  kill  him.  The  Indian 
still  affirmed  that  what  he  said  was  true.  He  was  sent  to  the  fort  a  prisoner  for 
that  day. 

Major  Bliss  formed  our  company  of  Rock  River  Rangers  in  an  extended  line 
of  half  a  mile,  in  front  of  the  regulars,  with  one  cannon  in  the  rear,  for  our  march 
for  Rock  river.  We  marched  near  where  the  road  is  now  traveled  until  we 
reached  General  Rodman's  land,  then  turning  to  the  left  until  reaching  the  top  of 
the  bluflf,  taking  the  direction  of  Black  Hawk's  watch  tower.  On  arriving  there 
we  planted  the  cannon  on  the  brow  of  the  bluff,  and  then  commenced  throwing 
grape  and  cannister  into  the  bushes  on  Vandruff 's  island.  It  was  here  we  expected 
to  find  the  Indians.  General  Gaines  arrived  with  the  boat  and  stopped  about 
where  the  bridge  crosses  the  main  stream,  near  Sears'  flouring  mill,  and  com- 
menced firing  on  the  island  also.  This  island  was  very  bushy  and  commanded  the 
only  ford  that  the  governor  and  his  forces  could  cross  at.  But  it  proved  that 
Black  Buffalo  had  told  the  truth.  The  governor's  troops,  after  crossing  the  river, 
burned  the  Indians'  wigwams  and  marched  for  Rock  Island  and  camped  on  the 
river,  from  the  ferry  landing  to  the  freight  house.  This  force  amounted  to  i,6oo 
mounted  men.  They  turned  their  i,6oo  horses  loose  on  the  prairie  and  the  next 
thing  was  to  procure  fuel  to  cook  their  supper.  I  had  a  field  of  twenty  acres  of 
corn  and  potatoes  and  the  volunteers  went  for  the  fence.  We  tried  to  stop  them 
from  taking  the  rails  but  could  not ;  going  to  the  governor  and  General  Gaines  they 
went  out  to  the  field  and  told  the  men  they  must  not  take  the  fence.  While  they 
were  present  the  men  stopped  operations,  but  as  soon  as  they  turned  to  return  the 
men,  to  the  number  of  400  or  500,  each  took  a  rail  on  his  shoulder  and  marched  be- 
hind them  into  camp.  By  this  operation  I  lost  all  my  crop  for  one  year,  for  which 
I  never  received  a  cent,  the  soldiers  doing  me  ten  times  as  much  damage  as  the 
Indians  had  ever  done.  When  we  asked  Black  Hawk  why  he  did  not  do  as  he 
said  he  would,  "sit  down  in  his  wigwam  and  let  them  do  as  they  pleased  with  him," 
he  said,  "If  General  Gaines  had  come  with  only  the  regular  troops  at  the  island  he 
should  have  remained  in  his  wigwam,  but  to  have  done  so  with  men  that  the  officers 
had  no  control  over  would  have  been  sure  death  to  him."  In  this  he  acted  wisely, 
as  among  these  volunteers  were  many  frontier  men  who  had  had  friends  killed  by 
the  Indians  and  were  prepared  to  avenge  their  death  on  these  or  any  other  Indians. 

In  a  few  days  there  was  another  meeting  with  Black  Hawk  and  a  treaty  con- 
cluded that  the  Indians  should  stay  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  and  the  govern- 
ment would  give  them  as  much  com  as  they  could  have  raised  if  they  had  not  been 
disturbed.     The  government  appointed  two  men,  Mr.  Rinnah  Wells  and  myself,  to 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  461 

go  over  their  fields  and  make  an  estimate  of  the  com  they  might  have  raised.  I  do 
not  now  remember  the  estimate,  but  it  amounted  to  several  thousand  bushels. 
Thus  ended  this  season's  operations.  Now  commences  the  more  serious  part  of 
our  story.  In  the  spring  of  1833,  notwithstanding  the  agreement  of  the  Indians 
to  keep  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  they  came  over,  breaking  their  treaty  made 
only  the  summer  before.  They  crossed  at  Burlington  and  came  up,  as  usual,  with 
their  canoes  and  horses.  As  soon  as  the  government  ascertained  this  General  At- 
kinson was  sent  from  Jefferson  Barracks  with  a  regiment  of  men,  reaching  here 
before  the  Indians.  The  Indians  did  not  make  more  than  ten  miles  a  day,  but 
came  along  regularly,  reaching  here  soon  after  the  general,  and  keeping  on  the 
south  side  of  the  big  island,  in  Rock  river,  which  I  had  never  known  them  to  do 
before.  When  they  were  nearly  up  to  where  Milan  now  stands,  I  crossed  the 
river  by  fording,  to  see  if  I  could  ascertain  their  movements.  The  first  Indians  I 
saw  were  four  young  men.  They  had  fine  looking  guns,  and  seemed  to  be  well 
armed.  One  of  them  was  Black  Hawk's  son,  Seoskuk,  who  was  one  of  the  finest 
looking  Indians  I  ever  saw.  He  was  about  thirty  years  of  age  and  a  splendid  look- 
ing fellow.  I  asked  him  where  they  were  going.  He  answered  by  saying,  "Maybe 
they  should  go  over  to  their  old  village,  or  they  "might  stop  where  they  were,  or  go 
up  Rock  river  to  Prophetstown."  Seoskuk  asked  me  if  there  were  many  soldiers 
at  the  fort.  I  told  him  there  were  a  good  many.  I  was  the  only  white  man  who 
had  any  communication  with  them  at  this  point.  They  finally  went  up  Rock  river 
about  two  miles  and  camped  for  the  night.  The  next  morning,  at  the  old  fort,  we 
could  hear  them  beating  their  drums  and  singing  so  plainly  that  they  seemed  but  a 
short  distance  from  us.  They  were  probably  five  miles  distant,  and  it  was  quite 
remarkable,  the  country  being  so  hilly  between  them  and  us,  that  we  should  hear 
them  so  distinctly.  It  is  hard  to  tell  what  this  demonstration  was  for.  I  have 
thought  it  might  have  been  on  account  of  their  passing  this  point  without  being 
molested  by  General  Atkinson,  as  they  knew  he  was  at  the  island  with  an  extra 
regiment.  This  same  morning  General  Atkinson,  not  understanding  their  move- 
ments, was  anxious  to  inform  the  frontier  settlers  of  their  danger,  but  the  only 
ford  on  the  river  was  so  near  the  Indians  that  it  was  not  thought  safe  to  make  a 
crossing.  I  proposed  to  take  the  dispatch  to  the  nearest  settlements.  To  avoid 
the  Indians  I  took  a  canoe  and  went  down  the  river  until  I  passed  the  mouth  of 
Rock  river.  Here  I  took  great  pains  to  hide  my  canoe,  as  my  getting  home  de- 
pended on  this,  and  made  the  rest  of  my  journey  on  foot.  The  dispatch  from 
General  Atkinson  to  the  settlers  was  to  this  effect,  "That  there  was  now  no  doubt 
but  what  we  were  to  have  a  conflict  with  the  Indians,  urging  them  to  take  care  of 
themselves  and  get  out  of  the  way."  I  had  to  camp  out  the  first  night  and  after 
walking  forty  miles  the  next  day  reached  the  settlement.  I  went  to  the  different 
settlements,  gave  the  warning  of  General  Atkinson,  and  returned  home.  On  com- 
ing to  the  river  I  very  fortunately  found  my  canoe  where  I  had  hid  it,  and  then 
came  on  up  to  the  island.  We  all  supposed  the  general  would  stop  the  Indians  at 
this  point  but  he  did  not,  but  called  on  the  governor  for  help.  He  was  soon  here 
with  1,800  mounted  men.  About  300  men  had  already  rendezvoused  at  Dixon  and 
were  waiting  for  orders.  All  was  depending  upon  General  Atkinson  getting  ready 
to  follow  the  Indians  up  Rock  river.  The  stream  being  too  shoal  for  steam- 
boats they  had  to  resort  to  the  next  best  thing,  the  old  keel-boat,  and  it  was  a  hard 


462  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

matter  to  get  supplies  on  them  on  so  short  notice.  He  succeeded  in  getting  one 
that  would  carry  eighty  tons,  the  largest  I  ever  saw.  This  boat  was  manned  by 
seventy  regular  soldiers ;  they  had  another  of  thirty-five  tons  and  several  Mack- 
inaw boats,  also  well  manned.  These  were  loaded  with  provisions,  and  after  two 
hard  days'  work  we  got  over  the  rapids  of  Rock  river,  and  on  the  8th  of  May 
started  on  the  war  expedition.  General  Atkinson  had  several  hundred  regulars 
with  him,  so  in  manning  these  boats  he  changed  hands  every  other  day,  as  it  was 
very  laborious  work,  Rock  river  being  a  very  rapid  stream  at  that  time  of  the  year. 
Our  first  camping  place  was  about  two  miles  above  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  rail- 
road bridge.  Our  second  at  the  mouth  of  Canoe  creek,  our  third  at  Sand  Prairie. 
This  part  of  the  river  was  so  crooked  that  we  made  but  slow  progress.  Our  fourth 
encampment  was  about  two  miles  above  Prophetstown.  I  remember  this  as 
though  it  were  yesterday. 

The  troops  were  officered  by  General  Atkinson,  Colonel  Zachary  Taylor,  after- 
wards president  of  the  United  States,  Captain  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  filled  the 
same  high  office.  Captain,  afterwards  Major  General,  Harney,  and  other  officers. 
Captain  Lincoln  belonged  to  the  volunteer  forces  and  the  others  to  the  regulars. 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  May,  and  the  moon  being  full  the  night  was  beau- 
tiful. The  men  were  enjoying  themselves  as  I  had  not  seen  them  before,  little 
thinking  that  so  near  them  their  friends  were  fleeing  for  safety  and  some  were 
being  overtaken  and  killed.  About  lo  o'clock  the  next  morning  we  met  a  young 
man  by  the  name  of  Hultz  from  Dixon's  ferry,  who  told  us  of  Major  Stillman's 
defeat  by  the  Indians,  and  that  there  was  probably  a  great  loss  of  life.  Major 
Stillman  had  rendezvoused  at  Dixon  with  about  300  men  that  had  been  raised  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Peoria,  while  the  governor  and  his  men  rendezvoused  at 
Beardstown.  The  governor  was  ordered  to  this  place  and  when  he  reached  here 
Major  Stillman  had  been  several  days  in  camp ;  his  men  already  tired  of  camp  life, 
Stillman  proposed  to  the  governor  while  he  was  waiting  for  General  Atkinson  and 
the  boats  to  take  his  men  and  go  and  see  where  the  Indians  were. 

The  governor  consented  to  their  going,  and  they  drew  rations  for  four  or  five 
days.  According  to  army  regulations  at  that  tim.e,  whiskey  constituted  a  part  of 
the  rations.  On  the  first  day  out  they  seemed  to  conclude  they  could  carry  their 
whiskey  best  by  drinking  it  all  in  one  day  and  before  night  they  had  very  nearly 
accomplished  this  task  and  a  good  many  of  them  were  not  altogether  sober.  About 
an  hour  before  sundown  they  went  into  camp  within  three  or  four  miles  of  the 
Indians.  They  had  not  been  in  camp  long  before  Black  Hawk  sent  three  of  his 
braves  with  a  flag  of  truce,  saying  for  Black  Hawk  "That  it  was  now  night,  and 
for  that  reason  he  did  not  come  himself,  but  that  he  would  come  in  the  morning 
and  talk  with  them,  and  did  not  intend  to  fight."  Black  Hawk  sent  five  of  his  men 
out  on  the  prairie  to  see  how  their  flag  was  received.  About  twenty  or  thirty  of 
our  men,  being  under  the  influence  of  whiskey,  gathered  up  their  horses  and  guns 
and  rode  out  to  where  these  Indians  were  sitting,  apparently  unconcerned,  not  ex- 
pecting any  harm.  They  allowed  our  men  to  come  within  a  few  feet  of  them, 
when  our  men,  be  it  said  to  their  shame,  deliberately  raised  their  guns,  killing  three 
of  the  Indians,  the  other  two  fleeing  to  their  encampment.  The  Indians  who 
brought  the  flag  of  truce  took  advantage  of  the  flurry,  sprang  away  and  escaped. 
Now  our  folks  prepared  to  meet  the  Indians,  as  they  felt  sure  of  a  fight.     They 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  463 

mounted,  formed  in  line  and  moved  slowly  towards  the  Indian  encampment.  As 
soon  as  the  news  of  the  attack  on  their  men  reached  the  Indians  they  flew  to  arms 
in  the  greatest  possible  speed,  and  came  on  to  the  fight.  The  Indians  commenced 
firing  at  a  long  distance  and  before  many  shots  had  been  fired  our  men  commenced 
a  stampede  for  Dixon,  the  Indians  close  in  the  rear,  killing  all  who  were  unhorsed 
in  the  flight.  The  horse  of  Black  Bufifalo  came  into  Dixon  that  night— he  had  left 
the  Indians  again.  The  men  who  first  came  into  Dixon  reported  that  a  large  part 
of  the  command  had  been  killed  and  it  was  not  known  for  some  time  but  that  it 
was  so.  A  considerable  number  of  the  men  from  the  country  about  the  Illinois 
river,  instead  of  coming  into  Dixon,  went  to  their  homes.  The  next  day  the  gov- 
ernor sent  out  a  strong  force  to  bury  the  dead.  They  found  eleven  whites  killed, 
scattered  along  for  several  miles,  and  not  more  than  five  or  six  Indians,  including 
the  three  killed  on  the  prairie.  There  was  an  Indian  living  here  by  the  name  of 
Neapope,  who,  before  General  Gaines  came  here,  had  gone  to  Maiden,  in  Canada. 
The  British  part  of  our  Indians  made  a  practice,  as  well  as  most  of  the  Indians  of 
the  northwest,  of  going  to  Canada  to  pay  court  to  the  English.  Colonel  Daven- 
port told  me  they  would  collect  in  large  numbers  on  the  Detroit  side  of  the  river 
and  the  authorities  at  Maiden  would  fix  on  a  particular  day  for  each  tribe  to  cross, 
and  would  give  them  a  day's  entertainment.  They  prepared  a  feast  and  met  the 
Indians  with  a  band  of  music,  and  escorted  them  into  the  fort  where  a  great  deal 
was  done  for  their  pleasure  and  amusement.  Neapope  and  some  others  had  gone 
to  Canada  before  there  was  any  demonstration,  in  1831,  to  drive  them  off,  and 
came  back  in  the  fall  in  perfect  ignorance  of  the  removal  of  the  Indians.  During 
the  winters  of  183 1-2  Neapope  continued  to  run  back  and  forth  from  our  Indians 
to  the  Winnebagoes  and  Pottawattamies,  making  Black  Hawk  believe  that  when  he 
got  up  Rock  river  these  tribes  would  help  him,  and  when  he  reached  Milwaukee  the 
English  would  assist  him. 

When  Black  Hawk,  on  his  way  up  Rock  river,  reached  Sycamore  creek,  where 
our  army  found  him,  those  Indians  told  him  they  could  not  bring  themselves  into 
trouble  with  the  government  and  consequently  he  could  not  look  to  them  for  as- 
sistance. After  meeting  these  Indians  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  but  Black  Hawk 
intended  to  give  himself  and  people  up  without  making  any  resistance,  had  our 
men  not  been  intoxicated  and  therefore  violated  his  flag  of  truce.  The  time  was 
now  past  for  parleying  with  the  Indians.  From  this  time  the  prospect  was  war. 
The  Indians  now  flew  to  unprotected  white  settlements,  waylaid  the  roads  leading 
from  one  point  to  another,  killing  a  number  of  people  in  a  few  days.  There  were 
fifteen  killed  on  Indian  creek.  They  carried  ofl^  captive  two  young  ladies  by  the 
name  of  Hall,  after  killing  all  the  other  members  of  the  family  except  a  brother, 
quite  a  young  boy,  who  made  his  escape.  These  young  ladies  were  afterwards 
bought  by  the  Pottawattamies,  who  paid  for  them  in  horses,  and  returned  them  to 
our  government.  Their  clothes  being  quite  shabby,  the  ladies  of  Galena  gave  them 
new  clothing  and  they  were  brought  to  Rock  Island  on  their  way  to  Morgan  county. 
They  waylaid  the  roads  leading  from  Dixon  to  Galena.  At  Buffalo  Grove  a  party 
of  men  were  passing,  unconscious  of  danger,  as  the  settlements  were  too  far  apart 
to  get  any  news  so  soon  of  Stillman's  defeat.  One  of  this  party  was  our  Indian 
agent  by  the  name  of  Savry.  another  Thomas  Kinney  and  another  by  the  name  of 
Hawley ;  the  other  members  of  the  party  I  cannot  name.     The  Indians  lay  behind 


464  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

a  large,  long  log,  near  the  road.  They  fired,  killing  one  man  and  one  horse,  then 
killing  the  man  who  had  lost  his  horse.  Mr.  Savry  was  one  of  the  killed.  Mr. 
Kawley,  having  a  very  fine  horse,  they  followed  him  in  hot  pursuit  for  thirty 
miles.  After  this  terrible  chase  they  run  his  horse  in  marshy  ground  and  he  fell  a 
victim  to  their  savage  rage.  Mr.  Hawley  was  a  brother  of  the  late  Captain  Haw- 
ley,  of  Pleasant  Valley,  Scott  county,  Iowa.  This  account  was  given  me  by 
Thomas  Kinney,  a  neighbor  of  mine,  who  was  one  of  the  party. 

About  twenty  miles  east  of  Galena  Lieutenant  Aubery,  of  our  old  command, 
started  to  carry  a  dispatch  from  Fort  Hamilton,  a  short  distance.  His  horse  soon 
returned  with  a  bloody  saddle  and  it  was  evident  he  had  been  shot  by  the  Indians. 
It  so  happened  that  old  General  Dodge,  with  twenty  men,  was  at  the  fort,  and  he 
started  quickly  in  pursuit.  Soon  finding  the  dead  man,  they  followed  the  trail  of 
the  Indians,  which  by  the  long  grass  is  easily  done.  They  soon  came  in  sight  of 
thcrn,  thirteen  in  all,  on  foot.  They  were  making  their  way  in  great  haste  to  the 
Pecatonica  bottom,  where  the  grass  was  from  six  to  eight  feet  high.  The  general 
dismounted,  detailing  every  fourth  man  to  hold  the  horses,  leaving  fifteen  men  to 
pursue  the  Indians.  They  followed  the  trail  almost  to  the  river  when  suddenly  the 
Indians  sprang  up  and  fired  upon  them,  killing  two  of  our  men,  one  of  these  being 
Samuel  Wells,  a  son  of  Rinnah  Wells,  and  a  member  of  our  old  company.  Our 
men  returned  their  fire,  bringing  down  eleven  of  the  Indians  the  first  fire,  the  re- 
maining two  taking  refuge  in  the  river,  trying  to  make  their  escape.  Our  men,  re- 
loading their  guns,  fired,  killing  them  in  the  water,  thus  securing  the  thirteen 
About  eight  or  ten  miles  north  of  Galena  where  two  men  were  at  work  in  a  corn 
field,  one  plowing,  the  other  hoeing  corn,  two  Indians  placed  themselves  so  that 
the  man  plowing  would  come  near  them,  killing  him  the  first  fire.  The  other,  see- 
ing his  companion  shot  down,  and  having  no  means  of  defense,  took  to  his  heels 
for  Galena.  The  Indians  pursued  him  several  miles,  but,  being  a  swift  runner,  he 
made  his  escape.  The  Indians  returned  to  the  house,  taking  what  suited  their 
fancy.  There  was  a  large  canoe  at  the  house  and  it  being  too  heavy  for  them  to 
get  to  the  river,  they  found  a  crosscut  saw  in  the  house  and  cut  off  as  much  as  could 
ferry  them  over  the  river,  and  made  good  their  escape. 

Some  twenty  miles  southeast  from  Galena,  where  Elizabeth  now  is,  there  was 
a  small  settlement  of  miners,  who  had  erected  a  rude  fort  for  their  protection.  An 
old  man  by  the  name  of  Dixon,  who  was  a  frontier  man,  and  well  accustomed  to 
Indians,  staited  for  Dixon's  ferry,  accompanied  by  a  man  on  foot.  About  a  mile 
from  the  place  of  starting  they  met  a  large  force  of  Indians,  who  fired  on  them, 
wounding  the  man  on  foot.  The  country  being  rough  and  wooded,  Dixon,  by  his 
dexterity,  riding  about  rapidly,  showing  himself  in  many  different  places  in  a  short 
time,  gave  the  Indians  to  believe  they  had  a  large  force  of  armed  and  mounted  men 
to  contend  with.  In  this  way  Dixon  gave  the  wounded  man  time  to  reach  the  fort 
and  apprise  the  settlers  of  their  danger.  The  people  had  scattered  out  about  their 
business  but  the  alarm  being  given  they  were  immediately  collected  in  the  fort.  If 
it  had  not  been  for  Dixon's  ingenious  manoeuvering,  detaining  the  Indians,  they 
must  have  been  all  massacred  as  they  had  hardly  time  to  reach  the  fort  before  the 
Indians  took  possession  of  the  village  and  surrounded  the  fort.  The  Indians 
could  go  from  one  house  to  another  with  comparative  safety.  They  plundered  the 
houses  of  whatever  suited  their  fancy,  and  carried  off  all  the  valuables,  as  well  as 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  465 

most  of  the  provisions  in  the  village.  Watching  about  the  fort,  if  anyone  showed 
himself  inside  he  was  fired  on  by  them.  One  man,  showing  his  head  above  the 
fort,  received  a  bullet,  breaking  his  neck.  Dixon,  instead  of  stopping  at  the  fort, 
pressed  on  to  Galena  to  get  a  force  for  their  relief.  They  came  on  as  rapidly  as 
possible  and  when  a  short  distance  south  of  Elizabeth  they  found  a  large  force  of 
Indians  secreted  in  the  bushes  and  grass.  The  Indians,  allowing  our  men  to  come 
within  a  few  feet  of  them,  fired,  killing  several,  among  others  Air.  George  Ames,  a 
brother  of  Mrs.  William  Brooks,  Sr.  About  this  time  there  were  about  seventy 
regular  soldiers  stationed  at  Kellogg's  Grove,  there  being  a  large  hewed  log  house 
there  which  made  a  safe  rendezvous  for  persons  going  from  one  point  to  another, 
or  for  those  hard  pressed  by  the  Indians,  which  was  often  the  case.  One  of  our 
mounted  companies  was  driven  in  by  the  Indians  and  was  obliged  to  flee  to  this 
place  for  safety.  Hitching  their  horses  as  near  the  house  as  possible,  so  as  to  be 
able  to  protect  them  somewhat  from  the  Indians,  they  took  shelter  in  the  house. 
The  Indians  crept  up  among  the  trees  and  shot  down  fifty-seven  horses.  They 
saw  one  horse  acting  very  strangely  and  thought  they  could  see  something  in  the 
weeds  in  front  of  him.  They  concluded  this  was  an  Indian  and  so  three  or  four 
shots  were  fired  at  him.  After  the  Indians  had  left,  in  looking  over  the  battlefield, 
some  of  the  men  from  this  neighborhood  recognized  Black  Buffalo  as  the  man  who 
was  in  the  weeds.  Trading  horses  had  brought  him  to  his  death,  as  he  had  lost 
his  horse  at  Stillman's  defeat  and  was  trying  to  get  another.  He  had  a  long  stick 
with  which  he  took  the  bridle  off  the  stake  of  the  fence,  and  was  trying  to  creep 
along  and  lead  him  away,  but  the  horse  being  afraid  of  him,  caused  our  men  to  dis- 
cover and  kill  him. 

About  this  time  a  company  of  about  forty  men  stopped  at  Kellogg's  Grove  and 
struck  their  tents  for  the  night.  It  being  a  rainy  night  one  of  the  sentinels  took 
shelter  near  the  body  of  a  large  tree.  Very  unexpectedly  an  Indian  put  his  hand 
on  his  shoulder,  which  was  as  great  a  surprise  to  the  Indian  as  to  the  soldier.  The 
soldier  fired  his  gun  straight  up  in  the  air,  and  our  folks,  hearing  the  report,  supn 
posed  they  were  attacked  by  the  Indians  ,and  left  their  tents  and  went  into  the 
house  for  safety.  My  brother,  R.  H.  Spencer  and  four  others,  were  not  awakened 
by  the  firing,  and  slept  in  the  tent  until  morning.  The  Indians  had  been  prowling 
around  in  search  of  horses  and  early  in  the  morning  our  men  got  on  their  trail ;  the 
grass  being  wet  they  could  easily  follow  it  on  a  fast  trot.  In  about  ten  miles  they 
came  in  sight  of  the  Indians.  There  were  only  four  of  them,  and  they  made  a  sig- 
nal to  give  themselves  up.  But  old  General  Whiteside,  who  had  fought  against 
the  Indians  in  1812,  and  for  whom  Whiteside  county  was  named,  showed  them  that 
they  must  fight.  The  Indians  ran  into  a  deep  ravine  where  the  water  had  gullied 
a  large  hole,  and  in  this  they  took  shelter.  The  situation  was  such  that  the  folks 
had  to  get  very  near  in  order  to  see  the  Indians.  This  they  did  by  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  large  trees,  which  were  a  good  protection.  Behind  one  tree  were  three 
or  four  men  when  one  of  them,  a  large  man,  stepped  out  and  said,  "Let  me  give 
them  a  pop,"  and  fired,  and  in  return  received  two  bullets  through  his  body.  Gen- 
eral Whiteside  now  said :  "Boys,  rush  on  them — their  guns  are  empty."  They 
closed  upon  them,  killing  them  all.  They  now  started  on  their  return,  four  men  car- 
rying the  wounded  man,  taking  turns.  After  traveling  several  miles  they  were  at- 
tacked by  a  superior  force  of  the  enemy  and  in  turn  had  to  flee  for  safety.   General 


466  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Whiteside  tried  hard  to  make  a  stand  with  fifteen  or  twenty  men,  to  check  the  In- 
dians for  a  few  minutes,  but  could  not  succeed,  and  the  men  who  were  carrying  the 
wounded  man  came  near  being  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  Indians,  as  the  men  de- 
tailed to  hold  their  horses,  only  thinking  of  themselves,  were  riding  away,  leading 
their  horses  with  them.  While  they  were  mounting  their  horses  my  brother  saw 
an  Indian  on  a  white  horse  thrust  a  long  spear  into  the  wounded  man,  whom  they 
were  obliged  to  leave  on  the  ground.  The  next  man  who  came  along  with  his 
tomahawk  cut  off  the  wounded  man's  head.  In  this  first  attack  the  Indians  killed 
two  of  our  men  besides  the  one  at  first  wounded. 

During  the  trouble  with  the  Indians  there  was  an  old  man  who,  in  his  religious 
belief,  was  a  Dunkard.  who  started  from  the  frontier  settlement  about  La  Salle,  to 
go  to  Chicago,  about  lOO  miles  distant.  His  friends  did  all  they  could  to  dissuade 
him  from  going,  as  he  must  make  the  journey  on  horseback  and  alone.  But  he  was 
determined  to  go,  feeling  that  he  would  not  be  disturbed  in  the  journey;  that  an 
overruling  power  would  protect  him  against  the  Indians.  After  leaving  the  set- 
tlement, when  a  few  miles  on  his  way,  he  was  discovered  by  a  band  of  Indians. 
On  coming  up  with  tjiem  he  permitted  them  to  come  within  a  few  yards  of  him 
without  showing  the  least  fear.  This  sect,  unlike  people  of  his  time,  wore  their 
beards  long  and  full,  and  the  Indians  had  never  seen  any  one  with  a  long  beard  be- 
fore. From  his  strange  look  and  behavior  they  were  awe-struck,  and  debated 
among  themselves  what  was  best  to  do  with  the  old  man.  The  old  man  had  a  very 
fine  horse,  which  seemed  to  decide  the  question,  and  so,  after  following  along  with 
him  for  some  time  they  killed  him.  On  their  return  to  camp  that  night  they  found 
some  Pottawattamies  in  their  camp  and  told  them  they  had  killed  the  devil  that 
day,  exhibiting  the  scalp  as  it  had  been  taken  off.  with  the  beard  attached.  The 
Indians  were  now  forced  to  take  a  position  on  the  upper  part  of  Rock  river,  occu- 
pying the  country  from  lake  Koshkonong  to  where  Whitewater  now  stands.  This 
being  wooded  country  it  was  very  difficult  to  drive  them  out.  After  fighting  and 
skirmishing  with  them  from  the  middle  of  May  until  the  last  of  July,  they  finally 
got  them  started  for  the  Mississippi.  The  Indians  now  made  all  possible  haste  for 
Iowa ;  our  army  pursuing  them  closely,  overtook  them  near  the  Wisconsin  river. 
On  the  bluff,  about  five  miles  from  the  river,  the  Indians  made  their  stand  and 
fought  one  of  the  hardest  battles  of  the  war.  The  Indians  were  found  in  the  high 
grass  and  by  taking  advantage  of  their  hiding  place  would  load  their  guns,  rise  up 
and  fire,  then  drop  down  again  and  load.  They  left  more  than  forty  dead  on  the 
ground  and  our  army,  as  they  followed  them  up,  found  their  dead  scattered  for 
several  days.  It  was  believed  they  lost  more  than  eighty,  who  were  killed,  or  died 
from  their  wounds.  This  battle  was  fought  by  the  Indians  to  give  time  to  get  their 
families  across  the  Wisconsin  river.  Here  they  very  hastily  made  bark  canoes, 
taking  the  bark  from  large  elm  trees.  Cutting  the  bark  eight  or  ten  feet  long  they 
shaved  the  ends,  making  it  thin  and  pliable,  so  they  could  tie  it  together  and  in 
this  way  keep  the  water  out.  This  is  not  the  way  of  making  a  regular  bark  canoe, 
but  a  very  good  substitute.  In  these  rude  canoes  ninety  women  and  children,  and 
one  old  man,  came  down  the  river  to  its  mouth  where  they  were  intercepted  by 
our  people  and  brought  to  Rock  Island  and  held  as  prisoners.  Our  army  was  de- 
tained at  the  Wisconsin  river  several  days  in  crossing.  It  being  a  very  rapid 
stream  it  was  difficult  to  cross  and  as  there  were  no  boats  they  took  an  old  hewed 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  467 

log  house  and  made  a  raft  or  rafts  and  finally  succeeded  in  crossing.  While  mak- 
ing preparations  to  cross  the  river,  one  night,  after  the  Indians  had  all  left,  there 
came  an  Indian  in  the  night  and  standing  on  a  high  point  on  the  opposite  side  from 
our  army,  with  a  very  powerful  voice,  which  could  be  distinctly  understood,  said, 
"If  the  whites  would  let  the  Indians  go  they  would  go  back  to  Iowa  and  remain 
quiet  and  peaceable."  But  our  army  was  now  anxious  to  punish  them,  and  so  has- 
tened across  the  river,  took  their  trail,  which  brought  them  to  the  Mississippi. 
They  found,  at  all  the  camping  places  of  the  Indians,  skeletons  of  their  horses,  as 
they  were  now  reduced  tO'  this  kind  of  food,  having  no  time  to  hunt,  pressing  with 
all  their  energy  to  reach  the  Mississippi  before  our  army  should  overtake  and  de- 
stroy them.  But  after  all  their  exertions,  their  great  suffering  from  hunger  and 
exhaustion,  they  were  doomed  to  disappointment.  They  had  succeeded  in  reach- 
ing the  river  and  had  safely  crossed  many  of  their  women  and  children  before  our 
army  came  up.  Here  at  the  river  was  fought  the  second  hard  battle,  killing  150 
of  the  Indians  and  some  of  their  women  and  children,  they  being  huddled  together 
in  the  high  weeds  and  grass.  One  can  get  some  idea  of 'their  great  hunger  from  a 
little  circumstance  that  happened  there.  It  became  necessary  to  amputate  the  arm 
of  a  little  girl  about  ten  years  old.  Some  one  gave  her  a  biscuit  which  she  contin- 
ued to  eat  during  the  operation.  During  the  trouble  with  the  Indians  the  govern- 
ment brought  down  a  band  of  150  Sioux  who  were  the  most  dreaded  enemy  our 
Indians  had,  on  account  of  their  great  numbers.  They  quartered  them  at  Galena 
and  tried  to  get  them  in  the  contest,  but  did  not  succeed,  they  being  too  cowardly 
to  attack  the  Sauks  and  Foxes  when  they  were  armed,  and  they  quietly  slipped 
away  in  the  night. 

Now  I  have  the  most  unpleasant  part  of  my  story  to  tell.  After  the  Indians  had 
crossed  the  river  and  were  almost  defenseless,  having  lost  most  all  their  guns  and 
ammunition  in  crossing  the  river,  our  army  put  a  band  of  these  merciless  Sioux  on 
their  trail  who,  knowing  how  perfectly  helpless  they  were,  were  glad  of  the  oppor- 
tunity to  destroy  them.  I  will  give  the  account  of  this  terrible  massacre  as  given 
by  a  s(]uaw,  who  had  lived  with  a  white  man  by  the  name  of  Nathan  Smith.  I 
knew  them  both  well.  She  said  her  brother,  by  the  name  of  Wishita,  a  fine  looking 
man  and  a  chief  of  considerable  standing,  was  wounded  while  crossing  the  Missis- 
sippi, but  he,  with  great  exertion,  reached  the  western  shore.  Here  the  bank  being 
steep,  she  tried  to  get  him  out.  but  could  not  succeed,  and  was  obliged  to  leave  him. 
behind  her  on  account  of  her  company,  which  was  already  in  advance  of  her.  She 
had  crossed  the  river  on  a  pony,  can-ying  her  child,  about  a  year  old,  before  her. 
They  hurried  on,  fearing  an  attack  of  our  army,  or  an  attack  of  the  Sioux,  as  they 
were  now  in  their  country.  They  had  traveled  that  day  and  night  and  until  the 
latter  part  of  the  next  day,  without  food,  when  they  succeeded  in  killing  some 
game,  and  camped  for  the  night.  That  night  they,  for  the  first  time  in  many 
weary  days  and  nights,  had  plenty  to  eat.  They  had  camped  in  a  valley  and  the 
morning  w^as  very  fogg)-.  They  had  eaten  an  early  breakfast  and  were  about 
starting  on  their  journey,  she  just  mounting  her  horse,  when  the  Sioux  with  a 
great  noise,  whooping  and  yelling,  broke  into  their  camp,  killing  large  numbers  of 
them  regardless  of  age  or  sex.  She  rode  oiT  as  fast  as  her  horse  could  possibly 
go.  carrying  her  child  before  her.  She  said  the  motion  of  her  horse  was  so  hard 
on  her  child  she  thought  for  some  time  it  was  dead,  and  looked  for  some  thick 


468  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

bush  or  weeds  that  she  could  throw  it  in  to  hide  it  from  the  Sioux.  She  knew 
by  keeping  a  southern  course  it  would  bring  her  to  her  friends.  After  traveling 
more  than  200  miles  without  another  human  being  save  her  child,  without  food 
and  expecting  hourly  to  be  overtaken  by  her  enemies,  she  at  last  found  a  trail 
where  Keokuk  had  been  out  on  a  buffalo  hunt.  Following  this  trail  it  brought  her 
to  the  Indian  village  on  the  Iowa  river. 

This  last  battle  fought  on  the  Mississippi  was  the  noted  battle  of  Bad  Axe  and 
Black  Hawk,  feeling  that  he  and  his  people  were  thoroughly  overcome  did  not  cross 
the  river  but  went  up  the  river  and  gave  himself  up  to  the  Winnebagoes,  who 
brought  him  a  prisoner  to  Prairie  du  Chien.  Black  Hawk's  son,  Seoskuk,  Nea- 
pope,  Pashpahaw,  the  stabbing  chief,  and  several  of  the  principal  men,  accom- 
panied him  to  prison.  They  were  sent  to  Washington  about  the  latter  part  of  the 
summer,  where  they  remained  until  the  next  spring,  when  they  were  set  at  liberty 
and  started  on  their  return  home,  passing  through  New  York  city.  President 
Jackson  and  a  party  of  friends  happened  to  be  with  Black  Hawk  on  their  way  to 
New  York  and  General  Jackson's  friends  complained  that  the  Indians  diverted  the 
attention  of  the  people  too  much  from  the  president.  There  was  a  great  demon- 
stration in  New  York  at  that  time  and  the  Indians  received  much  attention.  Many 
of  the  ladies  kissed  Seoskuk,  which  was  a  matter  of  little  comment,  as  one  rarely 
meets  so  fine  a  specimen  of  humanity  in  a  life-time.  The  ladies  took  their  rings 
off  their  fingers  and  gave  them  to  the  Indians.  Black  Hawk  showed  me  some  of 
the  rings  and  said  he  had  fifty  just  as  fine.  From  New  York  they  went  by  the 
canal  to  Buffalo,  through  the  lake  to  Green  Bay,  up  the  Fox  river^  down  the  Wis- 
consin to  its  mouth  and  down  the  Mississippi  to  Rock  Island.  Here,  fortu- 
nately, I  happened  to  meet  Black  Hawk,  and  he  was  unusually  talkative.  He  told 
me  of  their  trip  to  Washington,  of  the  crowds  of  people  they  saw  in  New  York, 
and  showed  me  some  of  the  many  presents  he  had  received  on  the  journey.  He 
told  me  of  the  great  wonder  of  seeing  a  man  go  up  in  a  balloon.  He  said  the  man 
had  a  great  knife  in  his  hand  (meaning  a  sword)  which  he  waved  back  and  forth 
and  then  he  went  up,  up,  up,  and  looking  and  pointing  up,  he  said  "Panoche !  Pan- 
oche!"  meaning  a  great  way  off.  He  was  in  good  spirits,  expecting  to  reach  his 
family  the  next  day. 

Major  Garland,  of  the  army,  under  whose  charge  they  had  traveled,  being  in- 
structed to  secure  a  kind  reception  for  them  from  their  nation,  sent  a  messenger 
to  advise  Keokuk  of  their  arrival.  Keokuk  was  encamped  on  the  Iowa  shore  of 
the  river,  about  twenty  miles  below,  and  although  Black  Hawk  and  his  party  were 
his  enemies,  he  determined  to  give  them  a  respectful  and  cordial  reception.  A 
message  was  returned  to  that  effect ;  and  at  noon  the  following  day  the  dull  sound 
of  the  Indian  drum  proclaimed  the  approach  of  the  chief.  He,  with  his  three 
wives,  in  two  canoes  lashed  together  with  a  canopy  over  them,  followed  by  many 
of  his  braves,  came  up  the  river  to  the  foot  of  the  island  and  then  landed  on  the 
right  bank,  where  they  remained  painting  and  dressing  themselves  for  some  time. 
Keokuk,  followed  by  his  braves,  crossed  the  river  and  before  coming  to  Black 
Hawk's  camp  said  to  them :  "The  Great  Spirit  has  sent  our  brothers  back ;  let  us 
shake  hands  in  friendship."  On  reaching  the  spot  where  Black  Hawk  and  his 
friends  were  encamped,  they  found  them  seated  in  front  of  their  tent,  silent  and 
motionless — doubtful,  perhaps,  of  the  reception  that  would  be  given  them.     Keo- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  469 

kuk  extended  his  hand  to  Black  Hawk  and  then  to  the  rest  of  his  party,  without 
speaking,  his  followers  imitating  his  example,  and  then  the  whole  company  seated 
themselves  on  the  ground.  No  one  spoke,  each  waiting  until  the  chief  should 
break  the  silence.  After  about  fifteen  minutes  Keokuk  asked  Black  Hawk  how 
long  he  had  been  on  the  way,  adding  that  he  had  been  expecting  him  and  was  on 
his  way  to  meet  him  when  he  heard  of  his  arrival.  The  next  day,  in  the  council 
Black  Hawk  thanked  Major  Garland  for  his  kindness.  He  said :  "I  and  my  son, 
and  all  our  party,  thank  our  Great  Father  for  what  he  has  done.  He  is  old,  I  am 
old ;  we  shall  soon  go  to  the  Great  Spirit,  and  be  at  rest.  He  sent  us  through  his 
great  villages.  We  saw  many  white  men  and  were  kindly  treated.  We  thank 
them — say  to  them  we  thank  them.  We  thank  you  for  traveling  with  us.  Your 
path  was  long  and  crooked.  We  never  saw  so  many  white  men  before ;  but  when 
with  you  we  felt  as  safe  as  if  among  friends.  When  you  come  to  the  Mississippi 
again  you  shall  come  to  my  lodges;  now  I  have  none.  On  your  road  home  you 
will  pass  where  our  village  once  was.  No  one  lives  there  now — all  are  gone.  I 
give  you  my  hand ;  we  may  never  meet  again,  but  we  shall  remember  you.  The 
Great  Spirit  will  be  with  you  and  your  wives  and  children.  I  will  shake  hands 
with  my  brethren  here  and  then  I  am  done."  Black  Hawk  thanked  Keokuk  and 
and  his  nation  for  their  attention  to  his  wife  and  children,  as  they  had  given  them 
shelter  when  they  had  none,  and  had  protected  them  while  he  was  far  away.  He 
felt  happy  to  have  escaped  with  so  slight  punishment,  as  when  he  gave  himself 
up  he  hardly  knew  what  would  be  the  result.  It  must  have  been  quite  humiliating 
to  the  old  man  to  have  to  yield  up  all  his  rights  as  head  of  the  nation  to  a  young 
man  like  Keokuk.  Sad  must  have  been  his  heart  when  he  said,  '1  will  listen  to 
Keokuk.  I  will  soon  be  far  away,  where  I  shall  have  no  village,  no  band — I  shall 
be  alone."  Still  we  must  admire  the  generous  course  Keokuk  pursued  with  him, 
when,  in  after  years,  they  took  a  trip  together,  taking  in  their  course  all  the  prin- 
cipal eastern  cities.  They,  with  other  Indians,  were  sitting  in  council  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  secretary  of  war,  when  Keokuk  arose  and  said:  "There  is  one  here 
who  does  not  belong  to  the  council,  but  he  has  been  accustomed  to  sit  with  us  at 
home  and  is  our  friend ;  we  have  brought  him  here  with  us  and  hope  he  will  be 
welcome." 

Black  Hawk  lived  until  the  year  1838,  when  he  died  on  the  3d  of  October  at 
his  village  on  the  Des  Moines  river  and  his  body  was  disposed  of,  at  his  special 
request,  after  the  manner  of  the  chiefs  of  his  tribe.  He  was  placed  upon  the 
ground,  in  a  sitting  posture,  his  hands  grasping  his  cane.  They  usually  made  a 
shallow  hole  in  the  ground,  setting  the  body  in  up  to  the  waist,  so  the  most  of  the 
body  was  above  ground.  The  part  above  ground  was  then  covered  by  a  buffalo 
robe,  and  a  trench  about  eight  feet  square  was  dug  about  the  grave.  In  this  trench 
they  set  picketing  about  eight  feet  high,  which  secured  the  grave  against  wild 
animals.  Not  long  after  Black  Hawk  died  some  one,  more  troubled  with  phrenol- 
ogy than  reverence,  took  his  head  and  carried  it  away,  which  so  distressed  his  fam- 
ily that  his  sons  came  into  Burlington  to  Governor  Lucas,  who  \vas  then  governor 
of  the  territory  of  Iowa,  to  see  if  the  government  would  not  have  it  restored  to 
them.    But  they  did  not  succeed  in  getting  it. 

When  I  first  came  here  there  were  quite  a  number  of  these  high  picketings  still 
standing,  where  their  chiefs  had  been  buried,  and  the  body  of  a  chief  was  disposed 


470  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

of  in  this  way  while  I  lived  near  their  village.  The  common  mode  of  burial  was  to 
dig  a  shallow  grave,  wrap  the  body  in  a  blanket,  place  it  in  the  grave  and  fill  it 
nearly  full  of  dirt;  then  take  split  sticks  about  three  feet  long  and  stand  them  in 
the  grave  so  that  their  tops  would  come  together  in  the  form  of  a  roof  ;  then  they 
filled  in  more  earth  so  as  to  hold  the  sticks  in  place.  1  saw  a  father  and  mother 
start  out  alone  to  bury  their  child  about  a  year  old.  They  carried  it  by  tying  it 
up  in  a  blanket,  and  putting  a  long  stick  through  the  blanket,  each  taking  an  end 
of  the  stick.  I  have  also  seen  the  dead  bodies  placed  in  trees.  This  is  done  by  dig- 
ging a  trough  out  of  a  log,  placing  the  body  in  it  and  covering  it.  I  have  seen 
several  bodies  in  one  tree.  I  think  when  they  are  disposed  of  in  this  way  it  is  by 
special  request,  as  I  knew  of  an  Indian  woman  who  lived  with  a  white  family,  who 
desired  her  body  placed  in  a  tree,  which  was  accordingly  done.  Doubtless  there 
was  some  particular  superstition  attached  to  this  mode,  though  I  do  not  remember 
to  have  heard  what  it  was. 

Our  nearest  neighbor  living  fifty  miles  southeast  from  here,  on  the  old  mining 
road  leading  from  Beardstown  to  Galena,  where  the  road  crossed  Henderson  river, 
was  an  old  man  by  the  name  of  Atwood,  an  Englishman  by  birth.  1  do  not  con- 
sider him  a  fair  representative  of  an  old  settler,  but  as  many  who  lived  here  in  early 
times  have  come  in  contact  with  him  I  cannot  forbear  to  give  him  a  passing  no- 
tice. He  said  he  was  a  lord  in  England  and  when  he  took  ship  for  America  great 
crowds  of  people  gathered  to  see  him  safely  started.  His  fame  had  reached  New 
York  in  advance  of  his  arrival  and  large  numbers  were  gathered  kneeling  on  the 
shore  to  receive  him.  He  told  them  to  stand  up,  as  he  was  only  a  man.  Mr.  At- 
wood's  settlement  there  was  a  year  or  two  before  ours  here,  so  we  had  occasion 
to  do  some  trading  with  him  in  his  farm  products.  After  a  few  months'  traffic 
with  him  he  sent  us  word  that  he  had  all  the  paper  money  he  could  secrete,  and  as 
paper  money  was  liable  to  be  stolen  or  burned  up,  if  we  continued  to  trade  with  him 
we  would  have  to  bring  either  gold  or  silver,  which  he  could  bury  in  the  ground. 
In  stopping  with  him  he  told  me  of  a  remarkable  cure  he  had  performed  upon  a 
man  where  gangrene  had  set  in.  Among  a  great  many  eminent  physicians  who  had 
visited  this  man  and  given  him  up  as  incurable,  was  Dr.  Franklin.  I  said  to  him 
that  I  did  not  know  that  Dr.  Franklin  practiced  medicine.  His  wife  spoke  up 
and  said :  "Yes  he  did,  all  through  North  Carolina,  where  I  lived."  I  asked  the 
old  man  how  many  hogs  he  had.  He  hesitated  some  time  and  began  to  make  ex- 
cuses. His  hogs  "had  strayed  away  and  were  lost — the  Indians  had  killed  a  good 
many — and  now  he  only  had  about  700  left."  There  were  not  "joo  hogs  within 
twenty  miles  of  him.  One  of  his  neighbors  by  the  name  of  McGee,  a  blacksmith, 
was  at  work  in  his  shop  at  a  very  difficult  job.  Being  a  good  deal  plagued  with 
his  work,  the  old  man  came  in  and  began  telling  some  of  his  long  yarns,  when 
McGee  stopped  his  work  and  addressed  the  old  man  in  this  way :  'T  make  it  a 
practice  to  believe  some  men  because  they  tell  the  truth,  others  to  accommodate 
them,  but,"  bringing  out  an  oath,  said :  "I  won't  believe  you  upon  any  considera- 
tion." He  said  he  was  not  troubled  again  for  a  long  time  with  the  old  man.  His 
neighbors  said  they  had  calculated  the  time  it  would  take  to  do  the  dififerent  things 
he  had  done  and  the  different  places  he  had  lived,  and  the  number  of  years  he  had 
stayed  in  each  place,  and  ascertained  he  was  over  a  thousand  years  old,  being  the 
oldest  man  we  have  anv  record  of. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  471 

I  now  feel  it  not  only  a  duty  but  a  great  pleasure  to  make  some  mention  of  the 
old  settlers  of  Rock  Island  county.  I  came  to  the  state  at  such  an  early  day  and 
traveled  over  it  so  extensively,  making  my  home  at  two  different  times  in  very 
new  parts  of  the  state,  that  I  had  a  great  opportunity  of  judging  of  frontier  life 
and  of  frontier  men.  Of  all  my  knowledge  of  the  settlement  of  the  state  our  old 
settlers  were  the  most  intelligent  and  best  informed  of  any  who  came  under 
my  notice.  There  have  been  some  statements  made  about  us,  which  have  had  a 
large  circulation,  in  regard  to  our  abusing  the  Indians  and  whipping  their  women, 
which  are  basely  false,  or  if  not,  never  came  under  my  notice.  Our  relation  to  the 
Indians,  after  the  first  simimer,  was  very  peculiar.  We  have  had  a  good  title  to 
our  lands  from  the  government,  felt  that  we  were  entitled  to  be  protected  in  oar 
rights,  while  the  Indians  claim  the  lands  to  be  theirs  with  just  as  much  assurance. 
Under  such  conflicting  circumstances,  losing  the  greater  part  of  our  crops,  being 
compelled,  a  part  of  the  time,  to  stay  in  the  fort  for  safety,  we  lived  almost  three 
seasons  together  without  any  serious  outbreak  among  us,  which  seems  to  me  to  be 
flattering  to  both  whites  and  Indians.  I  feel  that  the  old  settlers  of  Rock  Island 
county  are  very  nearly  related  to  me.  Our  privations  and  hardships  brought  us 
very  near  to  each  other,  and  I  cannot  but  sympathize  in  the  sorrows  of  each  old 
settler,  and  rejoice  in  his  well  doing. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


LOOKING  BACKWARD. 


J.  M.  D.  BURROWS,  MERCHANT,  MILLER,  PACKER,  HANDLER  OF  PRODUCE,  LOOKS  BACK 
OVER  HIS  BUSY  LIFE  AND  TELLS  SOME  INCIDENTS DAVENPORT  A  HAMLET  OF  FIF- 
TEEN HOUSES ^A  REMARKABLE  CAREER HUMMER  AND  HIS  BELL REV.  JOHN  O. 

FOSTER  TELLS  OF  BOYHOOD  DAYS  IN  ROCKINGHAM — THE  VIEW  FROM  THE  DECKER 
HOME A  RELIC  OF  CREDIT  ISLAND  BATTLE. 


On  the  27th  day  of  July,  1838,  I  was  on  board  the  magnificent  steamer  Brazil, 
Captain  Orrin  Smith,  my  destination  being  Stephenson,  now  Rock  Island,  Illi- 
nois. When  I  arose  in  the  morning  the  steamer  was  just  landing  at  Buffalo,  Scott 
county,  Wisconsin  territory,  now  Iowa.  The  scene  upon  which  I  gazed  enchanted 
me.  The  sloping  lawns  and  wooded  bluffs,  with  the  sea  of  beautiful  wild  flowers, 
were  a  picture  of  loveliness  such  as  I  never  had  beheld  before.  The  remainder  of 
the  trip  I  spent  on  the  guards  of  the  boat,  enraptured  with  the  beauty  of  the 
ever  changing  scenery. 

We  arrived  early  in  the  day  at  the  village  of  Stephenson.  Before  night  my 
business  was  accomplished.  My  landlord,  of  the  Rock  Island  House,  informed  me 
that  I  would  not  be  able  to  get  a  boat  until  the  return  of  the  Brazil  some  two 
days  later.  I  will  say  here  that  the  Rock  Island  House  was  a  credit  to  the  town 
and  a  much  better  hotel  than  I  expected  to  find  in  this  then  new  country.  On 
the  next  day,  after  partaking  of  a  good  breakfast,  I  decided  to  cross  the  river  and 
examine  the  lovely  little  hamlet  of  about  a  dozen  houses,  which  looked  so  cozy, 
nestled  under  the  bluff.  At  that  time  the  ferry  was  run  by  that  veteran,  Captain 
John  Wilson,  and  consisted  of  two  steamboat  yawls  and  a  flat-boat.  There  were 
several  passengers  besides  myself,  and  as  soon  as  we  left  the  shore,  the  old  gentle- 
man began  to  collect  his  fares.  I  noticed  that  each  passenger  paid  25  cents.  I 
tendered  my  quarter,  when  I  was  informed  my  fare  was  50  cents.  I  demurred 
of  course,  and  was  surprised  as  well  as  somewhat  amused  to  be  told  that  for 
"citizens"  the  fare  was  25  cents,  but  for  strangers  it  was  50  cents.  I  replied, 
"Oh !  that  is  the  way  you  do  here,  is  it  ?  Where  I  came  from,  they  treat  strangers 
the  best." 

On  landing  I  found  a  beautiful  little  hamlet  of  fifteen  houses,  with  a  popula- 
tion of  about  150  persons.  I  did  not  expect  to  see  any  one  that  I  had  ever  seen 


476  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

before,  but  I  soon  met  a  man  whom  I  had  known  well  in  Cincinnati — -a  carpenter 
— B.  F.  Coates.  He  received  me  warmly  and  introduced  me  to  D.  C.  Eldridge  and 
several  more  Cincinnatians.  The  little  town  was  settled  mostly  by  people  from 
Cincinnati.  They  all  insisted  that  I  should  close  up  my  business  in  Stephenson, 
and  wait  in  Davenport  until  my  boat  returned,  and  they  would  spend  the  time  in 
showing  me  the  most  beautiful  country  the  sun  ever  shone  upon.  I  consented  and 
Mr.  Coates  took  a  horse  and  buggy  and  drove  with  me  out  some  five  or  six  miles 
in  difiFerent  directions. 

It  was  just  the  time  of  year  when  the  country  showed  to  the  best  advantage. 
The  prairies  were  covered  with  wild  fiow^ers  and  the  beautiful  landscape  was  un- 
surpassed.   I  said  to  myself,  "This  shall  be  my  home." 

On  the  return  of  the  Brazil  I  left  with  the  intention,  if  I  possibly  could,  to 
emigrate.  As  soon  as  I  returned  to  Cincinnati.  I  adverti'^ed  my  place  for  sale 
and  in  a  few  weeks  found  a  purchaser.  I  then  determined  to  return  immediately 
and  to  make  a  more  thorough  examination  of  the  country  before  taking  such  an 
important  step.  Both  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  were  at  that  time  (October), 
very  low  and  navigation  tedious.  I  decided  to  make  the  trip  by  land,  so  purchased 
a  horse  and  buggy  and  was  making  arrangements  for  the  journey,  when  I  was 
called  upon  by  John  Owens,  whom  I  had  never  seen  before.  After  introducing 
himself,  he  said  he  understood  I  intended  to  make  a  trip  to  Wisconsin  territory, 
and  he  wanted  to  go  along.  He  offered  to  take  a  half  interest  in  the  outfit.  He 
was  not  quite  ready  to  go.  and  I  agreed  to  wait  ten  days  for  him.  At  last  the  day 
arrived,  and  lo  I  it  was  a  Friday.  Owens  said  he  would  not  begin  so  important 
an  enterprise  on  Friday  and  insisted  that  we  should  wait  until  Saturday,  which 
I  opposed,  on  the  ground  that  it  was  too  late  in  the  week.  We  were  both  anxious 
to  be  off.  so  we  agreed  to  start  on  Thursday  evening,  and  go  two  or  three  miles, 
which  we  did,  setting  out  about  sundown  and  driving  some  three  miles.  We 
found  the  roads  through  Indiana  very  rough  and  tedious,  a  great  share  of  them 
being  what  was  called  "corduroy ;"  but  through  Illinois  they  were  excellent,  al- 
though there  was  a  great  want  of  bridges  and  in  fording  streams  we  found  it 
quite  dangerous. 

The  great  prairies  of  Illinois  were  a  magnificent  sight — one  vast  sea  of  grass 
and  flowers  and  most  of  them  as  level  as  a  floor.  We  passed  very  few  farms. 
Fifty  years  ago  there  were  not  many  settlements  in  Illinois.  We  crossed  a  num- 
ber of  prairies,  where,  as  might  be  said,  we  were  out  of  sight  of  land — not  a 
house  or  a  tree  to  be  seen.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  sickness  on  our  route.  We 
had  to  attend  our  own  horse,  and  most  of  the  time,  sleep  on  the  floor,  with  a 
blanket  and  a  pillow  for  our  bed.  Ten  days  and  a  half  from  the  time  we  left 
Cincinnati,  we  forded  Rock  river  and  soon  reached  our  future  home.  /\t  that 
time  Stephenson,  on  the  Illinois  side  of  the  Mississippi,  was  a  considerable  town 
and  a  much  older  and  more  important  place  than  Davenport.  Rock  island  con- 
tained no  inhabitants  except  Colonel  George  Davenport  and  his  family.  Old 
Fort  Armstrong  with  its  block  houses,  occupied  the  west  end  of  the  island. 

Mr.  Owens  and  myself  spent  some  three  weeks  in  thoroughly  examining  the 
country.  One  of  the  best  settlements  was  in  Pleasant  \'alley.  The  Hydes,  Cap- 
tain Hawley,  Moss  &  Bradley.  Sam  Hedges.  C.  Rowe.  Adam  Donaldson,  the 
Henleys  and  Fennos  were  there.    There  was  a  small  sawmill  on  Duck  creek,  and 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  477 

a  grist  mill,  containing  one  small  run  of  stone  on  Crow  creek.  Both  these  streams 
contained  twice  as  much  water  then  as  now.  We  drove  back  to  Aliens  Grove, 
also  to  Walnut  and  Hickory  Groves,  where  we  found  John  Dunn,  L.  Lathrop, 
Dennis  R.  Fuller  and  the  Carters,  all  of  whom  were  hard  at  work  making  them- 
selves homes.  Below  Rockingham,  Enoch  Mead,  David  Sullivan,  Captain  James 
Murray,  Foster  Campbell,  James  E.  Burnsides,  Lewis  W.  Clark,  and  others,  were 
busily  engaged  in  laying  the  foundation  of  Scott  county's  future  prosperity. 

After  a  thorough  examination  of  the  county  and  making  the  acquaintance  of 
many  of  the  settlers,  we  both  determined  to  emigrate,  and  purchased  the  eighty 
acre  tract  west  of  and  adjoining  the  town.  It  was  a  squatter's  claim.  We  paid 
$450  for  it  and  each  wanted  it,  so  we  agreed  to  divide  it  and  to  draw  cuts  for  the 
first  choice.  I  won,  and  chose  the  half  next  to  the  town,  for  which  I  paid  $250, 
Mr.  Owens  taking  the  other  half  at  $200.  We  then  concluded  to  lay  claim  to  a 
section  of  land  and  selected  section  17.  We  divided  it  north  and  south,  and,  each 
again  wanting  the  half  adjoining  the  town,  we  drew  cuts  as  before.  I  won,  and 
took  the  part  I  wanted.  Fearing  we  would  have  trouble  to  find  our  claim,  we 
hired  Strong  Burnell,  who  was  breaking  prairie  in  the  vicinity,  to  plow  three 
furrows  around  the  whole  section,  for  which  we  paid  $30 — $10  a  furrow.  We  pro- 
posed to  plant  this  strip  of  plowed  ground  with  locust  trees. 

The  next  thing  I  did  was  to  make  arrangements  to  build  a  house  on  my  forty 
acres.  I  found  a  man  in  Davenport,  a  settler  of  that  year,  who  had  bought  a 
lot  and  erected  a  frame  on  it,  but  who  had  become  discouraged  and  wished  to 
return  east.  I  bought  the  frame  standing,  paying  $125  for  it,  and  engaged  B.  F. 
Coates  to  take  it  to  pieces  and  put  it  up  on  my  land,  leaving  money  with  him  with 
which  to  buy  weather  boarding,  sheathing,  etc.,  and  it  was  agreed  that  I  should 
bring  the  shingles,  flooring,  doors  and  windows  with  me  in  the  spring  from  Cin- 
cinnati, which  would  be  much  cheaper  and  better. 

About  the  ist  of  March,  1839,  I  received  letters  at  Cincinnati,  saying  the 
Mississippi  was  about  to  break  up  and  at  once  I  commenced  making  arrangements 
to  return.  Being  anxious  to  add  to  the  population  of  the  little  settlement  in 
Iowa,  I  persuaded  two  brothers-in-law,  Wheeler  Crane,  a  carriage  maker,  and 
Joseph  Beach,  a  painter,  also  my  two  brothers,  Lewis  and  David,  stout  lads  in 
those  days,  to  accompany  me.  Our  journey  was  without  incident  until  we  reached 
the  lower  rapids,  where  we  had  a  tedious  time,  getting  fast  on  the  rocks  and 
being  nearly  a  week  getting  over. 

At  last,  on  the  4th  day  of  April,  we  reached  our  future  home,  being  put 
ashore  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  about  half  way  between  Perry  and  Rock  Island 
streets.  I  remember  the  day  well.  It  was  a  gloomy  day,  the  wind  blew  a  perfect 
gale,  and  everything  looked  cheerless. 

I  found  that  the  man  whom  I  had  engaged  to  put  up  my  house  had  betrayed 
me.  The  money  I  had  left  with  him  to  purchase  lumber  he  had  applied  to  his 
own  use,  and  there  was  nothing  on  the  ground  but  the  naked  frame  which  I  had 
purchased  in  the  fall.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  find  shelter  for  my  wife 
and  child.  I  succeeded  in  renting  two  small  rooms,  just  finished,  about  twelve 
feet  square,  at  the  comer  of  Third  and  Ditch  (now  Harrison)  streets.  The 
rooms  were  very  small  and  inconvenient  for  a  family  of  seven  persons.  We  were 


478  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

obliged  to  go  out  of  doors  from  one  room  to  get  into  the  other.  They  had  been 
built  for  offices,  but  in  those  ^ays  we  had  to  do  the  best  we  could. 

In  about  two  weeks  I  had  my  house  weather-boarded  and  shingled,  and,  put- 
ting down  loose  boards  for  a  floor,  moved  in  at  once  and  then  finished  it,  a  room 
at  a  time.  I  found  the  little  town  a  busy  place,  every  one  anxious  to  secure  a 
home.  Some  settlers,  besides  myself,  came  in  that  spring  and  a  number  of  houses 
had  been  commenced,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  little  town  were  as  active  as 
a  swarm  of  bees.  But  the  great  excitement  was  the  Rockingham  war,  and  a 
few  weeks  later  the  Missouri  war.  I  served  in  both,  like  a  true  soldier  and 
patriot.  The  Rockingham  war  was  tedious,  lasting  about  two  years,  and  four 
pitched  battles  were  fought,  with  varying  success.  The  contest  was  for  the  county- 
seat,  which  Rockingham  had  and  was  loth  to  give  up.  She  had  been  the  empo- 
rium of  Scott  county,  outnumbering  Davenport  in  population  and  business.  But 
two  years  made  a  change.  Davenport  had  grown  materially,  both  in  population 
and  capital,  while  poor  Rockingham  had  reached  her  growth,  some  of  her  citi- 
zens deserting  to  the  enemy  and  at  the  last  election,  sixteen  of  her  people  voted 
for  Davenport.  As  an  inducement  for  the  people  of  Scott  county  to  vote  for 
Davenport,  the  citizens  offered  to  build  the  court  house  and  present  it  to  the 
county,  free  of  all  expense,  promising  it  should  be  equal  to  the  court  house  across 
the  river,  at  Stephenson,  Illinois ;  and  it  was  a  facsimile. 

In  the  early  summer  we  were  called  upon  by  the  governor  to  volunteer  to 
march  to  the  Missouri  line  and  drive  the  Missourians  from  our  sacred  soil.  There 
was  no  necessity  to  repeat  the  order.  We  were  all  fighting  men  in  those  days. 
The  war  between  Rockingham  and  Davenport  was  suspended  for  a  short  time  and 
we  all  united  to  resist  this  invasion  of  our  territory  by  the  miserable  Missourians. 
Davenport  was  selected  as  headquarters  for  Scott  county.  The  day  appointed 
for  us  to  meet  was  a  lovely,  spring-like  morning.  Nearly  every  man  in  the  county 
was  present  to  be  enrolled.  Our  colonel,  Sam  Hedges,  made  us  a  patriotic  speech, 
but  what  a  sorry  lot  of  soldiers  he  had  to  drill !  Not  having  any  guns,  many 
came  with  pitchforks,  scythes,  hoes  and  clubs.  One  man  had  a  sheet-iron  sword, 
six  or  seven  feet  long.  Many  were  drunk,  and  all  were  noisy  and  disposed  to 
jeer  and  make  fun  of  our  officers.  Our  colonel  could  stand  this  no  longer.  All 
who  were  drunk,  and  those  improperly  armed,  were  ordered  out  of  the  ranks. 
We  who  remained  were  getting  hungry,  as  it  was  then  dinner  time,  and  asked 
for  rations,  when  we  were  informed  that  we  would  have  to  furnish  our  own 
blankets,  whiskey,  and  hard  tack,  which  the  government  would  refund  at  some 
future  day.  This  we  objected  to.  We  were  willing  to  shed  our  blood  for  our 
beloved  territory,  and  if  necessary,  to  kill  a  few  hundred  Missourians,  but  we 
were  not  going  to  do  that  and  board  ourselves. 

At  this  juncture,  we  saw  approaching  in  solemn  column,  our  fellow  soldiers 
who  had  been  discharged.  They  were  led  by  the  man  with  the  long  sheet-iron 
sword.  They  charged  on  us,  and  it  makes  me  blush  to  say  that,  notwithstanding 
we  were  three  to  their  one  we  were  badly  defeated  and  scattered  in  every  direction. 
The  knight  of  the  sheet-iron  sword  made  for  our  colonel,  and  nothing  but  the 
colonel's  superior  fleetness  saved  him.  As  he  ran  he  informed  us  that  we  could  go 
home ;  nothing  more  would  be  done  until  he  received  further  orders. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  479 

At  this  time  congress  was  in  session,  and,  becoming  alarmed  at  the  Civil 
war  impending,  interfered.  The  poor  barbarians  of  Missouri,  hearing  of  the 
hostile  demonstrations  being  made  in  Davenport  and  other  river  towns,  withdrew 
from  our  territory.  A  few  months  later  the  supreme  court  met  and  decided  in 
our  favor,  and  all  was  peace. 

Meanwhile,  our  little  village  was  growing  and  the  contest  between  it  and 
Rockingham  for  the  supremacy  had  been  resumed.  During  February  of  this  year 
(1839),  the  first  Protestant  church  was  organized — the  Presbyterians.  During 
the  summer,  the  Congregationalists  and  Baptists  organized.  Neither  of  these 
congregations  had  any  church  building  but  held  services  in  carpenter  shops  and 
warehouses.  The  Catholics  had  organized  in  1838,  and  erected  the  first  church 
building  in  the  town. 

In  May  1839,  hearing  that  it  was  court  week,  and  as  it  was  raining  hard  and 
I  could  do  no  business.  I  thought  I  would  attend  court.  There  was  a  small  frame 
building  on  Ripley  street,  at.  the  corner  of  the  alley  behind  Lahrmann's  hall.  It 
had  been  built  for  a  carpenter  shop  and  was  used  by  the  Presbyterians  for  church 
purposes  and  there  court  was  held.  I  found  the  little  room  crowded  and  Judge 
Grant,  then  "Squire"  Grant,  just  arranging  to  defend  a  horse  thief.  The  judge 
worked  cheap  in  those  days.  I  overheard  him  whisper  to  his  client :  "If  you 
don't  give  me  $5  before  I  commence,  I  won't  defend  you." 

Nearly  the  whole  little  settlement  at  that  time  was  about  the  foot  of  Ripley 
street,  which  was  called  "Brimstone  Corner" — I  suppose  on  account  of  the  hot 
style  of  preaching  indulged  in  there,  in  those  days. 

I  found  a  number  of  the  little  band  which  I  had  left  there  in  the  fall  in  per- 
fect health,  had  gone  "to  that  bourne  from  which  no  traveler  returns."  The 
first  ten  years  I  passed  in  Davenport,  there  was  much  more  sickness  than  now. 
Ten  per  cent  of  our  population  died  each  year  in  those  early  times,  which  was 
attributed  to  the  breaking  up  of  such  large  tracts  of  prairie,  producing  a  miasma 
which  caused  fevers,  etc. 

Our  first  burying  place  was  in  a  corner  of  a  field  on  the  Cook  farm,  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Rockingham  road,  nearly  opposite  the  west  end  of  the  present 
Davenport  City  cemetery.  This  was  used  but  a  short  time.  The  next  burying 
place  was  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  LeClaire  streets.  It  was  a  miserable  section 
and  was  soon  abandoned.  I  officiated  as  pallbearer  on  two  occasions  while  we 
buried  there.  The  first  was  the  burial  of  Judge  Mitchell's  father.  It  being  early 
spring,  we  found  the  grave  half  full  of  water  and  had  to  wait  until  it  was  bailed 
out.  But  the  water  came  in  so  fast  that  the  coffin  was  nearly  covered  before  we 
could  fill  the  grave.  The  other  was  a  Dr.  Emerson,  who  died  in  the  LeClaire 
House,  and  was  the  owner  of  the  celebrated  slave,  Dred  Scott. 

Our  next  burial  place  was  the  present  Davenport  City  cemetery.  The  writer 
and  a  few  other  gentlemen,  not  considering  this  location  desirable  (it  being  too 
near  the  rapidly  growing  city),  nor  the  extent  of  the  grounds  sufficient  for  the 
purpose,  and  seeing  the  need  of  a  city  for  the  dead,  combined  to  secure  one  that 
would  be  a  credit  to  the  city  when  we  were  dead  and  gone.  It  resulted  in  Oak- 
dale,  particulars  of  which  will  be  given  hereafter. 

About  this  time,  the  first  newspaper  was  established  in  Davenport.  It  was 
called  the  Iowa  Sun.     Andrew  Logan  was  editor  and  proprietor.     He  worked 


480  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

hard  to  bring  the  town  into  notice,  with  his  puffs  and  marvelous  stories  of  our 
prohfic  soil.  On  my  claim  was  a  little  piece  of  ground,  some  four  or  five  acres, 
which  had  been  broken  up  and  fenced  before  I  bought.  That  I  immediately 
planted  and  raised  the  best  garden  in  the  county.  The  two  lads,  my  brothers, 
Lewis  and  David,  seeing  the  wonderful  accounts  in  the  Iowa  Sun  of  the  produc- 
tions of  other  parts  of  the  county,  determined  to  outdo  them.  We  raised  in 
those  days  that  king  of  potatoes,  the  Neshenocks.  It  was  a  large  potato,  with 
numerous  prongs.  Selecting  some  half  dozen  of  the  largest,  the  boys  fastened 
them  together  with  dowels,  or  wooden  pins.  When  I  came  home  at  night  they 
brought  it  to  me. 

"See  what  we  dug  today!"  they  said.  "Don't  that  beat  anything  the  Iowa 
Sun  has  published?" 

I  replied,  "I  think  it  does.    What  a  monster !" 

I  was  completely  "sold."  I  said  I  would  take  it  up  in  the  morning  and  give  it 
to  Mr.  Logan.  The  next  issue  of  the  Iowa  Sun  did  full  justice  to  the  wonderful 
production,  defying  any  other  soil  to  produce  its  equal.  The  editor  said  if  any 
one  thought  it  an  exaggeration,  the  skeptic  could  call  and  see  the  monster,  as  it 
was  hanging  up  in  his  office,  where  he  should  keep  it  a  few  weeks  on  exhibition, 
after  which  he  proposed  to  try  its  eating  qualities.  About  two  weeks  later,  dur- 
ing which  time  the  prize  potato  had  been  examined  by  hundreds,  our  fellow  citi- 
zen, John  Forrest,  took  hold  of  it,  and  noticed  that  one  prong  was  wrong  end 
foremost.  So  he  pulled  it  apart  and  the  trick  was  exposed.  Had  the  boys  not 
made  that  mistake  the  potato  would  doubtless  have  been  cooked  before  the  joke 
was  discovered.  It  created  a  vast  amount  of  fun  and  a  big  laugh  at  the  expense 
of  the  Iowa  Sun.  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Logan  abstained  from  eating  potatoes  for 
over  a  month. 

After  the  discovery,  Mr.  Forrest  hastened  up  town  to  my  store.  He  said : 
"Burrows,  they  have  a  big  joke  on  you  down  town  about  that  big  potato."  He 
then  told  me  what  had  occurred.  I  told  him  I  was  "sold"  with  the  rest,  for  I 
knew  nothing  about  it.  He  advised  me  to  keep  away  from  Logan  for  a  few  days, 
or  I  would  lose  my  scalp. 

In  looking  over  the  "Annals  of  Iowa"  to  refresh  my  memory,  I  saw  an  article 
on  the  Rev.  Michael  Hummer,  who  was  a  very  early  settler  and,  I  beheve,  taught 
a  private  school  or  academy  in  Stephenson,  now  Rock  Island  city,  Illinois,  in 
1838.  In  the  spring  of  1839  he  received  a  call  from  the  Presbyterian  church  in 
Davenport,  just  organized,  to  preach  for  them  for  six  months,  which  he  accepted. 
He  was  a  very  talented  man  and  was  considered,  for  years,  the  ablest  clergyman 
in  the  state ;  but  he  was  very  peculiar.  He  possessed  a  high  temper  and  did  not 
hesitate  to  show  it  if  occasion  required. 

After  fulfilling  his  appointment  with  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Davenport, 
the  Rev.  Hummer  accepted  a  call  to  the  Presbyterian  church  in  Iowa  City.  While 
occupying  that  position  he  was  sent  east  to  solicit  aid  for  a  church  they  were 
about  to  erect.  Among  other  donations  he  procured  a  church  bell  which  was 
brought  out  and  properly  hung  in  the  church  steeple.  After  some  time  he  and 
the  congregation  falling  out,  in  his  imperious  style  he  claimed  possession  of  the 
bell  as  his  property,  which  claim  the  church  contested.  The  Rev.  Hummer  left 
Iowa  City  and  went  to  Keokuk.    After  a  good  deal  of  wrangling  he  appeared  in 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  481 

Iowa  City,  one  day,  with  a  wagon  and  ladder  and,  going  to  the  church  with  the 
aid  of  his  ladder  he  succeeded  in  getting  into  the  steeple  and,  unfastening  the 
bell,  lowered  it  into  the  wagon.  The  citizens  immediately  took  the  ladder  down 
and  drove  his  team  away  with  the  bell,  which  they  hid  in  the  Iowa  river,  leaving 
the  Rev.  Hummer  to  his  meditations  in  the  steeple.  So  many  persons  have  in- 
quired of  me  about  this  affair  that  I  thought  it  would  be  interesting  to  weave  the 
facts  into  this  narrative.    I  copy  from  the  "Annals  of  Iowa :" 

The  future  historian  of  Johnson  county  will,  doubtless,  devote  at  least  one 
chapter  to  that  talented  but  most  unscrupulous  individual,  yclept  the  Rev.  Michael 
Hummer,  with  whom,  in  the  minds  of  the  oldest  inhabitants  of  Iowa  City,  his 
bell  is  so  inseparably  connected. 

That  bell,  famed  both  in  caricature  and  story,  as  the  highly  prized  jewel  of 
Hummer,  so  singularly  abducted  and  so  secretly  and  securely  concealed,  was  the 
subject  of  some  hastily  written  versicles  entitled  "Hummer's  Bell,"  that  at  the 
time  attained  considerable  popularity,  not  so  much,  perhaps,  from  any  intrinsic 
merit  of  their  own,  as  from  the  incident  that  gave  rise  to  them. 

The  first  copy  of  the  brochure  was  given  by  me  to  Stephen  Whicher,  Esq., 
who,  upon  his  own  volition,  had  a  number  privately  printed  and  circulated  in 
which,  greatly  to  my  annoyance,  several  changes  and  interpolations  appeared, 
totally  at  variance  with  the  original;  and  as  it  is  extremely  doubtful  whether 
a  correct  and  perfect  copy  can,  at  this  time,  be  found,  I  have  thought  it  might 
be  sufficiently  interesting,  as  one  of  the  reminiscences  of  former  years,  to  have 
"Hummer's  Bell,"  like  the  fly  preserved  in  amber,  embalmed  in  the  pages  of  the 
Annals  of  Iowa. 

A  part  of  the  first  verse  was  the  improvisation  of  the  Hon.  John  P.  Cook, 
the  legal  vocalist  of  the  day,  who,  upon  hearing  a  ludicrous  story  of  the 
bell's  departure,  broke  out  in  song  to  the  infinite  merriment  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  bar  present  and,  in  his  sonorous  and  mellifluent  tones,  sang  the  first 
six  lines,  to  the  well  known  popular  air  of  "Moore's  Evening  Bells."  Stephen 
Whicher,  Esq.,  who  made  one  of  the  merry  company,  carefully  noted  down  the 
fragmentary  carol  and,  meeting  me  soon  afterward,  earnestly  solicited  me  to 
complete  the  song,  as  he  termed  it.  His  request  was  immediately  complied  with 
and  in  a  few  moments  the  whole  versified  story  of  the  bell  was  tol-d  in  an  im- 
promptu production,  of  which  I  append  a  copy,  verbatim  et  literatum.  from  the 
original  manuscript  now  lying  before  me  and  which  has  never  been  out  of  my 
possession : 

hummer's  bell. 

Ah.  Hummer's  bell !   Ah,  Hummer's  bell ! 
How  many  a  tale  of  woe  'twould  tell 
Of  Hummer  driving  up  to  town. 
To  take  the  brazen  jewel  down. 
And  when  high  up  in  his  belfre-e. 
They  moved  the  ladder,  yes,  sir-e-e ; 
Thus,  while  he  towered  aloft,  they  say 
The  bell  took  wings  and  flew  away. 


482  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Ah,  Hummer's  bell!    Ah,  Hummer's  bell! 

The  bard  thy  history  shall  tell ; 

How  at  the  east,  by  Hummer's  sleight, 

Donation,  gift  and  widow's  mite, 

Made  up  the  sum  that  purchased  thee, 

And  placed  him  in  the  ministry. 

But  funds  grew  low  while  dander  riz ; 

Thy  clapper  stopped,  and  so  did  his. 

Ah,  Hummer's  bell !    Ah,  Hummer's  bell ! 
We've  heard  thy  last,  thy  funeral  knell ; 
And  what  an  aching  void  is  left — 
Of  bell  and  Hummer  both  bereft. 
Thou,  deeply  sunk  in  running  stream, 
Him  in  a  Swedenborgian  dream. 
Both  are  submerged — both,  to  our  cost. 
Alike  to  sense  and  reason  lost. 

Ah,  Hummer's  bell !    Ah,  Hummer's  bell ! 

Hidden  unwisely,  but  too  well ; 

Alas,  thou'rt  gone  I    Thy  silvery  tone 

No  more  responds  to  Hummer's  groan. 

But  yet  remains  one  source  of  hope. 

For  Hummer  left  a  fine  bell-rope, 

Which  may  be  used,  if  such  our  luck. 

To  noose  our  friend  at  Keokuk.  W.  H.  T. 

I  was  well  acquainted  with  Mr.  Hummer  when  he  lived  in  Davenport  and 
always  had  a  great  deal  of  charity  for  him.  as  I  always  thought  him  non  compos 
mentis.  When  he  left  Iowa  City  he  moved  to  Keokuk  and,  after  creating  a 
great  deal  of  excitement  in  propagating  his  views  on  spiritualism,  which  he  em- 
braced in  his  latter  days,  he  became  so  unpopular'  that  he  went  to  Missouri,  not 
far  from  Kansas  City,  since  which  time  I  have  lost  track  of  him  but  have 
been  told  he  is  dead.  The  celebrated  bell,  I  understand,  has  been  recovered  from 
the  sands  of  the  Iowa  river  and  is  now  in  possession  of  the  Mormons,  at  Salt 
Lake. 

I  will  mention  one  little  incident  that  occurred  in  1840,  showing  the  diffi- 
culties and  hardships  of  those  very  early  days.  Female  hired  help  was  not  to  be 
obtained.  I  assisted  my  wife  all  I  could — probably  did  as  much  house  work  as 
she  did.  She  was  not  strong  and  was  unaccustomed  to  such  work.  In  July  my 
son,  Elisha,  was  born.  We  had  no  help  but  had  been  looking  for  a  girl  for 
months.  Mrs.  John  Owens  and  Mrs.  Ebenezer  Cook,  one  living  a  mile  above 
and  the  other  a  mile  below  our  house,  took  turns  in  taking  care  of  my  wife  and 
the  child,  one  during  the  daytime  and  the  other  at  night ;  but  they  had  to  neglect 
their  own  families  to  do  so.  I  knew  this  state  of  things  could  not  last  and 
determined  to  find  help  at  any  cost.     Having  no  clerk  yet  in  my  store  I  was 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  483 

obliged  to  lock  it  up  and  with  the  key  in  my  pocket  rode  three  days  all  over  the 
county,  in  search  of  a  girl. 

The  first  day  I  went  up  to  LeQaire,  canvassing  Pleasant  Valley  thoroughly, 
but  with  no  success.  The  next  day  I  rode  through  the  southern  part  of  the 
county  and  Blue  Grass,  as  far  as  there  was  any  settlement,  but  all  in  vain.  On 
this  trip  I  was  told  there  was  a  family  in  Walnut  Grove  where  there  were  two 
grown  daughters  who,  it  was  understood,  sometimes  went  to  nurse  sick  neigh- 
bors. I  determined  to  go  there  and,  on  leaving  home  the  third  day,  told  the 
ladies  that  if  I  did  not  get  back  that  night  they  need  not  be  alarmed,  as  I  would 
not  return  without  help.  When  I  reached  Walnut  Grove,  at  about  1 1  -.30  in  the 
morning,  I  found  the  coziest  and  neatest  farm  house  I  had  yet  seen  in  the  terri- 
tory and  Mrs.  Heller,  with  two  full-grown,  healthy  looking  daughters,  all  as 
neat  as  wax.  The  house  was  better  furnished  than  any  I  had  seen.  The  window- 
curtains  and  bedspread  were  as  white  as  the  driven  snow.  The  floors  shone  like 
silver.  I  introduced  myself  and  made  known  my  business.  I  told  Mrs.  Heller 
my  situation  was  desperate — that  I  had  come  for  one  of  her  daughters  and 
would  not  go  away  without  one.  She  said  she  would  leave  the  matter  altogether 
with  their  father,  who  was  at  work  in  the  field,  half  a  mile  away.  She  invited 
me  to  sit  down  and  wait  until  he  came  in  to  dinner,  which  would  be  in  about  half 
an  hour.  But  I  said :  "My  business  is  too  important  to  admit  of  delay.  I  will 
go  to  the  field."  I  found  Mr.  Heller  cradling  wheat  and  not  a  stranger,  as  I 
supposed,  for  when  we  met  we  recognized  each  other,  having  been  on  a  jury 
together  a  few  months  before.  I  told  my  story  in  as  few  words  as  possible.  He 
hung  his  cradle  on  the  fence  and  we  went  to  the  house,  as  it  was  about  dinner 
time.  He  said  he  would  like  to  help  me  out  of  my  trouble ;  that  they  were  work- 
ing hard  to  open  a  farm  and  he  was  not  able  to  do  much  for  his  daughters,  and 
whatever  they  earned  they  had  to  clothe  themselves  with ;  but  they  never  had 
gone  away  from  home  except  to  help  sick  neighbors  sometimes.  He  knew  from 
what  he  had  seen  of  me  that  I  would  treat  them  well,  and  he  would  be  glad  to 
have  one  of  them  go  with  me  to  relieve  me.  When  we  arrived  at  the  house  he 
told  his  daughters  what  I  wanted  and  that  it  would  please  him  if  one  of  them 
would  go  with  me.  The  youngest  one  spoke  up  and  said.  "I  will  go."  and  I  was 
happy.  She  returned  with  me  and  lived  in  my  family  seven  years,  until  she  mar- 
ried. My  wife  and  myself  always  looked  upon  her  as  a  sister  or  a  child.  She 
married  one  of  the  most  respectable  men  of  the  day.  an  owner  of  a  good  farm  and 
a  member  of  the  state  legislature.  They  are  both  living  in  Davenport  at  the 
present  time.    That  young  woman  is  now  (in  1888)  nearly  seventy  years  old. 

The  times  were  very  hard  then,  and  for  some  years  after.  Our  land  had 
just  been  brought  into  market  by  the  government  and  all  the  money  in  the  country 
went  into  the  land  office.  Some  of  our  best  farmers  paid  fifty  per  cent  for 
money  to  enter  their  lands  and  were  kept  poor  for  years  paying  interest.  Mean- 
while they  used  all  the  money  they  could  get  hold  of  to  break,  fence  and  stock 
their  farms,  spending  as  little  as  they  could  with  the  merchant,  and  what  trading 
they  did  was  generally  on  a  year's  credit. 

No  one  can  realize  the  difficulties  of  doing  a  produce  business  in  those  days. 
We  had  no  railroads.  Everything  had  to  be  moved  by  water  and.  of  course,  had 
to  be  held  all  winter.     To  keep  up  with  the  rapid  growth  of  the  country  and 


484  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

provide  for  the  surplus  required  not  only  money  and  credit  but,  what  in  those 
days  was  more  important  than  either,  nerve. 

In  the  year  1841  I  saw  the  amount  of  wheat  and  pork  was  going  to  be  double 
as  much  as  ever  before,  and  I  was  very  solicitous  as  to  what  I  should  do  with 
it.  I  saw  in  the  St.  Louis  Republican  that  the  government  invited  proposals  for 
furnishing  Fort  Snelling  and  Fort  Crawford  with  a  year's  supply  of  pork,  flour, 
beans,  soap,  vinegar,  candles  and  numerous  other  articles.  I  considered  the  mat- 
ter and  could  think  of  no  reason  why  Scott  county  could  not  furnish  the  pork, 
flour,  beans,  etc.,  as  well  as  St.  Louis,  which  had  furnished  them  heretofore.  So 
I  decided  to  put  in  a  bid,  if  I  could  find  any  one  to  go  on  my  bonds,  which  were 
heavy.  I  interviewed  Mr.  LeClaire  and  Colonel  Davenport,  and  told  them  what 
I  was  thinking  of.  If  I  could  accomplish  it  and  get  a  contract  and  fill  it  from 
home  production,  it  would  be  a  grand  thing  for  both  the  town  and  the  county,  and 
be  a  means  of  circulating  a  good  deal  of  money,  of  which  the  people  at  that 
time  we're  sadly  in  need.  Those  gentlemen,  always  ready  and  anxious  to  do 
anything  that  would  settle  up  and  advance  the  prosperity  of  the  country,  were 
much  pleased  with  my  suggestion  and  said  they  would  stand  by  me.  I  put  in 
bids  for  both  forts,  referring  as  to  my  responsibility  to  Colonel  Davenport  and 
Antoine  LeClaire.  As  I  was  going  to  Cincinnati  I  wrote  to  them  that  if  my  bids 
were  accepted  to  address  me  there,  as  I  wished  to  purchase  in  that  market  such 
supplies  as  could  not  be  procured  at  home.  On  my  arrival  I  found  a  communica- 
tion from  the  department  at  Washington,  saying  that  my  bid  for  Fort  Snelling 
had  been  accepted.  On  my  return  home  I  found  that  John  Atchison,  who  had 
been  the  successful  contractor  of  both  forts  for  two  or  three  years  previous, 
had  been  in  town  three  days  awaiting  ray  return.  I  got  home  about  dark.  My 
wife  told  me  that  Ebenezer  Cook  had  left  word  that  I  had  better  avoid  meeting 
Atchison  until  I  had  seen  Cook;  so  after  supper  I  walked  down  to  Mr.  Cook's 
house,  about  a  mile  on  the  Rockingham  road.  He  informed  me  that  Atchison 
was  very  a,nxious  to  buy  me  out.  He  did  not  care  about  furnishing  the  supplies 
so  much  as  he  did  for  the  transportation.  The  Atchison  Brothers  owned  the 
largest  and  most  magnificent  steamboat  on  the  upper  Mississippi,  called  the 
"Amaranth."  They  had  been  very  successful  in  controlling  both  the  government's 
and  the  Fur  Company's  freight  and  my  success  was  a  great  surprise  to  them.  In 
the  morning  Atchison  made  his  appearance.  I  refused  to  sell,  telling  him  my 
only  object  in  taking  the  contract  was  to  make  an  outlet  for  my  winter  accumula- 
tion. After  talking  the  matter  over  all  day  I  sold  out  on  these  conditions :  he  to 
pay  me  a  bonus  of  $2,500,  cash  down ;  I  to  furnish  the  flour,  pork  and 
beans,  for  which  he  was  to  pay  me  contract  price,  less  the  transportation,  and 
pay  me  cash  down  on  delivery  to  his  boat,  the  next  June,  the  time  specified  by 
the  government.  I  now  went  to  work  hauling  my  wheat  to  Rockingham  mill  and 
scouring  the  country  for  hogs.  My  cooperage — pork,  flour  and  bean  barrels — 
I  had  all  manufactured  at  home,  giving  employment  to  a  number  of  coopers. 
This,  with  the  money  I  had  received  from  Atchison  and  scattered  among  the  farm- 
ers for  hogs,  wheat,  beans,  etc.,  gave  our  little  village  and  the  county  a  decided 
boom. 

About  this  time  there  was  a  prospect  of  brighter  days.  Our  German  fellow 
citizens  began  to  come  to  Davenport  in  large  numbers  and  many  of  them  possessed 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  487 

a  good  deal  of  money,  which  the  country  sadly  needed.  They  entered  large  tracts 
of  land,  which  they  immediately  improved.  This  year  (1851}  the  cholera  pre- 
vailed in  Davenport  and  many  of  the  German  immigrants  had  ship  fever  among 
them.  They  came  by  the  way  of  New  Orleans ;  every  steamboat  landing  at  our 
wharf  left  some.  There  was  much  excitement  on  account  of  the  cholera.  Many 
of  our  best  citizens  were  dying.  A  man  would  be  well  at  bedtime  and  dead  before 
morning.  Many  immigrants  could  not  get  shelter  and  Burrows  &  Prettyman 
threw  open  their  pork  house  and  warehouse  for  use  until  the  immigrants  could  put 
up  shanties  on  the  prairie.  Many  men.  now  wealthy  farmers,  occupied  our  build- 
ings until  they  could  do  better;  among  these  I  remember  M.  J.  Rohlfs,  since 
then  treasurer  of  Scott  county  for  ten  years;  also  N.  J.  Rusch,  afterward  state 
senator  and  lieutenant-governor  of  Iowa.  I  always  have  had  a  warm  feeling  for 
the  Germans  for  their  help  in  settling  up  Scott  county,  when  help  was  so  much 
needed.  It  is  astonishing  to  see  what  they  have  accomplished.  You  can  find  scarcely 
a  German  farmer  who  is  not  wealthy.  The  banks  of  Davenport  contain  about 
$6,000,000  of  deposits  (which,  I  believe,  is  as  much  as  all  the  rest  of  the  state 
claims  to  have),  and  half  of  the  money  is  owned  by  Germans. 

In  the  fall  of  1845,  after  navigation  was  closed  on  the  river,  I  found  it  would 
be  necessary  for  me  to  go  to  St.  Louis.  Prettyman  said  our  sales  had  been  large 
and  we  would  be  out  of  many  leading  articles  before  spring,  and  if  I  could  man- 
age to  get  them  here  he  wished  I  would  buy  some.  I  told  him  to  make  up  a  list 
of  dry  goods  such  as  he  needed,  about  a  wagon  load,  and  I  would  bring  them  up. 
I  went  over  to  Beardstown,  on  the  Illinois  river,  by  stage,  and  down  the  Illinois 
and  Mississippi  rivers  by  steamboat,  to  St.  Louis.  In  St.  Louis,  after  my  busi- 
ness was  transacted,  I  purchased  Mr.  Prettyman's  bill  of  goods  and  shipped  them 
by  the  river  to  Keokuk,  as  the  boat  was  to  go  no  farther.  We  did  not  get  there  on 
account  of  ice,  but  the  boat  landed  us  four  miles  below,  at  a  small  town  called 
Warsaw,  on  the  Illinois  shore.  When  we  left  St.  Louis  it  was  dark  and  I  did  not 
see  any  one  I  knew  on  the  boat.  The  first  thing  I  did  in  the  morning,  after  break- 
fast, was  to  take  a  walk  on  the  guards  to  get  fresh  air.  I  soon  heard  familiar 
voices  on  the  deck  below  and  on  going  down  saw  seven  young  men  from  Pleasant 
Valley,  customers  of  ours,  among  whom  I  can  only  remember  George  Hawley  and 
two  of  the  Fenno  boys.  They  had  been  down  to  St.  Louis  with  two  flat-boats 
loaded  with  onions,  and  were  then  in  a  dilemma  as  to  how  they  w^ere  to  get  home. 
They  \v'anted  to  know  what  I  was  going  to  do.  I  told  them  I  should  hire  a  team 
to  haul  my  goods,  and  would  ride  on  the  wagon.  When  the  boat  landed  us  I 
found  and  hired  a  team.  The  boys  wanted  me  to  let  them  put  on  their  baggage. 
The  teamster  said  it  would  overload  us ;  but  they  were  so  anxious,  and  being  good 
customers  of  ours.  I  told  the  teamster  if  he  would  carry  their  baggage  I  would 
walk  with  the  men. 

We  reached  Carthage,  the  county  seat,  at  noon,  and  stopped  and  got  dinner. 
by  which  time  a  heavy  storm  of  rain  and  sleet  set  in.  The  men  wanted  to  lay 
over  until  the  next  day.  but  I  insisted  upon  pushing  on ;  so  we  all  put  out  during 
the  afternoon  and  traveled  until  dark,  when  we  put  up  at  a  farm  house.  I  over- 
heard the  boys,  in  the  afternoon,  saying  I  could  not  stand  it  long — that  they  would 
soon  have  "my  hide  on  the  fence."  I  thought  to  myself.  "We  shall  see."  We 
started  out  next  morning  in  a  snow-storm,  calculating  to  make  Monmouth  that 


488  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

night.  When  we  got  within  five  or  six  miles  of  that  place  the  men  began  to  give 
out,  saying  they  could  travel  no  farther.  George  Hawley  and  myself  were  the 
only  ones  to  get  through,  which  we  did  about  9  o'clock  that  night.  I  hired  the 
landlord  to  send  out  a  two-horse  wagon  and  pick  up  the  other  men  and  bring 
them  in.  He  found  them  scattered  along  the  road  for  miles,  completely  exhausted. 
I  said  nothing  but  wondered  whose  hides  ornamented  the  fence.  The  next  day 
we  arrived  home  safely,  having  walked  the  whole  distance  in  a  heavy  storm,  all 
travel-worn,  sore  and  weary.  It  was  about  as  hard  a  trip  as  the  one  I  made  from 
Prairie  du  Chien  to  Dubuque  some  years  before. 

I  had  been  packing  considerable  pork  for  a  few  years  and  I  sold  it  mostly  to 
the  Fur  Company  and  to  parties  filling  Indian  contracts.  The  wheat  I  handled, 
from  1840  to  1845,  that  1  did  not  get  made  into  flour.  I  bought  on  commission 
for  a  large  mill  in  Cincinnati — C.  S.  Bradbury  &  Company.  Our  business  had 
now  (1847)  become  well  established,  large  amounts  of  produce  coming  in  from 
the  counties  of  Cedar,  Linn,  Jones,  Qinton  and  Jackson.  Our  store  was  well 
patronized  and  we  hardly  ever  closed  until  midnight.  In  the  forenoons  the 
farmers  in  our  county,  from  the  Groves  and  points  within  a  circuit  of  ten  or 
fifteen  miles,  would  come  in  with  their  grain,  etc.,  and  by  the  time  they  had  un- 
loaded and  done  their  trading,  another  section  would  begin  to  arrive  from  Clinton 
and  Cedar  counties  and  the  territory  still  farther  distant — a  big  day's  travel — 
and  would  not  all  get  in  until  near  bedtime.  They  wanted  to  unload  and  do  their 
trading,  so  as  to  start  home  early  next  morning,  that  they  might  reach  home  the 
same  day.    This  made  our  business  very  laborious. 

One  of  the  enterprises  in  which  I  w^as  interested  and  which  I  recall  with  satis- 
faction because  it  will  be  a  permanent  benefit  to  the  city  of  Davenport,  is  the 
establishment  of  Oakdale  cemetery ;  and  I  propose  to  devote  this  chapter  to  a 
history  of  the  undertaking,  that  the  facts,  never  before  all  stated  correctly,  may 
be  put  on  record. 

Some  time  after  all  the  land  in  this  section  was  supposed  to  be  entered,  I 
heard  that  the  eighty-acre  tract  where  Oakdale  is  situated  had  been  overlooked. 
This  was  about  1845.  I  think.  I  sent  up  to  the  Dubuque  land  office  and  entered 
the  tract.  A  year  later  I  sold  it  to  John  ^^lullen,  an  Irish  drayman,  for  $5  an 
acre.  About  ten  years  later  (in  1856)  some  half-dozen  gentlemen  and  myself 
agreed  that  Davenport  ought  to  have  better  accommodations  for  her  dead — some- 
thing that  would  be  an  honor  to  the  city  in  years  to  come.  The  City  cemetery 
was  inadequate,  besides  being  badly  situated.  Pine  Hill  was  a  private  specula- 
tion, which  we  did  not  approve.  We  organized  a  company  and  looked  about  for 
suitable  grounds.  After  thorough  examination  we  selected  the  ground  now  called 
Oakdale  and  bought  half  of  it  (forty  acres)  back  from  John  Mullen,  paying  him 
$100  an  acre.  George  B.  Sargent  and  myself  contributed  the  largest  amounts. 
The  company  also  borrowed  $1,250  from  some  one  in  the  east.  When  we  bought 
Mullen's  forty  acres,  land  near  the  city  was  high.  Davenport  was  having  a 
"boom."  As  we  could  not  be  incorporated  until  the  legislature  met,  which  would 
be  two  years,  the  directors  had  Mullen  deed  the  land  back  to  me  and  I  held  it  for 
the  company  until  the  legislature  met,  when  I  conveyed  it  to  the  company.  We 
employed  an  expert  landscape  gardener,  of  Washington.  D.  C,  to  lay  out  the 
cemetery  and  paid  him  $500  for  his  work.    He  had  planned  and  laid  out  some  of 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  489 

the  finest  cemeteries  in  the  United  States.  The  first  two  or  three  years  our 
company  was  very  much  embarassed.  We  were  passing  through  the  hard  times 
of  1858-59  and  were  hard  put  to  it  to  collect  money  for  Aecessary  expenses. 
The  loan  of  $1,250  had  to  be  paid,  as  the  lender  threatened  to  foreclose.  George 
B.  Sargent  and  myself  each  loaned  the  company  $500.  The  remaining  $250 
Antoine  LeClaire,  at  my  solicitation,  loaned  us,  I  giving  him  my  individual  note 
for  the  money,  as  he  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  company.  1  believe  the 
affairs  of  the  company  have  been  very  prpsperous  for  several  years. 

Oakdale  is  a  beautiful  place  and  will,  from  year  to  year,  become  much  more 
beautiful.  All  moneys  received  from  sale  of  lots,  with  the  exception  of  necessary 
expenses,  are  to  be  spent  in  beautifying  and  improving  the  grounds.  The  orig- 
inator and  the  most  indefatigable  man  in  pushing  this  enterprise  was  William 
H.  F.  Gurley,  Esq.,  long  since  dead,  and  who  sleeps,  I  believe,  in  the  cemetery 
at  Washington,  D.  C. 

REV.    JOHN    O.    FOSTER    ON    EARLY   DAYS. 

When  an  old-timer  begins  to  spin  his  yarns,  people  often  say,  "Let  him 
alone,  poor  fellow!  He  can't  well  help  it,  and  if  it  will  do  him  any  good,  just 
let  him  go  on ;  it  will  not  hurt  us."  Now  that  is  very  kind,  and  if  you  will  listen 
to  the  story  for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  are  not  interested,  throw  the  article 
aside  and  read  something  else. 

"Black  Hawk  Purchase!"  Whew!  How  that  brings  up  old  memories 
Yes,  father  got  the  fever  in  1837,  and  he  talked  about  it  day  and  night  for 
nearly  a  year.  Then,  in  the  spring  of  1838,  as  soon  as  the  grass  was  large  enough 
for  the  teams,  long  lines  of  prairie  schooners  started  for  the  Far  West  though 
Indiana  was  also  the  far  west  at  that  time,  but  neighbors  were  getting  too  thick 
around  Michigan  City.  Indiana,  and  father  decided  to  move  to  the  Mississippi. 

The  battle  of  Bad  Axe,  Wisconsin,  had  settled  the  controversy  with  the  In- 
dians, and  the  whole  land  once  belonging  to  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  was  thrown 
open  for  settlers. 

The  rush  for  the  new  lands  was  nothing  like  the  tremendous  boom  of  late 
years  when  new  territories  are  opened,  but  for  that  day  there  was  some  excite- 
ment not  to  be  overlooked.  The  route  lay,  as  we  afterward  learned,  through 
Joliet,  Ills. ;  thence  over  the  long,  bleak  prairie,  without  the  sign  of  habitation 
for  miles  and  miles,  save  at  certain  crossings  of  rivers,  like  that  at  Dixon,  where, 
if  the  waters  were  low  enough,  the  streams  were  sure  to  be  forded;  if  not  then 
the  new  ferry  was  used,  for  which  great  prices  were  charged.  In  due  time  our 
new  home  was  made  on  the  shore  of  the  Father  of  Waters,  about  two  miles 
below  the  town  of  Port  Byron,  Ills.  There  the  strong  arms  of  the  new  comers 
soon  threw  up  comfortable  homes  for  the  families  destined  to  settle  there  and 
begin  the  battle  of  life  for  subsistence.  And  it  was  a  battle  and  no  mistake,  for 
every  thing  edible,  such  as  salt,  sugar,  tea  and  coffee,  and  all  articles  of  cloth- 
ing, were  held  at  exorbitant  prices.  At  our  late  home  in  Indiana  game  had  been 
somewhat  plentiful,  but  here  it  had  been  so  generally  killed  off  that  there  was 
no  great  supply  left.  When  you  talk  about  fish,  then  the  waters  of  the  upper 
rapids,  as  this  part  of  the  river  was  known,  could  furnish  enough  to  supply  the 


490  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

nation.  I  have  been  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  straits  of  the  great 
lakes,  and  have  fished  in  the  pools  for  bullheads  when  they  were  so  plentiful  that 
a  tubful  would  not  bring  a  dollar,  but  to  describe  the  abundance  of  fish  in  this 
mighty  stream  at  that  time  would  stagger  the  credulity  of  any  common  be- 
liever. Think  of  a  sixty-pound  catfish,  a  ten-pound  bass,  a  pike  four  feet  long, 
and  a  muskellunge — well,  no  matter  if  he  was  never  weighed  or  measured, 
for  he  was  big  enough  and  good  enough  for  any  of  the  friends  of  Isaac  Walton 
to  admire.  Father  set  a  trout  line  one  night  below  the  mill,  and  next  day  had 
fish  enough  to  supply  the  neighborhood.  On  a  hot  summer  evening  we  used  to 
go  down  to  the  bank  and  see  the  great  fish  jump  up  after  flies,  and  it  was  a 
sight  which  has  never  faded  from  my  memory.  Hundreds  of  great,  gamy  fish 
made  this  their  feeding  time,  and  when  the  water  was  a  little  low,  the  sight  was 
marvelous.  It  may  be  that  something  of  the  scene  of  other  days  may  now  and 
then  appear,  but  the  wanton  slaughter  of  fish  has  gone  on  so  long  that  they  have 
become  scarce  in  these  later  years. 

It  was  a  bright  day  in  1840  when  the  great  flat  boat,  a  sort  of  scow,  anchored 
just  before  our  home,  and  the  belongings  of  the  family  were  put  on  board  and 
we  pushed  off  for  the  other  side  of  the  river,  into  Iowa  territory.  That  short 
voyage  of  a  few  miles  made  a  deep  impression  on  my  young  mind,  for,  like  all 
other  boys,  I  had  a  great  liking  for  boats  and  this  one,  the  Young  Hickory 
was  a  model.  It  was  the  year  of  the  presidential  campaign  of  William  Henry 
Harrison,  and  as  he  was  called  "Old  Hickory,"  it  was  well  to  name  this  boat 
Young  Hickory.  We  landed  in  Scott  county,  and  made  our  home  in  a  beautiful 
grove  about  ten  miles  northwest  of  Davenport.  The  little  stream  that  ran 
through  the  grove  seemed  large  enough  for  a  mill-site,  and  here  it  was  de- 
termined to  build  a  mill.  But  there  were  not  enough  inhabitants  to  support  such 
an  expensive  undertaking,  and  so  father  sold  out. 

A  call  came  from  a  place  called  Rockingham,  on  the  river  just  below  Davenport, 
where  there  was  a  mill  owned  by  Sullivan  &  Moyer,  who  wanted  a  steady  black- 
smith to  whom  steady  employment  would  be  given.  That  was  just  the  opening 
for  father,  and  teams  soon  conveyed  us  to  the  place.  But  like  many  other  new 
towns,  there  was  not  a  house  to  be  had,  not  a  shanty  to  be  rented.  To  be  com- 
pelled to  build  a  home  on  such  short  notice  was  something  of  a  task,  for,  unlike 
many  other  places,  there  was  no  timber  at  hand,  lumber  was  expensive,  car- 
penters were  not  to  be  had,  and  the  men  at  the  mill  wanted  the  blacksmith  to  go 
to  work  immediately.  That  great  steam  saw  and  gristmill  was  something  of  a 
curiosity  in  the  mighty  west.  It  was  probably  the  largest  of  its  kind  on  the  river 
north  of  St.  Louis.  It  was  a  large  building,  not  far  from  the  bank  of  the  river 
designed  to  saw  logs  or  grind  the  grists  of  the  farmers  and  do  a  general  milling 
business.  The  proprietors  had  spent  thousands  of  dollars  in  the  plant  and,  for 
some  reason,  the  sawmill  part  of  the  works  was  not  a  success,  probably  as  no  good 
anchorage  for  logs  could  be  made  on  that  shore. 

Father  thought  it  best  to  call  on  the  proprietors  as  soon  as  possible  and 
secure  the  proflPered  employment.  He  was  pretty  closely  examined,  as  the  head 
man  wanted  one  who  could  do  almost  anything  in  the  blacksmith  line  from  mak- 
ing a  horseshoe  nail  to  mending  or  reconstructing  any  of  the  complicated  machin- 
ery.    He  was  taken  through  the  mill  and  shown  all  the  parts.     The  new  motor 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  491 

force  of  steam  was  fully  explained,  and  he  was  assured  that  a  man  who  could 
meet  any  special  emergency  when  a  break-down  occurred,  would  find  steady  em- 
ployment at  $1.50  a  day.  Father  did  not  tell  them  that  he  had  studied  steam 
power  from  the  day  he  saw  Robert  Fulton  launch  the  Clermont,  the  first  steam- 
boat ever  made,  or  that  he  was  present  at  the  foot  of  Fulton  street.  New  York, 
when  the  boat  started  oflF  upon  her  maiden  trip  for  Albany,  and  the  application 
of  steam  power  to  boats  was  an  accomplished  fact.  He  had  long-  desired  a 
chance  to  see  and  work  in  machinery  of  this  kind,  for  he  had  constructed  a  model 
locomotive  in  1831  at  Rob  Roy,  Ind.,  that  was  large  enough  to  pull  two  men 
over  the  circular  track  laid  within  his  large  blacksmith  shop.  The  history  of 
that  first  locomotive  this  side  of  the  state  of  Massachusetts  I  have  lately  put  in 
print. 

So  John  I.  Foster  secured  the  job  of  blacksmith  and  general  repairer  of 
broken  machinery  for  Sullivan  &  Moyer  in  the  town  of  Rockingham,  in  the 
county  of  Scott,  Iowa  territory.  That  same  town  was  the  county  seat  of  Scott 
county  at  that  time,  and  there  was  a  young  earthquake  coming  on,  the  mutter- 
ings  of  which  were  only  a  shade  less  than  a  cyclone.  Davenport  was  the  can- 
didate for  the  permanent  county  seat,  and  Rockingham  declared  she  would  fight 
for  her  rights  to  the  death.  The  mill  men  saw  in  the  movement  the  ruin  of 
their  business.  The  store  keepers  declared  the  change  would  bring  disaster  to 
them.  The  farmers  were  content  to  go  to  Rockingham  for  their  grists,  and  Dav- 
enport had  not  a  corn  cracker  in  its  neighborhood,  and  why  should  the  county 
seat  be  moved  ?    There  really  was  no  call  for  the  action. 

But  there  was  one  argument  more  powerful  than  all  else  combined  and  this 
was  the  theme  on  which  Davenport  had  determined  to  win.  Back  of  Rocking- 
ham there  was  a  swamp,  a  big,  deep  morass,  and  when  the  river  was  high, 
there  was  no  way  to  get  to  the  bluffs.  The  city  authorities  saw  the  point,  turned 
out  en  masse,  and  made  a  long,  high  causeway  to  the  high  ground  back  of  the 
town.  But  the  Mississippi  had  a  fashion  of  laughing  at  such  jokes  as  that,  and 
proceeded  to  wash  away  the  obstruction  during  the  next  rise  in  the  river.  The 
citizens  fell  to  again,  and  made  a  more  formidable  embankment,  fixed  a  bridge 
over  the  deepest  place  and  in  the  end  beat  the  river  out  of  its  old  channel.  Once 
more  the  high  water  arose  in  its  might  and  carried  away  the  bridge,  and  I,  poor 
fellow,  happened  to  be  over  at  David  Sullivan's  and  had  to  stay  there  two  days 
before  I  could  get  home ;  and  then  only  by  the  kindness  of  the  said  Sullivan  who 
took  me  over  in  a  skiff.  It  was  painful  to  be  in  sight  of  home  and  mother  and  yet 
unable  to  cross  the  dark,  deep  stream  flowing  between  me  and  the  loved  ones. 

The  county  seat  went  up  stream,  and  the  old  town  practically  went  out  of 
existence.  The  Rockingham  hotel,  the  largest  and  finest  hostelry  on  the  upper 
Mississippi  followed  the  departing  greatness  of  the  town  and  fell  away  piece- 
meal, to  be  seen  no  more.  And  the  mill — well,  that  stood  the  longest  of  all  the 
original  structures,  for  that  stout  frame  bade  defiance  to  winds  and  weather  for 
many  years.  The  old  engine  was  taken  out  and  made  to  do  service  on  a  river 
steamer,  and  the  building  was  left  to  decay. 

But  to  return.  The  skillful  mechanic  heard  of  a  vacant  house  down  the 
river,  nearly  half  way  to  Buffalo,  owned  by  Joseph  N.  Robinson.  Thither  Father 
Foster  made  his  home  and  here  ended  his  days. 


492  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

I  have  wandered  over  many  lands,  seen  the  sun  rise  over  the  plains  of  Lom- 
bardy,  run  through  the  whole  length  of  France,  skirted  the  Rivieri,  climbed  to 
the  summit  of  Vesuvius  and  watched  the  play  of  lights  and  shades  in  the  Alps, 
but  where,  in  the  wide  world,  can  a  more  beautiful  spot  be  found  than  that  high 
bluff  jutting  down  toward  the  river  about  four  miles  south  of  Davenport?  You, 
who  are  denizens  of  that  land,  go  some  day  to  the  top  of  that  beautiful  hill 
where  the  modern  house  now  stands  and  look  for  yourselves.  I  have  been  there 
of  late  years  and  taken  testimony  from  those  who  know  how  to  judge,  that  this 
spot  has  some  of  the  greatest  attractions  of  any  one  in  western  lands.  Not  a 
great  mountain  range,  not  the  frayed  edge  of  an  ocean  washed  shore,  not  the  bee- 
thng  crags  of  Niagara's  gorge,  not  the  windings  of  Bonny  Doon,  but  the  clean- 
est sweep  of  beautiful  vistas  imaginable.  How  did  it  look  in  those  days?  Well 
I  will  tell  you.  Here  to  the  right  down  the  stream  was  old  Buffalo.  Over  yonder 
was  Camden.  Here  to  the  left  was  the  fading  village  of  Rockingham.  Up  the 
river,  three  or  four  miles,  was  the  young  city  of  Davenport.  With  its  long  white 
row  of  soldiers'  barracks  close  by  the  hill  at  the  lower  end  of  the  village,  across 
the  river  was  Stephenson,  now  the  city  of  Rock  Island.  (Why  was  that  name 
changed?)  And  still  farther  up  the  stream  was  the  little  town  of  Moline.  In 
those  days  there  were  no  great,  dingy  factories ;  no  tall  smokestacks  to  puncture 
the  sky  line,  and  no  bridge  to  tie  the  states  together.  And  yonder,  clear  and  white, 
was  the  fort  at  the  lower  end  of  the  island  with  its  old  log  block  houses,  stock- 
ade and  loopholes,  through  which  we  used  to  crawl  when  we  went  picnicking 
over  there,  and  the  beautiful  white  house  of  William  Cook  about  half  way 
this  side.  Then  look  at  the  islands,  three  in  number :  Rock  island.  Credit  island 
and  Horse  island,  all  in  a  row,  covered  with  beautiful  trees.  Then  the  winding 
river,  with  its  broad  sweep  of  more  than  a  mile  in  width  and  fully  ten  miles 
in  length ;  while  over  there  almost  in  front,  comes  in  the  mouth  of  the  clear, 
deep  Rock  river,  from  the  northeast,  while  yonder,  on  that  high  tongue  of  land 
just  above  the  mouth  of  Rock  river  is  the  old  Indian  camping  ground  which 
Black  Hawk  prized  more  than  all  his  other  possessions,  and  for  which  he  fought 
till  fully  overpowered.  And  here,  just  above  old  Rockingham,  was  where  the 
troops  had  a  bout  with  the  redskins  in  an  early  day,  where  my  sister  found  an 
officer's  beautiful  sword,  somewhat  rusty,  yet  just  the  thing  for  father  to  cut 
up  and  make  three  or  four  good  butcher  knives. 

Is  this  not  enough  to  convince  anyone  of  the  beauty  of  the  place  where  my 
father's  pure  spirit  fled  for  the  other  and  brighter  world  ?  The  owner  of  that  home 
on  the  hill  has  not  given  me  a  reward  for  writing  thus,  but  I  wish  he  would 
send  me  an  invitation  to  come  some  day  and  sit  on  his  front  porch  and  let  me 
muse  over  the  scenes  of  sixty  odd  years  ago ;  then  maybe  I  might  learn  his  name 
and  wish  him  as  many  pleasant  memories  as  have  come  over  the  writer. 


From  Left  to  Right:  JAMES  THORINGTON.  Mayor.  Congressman,  First  District 
School  Teacher.  HARVEY  LEONARD.  Mayor  and  Long-Time  Sheriff.  DR.  E.  S. 
BARROWS — When  he  began  to  practice  medicine  in  Scott  county,  the  nearest 
physician  on  the  south  was  at  Burlington,  on  the  north  at  Dubuque.  JUDGE 
W.  L.  COOK,  Judge  of  the  County  Court  in  early  days. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
THE  MEDICAL  PROFESSION. 

THE  PIONEER    PHYSICIANS    OF    SCOTT    COUNTY — THEIR    HARDSHIPS    AND    SELF-RELI- 
ANCE  MANY    OF    THEM    PRACTICAL    MEN    OF    GREAT    FORCE    OF    CHAR.\CTER — 

REMINISCENCES    OF   DR.    E.    S.    BARROWS SCOTT     COUNTY     MEDICAL     SOCIETY^ — 

MINUTES   OF   THE   BYGONE    MEETINGS THE     SOCIETY     HAS     TAKEN     ADVANCED 

GROUND  WHILE   CONSERVATIVE   IN    CHARACTER — ^DR.   PRESTON    WRITES. 

The  pioneers  of  the  heaHng  art  in  Davenport  and  Scott  county  were  the 
guardians  of  a  widely  dispersed  population.  Aside  from  their  professional  duties 
they  contributed  their  full  share  to  the  material  development  of  a  newly  opened 
country.  Some  were  men  of  culture  who  had  gained  their  medical  education  in 
college;  the  great  number  were  of  limited  educational  attainment  whose  profes- 
sional knowledge  had  been  acquired  in  the  offices  of  established  practitioners  of 
more  or  less  ability  in  the  sections  from  which  they  emigrated.  Of  either  class 
almost  without  exception  they  were  practical  men  of  great  force  of  character 
who  gave  cheerful  and  efficacious  assistance  to  the  suffering,  daily  journeying 
on  horseback  scores  of  miles  over  a  country  almost  destitute  of  roads  and  en- 
countering swollen,  unbridged  streams,  without  waterproof  garments  or  other 
now  common  protection  against  water.  Out  of  necessity  the  pioneer  physician 
developed  rare  quickness  of  perception  and  self-reliance.  A  specialist  was  then 
unknown  and  he  was  called  upon  to  treat  every  phase  of  bodily  ailment,  serving 
as  physician,  surgeon,  oculist  and  dentist.  His  books  were  few  and  there  were 
no  practitioners  of  more  ability  than  himself  with  whom  he  might  consult.  His 
medicines  were  simple  and  carried  on  his  person,  and  every  preparation  of  pill 
or  solution  was  the  work  of  his  own  hands.  The  services  of  the  pioneer  physician 
were  fittingly  recognized  in  the  following  reminiscent  article,  written  by  Dr. 
E.  S.  Barrows,  which  appears  in  an  early  history  of  Scott  county,  and  follows 
below : 

DR.  !•:.  S.  BARROWS  WRITES. 

"In  compliance  with  your  request  as  the  first  and  oldest  physician  of  Scott 
county,  Iowa,  I  will  proceed  to  say  something  of  the  medical  profession  from 
the  early  part  of  1836  to  an  indefinite  period,  traveling  toward  i860.     If  I  say 


49b  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

too  much  relating  to  self,  it  will  be  from  a  matter  of  necessity,  for  I  alone,  the  lirst 
year  and  a  half,  represented  the  profession  west  of  the  Mississippi  for  lOO  miles 
north  and  south  and  3,000  miles  west.  Therefore  be  it  observed  I  should  not 
have  anything  to  talk  about  but  territory,  without  people  or  doctors,  and  nothing 
at  all,  leaving  out  myself  as  one  person  answering  to  make  up  my  quota  of  the 
social  aggregate  forming  the  early  history  of  that  domain  now  enclosed  by  lines 
giving  bounds  to  Scott  county. 

"Whoever  essays  to  narrate  past  events  of  the  world  will  find  that  no  nation 
can  be  found  which  was  so  rude  that  it  was  neither  blessed  nor  cursed,  as  the 
case  might  be,  with  a  profession  proposing  to  deal  with  the  ailings  of  the  body, 
originally  emanating  directly  from  that  other  class  of  pretenders  who  assume  to 
care  more  particularly  for  ailments  of  the  soul.  x'Ml  through  the  course  of  human 
destiny  both  professions  seem  to  have  formed  an  essential  element  of  the  culti- 
vated and  the  uncultivated,  the  civilized  and  the  uncivilized,  going  to  make  up  the 
human  aggregate.  Health  and  duration  of  life  may  be  considered  the  result  of 
intelligent  action,  and  as  there  is  a  general  desire  to  preserve  the  one  and  pro- 
long the  other  beyond  the  accidents  of  time  and  place,  it  seems  but  reasonable 
that  the  early  settlers  of  Scott  county  should  have  encouraged  a  profession  which 
assumes  to  give  the  community  the  benefits  of  the  accumulated  medical  skill 
of  all  the  preceding  ages.  And  who  should  have  been  the  first  to  demonstrate  the 
fact  that  such  wisdom  was  at  hand,  and  ready  for  business  ? 

"With  becoming  modesty  (if  not  becoming  it  is  at  least  consistent  with  the 
pretentions  of  that  class  of  professional  men  who  deal  mostly  with  the  hidden 
secrets  of  human  ills),  that  first  doctor,  the  first  between  Dubuque  and  Burling- 
ton, located  at  Rockingham  early  in  1836,  is  the  writer  of  this  article. 

"In  the  autumn  of  1836  the  first  physician  who  drew  a  lancet  on  a  prostrate 
patient  was  located  at  Rockingham,  and  the  patient  was  Antoine  LeClaire,  of 
Davenport,  who  was  seriously  ill  with  inflammatory  rheumatism.  His  physician 
was  Dr.  Bardwell,  of  Stephenson,  now  Rock  Island,  a  reputable  physician  and 
politician  from  Indiana,  who  subsequently  located  and  successfully  pursued  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  the  northeast  corner  of  Bufifalo  township.  After  two  years' 
residence  he  sought  more  room  and  a  better  field  for  work,  at  Marion,  Linn  county, 
Iowa,  where,  after  a  few  years,  he  died  lamented.  I  was  called  in  council  with 
Dr.  Bardwell,  November  15,  1836,  and  hastened  to  Mr.  LeClaire's  residence,  lo- 
cated where  the  freight  depot  now  stands.  Found  the  doctor  present,  waiting 
a  little  impatiently,  and  received  a  formal  introduction.  Dr.  Bardwell  expressed 
a  desire  to  proceed  to  business,  for  he  had  engagements  elsewhere,  'not  however, 
professional,'  he  said,  'as  you  may  see  by  these  articles'  (simultaneously  raising 
with  each  hand  a  light  shoe  from  both  side  pockets  of  his  coat)  ;  'there  is  going 
to  be  a  dance  tonight  and  I  have  the  honor  of  being  a  manager.' 

"The  engagement  referred  to  was  a  formal  celebration  of  the  opening  of  the 
first  hotel  which  Davenport  was  ever  favored  with,  or  perhaps  that  other  word, 
cursed,  would  be  as  appropriate,  since  the  locality  soon  became  known  as  'Brim- 
stone-Corner.' Old  settlers  whose  dates  go  back  to  that  period,  when  that  name 
is  mentioned  do  not  become  confused  as  to  the  whereabouts  of  the  locality.  If 
the  mind  of  a  patriot  of  the  Missouri  war  loses  its  serenity  when  he  communes 
with  himself,  and  perhaps  fights  over  the  battles  of  that  day,  when  the  first  and 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  497 

last  drill  of  the  Scott  county  volunteers  paraded  on  the  commons,  between  the 
new  hotel  and  the  river,  the  glory  achieved  then  and  there  will  fade  into  a  con- 
viction that  this  was  a  new  country  and  the  less  said  by  way  of  apology  for  the 
peculiar  manner  by  which  we  formed  new  friendships  out  of  very  raw  ma- 
terial the  better  it  will  be,  even  for  'Brimstone-Corner.'  The  building  is  occu- 
pied at  present  as  StefFen's  headquarters  for  lime,  cement,  sewer  pipe,  etc. 

ANTOINE   LE  CLAIRE   A    P.\TIENT. 

■'To  return  to  the  subject  of  my  first  patient.  Dr.  Bardwell  asked  me  to  give 
Mr.  TeClaire  my  attention,  by  a  system  of  prognosis  best  known  to  the  trade. 
To  quote  his  language.  T  have  been  examining  him  for  about  a  week  and  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  a  plain  case  of  abdominal  dropsy,  and.  thinking 
it  expedient  to  be  in  time,  I  have  brought  along  my  box  of  instruments  with 
the  intent  of  relieving  him  of  a  gallon  or  two  of  water  by  tapping.'  I  pro- 
ceeded to  the  examination  of  the  case  and  asked  if  I  might  see  ^Trs.  LeClaire. 
She  came  into  the  room  and  gave  me  the  history  of  the  case.  Then  the  council 
commenced,  by  my  saying,  to  my  mind  it  was  an  unmistakable  case  of  inflam- 
matory rheumatism,  and  the  tapping  had  better  be  done  in  the  arm.  The  dif- 
ference of  my  opinion  so  far  as  related  in  the  diagnosis  did  not  seem  to  create 
any  surprise,  but  my  suggestion  of  bleeding  astonished  greatly.  He  asked  if  I 
was  candid  in  my  view  of  the  subject.  'Most  certainly  I  am,'  was  my  reply.  Dr. 
Bardwell  then  spoke  thusly:  'Mr.  LeClaire.  here  are  two  doctors,  one  may  be 
tflken  and  the  other  left,  which  will  you  have?'  Mr.  LeClaire's  reply  was,  'Dr. 
Burrows  may  bleed  me.'  I  did  bleed  him  and  Dr.  Bardwell  was  kind  enough  to 
hold  the  bowl,  and  then  hurried  oiT  to  the  ball.  From  that  day  forward  to  the 
day  of  his  death,  twenty-six  years  later,  the  patient  was  mine. 

"I  made  twelve  visits,  in  as  many  days.  The  sequel  was  most  satisfactory, 
for  within  ten  days  from  my  last  visit  Mr.  LeClaire  rode  on  horseback  from  Dav- 
enport to  Rockingham,  and  without  asking  for  my  bill,  handed  me  a  handful  of 
silver,  interspersed  with  gold  pieces,  saying,  'I  will  pay  you  the  balance  some  other 
time.'  then  bade  me  good-by.  for  he  had  not  dismounted,  and  rode  off.  The  sum 
given  me  was  $150.  He  did  pay  the  balance,  besides  contributing  annual  pay- 
ments for  small  service.  On  my  removal  to  Davenport,  in  the  spring  of  1843. 
he  presented  me  with  a  deed  of  out  lot  No.  31.  then  called  four-acre  lots,  saying 
to  me :  'If  you  don't  want  that  lot.  sell  it ;  I  felt  that  I  had  never  paid  you  for 
your  services.'  T  attempted  an  acknowledgment,  but  he  said,  'Don't  say  anything, 
for  I  owed  it  to  you.'  I  did  sell  the  lot  subsequently  for  $1,000.  It  was  the  one 
upon  which  Sargent's  row  is  built.  The  population  on  January  i.  1837.  of  the 
domain  now  known  as  Scott  county,  was  below^  200.  after  which  immigration  set 
in  with  great  rapidity. 

"During  this  summer  Dr.  A.  C.  Donaldson,  from  Wilkesbarre.  Pennsylvania, 
located  in  Davenport  as  the  first  resident  physician.  He  was  well  qualified  for 
a  successftil  practice  of  the  profession ;  was  eminently  upright  in  thought  and 
act  and  deserved  a  better  recompense  for  his  medical  ability  and  his  moral  worth 
than  the  world  aflForded  him.     He  remained  in  Davenport  but  two  years,  or  per- 


498        -  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

haps  three,  removed  to  St.  Louis,  and  subsequently  to  CaUfornia,  where  death 
overtook  him. 

"During  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1837  a  few  cases  of  biHous  remitting 
fever  occurred,  but  yielded  readily  to  treatment.  The  winter  following  several 
cases  of  bilious  pneumonia  demanded  prompt  attendance  and  special  vigilance  in 
the  observance  of  changes  indicative  of  greater  danger.  These  were  the  dis- 
eases, and  the  principal  ones,  which  called  for  medical  help  up  to  the  year  1849. 
Since  that  year,  or  from  that  period,  the  summer  and  autumnal  fevers  ceased  to 
be  epidemical  and  pneumonia  became  less  frequent.  It  may  be  well  to  mention  here 
that  the  fevers  of  1849,  after  the  third  or  fourth  day.  assumed  a  typhoid  charac- 
ter, the  remission  hardly  observable,  and  the  nervous  depression  occasioning  great 
anxiety.  Old  citizens  well  remember  that  year,  for  in  it  occurred  the  death  of 
David  Hoge  and  Miss  Sophia  Fisher. 

"I  think  it  was  Dr.  Rush,  of  Philadelphia, — a  great  name  up  to  about  1825 — 
who  said  the  lancet  was  a  'sheet-anchor'  in  all  inflammatory  diseases.  So  it 
might  have  been  said  of  quinine,  as  used  in  remittent  and  intermittent  fevers,  in 
both  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  valleys  from  1830  up  to  1850.  During  that 
period  120,000  square  miles  west  of  the  Missisippi  and  north  of  St.  Louis  became 
populated,  and  all  of  it  more  or  less  malarious.  In  some  of  these  years  the  demand 
for  quinine  was  so  great  that  the  supply  in  the  American  market  became  ex- 
hausted. 'Sappington's  pills'  were  indirectly  the  power  which  worked  steamboats 
up  the  river  from  1835  to  1843.  They  were,  verily,  the  'sheet-anchor,'  not  only 
aboard  boats  but  in  many  households.  Dr.  Sappington  was  a  regular  allopathic 
physician  of  considerable  ability,  residing  up  the  Missouri  river,  who  thought  it 
would  be  a  benefaction  to  the  new  civilization  of  the  west  to  prepare  quinine, 
ready  to  be  taken,  in  the  form  of  pills.  The  boxes  contained  four  dozen  each,  and 
the  pills  two  grains  each.  The  direction  on  the  box  was  to  take  from  two  to 
twenty,  as  the  urgency  of  the  case  seemed  to  require,  without  reference  to  the 
stage  of  the  paroxysm. 

EARLY   PHYSICIANS. 

"Dr.  Thomas  J.  Saunders,  recognized  by  the  profession  as  a  scholarly  M.  D., 
graduated  at  the  Pennsylvania  university  in  1843,  to  please  his  father.  The  law 
was  his  choice  as  a  profession;  but  as  that  did  not  accord  with  the  moral  senti- 
ments of  a  highly  worthy  disciple  of  George  Fox.  he  acceded  to  his  father's 
wishes  and  became  an  M.  D.,  practiced  medicine  for  a  while  in  New  Jersey,  and 
traveled  for  a  time  in  Europe.  After  his  return,  in  connection  with  his  practice 
in  New  Jersey,  he  was  prominently  engaged  as  a  politician,  serving  several  terms  as 
secretary  of  the  senate.  In  1855  Dr.  Saunders  came  to  Davenport  and  practiced 
his  profession  successfully.  His  ability  for  public  service  has  for  the  last  twenty 
years  kept  him  engaged  in  its  employ.  He  was  secretary  of  the  constitutional  con- 
vention of  1857;  was  member  of  the  senate  from  Scott  county;  served  four  years 
as  paymaster  in  the  army  which  handled  the  rebellion.  For  the  last  few  years 
has  been  engaged  for  the  war  department  in  assessing  damages,  or  taking  evi- 
dence to  that  efifect.  caused  by  Sherman's  army  in  east  Tennessee.     But  with  all 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  499 

these  diversities  of  engagements  he  has  never  ceased  to  entertain  a  respect,  to- 
gether with  an  interest  kept  up,   for  the  medical  profession. 

"Dr.  E.  Fountain  and  Dr.  J.  M.  Adler  came  to  Davenport  in  1854,  from  As- 
pinwall,  on  the  isthmus,  where  they  had  been  engaged  for  two  or  three  years  as 
surgeons  of  the  Panama  Railroad  Company. 

"Dr.  Fountain  was  from  West  Chester  county,  New  York,  a  graduate  of  the 
College  of  Physicians  &  Surgeons,  New  York,  in  1851 ;  was  most  estimable 
for  his  many  moral  virtues  and  fully  competent,  and  master  of  his  profession  for 
his  term  of  experience.  In  1861  he  became  infatuated  with  the  supposed  medi- 
cinal virtues  of  an  article  called  chlorate  of  potash,  which  he  claimed  to  have 
used  with  great  success,  and  to  confirm  his  own  conscientious  opinions  of  its 
action  on  the  system  experimented  upon  himself  rather  than  his  patients,  took 
an  overdose  on  March  27th,  and  died  from  jts  efifects  within  forty-eight  hours. 

"Dr.  Adler,  as  partner  of  Dr.  Fountain,  continued  the  practice  until  1865, 
then  "removed  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  continues  at  present  in  a  large  and 
successful  practice. 

"Dr.  C.  C.  Parry,  from  Sandy  Hill,  New  York,  came  in  1852  or  1853,  prac- 
ticed for  a  few  years,  then  devoted  his  attention  wholly  to  a  scientific  branch  of 
the  profession  which  he  has  made  a  specialty,  and  at  present  is  engaged  in  ex- 
ploring southern  California.  As  a  botanist  Dr.  Parry  possesses  a  celebrity  to 
which  he  is  worthily  entitled,  and  second  to  very  few. 

"Dr.  McCarn  came  to  Davenport  about   i860,   remained  a  year  or 

two,  went  to  Memphis,  Tennessee,  and  died  with  yellow  fever  in  1867." 

In  the  north  part  of  the  county  there  settled  the  following  practitioners,  as 
furnished  by  Drs.  Gamble  and  Knox  : 

Dr.  Zebulon  Metcalf,  regular,  from  New  York,  came  here  in  1841,  practiced 
three  years,  and  removed  to  Clinton  county. 

Dr.  Zachariah  Grant  practiced  here  in  1835,  died  about  1844.  Dr.  Nelson 
Plummer,  irregular,  came  here  in  1842,  and  removed  to  Farmington  in  1848,  and 
now  resides  there.  Dr.  Philander  Chamberlin,  irregular,  commenced  practice 
here  in  1844;  he  removed  from  here  in  1848  and  now  resides  in  Oregon.  Dr. 
James  Gamble,  regular,  graduate  of  Missouri  Medical  college  in  1847,  came  to 
LeClaire  in  July  of  the  same  year,  and  has  been  and  is  now  in  active  practice  here. 
He  is  the  oldest  practicing  physician  in  the  county.  Dr.  Sylvenus  Rowe,  ir- 
regular, commenced  practice  here  in  1846.  He  removed  to  Michigan  where  he 
now  resides.  Dr.  Austin,  irregular,  came  here  from  New  Jersey  in  1848,  and 
practiced  two  years,  then  returned  to  New  Jersey.  Dr.  William  P.  Hills,  reg- 
ular, came  here  in  1850  from  Pennsylvania,  practiced  about  five  years  and  now 
resides  in  Clinton  county,  Iowa.  Dr.  James  Van  Home,  regular,  came  here  in 
1853,  from  Pennsylvania,  practiced  about  two  years  and  now  resides  on  a  farm 
near  Cordova,  Illinois.  Dr.  S.  W.  Treat,  irregular,  came  here  in  1856.  practiced 
until  1863,  now  resides  in  Denver,  Colorado.  Dr.  W.  F.  Hays,  homeopathist, 
came  here  in  1857,  practiced  about  five  years,  and  now  resides  on  a  farm  in  Clin- 
ton county,  Iowa.  Dr.  T.  S.  Smith,  regular,  came  to  Pleasant  Valley  in  i860, 
practiced  several  years,  and  now  resides  on  a  farm  in  Pleasant  Valley.  Dr.  F. 
W.  Bellfield,  regular,  located  in  Valley  City  in  1861.  and  practiced  there  until  his 
death  in  1873.    Dr.  E.  D.  Allen,  regtilar,  located  in  Pleasant  Valley  in  1879,  P^ac- 


500  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

ticed  two  years  and  now  resides  in  Madison  county,  Iowa.  Dr.  Barnes,  irregular, 
located  here  in  1867,  and  remained  about  one  year.  He  now  resides  in  Henry 
county,  Illinois.  Dr.  Bradway,  irregular,  came  here  in  1855,  practiced  two  years 
and  now  resides  in  Cass  county,  Iowa.  Dr.  Taylor,  irregular,  came  here  in  1870, 
practiced  two  years,  and  died  in  1875.  Dr.  Brown,  irregular,  came  here  in  1869, 
practiced  four  years  and  now  resides  in  Guthrie  county,  Iowa.  Dr.  Barkalow, 
regular,  located  here  in  1880,  practiced  one  year  and  now  resides  in  Muscatine 
county,  Iowa.  Dr.  J.  A.  DeArmand,  regular,  located  here  in  1876,  and  is  now 
practicing  here;  graduated  at  Pennsylvania  university.  Dr.  T.  C.  McClery  lo- 
cated here  in  1875,  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Gamble,  and  now  resides  at  Exeter, 
Nebraska.  In  1853  Dr.  Joseph  P.  Hoover,  a  graduate  of  Pennsylvania  Medical 
college,  located  in  Princeton  and  practiced  medicine  three  years.  Dr.  J.  T.  Tate 
moved  to  Princeton  in  1854  and  practiced  one  year.  In  1856  Dr.  Thomas  Gault, 
a  graduate  of  Berkshire  Medical  college,  Massachusetts,  located  in  Princeton,  and 
practiced  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Samuel  Knox  for  six  years,  and  now  resides  in 
Rock  Island,  Illinois.  In  1856  Dr.  Samuel  Knox,  a  graduate  of  Pennsylvania 
university,  located  in  Princeton  and  practiced  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Gault  for 
six  years ;  after  Dr.  Gault  left  he  still  continued  in  practice  there  and  is  still  in 
active  practice.  In  1855  Dr.  C.  G.  Martin,  a  graduate  of  Jefferson  Medical  col- 
lege. Philadelphia,  came  to  Princeton  and  practiced  one  year.  Dr.  S.  Semple, 
a  graduate  of  Jefferson  Medical  college,  came  to  Princeton  in  1858,  and  stayed 
two  years.  In  1858  Dr.  G.  L.  Bell  came  to  Princeton  and  practiced  ten  years ; 
he  is  now  in  Chicago.  In  1859  Dr.  Bowman  came  to  Princeton  and  practiced  one 
year.  Dr.  Logan  came  to  Princeton  in  i860  and  practiced  one  year.  In  1869  Dr. 
S.  Gast,  cancer,  commenced  practice  in  Princeton  and  is  still  there.  In  1869  Dr. 
Blackburn  located  in  Princeton  and  practiced  until  his  death,  in  1880.  In  1875 
Dr.  D.  A.  Kettle  located  for  practice  in  Princeton  and  is  still  there.  In  1878  Dr. 
C.  W.  Knott  located  in  Princeton  and  practiced  medicine  three  years ;  now  resides 
in  Benton  county,  Iowa.  In  1878  Dr.  John  Knox,  a  graduate  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  located  in  Princeton  and  is  still  practicing  there. 


SCOTT  COUNTY   MEDICAL  SOCIETY. 

On  the  i8th  of  October,  1858,  pursuant  to  a  published  notice  that  a  meeting 
would  be  held  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  medical  society  for  Scott  county, 
nine  physicians  met  at  the  office  of  Drs.  Witherwax  and  Carter,  then  on  Third 
street  west  of  Brady.  Dr.  James  Thistle  presided  and  Dr.  Tomson  was  secretary. 
Committees  were  appointed  to  report  upon  the  several  subjects  of  constitution 
and  by-laws,  code  of  ethics  and  fee  bill,  and  then  the  meeting  adjourned.  Thir- 
teen physicians  met  at  the  adjourned  meeting  on  the  28th  of  October,  at  the 
office  of  Drs.  Fountain  and  Adler,  on  Second  street,  between  Brady  and  Main, 
and  the  reports  of  the  respective  committees  were  received  and  adopted.  Un- 
der that  report  a  constitution  and  by-laws,  as  well  as  the  code  of  ethics  recom- 
mended by  the  American  Medical  association,  was  also  adopted  and  the  following 
permanent  officers  to  serve  one  year  were  elected :  president.  Dr.  E.  S.  Barrows ; 
vice  president.  Dr.  Lyman  Carpenter ;  secretary.  Dr.  J.  J.  Tomson ;  treasurer, 
Dr.  James  Thistle;  and  censors,  Drs.  T.  J.  Saunders,  John  Adler  and  John  W.  H. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  501 

Baker.  It  had  been  agreed  upon  that  the  regular  meetings  of  the  society  should 
be  held  four  times  in  the  year,  yet  the  necessity  seemed  to  exist  for  a  special 
meeting  and  the  members  agreed  to  meet  again  in  two  weeks.  Consequently 
the  society  convened  in  the  Young  Men's  Literary  association  room  on  the  nth 
of  November,  the  vice  president  occupying  the  chair.  At  this  meeting  the  fee  bill 
was  adopted  and  the  constitution  was  signed  by  the  members  then  initiated.  The 
first  regular  quarterly  meeting  took  place  January  27,  1857,  at  the  office  of  Drs. 
Fountain  and  Adler,  President  Barrows  in  the  chair.  At  that  meeting  a  resolu- 
tion was  adopted  and  a  committee  appointed  relative  to  forming  a  union  with  the 
Rock  Island  County  Medical  society.  Drs.  Barrows  and  Saunders  were  elected 
delegates  to  the  American  Medical  association  to  convene  in  Nashville,  Tennes- 
see, the  succeeding  May.  The  second  quarterly  meeting  was  held  in  the  council 
chamber  at  the  corner  of  Brady  and  Third  streets,  April  28th.  Members  of  the 
Rock  Island  County  Medical  society  were  admitted  as  honorary  members,  which 
entitled  them  to  all  privileges  save  that  of  voting.  Dr.  Patrick  Gregg,  first  presi- 
dent of  that  association,  read  an  eloquent  and  instructive  address.  Dr.  Baker  was 
appointed  to  deliver  an  essay  at  the  next  meeting.  Drs.  Fountain,  Thistle,  Carter, 
Pelton  and  Barrows  were  appointed  delegates  to  the  state  association  to  meet  at 
Iowa  City  the  following  June.  At  the  meeting  held  October  27th,  resolutions 
were  adopted  making  the  annual  meeting  to  occur  the  last  Tuesday  in  January. 
This  society  has  now  been  in  existence  over  a  half  century  and  has  had  a  most 
honorable  career. 

The  original  members  of  the  society  were  as  follows:  T.  J.  Saunders,  Horace 
Carpenter,  W.  M.  Line,  John  T.  O'Reardon,  George  W.  Carter,  William  Keith, 
John  M.  Adler,  Lyman  Carpenter,  John  W.  H.  Baker,  Lewis  F,  Pelton,  Johnson 
J.  Tomson,  J.  M.  Witherwax,  J.  Thistle,  E.  J.  Fountain,  C.  C.  Parry,  E.  S. 
Barrows,  and  A.  S.  Maxwell.  These  were  the  original  signers  of  the  constitution 
and  by-laws  of  the  society.  Then  shortly  afterward  the  following  were  taken  in 
as  members:  George  E.  McCosh,  William  H.  Saunders,  George  B.  Harrison, 
H.  P.  Hitchcock,  Alfred  H.  Ames,  James  McCortney,  Ignatius  Langer,  Charles 
S.  Shelton,  James  Gamble,  James  S.  D.  Wallis,  Thomas  Gault,  Samuel  Knox, 
W.  A.  Hosford,  Thomas  J.  lies,  J.  A.  Church,  W.  F.  Peck,  James  Irwin,  S.  D. 
Richardson,  D.  W.  Stewart,  and  L.  French.  The  honorary  members  of  the  so- 
ciety from  Rock  Island  County  Medical  society  were  as  follows:  William  A. 
Knox,  Samuel  C.  Plummer,  W.  F.  Cady,  Calvin  Trusdale,  Samuel  K.  Sharpe, 
P.  Gregg,  and  J.  R.  Hayes.  The  following  extracts  from  the  minutes  of  the 
society  practically  give  a  history  of  the  medical  fraternity  of  Scott  county : 

EXTIL\CTS  FROM  MINUTES. 

At  the  meeting,  July  28,  1857,  the  desirableness  of  a  city  register  of  mortality 
was  presented  by  Dr.  Ames ;  and  Drs.  Ames.  Baker  and  Adler  were  appointed  a 
committee  to  prepare  a  memorial  to  the  city  authorities  upon  the  subject.  This 
seems  to  have  been  the  first  inception  of  what  has  grown  into  an  active  and  im- 
portant part  of  the  city's  work,  viz:  that  of  the  board  of  health.  Action  was 
slow,  however,  and  three  years  later,  July  31,  i860,  a  committee  was  again  ap- 
pointed to  wait  on  the  city  council  with  reference  to  the  passage  of  an  act  requir- 


502  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

ing  the  registration  of  births  and  deaths,  and  in  April,  1886,  steps  were  taken 
to  present  the  matter  of  registration  of  births  and  deaths  before  the  state  society, 
with  a  view  to  general  action  urging  the  enactment  of  a  state  law  to  that  effect.  At 
the  same  meeting,  the  approach  of  cholera  being  anticipated,  the  city  council  was 
requested  to  act  immediately  in  cleansing  the  streets  and  sewers. 

During  the  cholera  season  of  1873  the  society  cooperated  actively  with  the 
city  board  of  health  to  improve  sanitary  conditions.  These  sultry,  depressing 
days  of  late  July,  August  and  September,  when  citizens,  well  at  one  setting  of 
the  sun,  had  been  stricken  down  and  buried  before  the  next,  are  still  a  gruesome 
memory  to  those  who  passed  through  them.  The  record  from  July  14th  to  Sep- 
tember 28th,  as  presented  to  the  society  by  Dr.  Maxwell,  was:  cases,  258;  deaths, 
eighty  to  eighty-five.  A  mortality  of  one  in  three  was  bad  enough,  but  even  this 
was  far  exceeded  during  the  first  half  of  the  epidemic,  when  scarcely  one  of 
those  stricken  recovered.  At  its  meeting  of  the  following  May  the  society  ex- 
pressed by  resolution  its  strong  disapproval  of  the  action  of  the  city  council  in 
constituting  a  health  board  without  a  representative  of  the  medical  profession  to 
insure  its  intelligent  action ;  also  setting  forth  strongly  the  danger  inherent  in 
cesspools  and  the  need  of  efficient  sewerage.  That  our  city  is  today  almost  free 
from  cesspools,  latrines  and  surface  wells,  while  its  excellent  sewer  system  is  at 
last  being  extended  to  the  neglected  north  slope,  is  largely  due  to  the  persistent 
efforts  of  Drs.  Cantwell,  Peck  and  others  of  the  Scott  county  society,  who  have 
had  preventive  medicine  most  strongly  at  heart. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  1881  the  desirability  of  having  especially  educated 
and  licensed  plumbers  and  a  sanitary  engineer  was  urged,  and  in  May  of  the  same 
year  the  board  of  health  was  strongly  recommended  to  take  action  forbiddmg 
burials  within  the  city  limits. 

The  state  board  of  health  also  owes  much  to  this  society,  whose  members  have 
been  firm  supporters  of  that  beneficent  organization  from  its  inception.  Dr. 
Cantwell,  in  his  presidential  valedictory,  January,  1878,  recommended  that  dele- 
gates to  the  state  society  be  instructed  to  favor  the  movement  for  a  state  board 
of  health  with  powers  similar  to  those  of  the  state  board  of  Illinois ;  Dr.  Peck, 
through  his  position  as  surgeon  of  the  Rock  Island  road,  succeeded  in  making 
operative  the  recommendations  of  the  newly  organized  board  with  reference  to 
the  transportation  of  dead  bodies ;  and  the  kindly  and  erudite  Dr.  Robert  J. 
Farquharson,  who  planned  our  contagious  disease  hospital,  now  called  St.  Rob- 
ert's in  his  memory,  was  the  efficient  secretary  of  the  board  from  1880  until 
his  death. 

In  March,  1861,  the  society  makes  feeling  record  of  the  first  death  among  its 
members,  that  of  the  young  and  cultured  Dr.  Ezra  James  Fountain  who,  through 
an  overdose  of  chlorate  of  potassa,  fell  a  martyr  to  his  zeal  in  professional  in- 
vestigation. Two  years  later,  April,  1863,  another  honored  member.  Dr.  James 
Thistle,  one  of  those  who  called  the  first  meeting,  had  finished  his  earthly  labors. 

In  April,  1865,  smallpox  was  reported  as  existing  in  the  city,  and  Dr.  Peck 
was  made  chairman  of  a  committee  to  confer  with  the  city  authorities  with  a  view 
to  securing  compulsory  vaccination. 

As  bearing  on  the  present  move  for  the  introduction  of  kindergartens  into 
the  public  schools,  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  as  early  as  1867  Dr.  A.  S.  Max- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  503 

well  brought  before  the  society,  at  its  annual  meeting,  the  desirability  of  less 
crowding  and  shorter  hours  for  the  primary  pupils ;  and  the  society,  through 
its  committee  reporting  in  May,  declared  that:  "The  Scott  County  Medical  so- 
ciety as  a  body,  looking  to  the  physical  and  mental  welfare  of  the  younger  school 
children  of  our  community,  do  most  heartily  approve  and  recommend  the  plan 
of  requiring  children  to  attend  but  one  session  of  three  hours  each  day  in  the 
primary  department  of  our  city  schools,"  and  pledged  itself  to  cooperate  with 
the  board  of  directors  and  teachers  to  efifect  the  change.  On  numerous  subse- 
quent occasions  the  Scott  county  society  has  shown  its  interest  in  the  schools  by 
offering  sanitary  inspection,  and  urging  prevention  of  disease  by  the  vaccination 
of  pupils  and  by  quarantine  of  those  affected  with  scarlet  fever  or  other  con- 
tagion. 

At  the  November  meeting,  1872,  Dr.  J.  W.  H.  Baker  presented  an  appreciative 
letter  from  President  Thatcher  of  the  state  university,  acknowledging  the  dona- 
tion to  the  medical  department  of  that  institution  of  "The  Thistle  collection  of 
medical  books."  The  founder  of  this  department,  one  of  the  foremost  medical 
schools  of  the  west,  and  many  other  active  workers,  were  contributed  to  it  by  the 
Scott  County  Medical  society. 


THE  RIGHTS  OF  MEDICAL  EXPERTS. 

In  December,  1872,  initial  steps  were  taken,  through  a  resolution  introduced 
by  Dr.  Peck,  toward  the  securing  of  a  statute  defining  and  recognizing  "the 
rights  of  the  medical  and  surgical  expert  in  courts  of  justice  in  Iowa." 

Among  the  matters  in  which  the  society  has  always  taken  an  active  interest 
is  the  commitment  and  care  of  the  insane,  those  most  helpless  and  most  un- 
fortunate wards  of  the  state.  In  February,  1884,  through  a  committee  consist- 
ing of  Drs.  Middleton,  McCowen  and  Tomson,  it  memorialized  the  legislature 
in  an  admirable  address  urging  state  care  of  all  the  insane,  whether  supposedly 
incurable  or  not ;  holding  that  economy  should  not  be  considered  before  humanity, 
but  that  both  could  be  secured  in  the  cottage  or  "Kankakee"  system.  This  is 
favored  as  being  at  once  economical,  sanitary  and  safe,  and  adapted  to  growing 
needs.  The  desirability  of  providing  a  large  tract  of  cultivatable  land  in  con- 
nection with  each  main  institution,  and  the  undesirability  of  remanding  sup- 
posed incurables  either  to  the  county  poorhouse  or  to  separate  state  hospitals 
devoted  to  this  class  alone,  were  especially  dwelt  upon.  It  was  a  concise  and  con- 
vincing argument  which  might  well  be  presented  anew  today  in  view  of  apparent 
backward  tendencies  in  certain  quarters. 

Beside  the  members  of  the  above  committee  Dr.  Margaret  A.  Cleaves,  a  for- 
mer member  of  this  society,  who  now  ranks  with  the  foremost  medical  elec- 
tricians of  New  York  city,  and  Dr.  J.  H.  Kulp,  formerly  physician  in  the  Mount 
Pleasant  asylum,  and  who  was  for  more  than  thirty  years  in  successful  prac- 
tice here,  were  especially  interested  in  questions  pertaining  to  the  right  care  of 
the  insane. 

The  regulation  of  the  practice  of  medicine  by  state  law  was  early  furthered 
by  the  Scott  County  society,  a  petition  to  this  end,  signed  by  thirty-six  physi- 
cians, having  been  forwarded  to  the  legislature  in  1878  through  Representative 


504  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Seaman.  Again  in  1885  delegates  to  the  state  society  were  instructed  to  urge 
that  body  to  make  this  important  measure  an  issue. 

In  January,  1876,  the  society,  through  a  committee  consisting  of  Drs,  Far- 
quharson,  Middleton  and  Preston,  contributed  its  share  toward  the  Philadelphia 
exposition  by  forwarding,  on  request,  various  statistics,  with  a  history  of  hos- 
pitals, societies,  etc.,  and  a  list  of  the  medicinal  plants  of  Scott  county,  prepared" 
by  Dr.  Preston. 

On  the  subject  of  homeopathy  and  other  restricted  schools  in  the  broad  field 
of  medicine,  the  following  carefully  considered  resolutions  expressing  the  con- 
victions of  the  society  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  will  not  be  without  interest  to- 
day. They  were  prepared  by  a  specially  appointed  committee  in  view  of  the  then 
recent  recognition  of  homeopathy  in  the  universities  of  Michigan  and  Iowa,  and 
of  the  move  toward  affiliation  in  New  York,  being  adopted,  after  free  discussion, 
at  the  regular  meeting,  May  5,  1881 : 

THE   RESTRICTED    SCHOOLS. 

"Your  committee  appointed  to  consider  the  desirability  of  so  changing  the 
code  as  to  admit  into  the  membership  of  our  societies  those  of  known  and 
acknowledged  ability  without  regard  to  previous  habits  of  thought  or  modes  of 
practice,  would  respectfully  report  as  follows :  We  do  not  think  it  advisable  to 
make  the  change  specified :  first,  because  the  code  as  it  is,  which  we  consider  to 
be  a  most  excellent  professional  standard  and  guide,  requires  no  alteration  to 
admit  to  membership  homeopaths  or  others  who  may  have  abandoned  their 
special  practice.  Second,  because  without  such  reform  on  their  part  we  must 
approach  the  problems  of  disease  in  ways  so  radically  diflferent  that  there  could 
be  no  harmonious  and  beneficient  cooperation. 

"Supplemental  to,  and  in  further  explanation  of  this  report,  we  beg  leave  to 
present  the  following-  statement:  In  view  of  recent  accusations  emanating  from 
more  or  less  prominent  sources  and  made  public  through  the  press  both  of 
England  and  the  United  States,  charging  the  regular  profession  with  bigotry 
and  illiberality  in  their  attitude  toward  the  homeopathic  and  other  special  schools, 
your  committee  deem  it  expedient  and  right  that  this  society  should  at  this  time 
clearly  define  its  position,  which  is  also,  we  believe,  that  of  the  regular  profes- 
sion the  world  over. 

"We  hold  that  the  practice  of  the  healing  art  should  be  based  on  no  dogma 
or  article  of  faith,  but  on  knowledge  the  most  exact  that  scientific  research  and 
unbiased  observation  can  obtain.  The  terms  'Allopathist'  and  'Old  School,'  as 
applied  to  members  of  the  regular  profession,  are  today  obsolete,  imapplicable 
and  disclaimed.  Rational  medicine,  which  we  endeavor  to  practice,  is  a  growing 
science  to  whose  development  all  sciences  contribute  and  whose  votaries  acknowl- 
edge the  restrictions  of  no  'pathy'  nor  'school.'  Because  this  is  so  there  can  be 
no  common  ground  for  efficient  counsel  between  us  and  those  who  are  controlled 
by  any  fixed  medical  creed,  even  though  the  elements  of  such  creed  are  not  in 
themselves  irrational  and  absurd ;  nor  can  we  trust  or  take  counsel  with  those 
whose  integrity  is  not  such  as  to  prevent  them  from  assuming  a  name  and  pro- 
fessing principles  with  which  their  practice  does  not  accord. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  505 

"The  Homeopathic  society  of  Northern  New  York,  having  formally  dis- 
carded the  doctrine  of  infinitesimal  doses,  the  regular  profession  of  that  state 
have  sanctioned  the  recognition  of  some  who  have  thus  advanced  to  more  tenable 
grounds.  When  the  homeopathists  of  Iowa  shall  take  a  like  rational  course  and 
can  establish  the  claim  to  a  scientific  medical  education,  we  stand  ready  to  wel- 
come them  under  our  ethical  code  as  it  exists,  as  co-laborers  for  the  good  of  man. 
But  we  see  little  prospect  that  even  so  much  of  a  reform  as  that  in  New  York 
is  likely  to  become  general,  so  long  as  the  people  of  two  great  commonwealths 
like  Iowa  and  Michigan  continue  to  support  in  their  state  universities,  side  by 
side,  departments  for  instruction  in  broad  medical  science  and  for  the  main- 
tenance of  a  special  medical  creed.  (Signed) 

J.  W.  H.  Baker, 
A.  S.  Maxwell, 
C.  H.  Preston.'' 
Sunday.  October  22,  1905,  was  issued  from  the  Democrat  office  an  illus- 
trated souvenir  number  of  that  widely  and  most  favorably  known  journal, 
and  the  many  pages,  beautifully  designed  and  printed,  were  devoted  to  descrip- 
tion and  reminiscent  articles  pertinent  to  the  affairs  of  the  county  and  its  peo- 
ple and  growth  of  the  preceding  fifty  years.  To  be  more  exact,  many  of  the 
contributors  to  this  special  edition,  which  took  the  title  of  the  "Half  Century 
Democrat,"  permitted  their  memories  to  take  a  wide  range  in  the  matter  of 
time,  and  consequently  a  great  part  of  the  very  early  history  of  Scott  county 
has  been  preserved  in  these  well-turned  pages  of  the  Democrat.  An  article  on 
the  Scott  County  Medical  society  fell  to  the  lot  of  Dr.  C.  H.  Preston,  of  Dav- 
enport, and  the  author  of  this  work  has  felt  free  to  copy  most  of  the  salient 
features  of  the  article  as  it  appeared  in  the  "Half  Century  Democrat."  Dr. 
Preston  goes  on  to  say : 

"One  of  the  most  interesting  discussions  of  the  society  seems  to  have  been 
had  in  October,  1881,  at  the  residence  of  Dr.  Peck,  on  a  paper  by  Dr.  Middle- 
ton  summing  up  the  President  Garfield  case.  The  remarks,  while  charitable  in 
the  main,  were  not  all  complimentary  to  Dr.  Bliss ;  and  it  was  considered  that 
the  daily  bulletin  would  better  have  given  simple  facts  without  optimistic  de- 
ductions, while  the  patient  was  losing  weight  at  the  rate  of  a  pound  a  day. 

"Another  case  of  scarcely  less  interest  locally  was  that  of  the  protracted 
illness  from  cerebral  rheumatism  of  Dr.  W.  W.  Grant,  now  of  Denver,  Colorado, 
at  that  time  a  successful  and  highly  esteemed  physician  and  surgeon  of  this 
city.     The  case  was  reported  by  Dr.  Preston,  March,  1878. 

"In  December,  1894,  the  question  of  license  for  the  control  of  the  social  evil 
being  under  discussion,  it  was  recorded  as  the  unanimous  sense  of  the  society 
'that  the  licensing  of  prostitution  does  not  prevent  or  limit  the  spread  of  vener- 
eal disease — that  on  the  contrary  a  false  sense  of  security  is  the  result,  and 
an  increase  of  disease.' 

"In  February,  1898,  the  following  resolutions  expressing  the  convictions 
of  the  society  on  the  subject  of  vivisection  were  unanimously  adopted: 

"  'Resolved.  That  we  strongly  protest  against  the  enactment  into  law  of  the 
so-called  "antivivisection  bill"  now  pending,  for  these  among  other  reasons : 
I.     We  believe  that  vivisection,  by  giving  information  as  to  the  nature  of  dis- 


506  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

ease,  information  not  otherwise  to  be  obtained,  is  a  means  of  preventing  in- 
finitely more  suffering  than  it  can  possibly  cause ;  that  both  medical  and  agri- 
cultural science  are  incalculably  indebted  to  it,  and  that  instead  of  in  any  way 
hampering  biological  research,  to  which  vivisection  is  an  essential  aid,  an  en- 
lightened government  should  rather  give  it  every  possible  encouragement.  II. 
The  proposed  bill  puts  arbitrary  powers  of  control  over  matters  vital  to  the 
health  and  happiness  of  the  whole  people  in  the  hands  of  the  commissioners 
of  the  District  of  Columbia,  men  who  are  not  likely  to  be  scientists,  or  possessed 
of  expert  knowledge  on  the  subjects  involved.  It  makes  illegal  much  useful 
experimentation,  confirmatory  and  other,  and  provides  for  untimely  reports  and 
vexatious  inspections  such  as  must  often  injuriously  interrupt  important  studies, 
many  of  which  would  be  by  it  wholly  prevented.  III.  There  is  already  in  oper- 
ation in  the  District  of  Columbia  a  comprehensive  and  all  sufficient  law  against 
cruelty  to  animals,  which  law  prohibits  vivisection  except  as  properly  conducted 
and  in  the  interest  of  science.  IV.  A  law  similar  to  the  one  proposed  has 
operated  in  England  to  restrict  biological  research,  driving  such  men  as  the 
world-benefactor.  Lister,  to  set  up  their  laboratories  abroad.  V.  The  unani- 
mous protest  of  all  the  important  scientific  bodies  of  the  country,  including  the 
American  association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  the  American  Medical  as- 
sociation, the  American  Public  Health  association  and  the  United  States  Veter- 
inary Medical  association,  is  presumptive  evidence  that  the  legislation  proposed 
is  unwise  and  uncalled  for.' 

"On  motion  copies  of  the  resolution  were  ordered  sent  to  Senators  Allison 
and  Gear  and  Representatives  Curtis  and  Henderson. 

"The  unanimous  voice  of  the  society  on  another  matter  of  national  impor- 
tance was  expressed  in  the  following  resolution  adopted  at  meeting  of  March, 
1898,  favoring  the  establishing  of  a  national  department  of  health : 

"  'Whereas,  The  conservation  of  the  public  health  is  a  matter  of  primary 
importance,  second  neither  to  industrial,  financial  nor  military  considerations, 
and 

"  'Whereas,  The  United  States,  although  severally  provided,  for  the  most 
part,  with  efficient  state  Ixjards  of  health,  are  as  yet  without  a  co-ordinating 
sanitary  head,  save  as  inadequately  represented  by  a  branch  of  the  treasury  de- 
partment, and  further 

"  'Whereas,  The  so-called  "Cafifrey  bill"  would  clothe  the  Marine  Hospital 
service  with  extreme  quarantine  powers  without  enlarging  its  sphere  as  to  other 
health  matters,  and  without  removing  its  dependent  status,  while  the  other,  known 
as  the  "Spooner  bill,"  formulated  by  the  American  Medical  association  and 
endorsed  by  the  American  Public  Health  association,  aims  to  establish  a  national 
department,  or  commission  of  health,  subservient  to  health  interests  only,  with 
full  control  over  all  national  sanitary  matters  and  advisory  with  the  several 
states,  therefore 

"  'Resolved,  That  while  deprecating  the  former  or  "Caffrey  bill,"  as  a  partial 
and  ill-advised  measure,  we  strongly  endorse  the  association  or  "Spooner  bill" 
and  bespeak  for  it  the  active  support  of  our  senators  and  representatives  in 
congress.' 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  507 

FIRST  TELEPHONE. 

"It  may  be  recalled  as  of  some  interest,  now  that  the  telephone  has  become 
a  necessity  for  the  physician,  as  for  all  business  men,  that  one  of  the  first  instru- 
ments, if  not  the  first  to  be  installed  in  this  city,  connected  the  office  and  resi- 
dence of  Dr.  W.  F.  Peck;  it  being  recorded  that,  on  the  evening  of  May  2, 
1878,  there  being  no  further  business,  'The  society  adjourned  in  part  to  the 
residence  and  in  part  to  the  office  of  Dr.  Peck  and  spent  a  pleasant  hour  in  test- 
ing the  wonders  of  the  new  invention.'  This  antedates  Davenport's  first  exchange 
by  about  two  years. 

"The  very  interesting  social  life  of  the  society,  whether  meeting  in  the 
council  chamber,  where  some  of  the  earlier  sessions  were  held,  in  the  Academy 
of  Sciences,  whose  doors  were  open  to  it  for  a  time,  or  in  the  offices  or  hospitable 
homes  of  its  members,  can  be  no  more  than  alluded  to  in  this  hurried  retrospect. 
Also  the  many  valuable  papers  and  reports  discussed  and  the  occasional  cases 
of  discipline  which,  happily,  were  less  frequent  as  the  years  went  on,  must  be 
left  to  the  fading  pages  where  they  stand  recorded.  It  may  be  well,  however,  to 
bring  together  at  this  time  a  few  notes  of  the  early  members,  chiefly  those  who 
are  no  longer  with  us,  those  who  were  prominent  in  the  pioneer  work  of  the 
association,  which  was  and  is  one  of  the  leading  county  societies  of  the  state. 

EARLY    MEMBERS. 

"Of  the  seventeen  original  signers  of  the  constitution  the  two  Drs.  Car- 
penter and  Dr.  Pelton  removed  from  the  city  within  a  few  years ;  Drs.  Keith, 
O'Reardon  and  Line  drop  out  of  the  records  before  1865.  and  Dr.  Carter  in 
1867. 

I.  "Dr.  James  Thistle  was  bom  an  even  century  ago  (August  4,  1805) 
at  Cumberland,  Maryland,  to  which  place  his  father,  when  a  lad,  had  been 
brought  by  the  doctor's  grandfather  from  Ireland.  James  graduated  from  the 
University  of  Maryland,  in  1829,  and  practiced  briefly  in  his  native  state,  at 
Allegheny  City,  Pennsylvania,  and  at  Vincennes,  Indiana  (where  he  married)  ; 
then  settled  at  Natchez,  Mississippi,  where,  officing  with  his  distinguished  brother- 
in-law,  Dr.  Samuel  A.  Cartwright,  he  acquired  a  competency.  Having  in- 
vested somewhat  unfortunately  in  a  cotton  plantation,  and  wishing  to  find  a 
more  healthful  locality  for  his  family,  he  came  north  and  to  Davenport  in 
1850.  Dr.  Tomson,  the  writer  of  the  memoir  from  which  these  notes  are 
chiefly  taken,  found  him  here  in  1856,  enjoying  perhaps  the  largest  practice 
of  any  physician  in  the  city.  Erect  and  pleasing  in  figure,  courteous,  modest 
and  unassuming,  he  was  universally  loved  and  respected.  'To  him,  more  than 
to  any  other  man,'  says  Dr.  Tomson,  'are  we  indebted  for  our  organization.  It 
was  through  him  that  the  first  step  was  taken.  He  called  the  first  meeting  and 
acted  as  the  first  president  of  our  organization  as  a  medical  society.'  Dr.  Thistle, 
while  chairman  of  the  preliminary  meeting,  and  elected  president  later,  was 
not,  however,  the  first  elected  president  of  the  society,  that  honor  having  fallen 
to  Dr.  E.  "S.  Barrows.  Dr.  Thistle  died  of  pneumonia  in  1863;  his  grave  in 
Oakdale  is  near  that  of  Dr.  Fountain. 


508  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

2.  "Dr.  Egbert  S.  Barrows,  a  Vermont  graduate  of  1824,  came  to  Daven- 
port, or  rather  to  Rockingham,  in  1836,  having  been  a  surgeon  in  the  Seminole 
Indian  war.  Rugged,  decided  and  resolute,  he  was  a  typical  pioneer  physician, 
able  and  active.  As  illustrative  of  the  man  it  is  related  of  him  that  he  once 
charged  and  collected  a  fee  of  one  hundred  dollars  for  one  dose  of  Epsom  salts, 
that  being  all  that  was  needed  to  relieve  the  patient,  an  old  patron,  who  had  re- 
turned to  him  after  vainly  consulting  an  irregular  practitioner !  Retiring  from 
active  practice  about  i860  he  was  made  examining  surgeon  of  recruits,  and 
subsequently  examiner  for  pensions,  and  died  here  Alarch  8,  1892,  at  the  ripe 
age  of  ninety-three  years.  In  obituary  resolutions  read  before  the  society  Dr. 
Saunders  says  of  Dr.  Barrows :  'He  was  a  man  of  mark  of  whose  memory  the 
city  of  Davenport  and  the  state  of  Iowa  may  well  be  proud.' 

3.  "Dr.  John  Mercer  Adler,  an  able  physician,  graduate  of  the  National 
Medical  college,  Washington,  who  later  became  'prominent  in  medical  and  lit- 
erary circles,'  came  to  Davenport  in  1852  or  1853.  With  his  partner,  Dr.  Foun- 
tain, he  had  been  connected  with  the  construction  of  the  railroad  across  the 
isthmus  of  Panama.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  made  chief  physi- 
cian of  the  military  hospital  of  Camp  McClellan,  Dr.  J.  W.  H.  Baker  being  as- 
sociated with  him,  and  the  brother-in-law  of  the  latter.  Dr.  Richardson,  suc- 
ceeding in  charge  of  the  hospital  when,  in  March.  1865,  Dr.  Adler  removed  to 
Philadelphia.  There  he  married  the  daughter  of  a  prominent  physician,  and 
(lied  as  recently  as  February,  1904,  at  Devon.  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania. 

4.  "Dr.  Ezra  James  Fountain,  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  society, 
died  here  in  March,  1861,  from  an  overdose  of  chlorate  of  potassa,  self-adminis- 
tered in  a  study  of  the  drug.  From  a  memorial  sketch  delivered  before  the  so- 
ciety by  his  associate,  Dr.  Keith,  we  gather  that  Dr.  Fountain,  a  successful  and 
esteemed  young  physician,  was  a  graduate  of  Nassau  hall,  Princeton,  and  of  the 
College  of  Physicians  &  Surgeons,  New  York.  He  came  from  the  Hudson  to 
the  Mississippi  about  1853.  with  high  anticipations  and  found  a  warm  welcome 
here.  'An  enthusiastic  devotee  of  medical  science,  kind-hearted  and  sympathiz- 
ing among  his  patients,  attractive  in  person,  agreeable  in  manners,  cultivated 
and  refined  in  tastes — well  and  bravely  did  he  wage  battle  in  the  cause  of  human 
suftering.' 

5.  "Dr.  J.  M.  Witherwax  was  surgeon  of  an  Iowa  regiment  of  volunteers 
(Twenty-fourth  or  Twenty-sixth).  Returning  after  the  war  he  engaged  again 
in  practice  here  until  about  1870,  when  he  died  from  lead  poisoning.  He  was  at 
one  time  president  of  the  Iowa  State  Medical  society  and  was  president  of  the 
county  society  in  1866  when  the  state  society  met  in  this  city. 

6.  "Dr.  Archibald  Stevens  Maxwell  long  enjoyed  a  large  practice  here. 
Of  Scotch  descent,  a  native  of  Ohio,  graduated  from  Hudson  college,  Cleve- 
land, he  came  to  Davenport  in  1855,  invested  and  lost  considerable  money,  and 
then  went  actively  to  work  in  his  profession.  Sent  to  the  front  by  Governor 
Kirkwood,  who  had  been  a  boyhood  friend,  he  served  with  credit  at  the  siege 
of  Vicksburg  and  elsewhere,  returning  here  in  1864  for  twenty  years  more  of 
hard  work.  Then  with  broken  health  he  went  to  California  where,  near  Los 
Angeles,  he  died  in   1884. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  511 

7.  "Dr.  Joshua  Johnson  Tomson,  the  first  secretary  of  the  Scott  County  so- 
ciety, was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  183 1.  He  graduated  at  Berkshire  Medical 
college,  came  west  and  to  Davenport  in  1856,  and  spent  an  honored  and  successful 
life  here  until  his  death  from  grippe  in  1901.  He  was  president  of  the  Mercy 
Hospital  Medical  board  during  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life,  being  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  unfortunate  and  dependent  of  all  classes,  but  especially  solicitous 
for  the  rights  and  welfare  of  the  insane.  As  the  writer  knew  him  he  was 
serious,  careful  and  kind,  commanding  the  affection  as  well  as  the  confidence  of 
his  patrons. 

8.  "Dr.  Charles  Christopher  Parry  was  born  in  Gloucestershire.  England, 
in  1823,  came  to  America  in  1832,  graduated  in  medicine  at  Columbia  college 
and  came  to  Davenport  in  1849.  He  practiced  medicine  only  a  few  months  be- 
fore drifting  into  the  more  congenial  work  of  a  botanical  collector.  He  iden- 
tified himself,  however,  with  the  Scott  County  Medical  society  at  its  organiza- 
tion, being  one  of  the  original  signers  and  its  third  president  in  1859.  He  made 
extensive  and  repeated  explorations  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  Rio  Grande,  Mexi- 
can and  Pacific  coast  regions  during  many  years,  returning  to  Washington 
and  to  his  Davenport  home  occasionally,  and  died  here  in  1890.  He  was  in- 
timately connected  with  the  Davenport  Academy  of  Sciences,  was  its  second 
president,  and  contributed  much  by  his  valuable  papers,  to  the  flattering  recog- 
nition of  its  proceedings  abroad. 

9.  "Dr.  Thomas  J.  Saunders,  one  of  the  seventeen  original  signers,  while 
spending  most  of  his  life  in  governmental  and  journalistic  pursuits,  was  always 
interested  in  the  profession  of  his  early  choice,  and  retained  his  membership 
in  the  society  until  his  death.  He  was  born  at  Woodbury,  New  Jersey,  in  1819, 
his  parents  being  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  Graduated  fiom  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1843,  he  practiced  for 
a  time  in  his  native  village,  was  made  a  member  of  the  constitutional  conven- 
tion of  New  Jersey  in  1848,  and  later,  having  come  to  this  city  in  1855,  was  a 
member  of  the  constitutional  convention  of  Iowa  during  the  revision  of  the  code 
of  i860.  He  was  commissioned  paymaster  and  was  with  the  army  two  years  in 
the  field,  being  with  Sherman  on  his  memorable  march  to  the  sea.  Remaining 
in  government  employ  until  about  1889,  he  returned  to  Davenport  much  broken 
in  health  and  remained  here  until  his  death  in  1897. 

10.  "Dr.  John  Waterman  Harris  Baker,  one  of  those  who  attended  the 
called  meeting  preliminary  to  the  organization  of  the  Scott  County  Medical  so- 
ciety, was  born  in  Chesterfield,  New  Hampshire,  August  21,  1821.  He  gradu- 
ated from  Dartmouth  Medical  college,  in  1842,  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  being 
one  of  the  professors  whose  lectures  he  attended.  Practicing  successfully  in 
New  England  until  1853,  he  contracted  the  gold  fever  and  migrated  to  Cali- 
fornia, opening  an  office  at  Moquelumne  Hill,  Calaveras  county.  Being  burnt 
out  in  1855,  he  returned  to  his  eastern  home :  but  soon  turned  west  again,  ex- 
ploring for  a  location.  Pleased  with  Davenport  he  opened  an  office  here  in 
November,  1855,  and  from  that  time  on  to  his  death,  on  April  7th  of  the  present 
year  (1905).  he  was  an  active  and  successful  physician  here,  one  especially 
loved  and  trusted.  Dr.  Baker  was  commissioned  assistant  surgeon  and  served 
for  a  time  in  the  military  hospital  at  Camp  McClellan.     He  was  prominent  in  the 


512  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

state  as  well  as  in  the  county  society,  serving  as  president  of  the  former  in  1866. 
He  was  in  actual  practice  for  over  sixty  years,  and  was  ever  the  friend  of  the 
upright  and  the  foe  of  the  fraudulent,  to  the  extent  of  his  ability. 

11.  "Dr.  WilHam  A.  Hosford  was  born  in  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  May  15, 
1819,  and  died  here  September  8,  1874.  He  graduated  at  the  Albany  Medical 
college  in  1846  and  came  to  Davenport  in  1857.  Kindly  and  retiring,  he  had  yet 
built  up  a  large  practice  when,  in  1870.  his  health  failing,  he  engaged  in  the 
hardware  trade,  being  associated  with  his  son-in-law,  James  R.   Nutting. 

12.  "Dr.  Thomas  John  lies  was  born  at  Covington,  Kentucky,  March  17, 
181 1.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Transylvania  college,  Louisville,  and  came  to  Daven- 
port in  April,  1862,  having  practiced  previously  at  Midway,  Woodford  county, 
Kentucky.  Dr.  lies  had  owned  slaves  but,  being  a  republican  and  opposed  to 
secession,  he  freed  them  and  came  north.  In  the  fall  of  1862  he  was  appointed 
by  President  Lincoln  head  surgeon  on  the  island,  with  Dr.  Farquharson  as  his 
assistant.  His  membership  in  the  Scott  County  society  dates  from  1864.  He  was 
a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  and  was  universally  esteemed  and  respected  among 
his  fellow  citizens  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  when  he  died  here  Oc- 
tober 27,  1888. 

13.  "Dr.  James  McCortney,  a  graduate  of  the  Western  Reserve  Medical 
college  in  1853.  was  admitted  to  membership  in  the  Scott  County  Medical  society 
early  in  1857,  having  come  to  Davenport  the  preceding  fall.  Born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, September  8,  1825,  he  died  in  Chicago  on  the  anniversary  of  his  birth,  1904. 
Dr.  McCortney  was  for  many  years  the  principal  Catholic  physician  of  the  city  and 
enjoyed  an  extensive  practice,  which  he  relinquished,  owing  to  failing  health,  only  a 
few-  months  before  his  death.  He  was  one  of  the  surgeons  attending  the  prisoners 
on  the  island  during  the  war  and  later  held  the  ofifice  of  coroner  for  an  extended 
period. 

14.  "Dr.  Delia  S.  Irish,  a  native  of  the  state  of  New  York,  was  the  first  lady 
member  of  the  Scott  County,  as  also  of  the  Iowa  State  Medical  Society.  She  was  a 
graduate  of  the  Woman's  Medical  College  of  Philadelphia  and  joined  the  county  so- 
ciety here  in  1873,  remaining  an  honored  and  active  member  until  her  death  from 
consumption  in  1878,  at  the  age  of  thirty-six.  Quiet,  industrious  and  deter- 
mined, 'she  was  a  woman  of  culture  and  refinement  who  commanded  the  admira- 
tion and  esteem  of  all  who  knew  her.' 

15.  "Dr.  Robert  James  Farquharson  was  born  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and 
was  a  graduate  both  of  the  University  of  Nashville  and  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania.  After  two  years  of  practice  in  New  Orleans  he  became  assistant 
surgeon  in  the  United  States  navy,  thus  being  privileged  to  see  much  of  the 
world,  but  acquiring  also  an  unfortunate  deafness  while  cruising  on  the  coast  of 
Africa.  This  greatly  hampered  his  professional  activity,  but  under  President 
Johnson,  who  was  an  intimate  friend,  he  held  important  hospital  positions  during 
the  war.  Coming  to  this  city  in  1868  he  officed  with  his  warm  friend  and  fellow 
Scotchman  by  descent.  Dr.  W.  D.  Middleton,  doing  almost  exclusively  a  consult- 
ing practice.  He  died  in  Des  Moines  in  1864.  at  the  age  of  sixty,  the  last  four 
years  of  his  life,  as  has  been  stated,  being  given  to  the  state  board  of  health  as 
its  efficient  secretary.  Dr.  Farquharson,  as  the  writer  knew  him,  was  a  man  of 
the  most  kindly  and  lovable  personality.     Devoted  to  natural  science  and  to  pre- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  513 

ventive  medicine,  he  was  brimful  of  accurate  information  on  any  topic  that 
might  come  up.  He  had  read  and  experienced  much  and  his  memory  was  won- 
derful. His  little  mannerism  of  a  short,  hacking  cough,  which  always  preceded 
speech,  only  helped  the  full  gaze  of  his  mild  blue  eye  to  capture  one's  heart ;  he 
made  friends  of  all  who  knew  him. 

i6.  "Dr.  Washington  Freeman  Peck. — In  July,  1864,  Dr.  Adler  presented 
for  membership  in  the  Scott  County  Medical  Society  a  name  than  which  none 
shines  brighter  in  the  medical  annals  of  the  state — that  of  W.  F.  Peck.  Born  in 
Wayne  county,  New  York,  of  Scotch  descent  on  his  father's  side,  he  had  gradu- 
ated at  Bellevue,  and  served  as  house  surgeon  at  Bellevue  and  Blackwell's  island 
hospitals  and  as  United  States  surgeon  in  the  Lincoln  general  hospital,  Washing- 
ton, before  coming  to  this  city  in  1864,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three.  From  that 
time  until  his  death  here  in  1891  Dr.  Peck  was  identified  with  the  history  and 
interests  of  Davenport  and  of  Iowa.  Brave,  skillful  and  cool,  he  soon  took  front 
rank  as  a  surgeon,  his  fame  reaching  even  across  the  Atlantic  and  placing  him  in 
the  estimation  of  his  fellows  as  'one  of  the  six  most  successful  surgeons  of  the 
United  States.'  With  the  cooperation  of  warm  friends,  such  as  Judge  John  F. 
Dillon  and  Colonel  J.  P.  Irish,  he  founded,  and  with  loyal  helpers  such  as  Dr. 
W.  D.  Middleton,  D.  N.  Richardson  and  others,  he  built  up  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  Iowa  State  University,  of  which  he  was  made  dean,  and  which 
stands  as  his  monument  today.  He  was  also  a  prime  mover  and  the  medical 
father,  as  it  were,  of  Mercy  hospital  of  this  city,  of  the  surgical  department  of 
the  Rock  Island  road,  and  of  the  Iowa  Orphans'  Home  in  its  extension  to  more 
general  usefulness.  Dr.  Peck  possessed,  in  a  wonderful  degree,  the  faculty  of 
inspiring  absolute  confidence  in  his  patients ;  they  felt  that  he  knew  his  ground. 
The  writer  who,  soon  after  graduating,  spent  some  months  in  Dr.  Peck's  office, 
was  as  much  impressed  by  his  conscientious  care  in  determining  the  question  of 
operating  as  by  the  fearless  skill  of  his  hand  when  the  decision  was  reached  for 
action. 

17.  "Dr.  William  Drumm.ond  Middleton. — In  June,  1868.  Dr.  French  pre- 
sented the  name  of  Dr.  W.  D.  Middleton  for  membership  in  the  Scott  County 
Medical  Society,  and  he  was  unanimously  elected  at  the  July  meeting.  Probably 
no  citizen  of  Davenport,  before  or  since,  has  been  so  universally  loved,  honored 
and  mourned,  as  the  young  physician  then  starting  in  practice  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four,  came  to  be  at  the  time  of  his  death  from  blood  poisoning  in  1902. 
Coming  with  his  parents  from  Scotland  to  America  in  1856,  and  soon  after  to 
Davenport,  he  grew  up  here,  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  Peck,  graduated  at  Belle- 
vue, was  one  of  the  first  faculty  of  the  State  University  of  Iowa  medical  depart- 
ment, and  at  Dr.  Peck's  death  took  his  place  as  its  dean,  and  also  as  surgeon-in- 
chief  of  the  Rock  Island  road.  The  writer  knew  him  as  the  embodiment  of 
kindness  and  the  most  perfect  honor,  these  with  industry  won  deserved  success. 

18.  "Dr.  Alonzo  W.  Cantwell,  born  at  Mansfield,  Ohio,  and  a  medical 
graduate  of  the  University  of  Michigan,  came  to  Davenport  in.  1869  and  died 
here  in  1899.  having  been  an  active  and  greatly  esteemed  citizen  for  thirty  years. 
Especially  interested  in  sanitation,  he  was  connected  with  the  Davenport  board 
of  health  continuously  from  its  inception  until  his  death.  He  was  at  the  front 
during  the  epidemic  of  cholera  in  1873  and  the  epidemics  of  smallpox  in  1872  and 


514  HISTORY  Oi^   S.JOIT  COUNTY 

1882,.  bravely  withstanding  the  unreasoning  opposition  to  needed  restrictive 
measures.  Dr.  Cantwell  was  kindly  and  popular  in  the  extreme.  To  be  with 
him  on  the  street  it  would  seem  that  almost  every  citizen,  high  and  low,  knew 
him  and  was  quick  to  return  his  cheery  greeting  in  kind. 

19.  "Dr.  Lucius  French,  the  oldest  surviving  member  at  this  writing  (1905), 
was  born  near  Binghamton,  New  York,  1832,  graduated  at  Berkshire  Medical 
college,  Pittsfield,  Massachusetts,  in  1853,  and  after  a  few  years'  practice  in  the 
east,  located  at  Anamosa,  Iowa,  in  1862.  Enlisting  as  a  surgeon  in  the  Thirty- 
first  Iowa  Infantry,  he  served  through  the  war,  located  in  Davenport  in  March, 
1865,  and  was  elected  to  membership  in  the  county  society  the  following  month. 
From  that  time  on  Dr.  French  has  been  among  our  foremost  physicians  and  most 
honored  citizens. 

20.  ''Dr.  Jennie  McCowen. — Thougli  still  living  and  still  active  in  the  so- 
ciety, as  she  has  been  ever  since  joining  it  in  1880,  Dr.  McCowen's  work  for 
Davenport  has  been  such  that  it  must  not  be  passed  wholly  without  mention. 
Eminently  practical  in  her  humanitarian  views,  she  has  found  time,  in  the  midst 
of  a  busy  practice,  to  embody  them  in  a  strong  organization  of  far-reaching  be- 
neficence based  on  E.  E.  Hale's  admonition  to  'lend  a  hand.'  Allusion  has  before 
been  made  to  her  active  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  insane,  and  she  is  prominent 
in  various  humanitarian  societies. 

OTHER   MEMBERS. 

"It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  retrospect  to  speak  of  those  who  may  speak  for 
themselves.  Of  the  active  members  of  the  society  there  are  not  a  few  who  are 
making  for  themselves  a  worthy  record  which,  when  another  half  century  shall 
have  gone,  will  cause  them  to  be  remembered  with  aflfectionate  pride.  But  there 
are  some,  not  among  the  earlier  members,  who  have  come  and  gone,  either  to  other 
fields  or  to  their  final  rest,  after  winning  an  honored  place  among  the  successful 
physicians  of  Davenport.    Of  these  there  is  only  space  for  brief  mention  of  a  few. 

"Dr.  Edward  H.  Hazen,  who  became  a  member  of  the  society  in  1868,  was  the 
first  to  make  a  specialty  of  the  eye  and  ear  in  this  city.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
first  faculty  of  the  State  University  of  Iowa  medical  department,  and  was  promi- 
nent in  the  activities  of  the  community  a  score  of  years  ago.  Removing  to  Des 
Moines  he  became  one  of  the  medical  faculty  of  Drake  University,  and  continues 
the  practice  of  his  specialty  there. 

"Dr.  Margaret  A.  Cleaves,  who.  as  before  stated,  has  won  for  herself  a  prom- 
inent place  in  the  profession  of  New  York  City,  was  an  early  graduate  of  the 
State  University  of  Iowa  and  became  a  member  of  the  Scott  County  Medical  So- 
ciety in  1876.  She  engaged  for  a  time  in  general  practice  here,  was  connected 
professionally  with  the  hospital  for  the  insane  at  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa,  and  later 
with  that  of  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  has  attained  national  prominence  in 
the  application  of  electricity  to  medical  practice. 

"Dr.  Richard  Winter  Hill,  whose  boyhood  and  all  too  short  professional  life 
were  passed  in  this  city,  graduated  in  medicine  in  1883,  under  the  instruction  of 
his  warm  friends,  Drs.  Middleton  and  Peck,  with  whom,  and  Dr.  Grant,  he  had 
come  to  rank  as  one  of  the  four  best  surgeons  Davenport  has  produced  when, 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  515 

in  January,  1902,  alone  in  his  office,  he  met  death's  sudden,  untimely  summons. 
Reticent  and  of  a  strongly  individual  character,  he  was  not  very  active  in  the 
councils  of  the  society.  Though  admitted  to  membership  in  1888,  and  always 
loyal  to  its  interests  and  those  of  the  regular  profession,  he  but  seldom  attended 
its  meetings.  To  exceptional  talents  as  a  surgeon  there  were  joined  in  Dr.  Hill 
a  warm  heart  and  the  noblest  instincts  of  the  courteous  gentleman. 

"Dr.  William  West  Grant,  son  of  an  Alabama  physician  and  nephew  of  Judge 
James  Grant,  who  was  prominent  in  the  early  history  of  this  city,  graduated  at 
Long  Island  College  Hospital  in  1869,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  and  began 
the  practice  of  medicine  in  Nebraska  City.  Coming  to  Davenport  in  1871  he 
at  once  became  a  member  of  the  county  society  and  soon  took  rank  as  one  of  our 
most  progressive  and  successful  physicians,  also  filling  the  place  of  post  surgeon 
at  Rock  Island  arsenal  for  several  years.  On  January  4,  1885,  he  performed 
the  first  recorded  laparotomy  for  appendicitis,  the  writer  hereof  administering 
the  anaesthetic.  In  1889  Dr.  Grant  removed  to  Colorado  and  is  today  one  of  the 
foremost  surgeons  of  Denver. 

"Dr.  Charles  M.  Robertson,  who  graduated  in  1888  from  the  State  University 
of  Iowa  medical  department,  of  which  his  father  was  one  of  the  honored  founders, 
practiced  in  this  city  for  a  time,  being  very  successful  in  his  specialty  of  the 
eye  and  ear,  but  removed  to  Chicago  some  years  ago,  leaving  many  warm  friends 
in  Davenport. 

"Were  it  within  the  scope  of  this  article  to  recall,  not  the  members  of  the 
county  society  only,  but  all  doctors  who  have  been  active  in  the  life  of  the  com- 
munity, much  more  space  must  have  been  allotted  than  is  at  the  wTiter's  disposal. 
Older  citizens  will  remember  distinctly,  and  many  of  them  with  feelings  of 
kindly  regret,  Drs.  Emeis,  Olshausen  and  Hoepfner  (the  latter  but  recently  de- 
ceased), Drs.  R.  F.  Baker,  Worley,  Wessel  and  many  others  more  or  less  promi- 
nent though  not  connected  with  the  regular  profession.  These,  together  with 
the  dentists  and  druggists  of  the  early  days,  might  well  be  made  the  subject 
of  a  separate  chronicle. 

ALTERED   CONDITIONS. 

"The  conditions  of  practice  when  the  Scott  County  Medical  Society  was  or- 
ganized were  very  different  from  those  of  today.  Even  so  late  as  1873,  when 
the  writer,  just  graduated  from  the  State  University  of  Iowa,  began  practice 
here  with  cholera  victims  for  his  first  patients,  Davenport,  with  less  than  half 
its  present  population,  was  scarcely  more  than  a  village.  Its  buildings,  though 
scattered  over  much  ground,  were  few  of  them  more  than  two  stories  in  height. 
Where  the  Masonic  temple  now  stands  was  a  cottage  in  which  dooryard  (on  the 
immediate  corner)  was  the  one-story  brick  office  of  Dr.  Emeis.  Another  old- 
time  cottage  home,  set  back  in  its  green  yard,  occupied  the  present  site  of  the 
United  States  express  office  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Third  and  Brady ;  while 
Main  street,  almost  from  Second  to  Fifth,  presented  a  beautiful  colonnade  of 
tall,  spreading  elms.  The  old  brick  court  house,  wath  its  high-columned  porch 
and  its  surmounting  wooden  ball  (now  a  relic  in  the  Academy  museum)  still  stood 
in  the  midst  of  its  shady  grove ;  the  city  council  had  its  modest  assembly  room 


516  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

on  the  corner  of  Brady  and  the  alley  above  Fifth ;  the  postoffice  rented  quarters 
on  Perry  and  Third  streets,  in  the  same  building  with  the  Gazette,  which  was 
gotten  out  with  no  assistance  from  linotype  machine  or  Hoe  press ;  the  Academy 
of  Sciences  had  not  found  a  settled  home ;  and  the  dream  of  a  free  public  library 
had  yet  long  to  wait  for  its  realization.  There  were  no  granitoid  walks  in  the 
city  then,  and  no  paved  streets ;  the  business  regions,  indeed,  and  some  others 
had  the  so-called  'macadam,'  soft  and  uncurbed,  but  it  sank  out  of  sight  often 
faster  than  it  could  be  renewed.  There  were  no  telephones,  electric  lights  or 
electric  cars,  tri-city  or  interurban.  Little  'bob-tail'  horse-cars,  indeed,  jogged 
along  Third  and  what  is  now  East  River  streets,  or  climbed  Brady  hill  with 
much  urging  of  the  over-worked  power,  especially  on  those  days  when  the 
masses  were  attracted  by  the  then  popular  county  fair  to  the  site  of  our  Central 
park.  There  was  but  one  railroad  and  one  important  productive  industry — 
lumber;  this  beside  caring  for  the  money  and  supplying  the  wants  of  the  pros- 
perous farmers  of  the  county.  The  passing  of  the  sawmills,  with  their  array  of 
improvident  winter  idlers,  has  been  gladly  welcomed  by  the  long  suffering  doc- 
tor! The  physician's  office  has  had  several  distinct  stages  of  evolution  from  its 
simple  estate  in  those  days;  and  his  then  rather  honorable  mud-covered  buggy  and 
horse  have  mostly  given  place,  if  not  to  the  shining  closed  carriage  or  automobile, 
at  least  to  rubber  tires  and  the  convenient  'wheel.'  Then  he  had  no  X-ray  to 
confirm  his  diagnosis,  and  no  anti-toxin  for  prevention  or  treatment;  but  he  did 
his  best  then  as  now  to  save  life  and  limb,  and  to  win  the  gratitude  of  such  of  his 
patients  as  were  capable  of  appreciating  the  value  of  his  services  and  the  ex- 
tent of  his  self-sacrifice." 

The  following  physicians  are  members  of  the  Scott  County  Medical  Society 
at  this  time,  with  the  officers :  President,  Dr.  G.  F.  Harkness ;  vice  president,  Dr. 
E.  S.  Bowman;  secretary-treasurer.  Dr.  J.  V.  Littig;  delegate  to  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Iowa  State  Medical  Society,  Dr.  Edward  Strohbehn;  alternate 
delegate.  Dr.  G.  M.  Middleton;  Drs.  William  L.  Allen,  George  W.  Banning,  G.  S. 
Bawden,  P.  A.  Bendixen,  J.  D.  Blything,  E.  S.  Bowman,  H.  U.  Braunlich,  J.  F. 
Baker,  J.  D.  Cantwell,  O.  S.  Dahms,  J.  A.  DeArmand.  George  E.  Decker,  A.  P. 
Donohoe,  Sadie  C.  Doran,  A.  W.  Elmer,  E.  O.  Ficke,  Lucius  French,  C.  E. 
Glynn,  L.  F.  Guldner,  A.  L.  Hageboeck,  J.  T.  Haller,  G.  F.  Harkness,  C.  C. 
Hetzel,  C.  F.  Jappe,  C.  T.  Kemmerer,  T.  W.  Kemmerer,  J.  F.  Kempker,  O.  W. 
Kulp,  Ray  R.  Kulp,  Frederick  Lambach,  J.  V.  Littig,  D.  J.  McCarthy,  Jennie 
McCowen,  Carl  Matthey,  Henry  Matthey,  E.  D.  Middleton,  G.  M.  Middleton, 
J.  C.  Murphy,  Frank  Neufeld,  L.  J.  Porstmann,  J.  R.  Porter,  C.  H.  Preston, 
William  H.  Rendleman,  F.  E.  Rudolf,  O.  P.  Sala,  B.  H.  Schmidt,  P.  H.  Schroeder, 
Anne  M.  Shuler,  T.  D.  Starbuck,  Edward  Strohbehn,  William  A.  Stoecks,  K.  H. 
Struck,  WilHam  F.  Skelley,  Anton  Sauer,  Karl  Vollmer,  J.  S.  Weber  and  Lee 
Weber,  of  Davenport ;  William  W.  Bailey  and  F.  C.  Skinner,  of  LeClaire ;  W.  F. 
Bowser,  of  Blue  Grass ;  William  S.  Binford,  of  Dixon ;  J.  B.  Crouch,  of  Eldridge ; 
E.  T.  Kegel,  of  Walcott ;  and  J.  C.  Teufel,  of  Buffalo. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
THE  SCOTT  COUNTY  BAR. 

THE  BENCH  AND  BAR  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY EARLY  LAWYERS,   MANY  OF  THEM    MEN   OF 

GREAT   ABILITY THE   EARLIER    COURTS SUPREME    COURT   SESSIONS    IN   DAVEN- 
PORT— THE    DISTRICT,    CIRCUIT    AND    COUNTY    COURTS MEMBERS    OF    THE    BAR 

OF  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS  AGO THE  PRESENT  BAR — DIVERTING  INCIDENTS  OF  THE 

LEGAL  RECORD  SINCE  COURTS  WERE  ESTABLISHED JUDGE  GRANT's  TOOTHPICK. 

Perhaps  no  body  of  men,  not  excepting  the  clergy,  may  exercise  a  greater  in- 
fluence for  good  in  a  community  than  those  who  follow  the  profession  of  the  law, 
and  it  must  be  admitted  that  to  no  other  body,  not  even  to  the  so-called  criminal 
classes,  are  committed  greater  possibilities  for  an  influence  for  evil.  What  that 
influence  shall  be  depends  upon  the  character  of  the  men  who  constitute  the  bar 
of  the  community — not  merely  on  their  ability  or  learning  but  on  their  character. 
If  the  standard  of  morality  among  the  members  of  the  bar  is  high,  the  whole 
community  learns  to  look  at  questions  of  right  and  wrong  from  a  higher  plane. 
If  the  bar  consciously  or  unconsciously  adopts  a  low  standard  of  morality,  it  al- 
most inevitably  contaminates  the  conscience  of  the  community.  And  this  is  true 
not  only  in  the  practice  of  the  profession  itself,  not  only  because  of  the  influence 
of  members  of  the  bar  as  men  rather  than  lawyers,  but  in  the  effect  upon  other 
professions  and  occupations  to  which  the  bar  acts  as  a  feeder.  The  members  of 
the  legislature  are  recruited  largely  from  the  legal  profession.  How  can  legisla- 
tion, designed  solely  for  the  welfare  of  the  public,  be  expected  from  one  whose 
honor  as  a  lawyer  has  not  been  above  suspicion?  And  since  lawyers,  outside  of 
the  legislature,  have  a  great  influence  in  shaping  the  law,  how  can  the  people  ex- 
pect that  influence  to  be  exerted  in  their  behalf  when  the  bar  itself  is  unworthy? 
Still  more  does  the  character  of  the  bar  effect  the  judiciary,  which  is  supplied 
from  its  ranks.  It  is  not  always,  perhaps  not  generally,  the  case  that  members  of 
the  bench  are  chosen  from  those  lawyers  who  have  attained  the  highest  rank  in 
their  profession.  If  a  judge  be  industrious  and  honest,  but  not  of  great  ability, 
or  if  he  be  able  and  honest,  though  lacking  industry,  the  rights  of  the  litigants 
are  not  likely  to  suffer  seriously  at  his  hands.  But  there  have  been  instances 
where  judicial  office  was  bestowed  solely  as  a  reward  for  political  service ;  and 


518  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

while  it  is  sometimes  realized  that  one  who  has  been  a  strenuous  and  not  too  scru- 
pulous politician  up  to  the  moment  of  his  elevation  to  the  bench,  has  thereafter 
forgotten  that  there  was  such  a  trade  as  politics  and  has  administered  justice 
without  fear  or  favor,  the  experiment  is  a  dangerous  one.  No  one  need  be  sur- 
prised if  in  such  a  case  the  old  maxim  holds  true:  "He  who  buys  the  office  of 
judge  must  of  necessity  sell  justice/'  Let  our  judges  be  men  who  are  subject  to 
other  influences  than  those  of  the  facts  submitted  to  them  and  the  law  applicable 
to  those  facts,  let  them  lack  that  independence  which  is  an  imperative  requisite  to 
one  who  holds  the  scales  of  justice,  let  a  well  founded  suspicion  arise  that  their 
decisions  are  dictated  by  something  outside  of  their  own  minds  and  consciences, 
and  the  confidence  of  the  people  in  the  maintenance  of  their  rights  through  the 
agency  of  the  courts  is  destroyed. 

It  has  been  the  good  fortune  of  the  city  of  Davenport  and  the  county  of  Scott 
that  the  members  of  the  bar  here  have  been,  for  the  most  part,  men  of  high  char- 
acter as  well  as  of  ability  and  learning,  so  that  its  bar  has  won  a  high  and  honor- 
able reputation  throughout  the  rest  of  the  state  and  because  of  the  high  character 
of  the  bar  it  has  followed  that  those  of  its  members  who  have  been  elevated  to  the 
bench  have  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  public  and  have  been  hon- 
ored not  only  in  their  own  locality  but  in  many  cases  throughout  the  state  and  in 
other  states. 

Yet  the  preparation  of  a  history  of  the  bar,  so  far  at  least  as  that  part  of  it 
which  lies  back  of  one's  own  generation  is  concerned,  is  attended  with  consider- 
able difficulty.  Probably  few  men  who  in  their  time  play  important  parts  in 
the  community  or  even  in  the  state  or  nation,  leave  so  transient  a  reputation  as 
lawyers  do.  A  writer  on  this  subject  who  took  for  his  text  the  Lawyers  of  Fifty 
Years  Ago,  said :  "In  thinking  over  the  names  of  these  distinguished  men  of 
whom  I  have  been  speaking,  the  thought  has  come  to  me  how  evanescent  and  lim- 
ited is  the  lawyer's  reputation,  both  in  time  and  space.  I  doubt  very  much  if  a 
lawyer,  whatever  his  standing,  is  much  known  to  the  profession  outside  of  his 
own  state."  Those  who  attain  high  rank  in  the  profession  must  realize  that 
with  rare  exceptions  their  names  are  "writ  in  water."  One  may  turn  over  the 
leaves  of  old  reports  and  find  repeated  again  and  again  as  counsel  in  diflFerent 
cases  the  name  of  some  lawyer  who  must  have  been  in  his  time  a  power  in  the 
courts,  only  to  wonder  if  he  has  ever  seen  that  name  outside  of  the  covers  of  the 
dusty  reports  in  which  it  appears.  Hamilton,  in  the  conventions,  in  the  Federal- 
ist and  in  the  treasury,  and  Webster,  in  the  senate  and  in  public  orations,  have 
perpetuated  and  increased  the  fame  of  lawyers  Hamilton  and  Webster ;  but 
were  it  not  for  their  services  outside  the  strict  limits  of  their  profession  one 
might  come  upon  their  names  at  this  date  with  much  the  same  lack  of  recognition 
as  that  with  which  one  finds  in  a  reported  case  the  names  of  some  counsel,  great 
perhaps  in  his  own  time,  but  long  since  forgotten. 

And  there  is  another  difficulty  in  preparing  such  a  history  as  this,  brief  and 
therefore  necessarily  limited  to  a  few  names,  and  that  is  that  some  may  be 
omitted  who  are  quite  as  worthy  of  mention  as  those  whose  names  appear.  It  is 
not  often  that  any  one  man  stands  as  a  lawyer  head  and  shoulders  above  the 
other  members  of  the  profession;  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  any  half  dozen 
men.     In  many  cases  the  most  careful  measurement  would  fail  to  disclose  a  dif- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  519 

ference  of  more  than  a  fraction  of  an  inch,  if  any.  Lives  of  eminent  men  who 
have  at  some  period  been  practicing  lawyers  have  contained  the  assertion  that 
while  they  were  engaged  in  the  practice  of  their  profession  they  were  the  "leaders 
of  the  bar;"  but  there  is  almost  always  room  for  doubt  as  to  whether  the  title 
is  now  a  brevet  bestowed  by  the  biographer  alone.  Therefore  the  mention  in 
this  article  of  certain  lawyers  must  not  be  taken  as  any  disparagement  of  those 
who  are  not  mentioned,  and,  finally,  it  is  to  be  observed  that  this  article,  so  far 
as  the  bar  is  concerned,  will  treat  not  only  of  those  members  who  are  past  and 
gone  but  will  make  mention  of  some  of  those  now  in  the  flesh. 

THE   EARLY   BAR. 

In  the  histor}^  of  Scott  county  issued  by  the  Interstate  Publishing  Company 
in  1882,  the  following  well  written  and  authentic  article  on  the  early  bar  of  Scott 
county  appears.  From  that  narrative  the  following  excerpts  have  been  freely 
taken : 

Scott  county  was  organized  in  1838,  but  previous  to  this  time  several  members 
of  the  profession  had  settled  in  the  county,  first  of  whom  was  Gilbert  C.  R. 
Mitchell,  who  subsequently  became  judge  of  the  district  court  and  who.  for 
many  years,  until  his  death,  was  an  honored  member  of  the  bar  of  the  county. 
A  sketch  of  Judge  Mitchell  will  be  found  in  another  part  of  this  work. 

Alexander  McGregor  came  about  the  same  time  as  Judge  Mitchell.  It  was 
not  Mr.  McGregor's  intention,  when  he  settled  here,  to  engage  in  the  practice 
of  law.  He  first  went  on  a  farm,  remaining  there  several  years,  and  then  re- 
moved to  Davenport  where  he  hung  out  his  shingle  and  practiced  the  profession 
for  which  he  had  fitted  himself.  Mr.  IMcGregor  served  a  term  in  the  general 
assembly  of  the  territory.     He  died  about  1859. 

S.  B.  Hastings  came  to  the  county  in  1836  and  settled  at  Buffalo,  then  the 
metropolis  of  the  county,  where  he  remained  but  one  year,  and  then  removed  to 
Muscatine  county.  He  was  a  good  lawyer  and  afterward  rose  to  high  rank  in 
his  profession  and  on  the  bench.  He  served  as  judge  of  the  supreme  court  in 
this  state  for  some  years  and  during  the  gold  excitement  in  California  he  moved 
to  that  state,  where  he  later  distinguished  himself  as  judge  of  the  supreme  court. 

At  the  first  term  of  the  district  court  of  Scott  county  Simeon  Meredith  ap- 
peared and  was  admitted  to  practice  law  by  the  motion  of  Judge  Mitchell.  He 
lived  for  a  short  time  thereafter  in  Davenport  and  then  left  for  other  parts  but 
has  long  since  died. 

James  Grant  came  to  Scott  county  for  the  sake  of  his  health  and  settled  in 
Blue  Grass  township  about  1838.  He  had  already  been  admitted  to  the  bar  and, 
tiring  of  the  farm,  his  ambition  compelled  him  to  resume  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  was  born  in  Halifax  county.  North  Carolina,  on  the  12th  of  Decem- 
ber. 1812.  He  entered  college  at  the  age  of  fourteen  and  graduated  at  eighteen. 
He  then  taught  school  in  Raleigh  three  years  and  in  1834  opened  a  law  office  in 
Chicago.  Soon  thereafter  he  was  appointed  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  sixth 
district  and  in  1838  removed  to  Davenport,  settling  on  a  farm  near  the  little  vil- 
lage. In  1841  he  was  chosen  to  represent  Scott  county  in  the  legislative  assem- 
bly and  in   1844  was  sent  as  a  delegate  to  the  first  constitutional  convention 


520  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

and  took  an  active  part  in  framing  the  constitution  which  was  later  re- 
jected. In  1846  he  was  a  member  of  the  second  convention  and  was  the  author 
of  the  "bill  of  rights"  in  that  instrument  under  which  Iowa  became  a  state.  In 
1847  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  district  court,  serving  five  years.  In  1852  he 
was  again  elected  to  the  legislature  and  chosen  speaker  of  the  house.  When  a 
young  man  he  began  to  acquire  a  law  library  and  continued  to  add  to  it  through 
mature  life  until  he  had  secured  the  largest  and  best  selected  collection  of  law 
books  in  the  west.  He  became  one  of  the  great  lawyers  of  the  country  and  was 
employed  in  some  of  the  most  important  land  and  bond  cases  in  the  west.  In 
one  railroad  case  he  won  for  his  clients  $1,000,000  and  received  for  his  services 
$100,000.  In  politics  he  was  a  life-long  democrat.  On  the  14th  of  March,  1891, 
Judge  James  Grant  died  at  Oakland,  California,  and  when  the  news  of  his  death 
was  passed  from  one  to  another  at  his  home  in  Davenport.  Iowa,  "almost  every- 
one in  Davenport,"  said  the  Daily  Democrat,  commenting  editorially  on  his  death, 
"felt  that  he  had  lost  a  personal  friend."  He  was  a  fine  classical  scholar  and 
turned  to  the  classics  even  in  his  later  years  for  diversion  from  business  and  other 
affairs.  As  a  judge  on  the  bench  he  was  noted  for  his  prompt  discharge  of  pub- 
lic business  and  the  broad  common  sense  and  equity  of  his  decisions.  As  a  prac- 
titioner, zeal,  courage,  resourcefulness  and  a  felicitous  power  of  expression  were 
his  distinguishing  characteristics.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  and  tender  emotions. 
"When  the  subject  was  such  as  to  enlist  his  feelings."  says  an  old  member  of 
the  Iowa  bar.  "he  was  truly  eloquent  in  the  highest  sense  of  that  expression." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Scott  county  bar.  held  soon  after  Judge  Grant's  death,  S. 
F.  Smith,  for  many  years  his  law  partner,  paid  a  glowing  tribute  to  the  departed 
lawyer  and  jurist. 

Ebenezer  Cook  was  the  son  of  Captain  Ira  Cook  and  was  bom  at  New  Hart- 
ford, Oneida  county.  New  York.  February  14,  1810.  While  yet  a  boy  his  father 
moved  to  Broome  county  in  the  same  state,  where  he  was  extensively  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business.  Ebenezer  at  the  age  of  seventeen  went  to  Ithaca  as  con- 
fidential agent  of  Hiram  Powers,  in  a  wholesale  house  there.  When  twenty- 
three  years  of  age.  at  Undilla,  he  married  Miss  Clarissa  C.  Bryan,  and  soon  after 
went  into  the  mercantile  business  at  Vienna.  Ontario  county.  In  May,  1835, 
with  his  old  friend  and  earliest  patron,  Hiram  Powers,  he  traveled  by  way  of 
the  lakes  to  Green  bay,  then  on  horse-back  through  the  Indian  county  to  Ga- 
lena. There  they  heard  such  glowing  accounts  of  Iowa  and  the  opposite  shore 
of  the  Mississippi  that  on  returning  to  New  York  state  the  entire  family  decided 
upon  leaving  their  home  for  a  new  one  beyond  the  Mississippi.  Ebenezer  did 
not  accompany  them,  but  followed  in  December.  1836.  Mr.  Cook  commenced 
reading  law  with  Judge  Williams  and  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  federal  court 
in  183Q  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1840.  He  soon  secured  an  extensive 
and  lucrative  practice.  Under  the  act  of  congress  of  1845  he  commenced  the 
locating  of  land  warrants  in  1847,  which  led  him  to  active  operation  in  real 
estate,  which  he  successfully  continued  until  the  question  of  a  railroad  became 
almost  the  sole  topic  of  discussion  in  the  years  1851-52-53.  when  he  took  an 
active  part  in  the  new  movement  for  the  advancement  of  the  state  by  means  of 
railroad  communication  with  the  eastern  markets,  becoming  a  director  of  the 
Chicago  &  Rock  Island  Railroad  from  its  first  organization.     He  was  also  elected 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  521 

secretary  and  vice  president  of  the  old  Mississippi  tS;  Alissouri  road  which  was 
later  merged  into  the  Rock  Island,  and  later  he  became  treasurer,  afterward 
vice  president  and  was  at  the  time  of  his  death  acting  vice  president  of  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company.  While  engaged  in  the 
handling  and  locating  of  land  warrants  large  sums  of  money  came  into  his  pos- 
session, which  induced  him  to  become  a  member  of  the  banking  firm  of  Cook 
&  Sargent,  remaining  with  this  concern  until  1859,  when  he  withdrew  to  de- 
vote his  w^hole  attention  to  the  interests  of  the  railroad.  He  never  soHcited  or 
sought  any  office  in  his  life,  although  he  was  always  a  consistent  and  patriotic 
member  of  the  party  with  which  he  was  affiliated.  In  185 1  and  in  1854  he  was  a 
member  of  the  common  council  of  Davenport  and  was  elected  mayor  of  the  city 
in  1858.  In  the  sixty-second  year  of  his  age  he  died  at  his  home  in  Davenport, 
on  the  8th  day  of  October,  1871. 

John  P.  Cook  was  an  able  member  of  the  Scott  county  bar.  He  was  a  native 
of  the  state  of  New  York,  having  been  born  in  Whitestown,  Oneida  county,  in 
August.  1817.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  came  to  Davenport  with  his 
father  and  with  him  settled  on  the  "Cook  farm"  within  the  present  western  boun- 
dary of  this  city.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  entered  the  office  of  his  brother, 
Ebenezer  Cook,  and  in  1842  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  The  same  year  he  mar- 
ried Eliza  A.  Rowe.  of  Pleasant  Valley,  Scott  county.  Prior  to  this  he  had  lived 
a  few  years  in  Tipton,  Cedar  county,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  in 
1 85 1  returned  to  Davenport,  where  he  lived  to  the  day  of  his  death.  Subsequent 
to  his  settling  here  he  was  elected  to  congress.  On  the  breaking  up  of  the 
whig  party  he  affiliated  wnth  the  democratic  party,  the  principles  of  which  he 
labored  earnestly  to  sustain  and  promulgate,  even  to  the  end  of  his  days.  His 
life  had  been  one  great  energy  and  industry.  He  was  by  natural  instinct  a  true 
western  man — a  wide  awake  and  thoroughly  active  pioneer  who  never  saw 
the  time  when  he  could  lay  aside  the  business  harness  and  who  apparently  never 
wanted  to.  As  a  lawyer  he  had  few  superiors  and  was  always  a  ready,  able  and 
alert  advocate,  and  with  these  qualities  were  combined  energy,  tact  and  industry. 
For  many  years,  up  to  the  time  of  his  demise,  no  law  firm  in  the  northwest 
stood  in  higher  repute  than  that  broken  by  his  death.  But  a  few  months  before 
this  took  place  his  brother,  Hon.  Ebenezer  Cook,  had  been  called  to  his  last  ac- 
count and  to  John  P.  his  brother  Ebenezer  was  most  devotedly  attached.  They 
had  been  together  almost  constantly  from  boyhood.  All  their  business  plans 
were  conned  over  together,  neither  ever  taking  an  important  step  without  con- 
sulting with  the  other.  His  illness  was  of  long  duration,  but  he  bore  up  to  the 
last  with  the  courage  of  a  brave  soul.  He  died  at  his  residence  in  Davenport, 
'  on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Main  streets,  April  17,  1872. 

He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Scott  county  Pioneer  Settlers  Association 
and  always  took  the  greatest  interest  in  its  gatherings.  No  old  settler  was  more 
missed  in  their  annual  social  picnics  than  he.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
fifty-five  years  old. 

Charles  Weston  early  came  to  the  county  and  purchased  a  farm,  but  also 
■engaged  in  the  practice  of  the  law.  In  1857  he  was  elected  county  judge  and 
serv^ed  two  years.  He  was  born  in  May,  181 1,  in  Washington  county,  New 
York.     He  was  the  youngest  son  of  Honv  Roswell  Weston,  judge  of  the  court 


522  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

of  common  pleas.  He  graduated  at  an  early  age  from  the  Rensselaer  Institute 
of  Troy,  and  in  1832  commenced  reading  law  under  his  father  and  General 
Orville  Clark,  who  were  then  in  partnership.  He  remained  with  them  some 
two  years  and  then  transferred  his  studies  to  the  office  of  Hon.  Esec  Cowen,  who 
was  afterward  one  of  the  justices  of  the  supreme  court  of  this  state. 

John  F.  Dillon  was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  New  York,  December  25, 
1 83 1.  His  parents  removed  to  Davenport  in  1838,  then  a  frontier  village  in  the 
new  territory  of  Iowa.  Here  the  son  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
when  seventeen  began  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  E.  S.  Barrows.  He  at- 
tended medical  lectures  at  the  Keokuk  Medical  College  but  finally  concluded  to 
study  law.  He  entered  the  office  of  John  P.  Cook  and  pursued  his  legal  studies 
until  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1852.  Soon  after  he  was  elected  prosecuting  at- 
torney and  rose  rapidly  in  the  profession  until,  in  1858,  he  was  elected  judge 
of  the  seventh  district.  He  served  with  distinction  four  years  and  in  1863  was 
nominated  by  the  repubUcan  state  convention  for  judge  of  the  supreme  court. 
He  was  elected  and  in  1868  became  chief  justice.  In  1869  he  was  re-elected  for 
six  years  but  before  qualifying  was  appointed  by  President  Grant  United  States 
circuit  judge  for  the  eighth  circuit,  consisting  of  the  states  of  Iowa,  Kansas, 
Missouri,  Arkansas,  Nebraska,  Minnesota  and  Colorado.  In  1869  he  was  made 
lecturer  on  legal  jurisprudence  in  the  State  University  of  Iowa.  He  was  the 
founder  and  editor  of  the  Central  Law  Journal  and  author  of  a  "Digest  of  the 
Decisions  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Iowa,"  as  well  as  five  volumes  of  United 
States  Circuit  Court  Reports  from  1871  to  1880.  In  1879  he  resigned  the  cir- 
cuit judgeship  (a  life  appointment)  and  removed  to  New  York  City  where  he 
had  been  chosen  professor  of  real  estate  and  equity  jurisprudence  of  the  law 
department  of  Columbia  College.  In  1891-2  he  was  lecturer  on  municipal  law 
in  Yale  College.  In  1892  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  American  Bar  Associa- 
tion. He  has  long  had  charge  of  the  legal  business  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  and  the  Manhattan  Elevated 
Railroad  Company.  He  has  found  time  to  continue  his  law  writing  as  the  author 
of  a  "Commentary  on  the  Law  of  Municipal  Corporations,"  published  in  1872, 
which  -has  run  through  four  editions ;  "Removal  of  Causes  from  State  Courts 
to  Federal  Courts,"  published  in  1875,  which  has  passed  through  three  editions ; 
"Laws  and  Jurisprudence  of  England  and  America,"  being  a  series  of  lectures 
delivered  before  Yale  University,  published  in  Boston  in  1895.  Judge  Dillon's 
works  have  had  a  large  sale  in  England  as  well  as  in  America,  some  editions 
having  been  published  in  London.  In  this  country  they  were  from  the  first 
recognized  as  standard  legal  authority.  He  is  the  author  of  many  pamphlets  on, 
legal  and  historical  affairs,  and  one  of  the  most  elegant  memorial  volumes  that 
has  appeared  in  this  country,  in  memory  of  his  wife  and  daughter  who  were 
lost  at  sea  in  July,  1898.  His  wife  was  the  accomplished  daughter  of  Hon.  Hiram 
Price,  long  member  of  congress  from  the  second  Iowa  district.  From  a  boyhood 
of  poverty  and  obscurity,  but  endowed  with  remarkable  intellectual  powers  and 
untiring  energy,  John  F.  Dillon  has  by  force  of  character,  during  a  life  of  con- 
tinuous workj  reached  the  summit  of  the  American  bar. 

John  L.  Davies  moved  to  Iowa  in  March,  1841,  and  settled  in  Davenport. 
Upon  arriving  here  he  immediately  purchased  property  and  built  a  small  house 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  523 

where  he  resided  and  from  which  he  was  carried  to  his  last  resting  place.  He 
practiced  at  the  Scott  county  bar  for  several  years.  He  died  March  28,  1872, 
in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age. 

Samuel  Francis  Smith  was  born  at  Waterville,  Massachusetts,  on  the  5th  of 
September.  1836,  and  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Francis  Smith,  D.  D.,  a 
distinguished  Baptist  clergyman  of  Newton,  Massachusetts,  and  Mary  (White) 
Smith.  On  both  sides  he  was  descended  from  Puritan  ancestry  who  settled  in 
Massachusetts  early  in  the  seventh  century,  from  whom  have  sprung  some  of 
the  noblest  names  that  adorn  the  annals  of  their  country.  His  father  was  the 
author  of  the  national  hymn  of  the  republic,  "My  Country,  'Tis  of  Thee,"  an  ode 
which  has  found  a  merited  response  in  every  Christian  heart  not  only  in  this 
"sweet  land  of  liberty,"  but  throughout  the  globe,  which  has  been  rendered  in 
the  dialect  of  almost  every  civilized  country  in  the  world  and  which  is  sung  as 
frequently  in  the  Alpine  valleys  and  on  the  slopes  of  the  Himalayas  as  in  the  fair 
land  which  gave  birth  to  its  venerated  author.  To  be  the  author  of  that  hymn 
is  glory  enough  for  one  man  and  one  life-time.  Samuel  F.  Smith  spent  one  year 
at  Harvard  College,  but  on  account  of  ill  health,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  started 
for  the  west,  spending  a  few  months  in  Chicago  and  afterward  settling  in  Daven- 
port. Here  he  entered  the  law  office  of  James  Grant  and  in  1858  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  Two  years  later  he  became  a  partner  of  his  preceptor.  Judge  Grant. 
He  died  in  1909. 

Hans  Reimer  Claussen  was  a  native  of  Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany,  where 
he  was  born  February  23,  1804.  There  he  was  raised  on  a  farm  until  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  when  he  entered  the  college  at  Meldorf.  In 
1824  he  matriculated  in  the  university  of  Kiel.  In  1829  he  passed  his  examina- 
tion as  a  law  student  and  in  1830  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  practiced  his 
profession  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  birthplace  until  1834,  when  he  located  at 
Kiel.  In  1851  he  was  exiled  by  the  king  of  Denmark  who  then  ruled  over 
Schleswig-Holstein,  which  is  now  an  integral  part  of  the  German  empire.  From 
1840  until  1 85 1  he  was  a  member  of  the  Holstein  legislature  and  in  1848-49  was 
a  member  of  the  German  parliament  which  convened  in  May,  1848,  at  Frankfort- 
on-the-Main,  and  framed  the  constitution  for  the  united  Germany.  The  reason 
of  his  exile  was  on  account  of  his  participation  in  the  struggle  of  Schleswig- 
Holstein  for  independence  from  the  Danish  king.  He  came  to  the  United  States 
in  185 1  and  located  in  Davenport  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  He  then  began  the 
study  of  the  English  language  and  at  the  same  time  read  law  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  two  years  later.  For  a  short  interval  he  was  in  the  milling  business, 
in  which  he  lost  all  that  he  possesed.  His  law  business  soon  began  to  increase 
and  then  he  took  his  son  Ernst  into  his  office  as  a  partner.  He  served  his  county 
in  the  state  senate  four  years,  was  a  member  of  the  judiciary,  university,  orphans' 
home  and  constitutional  amendment  committees  of  that  body,  and  took  an  active 
part  in  the  revision  of  the  code  in  1873. 

Ernst  Claussen  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in  i860.  He  was  a  native 
of  Holstein,  Germany,  and  was  born  in  1833  and  educated  in  that  place.  He 
fought  in  the  revolutionary  army  of  Schleswig-Holstein.  although  quite  young, 
and  in  185 1  he  came  to  x\merica.  first  taking  up  his  residence  for  two  years  in  St. 
Louis.     He  came  to  Davenport  in  1853.     He  enlisted  at  the  first  call  of  President 


524  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Lincoln  for  75,000  three  months"  troopb  as  a  member  of  the  First  Iowa  Infantry, 
and  served  as  first  sergeant  of  Company  G  during  the  term  of  his  enlistment. 
He  then  retired  from  the  service  and  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession,  in 
which  he  was  eminently  successful. 

Jacob  W.  Stewart  came  to  Scott  county  in  the  spring  of  1853.  He  first  asso- 
ciated himself  with  J.  W.  Sennet  for  about  two  years,  and  in  1859  formed  a  part- 
nership with  James  Armstrong,  which  was  dissolved  in  1873.  In  1875  ^^  ^^" 
came  associated  with  William  K.  White.  In  1856  he  was  elected  prosecuting 
attorney  and  in  1866  was  appointed  collector  of  internal  revenue  for  the  second 
congressional  district  by  Andrew  Johnson.  He  was  elected  mayor  of  Davenport 
in  1874. 

George  E.  Hubbell  is  a  native  of  Salisbury.  Connecticut.  His  maternal 
grandfather  was  sheriff  of  New  Haven  county,  Connecticut,  for  many  years.  Mr. 
Hubbell  was  reared  and  educated  in  Connecticut  and  graduated  from  Yale  Law 
school  in  185 1,  after  which  he  practiced  his  profession  in  New  Haven  for  about 
a  year.  Soon  after  his  marriage,  which  took  place  in  1852,  he  opened  a  law  office 
in  New  York  and  practiced  there  in  the  company  of  such  noted  legal  leaders  as 
Charles  O'Connor,  James  T.  Brady  and  others.  Health  failing  him,  he  came 
west  and  located  in  Davenport  in  1853.  In  the  spring  of  1864  he  entered  into 
partnership  with  his  brother,  Judge  S.  A.  Hubbell,  which  relation  continued  a 
year,  the  judge  having  been  appointed  judge  of  the  territorial  court  of  New 
Mexico,  dying  there  in  1879.  When  Mr.  Hubbell  came  to  Davenport  it  con- 
tained 4,000  souls. 

John  C.  Bills  was  a  native  of  Wyoming  county.  New  York,  where  he  was  born 
in  1833.  He  became  a  member  of  the  Scott  county  bar  in  1856,  after  which  the 
law  firm  of  Bills  &  Block  was  formed.  He  was  a  very  active  and  prominent 
member  of  the  bar  at  this  place  and  twice  was  elected  mayor  of  Davenport  on 
the  republican  ticket. 

The  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Brown  &:  Campbell  vras  Samuel  Edward 
Brown,  who  began  his  professional  career  as  an  attorney  in  Davenport  in  1855. 
In  i860  Mr.  Brown  was  offered  a  partnership  in  the  law  firm  of  Corbin  &  Dow, 
which  he  accepted.  Mr.  Corbin  soon  afterwards  retired  from  the  firm.  A  year 
or  two  later  Mr.  Dow  retired,  leaving  Mr.  Brown  alone.  He  then  took  into  part- 
nership with  him  Alfred  Sully,  in  1864.  In  June.  1870,  James  Campbell  was  ad- 
mitted, the  firm  becoming  Brown,  Campbell  &  Sully.  Mr.  Sully  retired  from  the 
firm  in  March,  1874,  and  George  E.  Gould  was  taken  as  a  partner  into  the  firm, 
which  continued  until  1876,  when  the  firm  ceased  to  exist.  Finally  Mr.  Brown 
applied  his  energies  mainly  to  railroad  business,  to  federal  courts,  and  had  an 
extensive  practice  over  a  circuit  that  embraced  Iowa.  Kansas  and  Nebraska, 
looking  after  foreclosure  of  mortgages,  railroad  matters  and  municipal  bonds. 

On  December  9.  1826.  Daniel  B.  Nash  first  saw  the  light  of  day  in  Jackson- 
ville. Illinois.  He  graduated  from  Illinois  college  in  1854.  studied  law  with  his 
cousin,  Chauncy  Nash,  in  Mount  Pleasant.  Iowa,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1855.  He  entered  into  partnership  with  his  cousin  there,  which  continued 
three  years.  He  then  moved  to  Davenport  where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of 
his  profession.  In  1875  he  was  appointed  register  in  bankruptcy  for  the  district 
of  Iowa. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  525 

John  W.  Thompson  was  born  in  Huntington  county,  Pennsylvania.  October 
14.  1823.  He  attended  school  until  nineteen  years  of  age  and  taught  school  until 
twenty-one.  when  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  Huntington.  Pennsylvania,  in  the 
office  of  Thomas  P.  Campbell,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  when  twenty-three 
years  old,  in  1847.  He  practiced  law  in  Williamsburg  and  Holidaysburg.  Penn- 
sylvania, for  several  years.  In  the  spring  of  1855  he  located  in  Davenport  and 
formed  a  partnership  with  Horatio  B.  Earner,  which  continued  until  1861.  In 
1866  he  and  J-  D.  Campbell  joined  hands  as  partners  until  1870.  In  1877  a  part- 
nership was  formed  with  Nathaniel  French.  He  was  elected  on  the  republican 
ticket  to  the  Iowa  legislature  in  1857  and  to  the  senate  in  1859,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  convention  of  i860  which  nominated  Lincoln  for  president,  and  also  was 
a  member  of  the  convention  of  1880  that  nominated  Garfield  for  president. 

Edward  E.  Cook,  senior  member  of  the  old  firm  of  Cook  &  Dodge,  now  Cook 
&  Balluff.  began  practice  in  the  courts  in  the  spring  of  1863.  He  was  born  in 
Scott  county,  Iowa,  August  13,  1843,  and  is  a  son  of  John  P.  Cook,  mention  of 
whom  is  made  in  another  part  of  this  work.  Mr.  Cook  is  a  college  bred  man  and 
in  May,  1863,  graduated  from  the  Albany  Law  School  and  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  the  supreme  court  of  New  York.  Returning  home  he  entered  the  office 
of  his  father  and  in  1865  became  a  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Cook  &  Drury.  In 
1871  the  firm  changed  to  Cook  &  Bruning.  This  relation  continued  until  the 
death  of  J.  P.  Cook.  In  1872  Mr.  Cook  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  J.  S. 
Richman,  under  the  firm  name  of  Cook.  Richman  &  Bruning.  This  partnership 
continued  until  1865,  when  Mr.  Bruning  retired  and  the  firm  remained  Cook  & 
Richman  until  1880,  when  Mr.  Cook  formed  a  partnership  with  Frank  L.  Dodge. 
In  1909  Mr.  Dodge  removed  to  Salt  Lake  Citv  and  the  firm  became  Cook  & 
BalluflF. 

W.  A.  Foster  began  the  practice  of  law  in  Scott  county  in  October,  1866.  He 
was  born  in  the  county  in  1842,  was  educated  in  Davenport  and  read  law  with 
Davison  &  True,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1866.  He  attained  a  reputation 
of  no  inconsiderable  importance  as  a  criminal  lawyer. 

The  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Martin,  Murphy  &  Lynch  was  W.  M. 
Martin,  who  read  law  in  Tiffin,  Ohio,  with  General  William  H.  Gibson.  He  lo- 
cated in  Marengo,  Iowa,  and  practiced  there  until  1867,  and  in  June  of  the  same 
year  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  H.  Murphy  at  Davenport.  To  this  firm  in 
1876  was  added  William  A.  Lynch.  He  was  a  member  of  the  ninth  general  as- 
sembly and  city  attorney  from  1873  until  1881. 

Herman  Block,  of  the  firm  of  Bills  &  Block,  began  his  professional  career  at 
the  Scott  county  bar  in  1865.  He  was  bom  in  1840  in  the  duchy  of  Lauenberg, 
Germany.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  emigrated  to  the  L^nited  States  and  located 
at  Davenport.  In  1865  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  was  given  desk  room  in 
the  office  of  Parker  &  McNeil  the  first  year.  He  practiced  alone  until  1870,  when 
a  partnership  was  entered  into  wHith  John  C.  Bills.  This  firm  was  one  of  the 
ablest  and  most  prosperous  in  this  part  of  Iowa. 

Stewart  &  White  were  a  well  known  legal  firm  in  Davenport.  William  K. 
White,  the  junior  member,  began  practicing  here  in  1868.  He  was  born  in  Sara- 
toga Springs,  New  York,  in  1844.  He  read  law  with  Chancellor  Reuben  H. 
Walworth,  of  New  York  City,  and  with  J.  A.  Shoudy,  a  prominent  attorney  of 


526  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

New  York  state.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  early  part  of  1865  ^.t  the 
general  term  of  the  supreme  court  at  Plattsburg,  New  York.  After  the  war  he 
went  south  and  served  by  appointment  as  assistant  in  the  f  reedmen's  bureau.  He 
filled  this  position  until  1868,  when  he  came  to  Davenport  and  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  John  Ackley,  which  continued  a  year.  He  then  practiced  alone  until 
1873,  when  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  district  and  circuit  courts,  serving  one  term. 
During  this  time  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Jacob  W.  Stewart. 

John  W.  Green  became  a  citizen  of  Scott  county  in  1852  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1868.  He  was  born  in  Vernon,  Indiana,  in  1842.  He  received  his 
education  at  Monmouth  College,  Illinois.  He  fought  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  pri- 
vate in  the  Eighty-third  Illinois  Infantry  and  served  three  years.  He  attained 
the  rank  of  adjutant  in  1863.  After  the  war  he  went  to  Albany  and  entered  the 
law  school  there,  graduating  in  1867.  He  returned  to  Davenport  and  read  law 
with  Putnam  &  Rogers.  In  1874  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Bleik  Peters. 
Mr.  Green  served  in  the  Iowa  legislature  in  1870  and  1872,  and  a  special  session 
of  1873.  He  was  elected  city  attorney  of  Davenport  in  1869,  and  was  appointed 
United  States  collector  of  internal  revenue  by  James  A.  Garfield  in  1881. 

One  of  the  members  of  the  law  firm  of  Martin,  Murphy  &  Lynch  was  William 
A.  Lynch,  who  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  where  he  was  born  in  1846.  His  pa- 
rents moved  west  in  1849  and  settled  in  Mount  Pleasant,  Henry  county,  Iowa. 
There  Mr.  Lynch  attended  the  Iowa  Wesleyan  College,  read  law  in  Mount  Pleas- 
ant one  year,  and  then  entered  the  law  department  of  the  Iowa  State  University, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1871,  locating  in  Davenport  one  year  later.  He 
became  very  successful  at  the  bar.  He  voted  the  democratic  ticket  but  avoided 
politics. 

There  came  from  Germany  in  1845  or  1846  B.  and  Margaret  Heinz,  the 
parents  of  Fred  Heinz  who  was  born  at  St.  Louis,  May  8,  1852.  In  1855  they 
removed  to  Davenport.  Fred  Heinz  was  educated  in  the  city  schools  and  Gris- 
wold  College,  and  when  sixteen  years  of  age  began  reading  law  in  the  office  of 
Parker  &  McNeil.  A  year  later  he  took  up  his  law  studies  in  the  office  of  Bills 
&  Block,  where  he  remained  for  three  years.  In  1873  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
and  at  the  end  of  six  months  formed  a  partnership  wnth  Ernst  Claussen,  which 
continued  until  1880.  He  was  a  democrat  and  became  active  in  politics  serving 
the  city  as  mayor  and  was  also  very  successful  in  his  chosen  profession. 

Nathaniel  S.  Mitchell  was  born  in  Davenport,  February  18,  1853,  and  was  a 
son  of  Judge  Gilbert  C.  R.  Mitchell,  whose  sketch  may  be  found  in  another  part 
of  this  work.  Mr.  Mitchell  read  law  in  Davenport  with  John  W.  Thompson, 
after  having  graduated  from  Notre  Dame  University  in  1872.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1875  and  began  a  practice  which  eventually  proved  gratifyingly  suc- 
cessful. 

H.  A.  Ascherman  was  born  in  Warburg,  Prussia,  in  1852.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  parents  in  the  fall  of  1856,  the  family  locating  in  Milwau- 
kee. They  remained  there  but  a  few  months  and  then  came  to  Davenport.  Mr. 
Ascherman  completed  his  education  in  Griswold  College.  He  attended  lectures 
at  the  Iowa  State  Law  College  and  commenced  reading  law  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years,  with  the  firm  of  Putnam  &  Rogers.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1875- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  527 

Peter  A.  Boyle  was  the  junior  partner  of  the  firm  of  Waterman  &  Boyle,  and 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Davenport  in  1876.  He  came  to  Scott 
county  when  sixteen  years  old  and  was  educated  in  Griswold  College,  graduating 
therefrom  in  1870.  He  graduated  from  the  Harvard  Law  School  in  1872  and 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  fall  of  that  year.  He  entered  the  law  office  of 
Davison  &  Lane  and  remained  until  1876,  when  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Charles  M.  Waterman. 

Charles  A.  Ficke  became  a  member  of  Scott  county  bar  in  1877.  He  is  a  na- 
tive of  Mecklenburg,  Germany,  and  came  to  this  county  in  1832.  An  extended 
sketch  of  Mr.  Ficke  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

William  O.  Schmidt  was  born  in  Davenport  June  9,  1856.  His  parents,  John 
and  Margaretta  Schmidt,  natives  of  Bavaria,  came  to  America  in  1834  and  lo- 
cated in  Davenport  about  1849.  John  Schmidt  was  one  of  the  important  mer- 
chants for  many  years  of  Davenport  and  was  one  of  the  founders  and  a  member 
of  the  first  board  of  directors,  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  this  city,  which  was 
the  first  institution  of  the  kind  organized  in  the  United  States.  His  son,  Wil- 
liam, was  a  graduate  of  the  public  and  high  school  of  Davenport.  He  graduated 
from  the  law  department  of  the  Iowa  State  University  in  1877  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  in  the  supreme  court  in  June  of  that  year.  He  read  law  with  the 
firm  of  Putnam  &  Rogers.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Iowa  legislature.  He  be- 
came a  successful  lawyer. 

Frank  L.  Dodge  was  the  junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Cook  &  Dodge.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  June,  1877,  after  which  he  was  given  employment  by 
the  firm  of  Cook  &  Richman  until  its  dissolution.  He  entered  into  partnership 
with  E.  E.  Cook  in  1880.  Mr.  Dodge's  father  came  to  Iowa  in  1832  and  became 
a  citizen  of  Davenport  in  1836.  Frank  L.  Dodge  graduated  from  the  Iowa  State 
University  in  1875  and  from  the  law  department  of  that  institution  in  1876. 

The  law  practice  of  the  firm  of  Gannon  &  McGuirk  was  noteworthy  at  the 
time  this  article  was  written.  The  junior  member  of  the  firm,  Ambrose  P.  Mc- 
Guirk, began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Davenport  in  1878,  at  which  time 
the  above  mentioned  partnership  was  entered  into.  Mr.  McGuirk  took  a  law 
course  at  Ann  Arbor,  from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  in  1878,  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar.  He  was  a  native  of  St.  Marys,  Canada,  where  he  was  born 
in  1854.  He  received  his  early  education  at  that  place  and  in  an  academy  at 
London,  Ontario,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1876.  He  came  to  Davenport  in 
1878  and  he  has  been  closely  identified  with  various  Catholic  societies. 

Judge  J.  Scott  Richman  was  born  in  Somerset,  Ohio.  He  came  to  Iowa  and 
occupied  the  bench  of  the  seventh  judicial  district  from  1863  until  May,  1872, 
when  he  resigned  the  office  and  on  the  death  of  John  P.  Cook  he  formed  a  law 
partnership  with  his  son,  E.  E.  Cook,  which  relation  continued  about  eight  years. 
Upon  the  dissolution  of  that  firm  Judge  Richman  entered  into  a  partnership  with 
W.  B.  Burk  and  J.  J.  Russell  under  the  firm  name  of  Richman,  Burk  &  Russeh, 
in  Muscatine,  in  1880,  and  divided  his  time  between  Muscatine  and  Davenport. 
He  carried  on  a  general  and  extensive  law  practice  in  the  several  courts,  largely 
in  the  federal  court.  He  first  made  his  appearance  in  Davenport  in  1872.  He 
began  practice  on  his  own  account  in  1880.  Judge  Richman  was  clerk  of  the 
Iowa  house  of  representatives  at  one  time  and  was  a  member  of  the  constitu- 


528  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

tional  convention  which  framed  the  first  constitution  adopted  by  the  state  of 
Iowa.     He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Iowa  house  in  the  extra  session  of  1856. 

William  H.  F.  Gurley  was  born  in  Washington.  D.  C,  in  1840.  When  a  lad 
he  was  chosen  clerk  of  a  committee  on  which  Abraham  Lincoln,  who  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  house  of  representatives,  was  serving.  He  was  a  favorite  with  the 
tall,  awkward  member  from  Illinois,  who  never  forgot  the  bright,  black-eyed 
boy  clerk  of  his  committee.  When  but  sixteen  years  of  age  young  Gurley  ac- 
companied Dr.  Owen  of  the  United  States  geographical  survey  on  one  of  his 
exploring  expeditions  to  the  far  west,  where  he  obtained  his  first  view  of  the 
great,  wild  prairies  of  Iowa  as  they  were  in  1846-7.  He  was  so  fascinated  with 
the  beauty  of  the  picturesque  rivers,  woods,  blufifs  and  rolling  prairie  that  he 
then  determined  some  day  to  return  and  make  his  home  in  the  new  state.  In 
1854  he  came  to  Davenport  and  opened  a  law  office.  He  was  an  active  republi- 
can and  in  1859  was  nominated  for  representative  in  the  eighth  general  assembly 
and  elected.  He  was  made  chairman  of  the  committee  of  ways  and  means  and 
drafted  the  revenue  system  which  for  many  years  has  been  so  successful  in  pro- 
viding funds  for  the  state  expenses.  Soon  after  the  election  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, the  first  republican  president,  he  tendered  to  his  former  committee  clerk 
the  position  of  United  States  district  attorney  for  Iowa.  His  health  failed  under 
the  pressure  of  the  exacting  labors  of  that  position,  after  a  few  years,  and  he 
found  it  necessary  to  resign.  He  was  appointed  consul  to  Quebec,  but  a  fatal 
malady  had  overtaken  him  and  after  a  short  term  he  died.  He  was  cut  down 
on  the  threshold  of  what  promised  to  be  a  useful  and  brilliant  career  at  the  early 
age  of  thirty-five. 

James  T.  Lane  was  born  at  Freeport,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  i6th  of  March, 
1830.  He  was  educated  at  the  University  of  Lewisburg  in  that  state,  studied 
law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  came  west  in  1854  in  search  of  a  location.  He 
stopped  in  Davenport,  then  a  flourishing  little  city  on  the  upper  Mississippi  river. 
Here  he  located  on  the  23d  of  February,  1854,  and  opened  a  law  office,  making  it 
his  permanent  home.  He  soon  acquired  a  good  practice  and  upon  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  republican  party  on  the  22d  of  February,  1856,  Mr.  Lane  took  an 
active  part,  serving  as  a  delegate  from  Scott  county  in  the  first  state  convention 
which  met  at  Iowa  City  and  was  one  of  the  secretaries  of  that  gathering  which 
brought  a  new  party  into  existence.  He  entered  into  partnership  with  Abner 
Davison,  upon  the  death  of  D.  S.  True,  and  Davison  &  Lane  was  for  many  years 
one  of  the  leading  law  firms  of  Davenport.  In  1861  he  was  elected  on  the  re- 
publican ticket  to  the  house  of  the  ninth  general  assembly  and  took  rank  among 
the  leading  members ;  was  made  chairman  of  the  committee  on  military  afTairs, 
then  the  most  important  of  the  standing  committees,  as  the  country  was  in  the 
midst  of  the  great  Civil  war.  In  1873  Mr.  Lane  was  appointed  by  President 
Grant  United  States  district  attorney  for  Iowa,  serving  with  distinction  until 
1882.    He  died  on  the  19th  of  March,  1890. 

Joseph  R.  Lane  was  born  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  on  the  6th  of  May,  1858,  the 
son  of  Hon.  James  T.  Lane.  He  was  educated  at  Knox  College,  Galesburg, 
Illinois,  attended  the  law  department  of  the  State  University  and  began  to  prac- 
tice law  in  Davenport  in  1880.  In  1898  he  was  elected  to  congress  on  the  re- 
publican ticket  in  the  second  district,  serving  but  one  term,  as  he  declined  a  re- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  529 

election.  He  has  long  been  one  of  the  active  repubUcan  leaders  in  the  second 
congressional  district,  but  prefers  the  line  of  his  profession  to  official  positions. 
Charles  M.  Waterman  was  born  in  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  on  the  5th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1847.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  and  in  a  private 
academy.  He  came  to  Iowa  in  1854  and  studied  law.  The  first  office  he  held  was 
that  of  city  attorney  of  Davenport.  In  1877  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  represen- 
tatives in  the  house  of  the  seventeenth  general  assembly  on  the  republican  ticket. 
On  the  28th  of  June,  1887,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Larrabee  to  fill  a  va- 
cancy in  the  office  of  judge  of  the  seventh  judicial  district,  caused  by  the  death  of 
Judge  John  H.  Rogers.  He  was  elected  for  a  full  term  in  November  of  that 
year  and  re-elected  in  1890  and  1894.  In  the  summer  of  1897  he  received  the 
nomination  at  the  republican  state  convention  for  judge  of  the  supreme  court 
and  was  elected  in  November,  taking  his  place  on  the  bench  the  ist  of  January, 
1898.  Later  he  resigned  from  the  supreme  bench  to  form  with  Ex-Congressman 
Joe  R.  Lane,  the  legal  partnership  Lane  and  Waterman.  Judge  Waterman  serves 
this  community  most  wisely  and  well  as  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
the  Davenport  Public  Library. 

James  Thorington  was  born  on  the  7th  of  May,  1816,  in  Wilmington,  North 
Carolina.  He  was  a  graduate  of  the  State  University  of  Alabama  and  studied 
law  with  his  father.  He  located  at  Davenport,  Iowa,  in  1839,  where  he  began 
practice.  In  1842  he  was  chosen  mayor  of  the  city,  serving  four  years.  He  was 
one  of  the  leaders  in  the  free  soil  movement  and  in  1854  was  nominated  for  rep- 
resentative in  congress  for  the  second  district  by  the  antislavery  elements  of  the 
various  parties.  The  district  embraced  all  o-f  the  northern  half  of  the  state  and 
few  expected  the  free  soil  candidate  to  be  elected.  Several  prominent  men  de- 
clined the  nomination  and  it  was  offered  to  Mr.  Thorington.  He  said,  "Gentle- 
men, I  am  not  anxious  to  take  the  chances,  but  if  you  chose  to  nominate  me  I  will 
make  an  aggressive  canvass  and  shall  expect  to  be  elected."  His  response  aroused 
enthusiasm,  he  was  nominated  and  made  a  vigorous  campaign,  having  for  his 
democratic  competitor  Ex-Governor  Stephen  Hempstead.  Thorington  was 
elected  by  more  than  one  thousand  five  hundred  majority.  He  served  two  years 
from  March,  1855,  and  was  largely  instrumental  in  securing  to  Iowa  the  land 
grants  of  1856  for  the  aid  of  railroads.  This  most  important  act  gave  to  his 
district  tliree  trunk  lines  of  railroad  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Misouri  river. 
But  it  compassed  his  defeat  for  renomination.  Delegates  in  the  convention  from 
counties  not  on  the  lines  of  the  projected  railroads  united  against  him  and  nomi- 
nated a  republican  in  Dubuque.  Mr.  Thorington  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the 
political  movement  which  resulted  in  uniting  the  anti-slavery  elements  into  the 
republican  party  in  1855-6.  In  1858  he  was  a  candidate  for  United  States  senator 
to  succeed  George  W.  Jones  but  James  W.  Grimes  was  nominated  and  elected. 
Mr.  Thorington  was  appointed  by  the  governor  agent  for  the  state  at  Washington 
to  secure  title  to  the  swamp  lands  embraced  in  the  grant.  In  1872  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Grant  United  States  consul  to  Aspinwall,  where  he  served 
ten  years.  It  has  often  been  remarked  that  our  state  never  sent  a  representative 
to  congress  who  accomplished  so  much  in  a  single  term  as  this  first  republican 
member  from  Iowa.     He  died  June  12.  1889.  at  Sante  Fe.  in  New  Mexico. 


530  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Jonathan  W.  Parker  was  one  of  the  pioneer  lawmakers  of  Iowa  territory. 
He  was  born  in  Clarendon.  Vermont,  on  the  loth  of  August,  1810.  After  ac- 
quiring the  usual  education  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  Pennsylvania  and  came 
with  his  father's  family  to  Davenport  in  1836.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  at 
the  first  term  of  court  held  in  Scott  county  and  immediately  began  practice.  In 
1838,  upon  the  organization  of  the  territory  of  Iowa,  he  was  elected  to  represent 
Scott  and  Clinton  counties  in  the  council  of  the  first  legislative  assembly  and 
was  re-elected,  serving  in  the  second,  third  and  fourth  territorial  legislatures. 
He  attained  high  rank  as  a  legislator  and  was  president  of  the  council  during  the 
session  of  1841-2.  In  1841  he  was  mayor  of  Davenport.  In  1852,  while  on  a 
visit  to  Cincinnati,  he  died  of  cholera  at  the  early  age  of  forty-one. 

Henry  Vollmer  was  born  in  Davenport,  Iowa,  in  1867.  He  received  his  edu- 
cation in  that  city,  the  Iowa  State  University  and  Georgetown  University  at 
Washington,  D.  C.  He  took  a  thorough  law  course,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
began  practice  in  Davenport.  He  early  developed  a  talent  for  public  speaking 
which  brought  him  into  prominence  as  one  of  the  young  leaders  of  the  democratic 
party.  In  1893  he  was  first  chosen  mayor  of  Davenport  and  at  once  applied  himself 
to  the  inauguration  of  municipal  reforms.  He  was  three  times  reelected  and  se- 
cured the  erection  of  a  fine  city  hall  without  an  increase  of  taxation.  In  1893 
he  was  chosen  president  of  the  democratic  state  convention  and  delivered  an  ad- 
dress which  for  eloquence  and  ability  gave  him  more  than  a  state-wide  reputa- 
tion as  a  public  speaker.  He  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  what  is  termed  the  sound 
money  wing  of  the  democratic  party  of  Iowa  in  the  presidential  campaign  of 
1896. 

Jeremiah  H.  Murphy  was  born  in  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  February  19,  1835, 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Boston  and  after  removing  to  Iowa,  graduated 
at  the  State  University.  He  read  law  in  Davenport,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and 
at  once  entered  upon  practice.  He  was  an  active  democrat  and  in  1873  was 
elected  mayor  of  Davenport.  In  1874  he  was  elected  to  the  state  senate,  serving 
four  years.  In  1879  he  was  again  chosen  mayor.  In  1882  he  was  elected  to 
represent  the  second  district  in  congress  and  was  a  member  of  the  committees  on 
rivers  and  harbors  and  on  railroads  and  canals.  On  the  latter  committee  he  worked 
faithfully  to  secure  an  appropriation  for  the  Hennepin  canal.  Mr.  Murphy  was 
reelected  in  1884,  serving  four  years.  He  died  in  Washington  on  the  nth  of 
December,  1893. 

PRESENT   BAR  OF  DAVENPORT. 

Henry  A.  Arp,  Stephen  P.  Bawden,  Waldo  Becker,  Albert  Bergman,  Frank 

F.  Betty  and  Harry  B.  Betty,  of  the  firm  of  Betty  &  Betty;  William  J.  Birch- 
ard,  Louis  Block,  William  H.  Campbell,  Alexander  E.  Carroll,  William  H.  Car- 
roll and  Edward  J.  Carroll,  of  the  firm  of  Carroll  Brothers;  William  M.  Cham- 
berlin,  Edward  E.  Cook,  Reuel  B.  Cook  and  Walter  M.  Ballufif,  of  the  firm  of 
Cook  &  Ballufif;  Charles  T.  Cooper,  Francis  A.  Cooper,  Edward  J.  Dahms, 
Phil  Daum.  Henry  E.  C.  Ditzen.  ^Maurice  Donegan.  Nathan  D.  Ely  and  Arthur 

G.  Bush,  of  the  firm  of  Ely  &  Bush ;  Charles  A.  Ficke,  Robert  C.  Ficke,  Arthur 
D.  Ficke  and  Julius  Ficke,  of  the  firm  of  Ficke  &  Ficke;  Samuel  A.  Finger, 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  531 

Lewis  Fisher,  Nathaniel  French,  Michael  V.  Gannon,  J.  Clark  Hall,  James 
A.  Hanley,  Carl  F.  Hass  and  Albert  W.  Hamann,  of  the  firm  of  Hass  &  Ha- 
mann;  John  M.  Helmick  and  Howard  S.  Boudinot,  of  the  firm  of  Helmick  & 
Boudinot;  Hadley  M.  Henley,  James  B.  Hickey,  William  Hoersch,  George  E. 
Hubbell,  H.  H.  Jebens,  Charles  W.  Jones,  Charles  T.  Kemmerer,  G.  H.  Koch, 
James  J.  Lamb,  Dick  R.  Lane,  Joe  R.  Lane  and  Charles  M.  Waterman,  of  the 
firm  of  Lane  &  Waterman;  Dickinson  F.  Letts,  Victor  L.  Littig,  William  W. 
Lunger,  William  R.  Maines,  L.  Earl  Marshall,  William  G.  Mott,  Alfred  G. 
Mueller,  Cornelius  H.  Murphy,  Timothy  A.  Murphy,  Albert  Noth,  Leroy  C. 
Oelkers,  Bernard  T.  O'Neil,  Alfred  Parsons,  Isaac  Petersberger,  Walter  H. 
Petersen,  Louis  E.  Roddewig,  Claus  J.  Ruymann  and  Adolph  Ruymann.  of  the 
firm  of  Ruymann  &  Ruymann ;  Benjamin  I.  Salinger,  George  W.  Scott,  William 
Theophilus,  Arthur  G.  Sampson,  Henry  Vollmer.  of  the  firm  of  Schmidt  and  VoU- 
mer.  Schmidt  is  dead — Vollmer  has  no  partner ;  Fred  W.  Schnare ;  James  W. 
Seaman  and  Ernest  W.  Seaman,  of  the  firm  of  Seaman  &  Seaman ;  Emmet  M. 
Sharon,  Joseph  Shorey,  Ira  R.  Tabor,  Henry  Thuenen,  Jr.,  Fred  Vollmer,  Wil- 
liam T.  Waterman,  Albert  E.  Whitney,  Ralph  C.  Williamson,  William  H.  Wilson, 
Charles  Grilk  and  Charles  H.  Wilson,  of  the  firm  of  Wilson,  Grilk  &  Wilson. 

INCIDENTS    AMUSING   AND    OTHERWISE    RELATING   TO   THE    EARLY    BAR    AND    COURTS 
OF   SCOTT    COUNTY. 

The  first  banquet  of  the  Scott  county  bar  was  given  at  the  Burtis  House  in 
honor  of  Judge  A.  H.  Bennett,  who  had  a  short  time  previous  retired  from 
the  bench.  This  took  place  on  the  evening  of  January  3,  1859.  John  P.  Cook 
was  toastmaster  and  John  F.  Dillon,  then  a  young  man  of  twenty-six  years  of 
age,  and  who  had  succeeded  Judge  Bennett  on  the  bench,  was  present.  Five 
dollars  a  plate  was  paid  by  the  banqueters. 

Judge  Dillon,  in  a  reminiscent  communication  published  in  the  Democrat, 
speaks  of  the  early  bar  of  Scott  county  in  the  following  glowing  terms: 

"It  may  be  expected  perhaps  that  I  shall  say  something  concerning  the  old 
and  early  bar  of  Davenport.  A  few  words  must  suffice.  Of  the  earliest  terri- 
torial bar  of  Iowa,  say  from  1837  to  1846,  its  high  order  of  ability  has  often 
been  remarked.  I  may  not  omit  to  mention  that  within  this  general  period 
Samuel  F.  Miller  came  to  Iowa,  Mr.  Justice  Miller  of  the  supreme  court  of 
the  United  States — perhaps  the  ablest  constitutional  lawyer  of  his  day.  His 
frame,  his  features  and  majestic  port,  duly  put  in  marble,  might  stand  for  a 
Roman  Caesar  in  Rome's  best  days;  but  the  Roman  people,  though  noted  for 
their  legal  genius,  never  produced  a  jurisconsult  more  worthy  of  perpetual  honor 
than  Mr.  Justice  Miller,  and  I  hope  that  the  state  of  Iowa  and  the  bar  of 
Iowa  will  yet  join  in  erecting  a  statue  to  his  memory  at  the  capital  of  the 
state. 

"In  Davenport  we  had  Judge  Grant,  Judge  Mitchell,  Ebenezer  Cook,  and 
afterward  John  P.  Cook,  who  were,  in  all  respects,  the  peers  of  the  Iowa  law- 
yers above  named.  The  semi-annual  terms  of  court  in  Davenport  were  also 
regularly  attended  by  Knox  and  Drury  of  Rock  Island,  and  often  by  lawyers 
from  other  places.     Court  week,  to  hear  the  lawyers  plead,  ranked  with  the 


532  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

annual  circus  as  one  of  the  few  entertainments  possible  in  this  new  and  dis- 
tant region.  In  early  life  I  have  spent  many  an  hour  in  the  old  brick  court- 
house on  Fourth  street,  listening  to  the  trial  of  cases,  at  a  time  when  I  had  no 
fixed  purpose  of  becoming  a  lawyer  myself.  Every  day  I  used  to  see  the  erect 
form  of  Ebenezer  Cook  as  he  passed  my  father's  house,  walking  to  and  fro, 
cane  in  hand,  between  his  home  on  the  Cook  farm  and  his  office  in  the  town. 
One  day  he  was  kind  enough  to  stop  and  say  to  my  mother  that  when  I  was 
old  enough  he  wished  me  to  enter  his  office  and  become  a  lawyer,  which  (after 
a  detour  by  way  of  Dr.  Barrows'  office  and  a  short  course  of  medical  instruc- 
tion) came  to  pass  in  185 1.  In  1850  and  1851  I  studied  law  by  myself  while 
keeping,  for  a  livelihood,  a  small  drug  store  at  the  corner  of  Third  and  Brady. 
I  had  no  instructor  or  aid  in  my  studies.  As  a  law  student  I  was  never  in  a 
law  office  or  law  school.  Of  law  schools  there  were  but  few  in  the  country  at 
the  time,  and  none  within  my  reach  or  means.  I  recollect  when  reading  in  Kent 
about  mortgages,  I  wished  to  see  the  form  of  such  a  document  and  that  I 
was  compelled  to  walk  down  to  the  courthouse,  where  Hiram  Price  was  the 
recorder,  and  there  had,  on  the  records,  my  first  inspection  of  this  important 
instrument.  In  1852,  Austin  Corbin  came  to  Davenport,  bearing  with  him  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  me  from  Judge  Grant,  who  was  holding  court  in 
Dubuque.  In  May,  1852,  Corbin  moved  my  admission  to  the  bar.  The  last 
time  I  saw  him  in  New  York,  just  before  his  tragic,  accidental  death,  he  pleas- 
antly admonished  me,  as  we  parted  at  the  corner  of  Cortlandt  and  Broadway: 
'John,  don't  you  forget  I  am  your  godfather  in  the  law.' 

"The  old  bar  of  Scott  county,  by  1855,  ^"d  soon  afterward,  had  been  much 
enlarged  and  contained  lawyers  whose  ability  and  character  are  an  honor  and 
an  ornament  to  the  city,  the  state  and  the  profession.  I  cannot  name  them  all, 
but  may  mention  Davison,  True,  Hubbell,  Lane,  Bills,  Putnam,  Rogers,  Corbin, 
Dow,  Cook,  Waterman,  French,  and  there  were  many  others. 

"Noted  as  the  bar  of  Davenport  has  ever  been  for  its  character,  talents  and 
learning,  the  present  bar  may  look  back  with  a  sort  of  ancestral  pride  upon  the 
first  and  oldest  bar:  Knox,  the  most  eloquent  jury  lawyer  I  have  ever  heard; 
Drury,  the  judicious  counselor;  Grant,  the  intrepid  and  fearless  advocate; 
Mitchell,  the  comprehensive  and  well  poised  lawyer;  Ebenezer  Cook,  whose 
judgment  on  legal  questions  and  problems  was  as  sure-footed  as  that  of  any 
man  I  ever  knew ;  John  P.  Cook,  a  natural  born  trial  lawyer,  aggressive,  bold, 
courageous,  who,  like  General  Taylor,  was  generally  victorious,  and  who,  like 
him  also,  never  knew  when  he  was  whipped.  Some  of  the  lawyers  of  other 
days  have  sons  at  your  bar  today,  of  whom  it  is  high  and  just  praise  to  say 
that  they  worthily  rival  their  fathers  and  predecessors.  But  I  have  rambled  far 
afield  and  conclude  by  saying:  'Long  live  the  Democrat.'  " 


JUDGE  GRANT  S  KNIFE. 

Elihu  B.  Washburn,  in  a  sketch  of  Edward  Coles,  the  second  governor  of 
Illinois,  gives  a  bit  of  Iowa  experience  that  sounds  rather  singular  at  this  day, 
Mr.  Washburn  was  fresh  from  staid,  sober  New  England  in  the  spring  of 
1840,  when  he  attended  a  term  of  court  held  at  Maquoketa,  the  seat  of  gov- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  533 

ernment  of  Jackson  county.  This  community,  like  many  frontier  settlements, 
was  afflicted  with  a  gang  of  rustlers,  counterfeiters  and  horse  thieves  which  the 
newly  organized  courts  found  to  be  difficult  to  deal  with  effectually.  So  the 
people  had  just  arisen  en  mass  and  driven  out  the  gang  of  counterfeiters  in 
a  fierce  fight  in  which  seven  men  were  killed.  The  whole  community  was 
greatly  excited  and  every  man  was  armed.  Mr.  Washburn  says :  "I  stopped  at 
the  tavern  which  had  been  kept  by  W.  W.  Brown,  alleged  leader  of  the  gang, 
and  who  had  been  killed  in  the  doorway  of  his  home.  My  roommate  was 
Judge  James  Grant,  of  Davenport,  who  has  been  for  nearly  a  half  century  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  citizens  and  lawyers  of  Iowa.  When  we  were  about 
to  retire  what  was  my  amazement  to  see  my  roommate,  whom  I  had  never  met 
before,  draw  out  from  the  back  of  his  coat  an  immense  bowie  knife  and  place 
it  under  his  pillow.  When  abroad  I  wrote  a  letter  to  a  friend  in  regard  to 
the  incident  and  described  Judge  Grant's  bowie  knife  as  being  three  feet  long. 
The  letter  got  into  the  newspaper.  The  Judge  wrote  me  a  letter  to  Paris  deny- 
ing my  statement  and  asserting  the  knife  he  had  on  that  occasion  was  only  two 
feet  long." 

The  following  amusing  incident  is  related  by  Judge  Joseph  Williams :  "I 
received  my  commission  as  judge  of  the  territory  of  Iowa  while  in  Pennsylva- 
nia. The  first  court  I  held  was  in  Cedar  county.  Some  one  placed  a  large 
split-bottom  chair  under  a  spreading  burr  oak  and  I  sat  down  to  settle  the  county 
seat.  I  picked  out  the  longest,  leanest,  lankiest,  ugliest  looking  man  in  the 
crowd  for  sheriff.  He  had  a  long  beard  and  when  his  mouth  was  closed  no 
opening  was  visible,  and  when  he  spoke  it  looked  like  a  hole  in  a  buffalo  hide. 
The  grand  jury  sat  down  on  the  ground  on  the  right  and  the  petit  jury  on  the 
left.  I  impaneled  the  former,  swore  the  sheriff  to  do  his  duty  and  sent  them 
off  to  work.  The  bailiff  took  the  jury  to  a  large  rail  pen  and  herded  them  in. 
They  were  about  to  indict  a  man  for  stealing  hogs  when  a  Dutchman  squealed, 
T  don't  agree!'  At  these  words  an  Irishman,  springing  to  his  feet  and  pulling 
off  his  coat,  said:  T'll  make  you  agree!'  and  commenced  pegging  the  Dutchman. 
The  bailiff  came  running  to  me  saying:  'Judge,  Judge,  the  jury  are  all  fighting.' 
I  went  down,  kicked  open  the  fence  and  sent  them  home,  saying:  T  would  not 
have  the  county  disgraced.'  When  I  was  in  Jones  county  I  was  led  into  a 
slough  where  the  grass  was  as  high  as  my  head.  A  chair  was  placed  for  me 
and  I  sat  down  and  then  they  told  me  that  was  the  county  seat.  I  impaneled  the 
grand  jury,  after  which  they  were  taken  down  the  slough  to  commence  work. 
I  was  preparing  the  petit  jury  for  work  when  the  bailiff  of  the  grand  jury  came 
slipping  up  close  to  me  and  then  hallooed :  'Judge,  is  it  right  to  have  anybody 
sneaking?'  I  did  not  know  what  he  meant  and  so  inquired,  and  when  I  un- 
derstood, said :  'No,  no,  have  a  picket  guard  placed  at  a  certain  distance  to 
keep  all  sneakers  off.'  " 

In  March,  1882,  the  legislature  passed  an  act  providing  that  the  terms  of 
the  supreme  court,  which  had  been  held  in  Davenport,  Dubuque  and  Council 
Bluffs,  should  be  transferred  to  Des  Moines.  Thereafter  the  court  should  hold 
its  sessions  at  the  state  capital.  At  one  time  the  sittings  of  this  court  at  Daven- 
port were  fully  as  important  as  those  held  at  Des  Moines,  for  the  annual  terms 
of  the  court  were  held  in  these  two  cities.     This  court  at  Davenport  was  estab- 


534  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

lished  in  1858  by  action  of  the  seventh  general  assembly.  One  great  inducement 
for  the  location  of  the  court  at  Davenport  was  the  existence  here  of  the  cele- 
brated Grant  law  library,  which  was  at  that  time  the  greatest  and  most  valuable 
in  the  state,  and  to  which  through  the  generosity  of  Judge  Grant,  the  bar  not 
only  of  Scott  county,  but  visiting  lawyers  had  free  access.  Another  reason  for 
establishing  the  court  here,  and  it  may  have  been  considered  an  excellent  one, 
was  the  splendid  hotel  accommodations.  Judge  Grant,  as  was  his  nature,  offered 
every  courtesy  to  the  court  and  in  rooms  over  his  office  on  Main  street  he  pro- 
vided commodious  quarters  for  its  sittings.  The  court  convened  promptly 
after  the  passage  of  the  act.  The  first  Monday  in  the  following  April  found 
the  clerk  here  ready  for  the  initial  session,  but  all  of  the  judges  were  not  pres- 
ent and  an  adjournment  was  therefore  taken  until  the  following  day,  when  the 
court  was  fully  organized.  George  G.  Wright,  of  Keosauqua,  was  chief  justice; 
William  C.  Woodward,  of  Muscatine,  and  L.  D.  Stockwell,  of  Burlington,  asso- 
ciate justices;  Lewis  Kinsey,  of  DesMoines,  clerk;  Samuel  A.  Rice,  of  Oska- 
loosa,  attorney-general,  and  William  Penn  Clark,  of  Des  Moines,  reporter.  A 
large  number  of  lawyers  were  present. 

The  first  case  held  in  Davenport  concerned  a  new  charter  which  had  been 
granted  the  city  of  Davenport  at  the  term  of  legislature  then  nearing  its  close. 
The  provision  of  the  new  charter  which  was  to  take  the  place  of  the  special 
charter  granted  under  the  old  constitution  arranged  for  a  party  of  aldermen  of 
twelve,  which  was  to  be  reinforced  by  a  council  of  six,  each  councilman  to  be 
ex-officio  justice  of  the  peace.  The  act  which  granted  the  new  charter  was 
declared  unconstitutional  because  under  the  constitution  which  at  that  time  ex- 
isted special  legislation  for  any  town  was  forbidden.  This  court  continued  at 
Davenport  about  twelve  years.  Twice  a  year  a  six  weeks'  term  would  be  held 
and  attorneys  from  thirty-two  counties,  then  a  major  part  of  the  central  por- 
tions of  the  state,  would  come  to  Davenport  and  remain  for  several  days,  some- 
times bringing  their  wives  with  them.  This  made  gay  times  for  the  Burtis 
House,  especially  during  the  years  of  the  war,  when  Davenport  was  military 
headquarters  with  its  four  military  camps.  In  fact,  all  the  attorneys  in  this 
part  of  the  state  came  to  this  city,  where  they  realized  they  were  near  the  seat 
of  greatest  interest  in  Iowa.  It  was  about  1870  when  sessions  of  the  court 
were  established  at  Dubuque,  and  the  Davenport  district  was  reduced  to  nine 
counties:  Scott,  Cedar,  Clinton,  Johnson,  Iowa,  Muscatine,  Louisa,  Washington 
and  Keokuk.  Eventually  the  terms  dwindled  from  five  and  six  weeks  to  a 
week,  and  then  four  days,  and  then  ceased  to  exist  in  Davenport  in  1881. 

SOME   EARLY    HISTORY   OF  THE  DISTRICT   COURT. 

When  Scott  county  was  organized  it  was  made  part  of  the  second  judicial  dis- 
trict of  the  territory  of  Wisconsin  and  David  Irwin  was  appointed  as  the  presid- 
ing judge,  and  the  original  records  of  the  first  district  court  held  in  Scott  county 
are  still  preserved  in  a  small  record  book,  which  is  a  valuable  part  of  the  archives 
of  the  county  in  the  clerk's  office  at  the  court  house.  The  transcription  of  these 
early  records  is  in  the  handwriting  of  Ebenezer  Cook,  first  clerk  of  the  court. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  535 

The  first  entry  made  upon  the  records  of  the  district  court  is  a  certificate  of 
the  appointment  of  Ebenezer  Cook  clerk  of  the  court,  bearing  date  May  30,  1838, 
and  signed  by  David  Irwin,  presiding  judge  of  the  second  judicial  district  of  Wis- 
consin territory,  and  associate  judge  of  the  supreme  court.  Mr.  Cook  accepted 
the  appointment  and  entered  into  bonds  with  John  H.  Sullivan  and  Adrian  H. 
Davenport.  This  appointment  was  continued  by  Judge  Joseph  Williams,  the  first 
presiding  judge  of  the  second  judicial  district  of  the  territory  of  Iowa,  under 
date  October  5,  1838. 

It  was  further  ordered  by  Judge  Irwin  that  the  seal  "hereunto  attached"  be 
until  further  notice  recognized  as  the  seal  of  the  second  judicial  district  for  Scott 
county.  This  seal,  be  it  known,  bears  no  judicial  impress,  no  scales  of  justice, 
not  even  a  vestige  of  Justice  herself,  in  her  usual  blindfolded  condition ;  but 
simply  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  United  States  as  represented  on  one  side  of  a 
good  round  silver  quarter  dollar,  such  money,  in  those  primitive  days,  being  in 
vogue.  As  a  seal  of  the  court  it  is  believed  to  have  been  as  good  as  any  other 
for  the  time  being.  So  much  having  been  effected  in  the  interest  of  justice  unto 
some,  and  law  for  everybody,  nothing  further  appears  to  have  been  done  until 
the  following  October. 

In  1838  Hon.  Joseph  Williams  was  appointed  judge  of  the  second  judicial  dis- 
trict. Judge  Williams  was  from  Pennsylvania,  and  settled  in  Muscatine  early  in 
the  year  1838.  He  was  a  man  of  good  talents,  though  not  of  judicial  mind.  As 
a  public  speaker  he  was  considered  one  of  the  best  in  the  territory.  He  was  said 
to  have  been  a  natural  orator,  his  powers  of  mimicry  and  facial  expression  being 
almost  perfect.  While  on  a  visit  east  some  years  after  he  met  an  old  schoolmate 
and  companion  of  his  boyhood.  The  two  together  spent  some  happy  hours  in 
recalling  the  scenes  of  long  ago.  Judge  Williams  wrote  upon  one  of  the  books 
of  his  friend  the  following : 

"O,  Jerry,  Jerry,  I've  found  you  at  last. 
And  memory  goes  back  to  the  scenes  of  the  past. 
And  I  think  of  old  Somerset's  mountain  of  snow, 
When  you  were  but  Jerry  and  I  was  but  Joe." 

Judge  Williams  opened  court  here  on  the  4th  day  of  October,  1838.  The  ap- 
pointment of  E.  Cook  as  clerk  was  reaffirmed,  and  the  "two  bit"  seal  declared  in 
full  virtue.  The  court  met  in  St.  Anthony's  church,  a  small  building  still  stand- 
ing in  St.  Anthony's  church  grounds  and  now  used  as  a  part  of  the  parish  school- 
house.  Father  Pelamourgues,  the  then  Catholic  priest  in  charge,  deemed  it  no 
desecration  of  the  holy  place  to  have  it  temporarily  used  as  a  temple  of  justice. 
In  those  early  days  St.  Anthony's  served  as  a  public  hall  and  was  utilized  for 
all  meetings  of  the  people,  debating  societies,  etc.  It  was  a  building  of  a  single 
room,  and  small  at  that,  hence  afforded  no  accommodations  for  juries.  Down 
Front  street,  three  doors  east  of  Main,  was  a  low,  two-story  building,  the  property 
of  George  L.  Davenport,  but  partially  completed,  though  the  Iowa  Sun  had  been 
darting  its  rays  from  the  upper  story  since  the  previous  August ; — here  was  found 
a  room  in  which  the  first  Scott  county  grand  and  petit  juries  held  their  delibera- 
tions. The  building  was  afterward  finished  and  became  the  first  family  residence 
of  Mr.  Davenport. 


536  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Frazer  Wilson  was  appointed  deputy  marshal  for  this  term  of  court,  the  mar- 
shal of  the  territory  not  being  present.  The  first  business  transacted  was  the 
issuing  of  a  venire  for  a  grand  jury  returnable  forthwith,  whereupon  the  marshal 
subpoenaed  the  following  named  jurors :  John  Work,  James  O.  Kelley,  J.  A. 
Birchard,  L.  S.  Colton,  R.  H.  Spencer,  James  Mcintosh,  Walter  B.  Warren,  Caleb 
H.  Gardner,  James  Hall,  Andrew  Logan,  M.  J.  Lyman,  M.  Strong,  Benjamin 
W.  Clark,  Jacob  Heller,  Philip  Suiter,  William  L.  Cook,  Samuel  Hedges,  A.  J. 
Hyde,  John  Robinson,  Isaac  Hawley,  John  Lewis,  Ira  Cook  and  Smith  Mounts. 
R.  H.  Spencer  was  appointed  foreman. 

After  being  charged  the  jury  retired,  and  after  spending  some  time  returned 
into  court  and  by  their  foreman  reported  that  they  had  no  business  before  them. 
They  were  each  allowed  for  one  day's  attendance  and  mileage  from  their  place 
of  residence,  after  which  they  were  discharged  from  any  further  attendance  at 
this  term  as  grand  jurors. 

On  motion  of  Gilbert  C.  R.  Mitchell,  Rufus  Harvey,  of  Rock  Island,  Ilhnois, 
was  admitted  to  practice  at  the  Scott  county  bar,  the  first  to  be  admitted  before 
the  local  court. 

On  motion  by  the  same  Simeon  Meredith  was  also  admitted,  and  there  being 
no  district  attorney,  he  was  by  the  judge  appointed  to  that  position  pro  tempore. 

Jonathan  W.  Parker  was  also  admitted  to  practice. 

On  motion  of  the  district  attorney  the  venire  for  the  original  grand  jury  was 
set  aside  and  a  venire  de  novo  for  a  grand  jury  was  awarded  and  made  return- 
able forthwith.  The  sheriff  reported  as  follows:  Wheeler  Hedges,  W.  B.  V. 
Franks,  Samuel  Hedges,  Alfred  White,  M.  J.  Lyman,  J.  M.  Robertson,  John  R. 
Spicer,  Isaac  Hawley,  W.  L.  Cook,  L.  S.  Colton,  John  Forrest,  L.  M.  Strong, 
John  Work,  John  Robinson,  Ephraim  Knapp,  James  Thompson,  A.  J.  Patten, 
W.  H.  Patten,  Cheney  Munger,  Seth  F.  Whiting.  Wheeler  Hedges  and  W.  B. 
V.  Franks  were  excused  from  attendance.  The  jury  as  impaneled  were  sworn 
in,  with  Samuel  Hedges  as  foreman.  The  jury  was  charged  and  retired  to  con- 
sider business. 

The  first  term  of  the  Scott  county  district  court  lasted  for  three  days.  On 
the  third  day  the  venire  which  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  sheriff  on  the 
first  day  for  a  petit  jury  was  returned.  The  names  of  those  selected  were  as  fol- 
lows :  Roswell  H.  Spencer,  A.  J.  Patten,  James  Mackintosh,  Walter  B.  Warren, 
Jacob  Heller,  Ephraim  Lane,  John  Lewis,  Andrew  J.  Hyde,  WilHam  H.  Baker, 
Caleb  A.  Gardner,  Robert  Mackintosh,  Daniel  Wilson,  Richard  Peace,  John 
Squires,  M.  A.  Harrington,  James  Hall,  Cheney  Munger. 

Why  there  were  but  eighteen  is  an  open  question.  The  jury  was  returned 
October  6,  1838,  but  on  examination  of  the  records  of  the  county  commissioners 
we  find  that  on  the  4th  of  the  preceding  May  a  panel  of  twenty-four  was  an- 
nounced as  "the  petit  jury  of  the  first  term  of  the  district  court  of  Scott  county." 
There  are  no  records  of  such  a  term  being  held,  and  no  one  now  living  can  give 
any  account  of  it.  The  records  of  the  commissioners  show  that  of  the  twenty- 
four  called  by  the  board  only  eleven  came. 

The  jury  impaneled  October  7th  was  discharged  on  the  same  day  and  the 
proper  allowance  of  per  diem  and  mileage  allowed. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  •  537 

The  first  case  docketed  in  the  district  court  was  that  of  J.  A.  Birchard,  Jr., 
administrator,  vs.  Horatio  G.  Stone,  C.  C.  xVpplegate,  Wilham  Stacy  and  Al- 
fred White,  in  which  leave  to  file  declaration  was  granted. 

The  second  was  that  of  Paul  Fullmer,  vs.  Martin  VV.  Smith,  and  Philip 
Suiter.  The  defendants  were  the  owners  of  a  mill,  just  below  the  present  city 
of  LeClaire.  Various  cases  followed,  in  which  Elias  Moore,  Jacob  Parlin,  Ben- 
jamin W.  Clark,  William  Gibbons,  Otis  Bennett,  Philena  Brown,  Smith  Mounts, 
John  Henning  and  various  other  parties  were  mixed  up  in  the  meshes  of  the  law. 
The  most  interesting  one,  probably,  was  that  of  Alexander  W.  McGregor  vs. 
John  Wilson.  In  speaking  of  the  case  the  Democrat,  of  Davenport,  says : 
"Now  the  plaintifif  was  a  lawyer,  or  had  been  before  his  coming  west.  He  came 
with  a  considerable  stock  of  goods,  which  he  soon  disposed  of  and  then  settled 
on  a  farm  in  the  lower  part  of  the  township.  As  all  men  are  liable  to  be  elected 
to  places  of  honor,  so  was  McGregor  elected  to  the  territorial  legislature  which 
then  had  its  sessions  at  Burlington.  Men  had  axes  to  grind  in  those  days  as  well 
as  in  this  more  advanced  generation,  and  John  Wilson  had  a  dull  implement  of 
that  sort  in  connection  with  a  coveted  ferry  franchise  between  Davenport  and 
Rock  Island.  The  story  goes  that  Wilson  induced  McGregor  to  lend  him  a 
helping  hand  in  this  ferry  job.  In  fact,  it  is  said  some  notes  of  hand  were  passed 
— the  consideration  of  which  had  to  do  with  able  services  to  be  rendered  in 
Wilson's  interest.  There  is  a  tradition  among  the  old  settlers  that  the  labor  was 
duly  performed ;  bttt  somehow  Wilson  became  a  defendant  in  court,  the  bone  of 
contention  being  these  promissory  notes  already  alluded  to.  The  suit  was  brought 
before  John  Forrest,  justice  of  the  peace,  who  after  hearing  the  testimony  and 
looking  up  the  law  points,  satisfactorily,  decided  in  favor  of  the  plaintiff. 

"It  is  pretty  generally  noticed,  even  in  this  day,  that  when  a  party  in  a  law 
suit  loses  his  case  he  thinks  the  judge,  or  jury,  or  the  attorneys  haven't  done  their 
duty  by  him,  and  he  wants  to  appeal.  If  he  has  property  to  stand  the  racket  of 
the  law,  there  are  plenty  of  good  attorneys  who  will  stand  by  him  to  the  end — 
the  end  of  the  cash  balance  anyhow.  Wilson's  pocket  was  thrifty  and  his  blood 
up.  He  would  appeal.  But  the  justice  could  see  no  use  in  that.  He  had  decided 
the  case  just  right,  as  he  verily  believed,  and  he  would  hear  to  nothing  of  the 
sort.  But  the  records  of  the  court  show  Judge  Williams'  order,  that  the  in- 
ferior court  have  all  the  papers  and  proceedings  thereof  touching  the  McGregor- 
Wilson  case  brought  before  him  by  the  opening  of  the  court  the  next  morning, 
or  be  attached.    It  is  probable  that  the  papers  were  forthcoming. 

"The  judge  and  the  parties  to  .the  suit  are  all  dead  and  gone.  The  justice,  now 
a  venerable  old  man,  is  still  a  good  citizen  of  Davenport.  Mr.  McGregor,  having 
retired  from  farming  several  years  after  the  time  hereof  written,  moved  into 
the  city  and  established  a  law  office,  and  in  time  drifted  into  the  banking  business. 
Speaking  of  Mr.  IMcGregor,  it  may  be  in  order  to  relate  a  practical  joke  in  which 
he  and  Ebenezer  Cook  had  a  slight  interest.  Mr.  McGregor  being  away  from  Dav- 
enport awhile,  sought  to  surprise  his  friend,  Mr.  Cook,  who,  going  to  the  post- 
office  one  day,  was  surprised  when  Postmaster  Eldridge  handed  him  out  a  con- 
siderable package,  on  which  the  postage  amounted  to  $5.40  cents.  Postage  was 
not  prepaid  then  as  now.  The  parcel  was  from  Pekin,  Illinois.  Mr.  Cook  looked 
it  over  in  astonishment.    He  knew  no  one  at  Pekin ;  the  handwriting,  moreover, 


538  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

was  not  familiar.  He  was  not  a  Rothschild,  and  $5.40  for  the  single  item  of 
postage  was  a  good  deal  of  specie.  After  much  hesitation  and  not  without  some 
misgivings,  he  paid  the  postage  and  opened  the  package.  Pebbles  and  sawdust ! 
that  and  nothing  more,  save  a  mere  scrap  of  writing,  which  revealed  the  identity 
of  the  sender.    Whether  Mr.  Cook  ever  retaliated  or  not  is  not  known." 

The  cases  already  mentioned  pertained  to  the  first  day's  session  of  the  dis- 
trict court  of  the  county  of  Scott,  territory  of  Iowa.  A  grand  jury  had  been 
called,  also  a  petit  jury,  and  the  machinery  of  the  court  placed  in  running  order, 
though  the  petit  jury  venire  had  not  been  returned  when  the  court  adjourned 
for  the  day,  on  the  4th  day  of  October,  1838.  The  court  convened  the  next  morn- 
ing. The  first  case  on  the  docket  was  that  of  William  Gibbons  vs.  Otis  Bennett, 
entitled  "Trespass  in  the  case" — probably  a  "claim  jumping"  case,  involving 
as  the  plaintiff  swears  in  an  affidavit  for  bail,  about  $700.  The  parties  were 
Clinton  county  people,  that  county  being  attached  to  Scott  for  judicial  pur- 
poses. The  noted  firm  of  Rorer  &  Starr,  of  Burlington,  appeared  for 
defendant.  Plaintiff  nonsuited  and  the  order  of  the  court  entered  up 
"that  the  defendant  go  hence  without  delay,  and  recover  against  plaintiff  the 
costs  by  him,  about  his  defense,  in  this  behalf  expended."  Whether  he  ever  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  even  with  said  plaintiff  is  not  recorded  upon  the  papers  at  hand. 
The  court  papers  fail  to  show  the  name  of  the  plaintiff's  attorney,  if  he  had  any. 
Of  the  defendants,  Mr.  Rorer  was  regarded  as  one  of  the  first  judicial  minds  of 
the  commonwealth.  Mr.  Starr  is  dead.  When  the  lamp  of  his  life  went  out  one 
of  the  rarest,  brightest  intellects  of  the  state  was  taken. 

Some  very  important  business  was  transacted  on  the  second  day ;  for  on  mo- 
tion of  Gilbert  C.  R.  Mitchell,  W.  B.  Conway,  the  first  territorial  secretary  of 
Iowa,  James  Grant  and  J.  Wilson  Drury  were  admitted  to  practice  at  the  Scott 
county  bar.  Conway,  during  his  short  residence  here,  took  up  the  quarter  section 
now  known  as  the  Camp  McClellan  tract.  He  died  in  Burlington,  the  territorial 
capital,  the  following  year,  1839.  His  body  was  brought  to  Davenport  for  burial, 
the  funeral  rites  being  performed  by  Rev.  Father  Pelamourgues,  of  St.  Anthony's 
church.  James  Grant  was  for  many  years  a  citizen  of  Scott  county,  while  J.  Wil- 
son Drury  resided  here  and  in  Rock  Island.  Both  became  noted  lawyers  and  oc- 
cupied the  judicial  bench,  the  former  in  this  district,  the  latter  in  that  of  Rock 
Island.  At  this  time  Mr.  Grant  had  but  recently  come  in  from  Chicago,  then 
part  corn  field  and  nearly  all  mud  hole.  He  was  a  farmer  also,  having  located 
on  a  farm  in  Blue  Grass  township.  On  his  coming  into  this  district  he  brought 
the  most  extensive  law  library  then  in  the  territory,  and  held  the  reputation  of 
keeping  the  best  private  one  until  his  death. 

On  this  same  day  of  court  the  grand  jury  which  had  been  in  session,  made 
the  first  report  of  indictments,  as  follows:  the  first  finding  was  not  "a  true 
bill,"  in  the  case  of  Jemima  Bennett  for  adultery;  and  the  same  was  true  of 
Otis  Bennett ;  Catherine  Miller,  having  been  considered  by  that  body  on  a  charge 
of  "assault  with  attempt  to  kill,"  was  likewise  found  not  guilty.  William  Gib- 
bons was  prosecuting  witness  in  the  first  two  cases.  The  fourth  case  reported 
was  that  of  Philena  Brown,  for  arson,  against  whom  "a  true  bill"  was  found. 
George  Eldred  was  prosecuting  witness.  This  latter  case,  like  the  first  two, 
originated   in   Clinton  county  before  William   Hogan,   a   justice  of   the  peace 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  539 

there,  and  was  founded  on  a  charge  that  "on  the  night  of  the  third  day  of 
September,  1838,  she  did  burn  one  certain  log  house  or  cabin,  which  was  the 
property  and  residence  of  this  deponent  (George  Eldred)  with  a  number  of 
other  articles ;  or  that  he  believes  the  above  named  Philena  Brown  is  guilty  of 
the  act,  and  further  deponent  saith  not."  She  was  held  to  bail  in  five  hundred 
dollars  to  appear  at  the  next  term  of  the  district  court,  Matthew  A.  Harrington 
and  R.  C.  Brown,  sureties.  The  case  came  on  for  hearing  before  Judge  Wil- 
liams, with  Simeon  Meredith,  prosecuting  attorney,  and  Rorer  &  Starr,  attor- 
neys for  defendant,  who  cleared  their  client  and  an  attachment  was  issued 
against  Mr.  Eldred  for  the  costs,  amounting  to  $100.31,  which  Deputy  Sheriff 
Broddleston  returned  with  "no  property  found."  The  fee  bill  may  not  be  un- 
interesting.    It  was  as  follows: 

clerk's  fees. 

Entering  defendant's  appearance   $  .123^ 

Discharging  bail 25 

Entering  suit  on  court  calendar 12^ 

Docketing   cause    18^ 

Filing  papers    3i/4 

Swearing  and  impaneling  jury 50 

Taxing  costs  375^ 

Entering  motions    ii}i 

Issuing  subpoenas    37^ 

Issuing  writ  of  executions 25 

Taking  two    recogfnizances    50 

Entering  discharge    12^ 

Total    $5-31^ 

sheriff's  fees. 

Attending  prisoner  before  court $  .25 

Making  out  jury  list 25 

Appearance   of   defendants I2>^ 

Opening  court    12^^ 

Serving  on  nine  witnesses  1.68^ 

Mileage,  forty  miles  3.20 

Total    $5-63^ 

OTHER  fees. 

District  attorney's  fee $  6.00 

Witness   fees    83.36 

Total  fee  bill   $100.31 

All  of  which  Uncle  Sam  had  to  pay  himself,  as  he  undoubtedly  did.  Thus 
ended  the  first  criminal  prosecution  in  the  Scott  county  district  court.  Nobody 
convicted,  nobody  responsible  for  costs,  but  the  government. 


540  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Next  followed  an  indictment  for  perjury.  Then  the  grand  jury  retired,  but, 
finding  no  further  business,  was  discharged  with  two  days'  fees  and  mileage, 
excepting  John  Work,  who,  having  taken  himself  oi¥  without  leave,  stood  attached 
to  appear  at  the  next  term  of  court  for  contempt. 

As  previously  stated,  the  first  case  docketed  in  Scott  county  district  court  was 
entitled:  "Jabez  A.  Birchard,  Jr.,  administrator,  vs.  H.  G.  Stone,  C.  C.  Apple- 
gate,  William  Stacey  and  Alfred  White."  The  suit  was  brought  on  a  certain 
promissory  note  of  defendants,  made  to  the  plaintiff,  as  administrator  of  the 
estate  of  one  Daniel  Wyman,  deceased,  whereby  they  "jointly  and  severally  prom- 
ised to  pay  five  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  without  defalcation  or  stay  of  execu- 
tion, value  received  in  a  quit-claim  to  a  certain  tract  of  land  lying  at  the  mouth 
of  Sycamore  creek."  The  note  was  drawn  July  i,  1837,  payable  nine  months 
after  date.  It  was  not  paid  as  agreed,  and  suit  was  brought  for  the  October 
term,  1838 — the  first  court  held  in  the  county.  James  W.  Grimes,  of  Bur- 
lington, was  the  plaintiff's  attorney,  and  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell  and  Jonathan  W. 
Parker,  of  the  law  firm  of  Parker  &  Mitchell,   of  Davenport,    for   defendants. 

The  musty  old  papers  in  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  the  district  court  contain 
the  usual  proceedings — the  original  petition  in  the  lawyer-like  handwriting  of 
the  future  governor  of  Iowa  and  senator  of  the  United  States ;  the  answer  of 
the  defendants  in  the  more  plain  and  leisurely  written  hand  of  the  futiire  judge, 
Mr.  Mitchell.  The  subpoena  by  which  Roswell  H.  Spencer,  Andrew  J.  Hydes 
Medad  J.  Lyman,  George  Carpenter  and  Ira  F.  Smith  were  summoned  to  ap- 
pear, is  made  out  on  a  roughly  printed  blank  from  the  Iowa  Sun  printing  office, 
by  D.  Hoge.  clerk  of  the  court  in  the  May  term  of  1839. 

The  answer  contains  the  usual  denials,  denying  everything  that  the  plaintiff's 
petition  contains,  slick  and  clean.  The  case  went  for  the  plaintiff,  and  execu- 
tion was  issued  for  the  sum  of  $353.73,  which  was  paid  July  5,  1839,  to  Mr. 
Birchard,  and  the  execution  was  declared  satisfied  in  full,  by  A.  H.  Davenport, 
sheriff,  by  Richard  Hamer,  deputy.  The  entire  cost  of  the  suit  amounted  to 
$17,123/^.  This  would  be  considered  a  very  moderate  bill  in  these  late  days  of 
more  expensive  litigation.  A  scrap  of  paper  in  the  bundles  shows  that  the 
witness,  Carpenter,  did  not  live  to  collect  his  witness  fee,  but  that  it  was  collected 
into  the  estate  after  his  decease  by  William  Nichols,  administrator. 

In  December,  1873,  the  Democrat  of  Davenport  had  this  to  say  of  this  case: 
"Thirty-five  years  have  elapsed  since  James  W.  Grimes  drew  up  the  petition  and 
Ebenezer  Cook  filed  it.  The  judges,  the  two  clerks  of  the  court  (Ebenezer 
Cook  and  David  Hoge),  the  attorneys  on  both  sides,  the  plaintiff  and  two  of 
the  defendants  (Stacey  and  White),  have  passed  beyond  the  bench  and  bar  of 
earthly  tribunals ;  the  two  sheriffs  and  two  of  the  defendants  are  yet  among  the 
living.  Frazer  Wilson,  the  first  sheriff  of  Scott  county,  is  a  resident  of  Rock 
Island,  we  believe ;  and  A.  H.  Davenport  is  a  merchant  residing  in  LeClaire, 
where  also  lives  Applegate,  and  (we  believe)  Mr.  Stone.  Two  of  the  witnesses. 
Roswell  H.  Spencer  and  Andrew  J.  Hyde,  are  yet  living,  the  former  in  Rock 
Island,  the  latter  on  the  same  farm  of  many  broad  acres  on  which  he  lived  at  the 
time  of  which  we  write.  The  original  papers  before  us,  in  all  their  mustiness, 
seem  not  to  have  been  opened  out  to  the  light  for  a  third  of  a  century.  The 
paper  is  coarse,  dingy  white,  rough  of  surface  and  guiltless  of  ruled  lines.    The 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  541 

seal  bears  the  impress  of  the  'silver  quarter,'  and  wherever  used  is  denominated 
the  'temporary  seal.' 

"Exceedingly  has  the  business  of  this  court  swelled  since  the  filing  of  these 
original  papers.  Numerous  judges  have  occupied  the  same  bench  since  then, 
one  of  them,  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell,  one  of  the  attorneys  in  the  case.  Lawyers  by  the 
hundreds  have  appeared  within  the  bar  since  then,  and  clients  by  the  thousands 
have  sought  justice  thereat,  sometimes  in  vain,  more  often,  let  us  hope,  sought 
and  found ;  millions  have  rained  from  the  pockets  of  those  who  thought  to  secure 
their  rights  or  defend  their  wrongs,  and  still  the  court  sits  on,  the  suing  and 
the  sued ;  lawyers  and  clients  gain  in  numbers  year  after  year  as  the  earth  re- 
volves, and  the  world  increases  in  light  and  knowledge.  So  it  has  and  does ; 
so  it  will  until  the  mystic  millennial  day,  when  the  lion  plaintiff  and  the  lamb- 
like defendant  shall  lie  down  together  in  peace,  and  the  child-like  lawyer  shall 
lead  them — no  more  forever." 

The  second  session  of  the  district  court  of  Scott  county  was  opened  May 
2'j,  1839,  and  as  before,  in  St.  Anthony's  church.  Hon.  Thomas  S.  Wilson  had 
succeeded  Judge  Williams  upon  the  bench ;  A.  H.  Davenport  had  been  ap- 
pointed sheriff  by  the  territorial  legislature ;  and  at  chambers  in  Dubuque,  on 
the  2ist  of  the  previous  February,  Davis  V.  Berry  was  appointed  district  at- 
torney. This  was  an  entire  re-organization  of  the  tribunal  of  justice  in  this 
judicial  district,  which  embraced  the  counties  of  Scott,  Clinton,  Dubuque  and 
Johnson.  There  was  no  lack  of  business  on  the  docket.  In  fact,  for  a  com- 
munity so  young  and  a  population  so  sparse  the  alacrity  with  which  it  embraced 
the  courts  was  highly  gratifying — to  the  lawyers.  On  the  first  day  of  the 
court  James  Grant,  an  attorney  for  the  village  of  Rockingham,  moved  that 
"this  court  do  now  remove  to  the  village  of  Rockingham,  for  reasons  by  him 
filed."  The  records  assert,  "Therefore,  the  court,  after  having  heard  the  argu- 
ment of  the  counsel  on  the  part  of  the  motion  and  that  of  counsel  opposed,  took 
the  same  under  advisement  until  tomorrow  morning."  Again  we  quote  the 
Democrat : 

NOTHING   CAME   OF   IT. 

"Right  diligently  have  we  searched  the  old  papers  of  the  court  in  quest  of 
the  'reasons  by  him  filed,'  but  all  in  vain.  Of  course  the  record  books  show 
nothing  of  the  stir  that  the  motion  made  in  court.  But  what  naturally  would  be 
the  result  of  such  a  high-handed  attempt  to  forever  wipe  the  then  infant  metropolis 
of  the  state  out  of  existence,  and  by  the  removal  of  the  court  condemn  it  to  ever- 
lasting odium  and  disgrace,  may  be  easily  imagined.  It  was  not  enough  that 
Judge  Irwin,  of  the  United  States  district  court,  had  turned  his  back  on  the  in- 
fant city,  because  of  the  unexampled  nastiness  and  discomfort  of  the  local 
tavern,  and  opened  court  in  Rockingham,  that  he  might  fare  sumptuously  every 
day  at  the  more  magnificently  kept  caravansary  of  Henry  W.  Higgins ;  it  was 
not  enough  that  the  legislative  triumvirate  of  the  county  had  hoisted  its  flag  at 
the  doomed  village,  utterly  refusing  to  acknowledge  Davenport,  save  as  a  neigh- 
boring dependency ;  all  this  humiliation  was  not  enough ;  but  this  belligerent  gen- 
tleman, then  as  now  the  farmer-lawyer,  must  rise  in  his  place  and  in  a  loud 
voice,  a  motion  make  that  this  court  adjourn  to  Rockingham!    The  only  reason 


542  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

that  can  be  assfgned  for  this  willful  attempt  at  urbicide  is  found  in  the  fact  that 
Mr.  Grant's  farm  was  two  miles  nearer  Rockingham  than  Davenport,  and  conse- 
quently if  his  motion  prevailed  he  would  have  a  full  hour  more  in  each  day  of 
the  session  in  milking  his  cows  and  hoeing  his  bean  patch, 

"But  the  motion  didn't  prevail,  and  Davenport  was  saved  from  the  very 
brink  of  everlasting  disgrace!  The  friends  of  Davenport  arose  in  their  might. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  say  that  the  pure-minded  judge  was  in  any  way  influenced, 
for  judges  never  are ;  nor  yet  will  it  suffice  for  the  Rockinghamers  to  say  that 
he  was  a  Dubuque  man,  and  in  all  matters  between  Davenport  and  Rockingham, 
Dubuque  sided  with  the  former.  We  will  say  nothing  about  the  reason  for  the 
refusal  to  grant  the  motion,  but  simply  to  reproduce  the  words  of  the  court  as 
recorded  in  the  court  record :  'The  application  to  remove  the  district  court  of  the 
United  States  in  and  for  Scott  county  from  Davenport  to  Rockingham.  For 
that  it  seems  to  the  court  that  the  subject  matter  of  this  motion  does  not  come  be- 
fore the  court  in  the  proper  form ;  it  is  therefore  considered  by  this  court  that 
the  relators  take  nothing  by  their  motion,  and  that  the  same  be  overruled.' 

"It  is  needless  here  to  depict  the  chagrin  that  mantled  the  expectant  Rock- 
inghamers, or  the  exultant  joy  that  thrilled  the  Davenport  heart,  as  the  decision 
fell  from  the  lips  of  this  noble  Daniel  of  the  law.  The  town  rang  out  with  re- 
joicing, and  an  old  settler  informs  us  that  some  of  the  'boys'  didn't  get  well  over 
the  excitement  for  as  much  as  a  day  or  two,  so  intense  was  their  enthusiasm. 
The  district  court  never  adjourned  to  Rockingham.  Mr.  Grant  took  the  case 
up  to  the  higher  tribunals,  but  while  it  was  stewing  in  the  court  the  pluck  of  the 
good  people  of  Rockingham  gave  out ;  they  abandoned  the  idea  of  making  it  the 
county  seat,  withdrew  all  proposals  to  the  county  commissioners  to  build  a  court- 
house and  jail  at  their  own  expense,  and  so  the  matter  of  removal  ended 
forever." 

Hon.  Thomas  S.  Wilson,  the  second  judge  of  the  district,  was  identified  with 
the  interests  of  Iowa  before  it  became  a  state.  While  it  was  a  territory  he  was 
appointed  one  of  its  judges ;  and  there  are  persons  now  living  who  recollect  him, 
with  his  boyish  look,  sitting  on  the  bench  about  forty  years  ago.  His  history 
presents  points  of  no  inconsiderable  interest. 

On  the  admission  of  Iowa  into  the  Union,  and  under  its  first  constitution, 
Scott  county  formed  a  part  of  the  second  district,  together  with  the  counties  of 
Buchanan,  Cedar,  Clayton,  Clinton,  Delaware,  Dubuque,  Fayette,  Jackson,  Jones 
and  Muscatine.  In  1847  Allamakee  and  Winneshiek  were  added  to  the  district, 
and  in  185 1  Black  Hawk,  Bremer,  Butler  and  Grundy. 

James  Grant,  of  Scott  county,  was  the  first  judge  of  the  district,  and  was 
elected  April  5,  1847,  and  commissioned  April  27th.  Thomas  S.  Wilson,  of  Du- 
buque, who  served  for  several  years  as  territorial  judge,  a  sketch  of  whom  ap- 
pears on  another  page  of  this  work,  succeeded  Judge  Grant.  He  was  elected 
April  5,  1852,  and  served  until  legislated  out  of  office  the  following  year. 

On  the  9th  of  February,  1853,  a  new  district  was  formed  named  the  eighth, 
composed  of  the  counties  of  Scott,  Cedar,  CHnton,  Jackson,  Jones  and  Muscatine. 
William  E.  Leffingwell,  of  Clinton  county,  was  elected  April  4,  1853,  judge  of 
this  new  district.  He  subsequently  resigned  and  John  B.  Booth,  of  Jackson 
county,  was  appointed  by  the  governor  to  fill  the  vacancy,  and  qualified  April 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  543 

15,  1854.  He  served  until  the  election  of  his  successor,  William  H.  Tuthill,  of 
Cedar  county,  who  was  elected  in  April  and  qualified  May  3,  1855. 

In  accordance  with  article  V  of  the  constitution  of  1857,  eleven  new  districts 
were  created  and  Scott,  Clinton,  Jackson  and  Muscatine  comprised  the  seventh 
judicial  district. 

John  F.  Dillon,  of  Scott  county,  was  elected  judge  of  this  district,  October 
12,  1858,  and  re-elected  October  15,  1862.  He  subsequently  resigned,  his  resig- 
nation to  take  effect  December  25,  1863,  having  been  elected  judge  of  the 
supreme  court.  J.  Scott  Richman  succeeded  Judge  Dillon,  having  been  ap- 
pointed by  the  governor  to  fill  the  vacancy,  October  27,  1863,  and  elected  by  the 
people  November  18,  1864.  He  was  re-elected  October  9,  1867.  Next  Judge 
W.  F.  Brannan,  of  Muscatine  county,  succeeded  Judge  Dillon  and  served  until 

1875.  Walter  I.  Hayes,  of  Clinton  county,  succeeded  Judge  Brannan,  and  the 
present  judge  is  James  W.  Bollinger,  of  Davenport. 

However  great  the  volume  of  business  now  before  the  district  court,  there 
have  been  times  in  the  history  of  the  county  when  little  was  done.  In  April, 
1846,  the  court  met  and  adjourned  the  same  day,  there  being  only  one  case  on 
the  common  law  docket,  and  none  on  the  criminal.  In  September,  1847,  the 
Gazette,  under  date  of  the  9th,  said: 

"The  district  court  adjourned  last  Tuesday  for  want  of  business,  it  having 
been  organized  the  day  previously.  When  we  take  into  consideration  that  on  ac- 
count of  the  sickness  of  Judge  Wilson  we  had  no  court  last  term,  this  speaks  well 
for  the  peaceful  character  of  Scott  county." 

The  clerk  of  the  district  court  in  his  annual  report,  November  i,  1848,  says: 

"I  have  the  pleasure  to  report  that  there  has  been  no  conviction  for  crimes  or 
misdemeanors  since  my  last  annual  report  in  said  court,  and  would  add  further, 
that  there  have  been  but  five  indictments  in  all  found  for  the  past  year.  James 
Thorington,  clerk." 

These  five  indictments  proved  to  be,  two  malicious,  two  abandoned  by  the 
prosecuting  attorney,  and  the  other  party  was  acquitted  without  the  jury  leav- 
ing the  box.  But  the  business  of  the  court  has  increased  since  that  day,  and  the 
criminal  record  has  grown,  though  taking  its  population  and  other  circum- 
stances into  consideration,  Scott  county  will  favorably  compare  with  any  county 
in  the  state. 

CIRCUIT   COURT. 

In  1868  circuit  courts  were  created  having  jurisdiction  in  all  common  law 
cases  together  with  probate  jurisdiction.  The  circuit  comprised  the  same  coun- 
ties composing  the  district  court — Scott,  Muscatine,  Clinton  and  Jackson.  Henry 
H.  Benson,  then  of  ^luscatine,  but  later  of  Scott,  was  the  first  circuit  judge  in 
this  circuit,  being  elected  in  the  fall  of  1868  and  beginning  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  in  January,  1869. 

D.  W.   Ellis  succeeded  Judge  Benson  January,   1873,  ^"d  was  reelected  in 

1876.  In  1878  the  district  was  divided  into  two  circuits,  Clinton  and  Jackson, 
comprising  the  first  circuit,  and  Scott  and  Muscatine  the  second  circuit.  Mr. 
Ellis,  living  in  Clinton  county,  was  continued  as  judge  of  the  first  circuit  of  the 
seventh  judicial  district ;  D.  C.  Richman  was  elected  for  the  second  circuit.     Fol- 


544  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

lowing  him  came  Nathaniel  French,  of  Davenport,  who  served  from  1883  until 
1886,  shortly  after  which  the  court  was  abolished. 

PROBATE   COURTS. 

A  probate  court  was  established  in  Scott  county  at  the  time  of  its  organiza- 
tion and  Jonathan  W.  Parker  was  the  first  judge  of  probate,  receiving  his  ap- 
pointment  from  the  governor  of  Wisconsin  territory  of  which  it  formed  a  part. 
He  served  about  one  year  and  was  succeeded  by  Ebenezer  Cook.  The  first  term 
of  the  court  under  Judge  Parker  was  held  May  14,  1838.  The  first  business  tran- 
sacted was  the  filing  probating  the  will  of  Abraham  Trucks,  who  died  in  Daven- 
port a  few  months  previous. 

In  May,  1839,  Judge  Cook  held  his  firm  term.  He  served  until  1842,  when 
James  Thorington  was  elected.  Judge  Thorington  served  until  1851,  when  the 
office  was  abolished  by  law,  the  duties  of  which  under  the  new  law  devolved 
upon  the  county  judge. 

COUNTY    COURT. 

In  185 1  county  courts  were  established  and  the  office  of  county  judge  created. 
By  the  same  act  the  office  of  probate  judge  was  abolished,  as  were  also  the  offices 
of  county  commissioners,  the  duties  of  the  commissioners  and  probate  judge  de- 
volving upon  the  county  judge.  Wilham  Burris  was  the  first  county  judge. 
He  was  elected  in  the  fall  of  1851,  qualified  and  at  once  entered  upon  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties.  Judge  Burris  served  four  years,  and  was  succeeded  by 
William  L.  Cook,  who  also  served  a  term  of  two  years.  Charles  Weston  was 
elected  in  1857  and  served  two  years.  R.  Linderman  was  first  elected  in  1859 
and  re-elected  in  1863.  In  1867  he  was  succeeded  by  T.  D.  Eagal,  who  served 
until  the  office  was  abolished,  January,  1869. 


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BUILDINGS  AT  SCOTT  COUNTY  POOR  FARM 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
ADMINISTRATION  OF  THE  COUNTY. 

THE  CONDUCT  OF  THE  COUNTY's   BUSINESS   AFFAIRS THE   COUNTY   COMMISSIONERS' 

COURT  AND  ITS  WORK    OF  ORGANIZATION ROAD  DISTRICTS   AND  VOTING   PLACES 

COUNTY   JUDGES— BOARD   OF   SUPERVISORS OFFICIALS    FROM    EARLIEST   TIMES 

TO   THE   PRESENT A   RECORD   FOR   REFERENCE GROWTH     OF     THE     COUNTY     IN 

WEALTH   AND  POPULATION. 

PRESENT  TIME. 

Several  changes  have  been  made  since  the  organization  of  Scott  county  in 
its  courts  and  the  title  of  the  office  under  which  the  county's  business  affairs 
have  been  conducted.  The  first  officials  were  designated  as  commissioners,  who 
transacted  the  business  for  the  county  until  1851,  when  the  office  of  commissioner 
was  abolished  and  the  affairs  of  the  office  transferred  to  the  Probate  court.  This 
court  was  superseded  in  1861  by  the  County  court  and  that  branch  of  government 
ceased  to  exist  in  January,  1869. 

FIRST  COUNTY   COMMISSIONERS'  COURT. 

The  act  providing  for  the  holding  of  an  election  for  the  county  seat  on  the 
third  Monday  in  February,  1838,  also  provided  for  an  election  two  weeks  after- 
ward for  county  officers,  at  which  election  Rockingham  elected  her  candidates. 
The  commissioners  elected  were  B.  F.  Pike,  Alfred  Carter  and  A.  W.  Campbell, 
with  Ebenezer  Cook  for  county  clerk.  The  first  session  of  the  Commissioners' 
court  was  held  at  the  store  of  J.  W.  Higgins,  in  Rockingham.  The  following 
are  the  proceedings  of  this  first  meeting: 

"Present — Benjamin  F.  Pike  and  Andrew  W.  Campbell. 

"The  board  proceeded  to  the  appointment  of  a  clerk. 

"Ordered — That  Ebenezer  Cook  be  appointed  clerk  to  the  board. 

"Ebenezer  Cook  having  appeared  in  pursuance  of  his  appointment,  and  taken 
the  oath  of  office,  entered  upon  his  duties  as  clerk. 

"Ordered— ^hat  the  clerk  take  the  necessary  steps  to  procure  from  the  sec- 
retary of  the  territory  a  seal  for  the  use  of  this  board. 

"Ordered — That  this  board  do  meet,  at  its  April  session,  in  the  town  of 
Rockingham. 


548  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

"Ordered — That  Benjamin  F.  Pike  be  allowed  $3  for  one  day's  service  as 
county  commissioner. 

"Ordered — That  Andrew  W.  Campbell  be  allowed  $3  for  one  day's  service 
as  county  commissioner. 

"Ordered — That  Ebenezer  Cook  be  allowed  $3  for  one  day's  service  as 
clerk. 

"And  the  board  adjourned  to  session  in  course." 

At  the  April  session,  1838,  the  county  was  divided  into  election  precincts,  and 
polls  were  ordered  open  at  Rockingham  hotel,  Rockingham,  and  Marmaduke  S. 
Davenport,  William  Lings,  Lewis  Ringlesby,  appointed  judges  of  election;  at 
Davenport  hotel,  Davenport,  Ira  Cook,  John  Forrest,  Adam  Noel,  judges  of  elec- 
tion; at  house  of  Caleb  H.  Gardener,  West  Buffalo,  Elias  Moore,  M.  M.  Bos- 
worth,  James  Williamson,  judges  of  election;  at  house  of  Roswell  H.  Spencer, 
Pleasant  Valley,  Stephen  Henley,  Jabez  A.  Birchard,  John  Work,  judges  of  elec- 
tion ;  at  house  of  Thomas  Hubbard,  Elizabeth  City,  Josiah  Scott,  William  Rowc, 
Daniel  Hyers.  judges  of  election;  at  house  of  Ezra  Allen,  Aliens  Grove,  Lester 
Hines,  John  K.  Spicer,  Isaiah  Hurlburt,  judges  of  election. 

Christopher  Rowe  was  appointed  county  treasurer,  but  failing  to  qualify, 
Ira  Cook  was  appointed  at  the  May  term  of  the  board,  and  at  once  entered  into 
bonds  and  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  the  office. 

At  this  same  session  Ira  Cook  was  appointed  and  qualified  as  assessor  in 
place  of  Joseph  Mounts,  who  had  previously  been  appointed,  but  failed  to 
qualify. 

The  editor  of  the  Iowa  News,  published  at  Dubuque,  was  allowed  $6  for 
advertising  an  election  to  be  held  for  the  location  of  the  county  seat. 

At  this  session  the  board  took  it  upon  itself  to  regulate  the  price  of  ferriage 
across  the  Mississippi  and  Wapsipinecon  rivers,  the  rates  of  which  may  be 
found  in  another  chapter  of  this  work. 

COUNTY  DIVIDED   INTO   ROAD  DISTRICTS. 

The  county  was  divided  into  eleven  road  districts ;  the  first,  second  and  third 
begin  as  follows : 

Road  District  No.  i,  to  comprise  all  the  territory  lying  within  the  following 
limits :  townships  ']']  and  78,  range  2  east,  except  the  east  tier  of  sections. 

Road  District  No.  2,  the  east  tier  of  sections,  townships  'j']  and  78,  and  sec- 
tions 36  and  25,  township  79,  the  west  half  of  townships  "jj  and  78,  range  3,  and 
sections  28,  29,  30,  31,  32,  33,  township  79,  range  3. 

Road  District  No.  3,  one  half  of  township  78,  and  southeast  quarter  of  town- 
ship 79,  range  3 ;  the  west  tier  of  sections  in  township  78,  range  4,  and  sections 
19,  30,  31,  township  79,  range  4, 

Mathias  Mounts  was  appointed  supervisor  of  District  No.  i ;  Otho  G.  McClain 
of  No.  2 ;  John  Forrest  of  No.  3. 

Polls  were  ordered  opened  at  the  town  of  Parkhurst,  and  Martin  W.  Smith, 
Eleazer  Parkhurst  and  Thomas  C.  Eads  appointed  judges. 

PoUing  places  were  also  established  for  Clinton  county,  which  was  attached 
to  Scott  county  at  this  time. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  549 

Grand  and  petit  juries  were  selected  at  this  session,  for  the  first  term  of  the 
district  court,  the  names  of  which  are  given  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

At  the  July  session  a  two-mill  tax  was  ordered  levied  on  the  real  estate  of 
the  county,  for  opening  and  repairing  public  highways,  and  five  mills  for  gen- 
eral purposes. 

The  first  tavern  licenses  were  granted  at  this  session,  one  to  Samuel  Barkley 
in  Davenport,  and  one  to  H.  W.  Higgins  in  Rockingham. 

November  12th,  the  commissioners  met  in  Rockingham  and  adjourned  to 
meet  in  Davenport,  that  town  being  declared  the  county  seat,  an  election  having 
previously  been  held  for  that  purpose.  Only  one  of  the  three  members  went 
over  to  Davenport,  and  therefore  there  was  no  quorum,  and  the  lone  member 
adjourned. 

A  special  session  was  called  for  November  26th,  at  Davenport,  the  newly 
elected  county  seat.  Alfred  Carter  was  the  only  member  present.  A.  W.  Camp- 
bell sent  in  his  resignation  as  a  member  of  the  board.  B.  F.  Pike,  the  third  mem- 
ber, was  in  Rockingham  and  would  not  honor  Davenport  with  his  presence; 
therefore,  Mr.  Carter  on  the  principle  that  "if  the  mountain  would  not  go  to 
Mahomet,  Mahomet  would  have  to  go  to  the  mountain,"  adjourned  to  meet  in 
Rockingham.  But  little  business  was  transacted  other  than  granting  licenses 
for  taverns  and  ferries. 

In  January,  1839,  the  board  met  again  at  Rockingham,  no  cause  being  as- 
sig-ned  why  they  did  not  meet  in  Davenport.  The  full  board  was  present,  in- 
cluding A,  W.  Campbell,  whose  resignation  had  never  been  acted  upon,  and  was 
probably  withdrawn.  At  the  annual  election  this  year  John  Work  was  elected  in 
place  of  B.  F.  Pike,  whose  term  had  expired. 

At  the  January  meeting  in  1840,  Ebenezer  Cook,  the  commissioner's  clerk, 
was  ordered  to  bring  suit  against  John  Litch  of  Davenport,  for  violation  of  the 
license  law,  Mr.  Litch  persisting  in  selling  liquor  without  a  license. 

At  the  annual  election  in  the  spring  of  1840,  the  ticket  favored  by  the  Rock- 
ingham party  for  county  commissioners  was  elected. 

At  a  special  session  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  held  March  25, 
1840,  a  proposition  was  read  from  Adrian  H.  Davenport  and  John  H.  Sullivan  in 
which  they  offered  to  build  a  courthouse  and  jail  upon  certain  conditions. 

The  commissioners  made  a  proposition  to  A.  H.  Davenport  and  J.  H.  Sulli- 
van, in  which  it  was  provided  that  in  case  of  failure  or  non-acceptance,  J.  H. 
Sullivan  and  A.  H.  Davenport  were  to  convey  160  lots  to  the  county  which  were 
to  be  sold  and  amount  expended  for  the  erection  of  a  courthouse  and  jail.  The 
proposition  was  accepted. 

The  commissioners'  clerk  was  ordered  to  insert  proposals  for  the  erection 
of  a  jail  in  the  Iowa  Territorial  Gazette,  published  at  Burlington,  and  also  to  ad- 
vertise the  sale  of  town  lots  in  four  different  newspapers,  the  sale  to  take  place 
July  4,  1840. 

THE   BOARD  COMES  TO  DAVENPORT. 

The  county  seat  question  being  settled  in  favor  of  Davenport,  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  met  at  Davenport  in  special  session  October  26,  1840. 


550  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

But  little  business  of  public  interest  was  transacted  by  the  board  for  several 
years,  the  sessions  being  taken  up  in  auditing  bills  and  appointing  committees  and 
hearing  reports  on  locations  of  public  roads. 

In  1845  steps  were  taken  to  organize  the  county  into  townships,  and  at  the 
January  meeting  of  the  board  in  1846,  it  was  ordered  that  township  lines  as 
organized  remain  the  same  as  precinct  lines  heretofore  organized,  except  a  slight 
change  made  in  the  line  between  Rockingham  and  Davenport.  The  name  of 
Parkhurst  precinct  was  changed  to  Fairview  township,  and  Point  Pleasant  pre- 
cinct was  called  Winfield  township. 

At  the  April  (1846)  meeting  of  the  board,  part  of  Pleasant  Valley  township 
was  added  to  Fairview,  and  the  name  of  the  latter  was  changed  to  LeClaire. 

At  the  October  meeting  of  the  same  year  Aliens  Grove  township  was  divided, 
the  western  part  taking  the  name  of  Liberty  and  the  eastern  Aliens  Grove. 

By  act  of  General  Assembly,  approved  January,  185 1,  the  county  commis- 
sioners' court  was  abolished  and  all  the  powers  devolving  upon  that  body  were 
transferred  to  the  county  judge. 

From  the  organization  of  the  county  to  this  time  the  following  named  served 
as  county  commissioners : 

1838 — Benjamin  F.  Pike,  Andrew  W.  Campbell,  Alfred  Carter. 

1839 — A.  W.  Campbell,  Alfred  Carter,  John  Work. 

1840— A.  W.  Campbell,  Alfred  Carter,*  John  Work. 

1 84 1 — Same  as  in  1840. 

1842 — John  Work,  John  C.  Quinn,  Otho  G.  McClain. 

1843 — Same  as  in  1842. 

1844 — John  C.  Quinn,  Asahel  Hubbard,  Otho  G.  McClain. 

1845 — Otho  G.  McClain,  John  C.  Quinn,  Cyrus  G.  Blood. 

1846 — John  C.  Quinn,  C.  G.  Blood,  Asa  Foster. 

1847 — C.  G.  Blood,  Asa  Foster,  Stephen  Thompson. 

1848— C.  G.  Blood,  Asa  Foster,  E.  S.  Wing. 

1849 — Asa  Foster,  E.  S.  Wing,  A.  C.  Fulton. 

1850— E.  S.  Wing.  A.  C.  Fulton,  John  W.  Wiley. 

COUNTY  JUDGES. 

The  business  of  the  county  was  transacted  by  the  county  judges  from  185 1  to 
1861,  a  period  of  ten  years.  List  of  county  judges  is  given  elsewhere  in  this 
work. 

BOARD   OF   .SUPERVISORS. 

In  accordance  with  an  act  of  the  general  assembly  entitled,  ''An  act  creating 
a  county  board  of  supervisors,  defining  their  duties  and  the  duties  of  certain 
county  officers,"  passed  March  22.  i860,  the  county  of  Scott  was  organized  under 
the  new  law  and  at  the  election  held  November  6,  i860,  supervisors  were  elected. 
Each  township  was  entitled  to  one  supervisor  without  regard  to  the  number  of 
Inhabitants.  Davenport  having  over  12.000  inhabitants  was  entitled  to  three 
members  of  the  board. 


*Resigned  and  John   C.   Quinn   elected   to  Fill  vacancy 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  551 

The  first  meeting  of  the  board  was  held  Monday,  January  8,  1861.  C.  Stewart 
Ells  was  elected  president. 

The  representation  was  continued  at  one  from  each  township  and  three  from 
Davenport  until  1866,  when  one  more  was  added  to  the  latter's  representation. 
In  1868  the  number  was  increased  to  five. 

The  law  in  1870  was  changed  and  instead  of  a  board  of  supervisors,  composed 
of  a  representative  from  each  township,  there  were  three  elected  by  the  entire 
county,  who  had  vested  in  them  the  same  powers  as  the  old  board. 

In  1894  the  county  availed  itself  of  the  privilege  offered  by  the  state  law  to  in- 
crease the  number  of  representatives  on  the  board  to  five,  which  number  is  yet 
retained. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  members  of  the  board  from  1861  to 
19 ro.  inclusive : 

1861. 

Davenport— C.  Stewart  Ells,  Thomas  K.  Fluke.  Mathias  J.  Rohlfs ;  LeClaire 
— Horace  Carpenter;  Winfield — Henry  G.  Neal ;  Princeton — Giles  M.  Pinneo; 
Buffalo — Dan  B.  Shaw  ;  Blue  Grass — Daniel  L.  Lyon  ;  Hickory  Grove — James 
H.  Ross ;  Pleasant  Valley — Philip  Earhart ;  Aliens  Grove — Ephraim  Snyder ; 
Liberty — Azotus  M.  Frost;  Cleona — Benjamin  P.  Putnam;  Rockingham — Elisha 
S.  Mowrey. 

1862. 

Davenport — C.  Stewart  Ells,  Thomas  K.  Fluke.  George  M.  Matthews;  Le- 
Claire— Horace  Carpenter ;  Winfield — John  C.  Quinn  ;  Princeton — Giles  M.  Pin- 
neo ;  Buffalo — Dan  B.  Shaw ;  Blue  Grass — Daniel  L.  Lyon ;  Hickory  Grove — 
James  H.  Ross;  Pleasant  Valley — Philip  Earhart;  Allen's  Grove — Ephraim  Sny- 
der; Liberty — Azotus  M.  Frost;  Cleona — Benjamin  P.  Putnam;  Rockingham — 
Elisha  A.  Mowrey.* 

1863. 

Davenport — John  L.  Davies,  Thomas  K.  Fluke.  George  M.  Matthews ;  Le- 
Claire— Horace  Carpenter;  Winfield — Henry  G.  Neal;  Princeton — Giles  M.  Pin- 
neo; Buffalo — Warner  L.  Clark;  Blue  Grass — Daniel  H.  Lyon;  Hickory  Grove — 
James  H.  Ross;  Pleasant  Valley — Philip  Earhart;  Aliens  Grove — Montgomery 
Thompson;  Liberty — Azotus  M.  Frost;  Cleona — William  M.  Murray;  Rocking- 
ham— John  Coleman. 

1864. 

Davenport — John  L.  Davies,  George  M.  Matthews.  Moses  C.  Farber;  Le- 
Claire— Horace  Carpenter ;  Winfield — Alexander  Brownlie,  Sr. ;  Princeton — 
James  McConnell ;  Buffalo — Warner  L.  Clark  ;  Blue  Grass — Samuel  Little ; 
Hickory  Grove — James  H.  Ross ;  Pleasant  Valley — Jesse  L.  Henley ;  Aliens 
Grove — Montgomery  Thompson  ;  Liberty — Don  C.  Gates  ;  Cleona — William  M. 
Murray  ;  Rockingham — Enoch  Mead. 

1865. 

Davenport — John  L.  Davies.  Moses  C.  Farber.  George  W.  Matthews;  Le- 
Qaire — Robert  Scott;  Winfield — E.  S.  Wing;  Princeton — James  McConnell; 
Buffalo — William  Posten  ;  Blue  Grass — Samuel  Little;  Hickory  Grove — James 


*  Died  and  John  Coleman  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy. 


552  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

H.  Ross;  Pleasant  Valley — Jesse  L.  Henley;  Aliens  Grove — William  Nutting; 
Liberty — Don  C.  Gates;  Cleona — William  M.  Murray;  Rockingham — George  P. 
Whitcomb. 

1866. 
Davenport — John  L.  Davies,  Moses  C.  Farber,  George  M.  Matthews,  Charles 
S.  Watkins;  LeClaire — Robert  Smith;  Winfield — C.  H.  Ficke;  Princeton — Jo- 
seph McConnell ;  Buffalo — William  Posten  ;  Blue  Grass — Samuel  Little ;  Hickory 
Grove — James  H.  Ross;  Pleasant  Valley — Backus  Birchard;  Aliens  Grove — Wil- 
liam Nutting;  Liberty — James  H.  Freeman;  Cleona — William  M.  Murray;  Rock- 
ingham— Edward  Ricker;  Ben  Butler — E.  S.  Wing. 

1867. 

Davenport — John  L.  Davies,  Peter  N.  Lau,  George  M.  Matthews,  Charles  S. 
Watkins ;  LeClaire — C.  C.  Applegate ;  Winfield — James  McManus  ;  Princeton— 
G.  W.  Pinneo ;  Buffalo — G.  W.  Baker ;  Blue  Grass — William  S.  Schmidt ;  Hickory 
Grove — James  H.  Ross;  Pleasant  Valley — Backus  Birchard;  Aliens  Grove — 
John  Heller  ;  Liberty — ^Joseph  Freeman ;  Cleona — George  W.  Murray ;  Rocking- 
ham— Edward  Ricker ;  Butler — D.  R.  Stearns  ;  Lincoln — John  Larrimer ;  Sheri- 
dan—H.  H.  Fry. 

1868. 

Davenport — John  L.  Davies,  Thomas  Sindt,  Christ.  Kruse,  Thomas  Robeson. 
G.  M.  Matthews;  LeClaire — C.  C.  Applegate;  Princeton — Michael  Moore;  Buf- 
falo— George  W.  Baker;  Blue  Grass — James  Herron;  Pleasant  Valley — J.  W. 
Means;  Aliens  Grove — E.  S.  Newton;  Liberty — A.  M.  Alpin;  Cleona — F.  Theo- 
dore Blunck;  Rockingham — S.  Bawden  ;  Butler- — D.  R.  Stearns;  Lincoln — W.  B. 
Murray  ;  Sheridan — William  Rigg ;  Winfield — Alexander  Williamson ;  Hickory 
Grove — Julius  Langheim. 

1869. 

Davenport — Thomas  Sindt,  Chris.  Kruse,  Thomas  Robeson,  Edwin  Smith,  B. 
H.  Lahrman;  LeClaire — C.  C.  Applegate;  Princeton — Mark  Matthews;  Buffalo 
— Horace  Miller;  Blue  Grass — Henry  Goering;  Pleasant  Valley — James  W. 
Means  ;  Aliens  Grove — E.  S.  Newton ;  Liberty — J.  H.  Freeman ;  Cleona — F. 
Theodore  Blunck ;  Rockingham — S.  Bawden  ;  Butler — William  Cressler ;  Lincoln 
— William  B.  Murray;  Sheridan — William  Rigg;  Winfield — Alexander  William- 
son ;  Hickory  Grove — Julius  Langheim. 

1870. 

Davenport — Thomas  Sindt,  John  M.  Lyter,  John  Lambert,  H.  A.  Runge,  B. 
H.  Lahrman;  LeClaire — Erastus  Decker;  Princeton — Mark  Matthews;  Buffalo 
— Horace  Miller;  Blue  Grass — Henry  Goering;  Pleasant  Valley — James  W. 
Means  ;  Aliens  Grove — E.  S.  Newton ;  Liberty — J.  H.  Freeman ;  Cleona — John 
A.  Gifford  ;  Rockingham — Stephen  Bawden  ;  Lincoln — William  B.  Murray  ;  Sher- 
idan— William  Rigg;  Winfield — John  Madden;  Hickory  Grove — Julius  Lang- 
heim ;  Butler — William  Cressler. 

1871. 

Julius  Langheim,  Erastus  Decker,  John  L.  Davies. 

1872. 
Julius  Langheim,  Erastus  Decker,  John  L.  Davies.* 


*  Died  and  George  S.  Shaw  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  553 

1873. 
George  S.  Shaw,  Julius  Langheim.  George  Murray. 

1874. 
Julius  Langheim.  John  Madden,  George  Murray. 

1875. 
George  Murray,  Julius  Langheim,  George  L.  Dennis,  John  Madden,  Freder- 
ick Kautz. 

1876. 
John  Madden,  George  G.  Dennis,  George  Murray,  Julius  Langheim,   Freder- 
ick Kautz. 

1877. 
George  Murray,  Fred  Kautz,  Thomas  W.  McCausland,  Julius  Langheim,  A.  J. 
Emeis. 

1878. 
George  Murray,  Thomas  W.  McCausland,  H.  S.  Garlock,  A.  J.  Emeis.  E.  S. 
Newton. 

1879. 
T.  W.  McCausland.  H.  S.  Garlock.  Louis  Schworm.  E.  S.  Newton,  H.  Thom- 
son. 

1880. 
H.  F.  Laverenz,  H.  S.  Garlock.  Louis  Schworm.  T.  W.  McCausland,  E.  S. 
Newton. 

i88t. 
T.  W.  McCausland,  H.  F.  Laverenz.  F.  A.  Quistorf ,  Louis  Schworm,  John  S. 
Ackley. 

1882. 
T.  W.  McCausland,  John  S.  Ackley,  Caspar  Foster,  F.  A.  Quistorf,  H.  C. 
Chapman,  Louis  Schworm. 

1883. 
T.  W.  McCausland,  Caspar  Foster,  John  S.  Ackley,  H.  C.  Chapman,  F.  A. 
Quistorf,  Isaac  H.  Sears,  Henry  Ruwe. 

1884. 
I.  H.  Sears,  H.  C.  Chapman.  Henrv  Ruwe.  William  B.  Murray,  Lorenz  Rogge. 

'1885. 
I.  H.  Sears,  H.  C.  Chapman.  Henry  Ruwe,  W.  B.  Murray,  Lorenz  Rogge,  U- 
M.  Kelsey. 

1886. 


I.  H.  Sears,  H.  Ruwe.  W.  B.  Murray, 


I.  H.  Sears,  H.  Ruwe,  W.  B.  Murray.  L.  Rogge,  U.  M.  Kelsey 

1 881 
I.  H.  Sears.  H.  Ruwe.  W.  B.  Murray. 


L.  Rogge.  U.  ^L  Kelsey. 

1889. 
I.  H.  Sears.  W.  B.  Murray.  L.  Rogge.  V.  M.  Kelsey,  H.  H.  Sindt. 

1890. 
I.  H.  Sears,  W.  B.  Murray.  L.  Rogge,  H.  H.  Sindt,  U.  M.  Kelsey. 


L.  Rogge,  U.  M.  Kelsey. 


554  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

1891. 
I.  H.  Sears,  W.  B.  Murray.  L.  Rogge,  H.  H.  Sindt.  T.  J.  Glynn. 

1892. 
I.  H.  Sears.  W.  B.  Murray.  L.  Rogge,  H.  H.  Sindt,  T.  I.  Glynn. 

1893. 
I.  H.  Sears.  H.  H.  Sindt.  T.  J.  Glynn,  J.  G.  Dutcher.  C.  Stoltenberg. 

1894. 
I.  H.  Sears.  H.  H.  Sindt.  T.  }.  Glynn.  J.  G.  Dutcher.  C.  Stoltenberg. 

1895- 
T.  J.  Glynn.  J.  G.  Dutcher,  C.  Stoltenberg.  E.  J.  Dougherty.  Paul  Burmeister. 

1896. 
T.  J.  Glynn,  ].  G.  Dutcher.  E.  T.  Dougherty.  Paul  Burmeister,  Henry  Korn. 

1897. 
J.  G.  Dutcher,  Henry  Korn,  E.  J.  Dougherty,  Paul  Burmeister,  T.  W.  Mc- 
Causland. 

1898. 
T.  J.  Dutcher.  T.  W.  McCausland.  Henry  Korn.  E.  J.  Hilton.  H.  J.  Wulff. 

1899. 
T.  W.  McCausland.  H.  J.  Wulfif.  E.  J.  Hilton.  John  W.  Ballard.  S.  A.  Wilson. 

1900. 
T.  W.  McCausland.  H.  J.  Wulff.  E.  J.  Hilton.  John  W.  Ballard.  S.  A.  Wilson. 

1901. 
John  W.  Ballard,  H.  J.  Wulff.  Peter  Schwarz,  S.  A.  Wilson,  Frank  G.  Logan. 

1902. 
S.  A.  Wilson.  H.  J.  Wulff,  John  Soller,  Peter  Schwarz.  Frank  T.  Logan. 

1903. 
John  Soller.  H.  J.  Wulff.  Frank  T.  Logan.  L.  Litscher,  S.  A.  Wilson. 

1904. 
John  Soller.  Frank  T.  Logan.  L.  Litscher.  Henry  Stoltenberg,  S.  A.  Wilson. 

1905. 
John  Soller.  S.  A.  Wilson.  F.  T.  Logan.  Henry  Stoltenberg.  Leonard  Litscher. 

1906-7. 
J.  G.  Dutcher.  John  Soller.  S.  A.  Wilson.  Theo.  Gasseling.  Henry  Schroeder. 

1907-8. 
J.  G.  Dutcher,  Julius  Sander.  Charles  Rich.  Theo.  Gassehng.  Henry  Schroeder. 

1908-9. 
Theo.  Gasseling.  Julius  Sander.  J.  G.  Dutcher.  Giarles  Rich.  Henry  Schroeder. 

COUNTY   OFFICIALS. 

In  this  chapter  is  given  a  list  of  the  county  officials  elected  from  the  time  of 
the  location  of  the  county  seat  in  Davenport  up  to  the  present : 

ELECTION.    AUGUST,     1 842. 

Council.  Representative. 

R.    Christie,    whig 284     J.   M.  Robertson,   whig 267 

J.  A.  Birchard.  dem 235      A.   W.   Campbell,   dem 259 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


555 


Sheriff. 

A.    H.    Davenport,    dem 319 

R.    Bennett,    whig 207 

Recorder. 

John    D.    Evans,    dem 280 

James    Thorington,    whig 240 

Commissioner's  Clerk. 

John    Pope,    dem 282 

Alfred   Sanders,  whig 236 

Assessor. 

Lyman    Smith,   dem 259 

Wilham    P.   Eldridge,   whig 256 

Corofier. 

W.   L.   Cook,   dem 262 

James  McCosh,  whig 259 

ELECTION,  OCTOBER  3,  1843, 

Representative. 

G.  C.  R.  Mitchell,  whig 241 

James    Grant,    dem 218 

Probate  Judge. 

James    Thorington,    whig 253 

J.  D.  Evans,  dem 209 

Assessor. 

William   P.   Eldridge,   whig 246 

Pike,  dem 206 

Treasurer. 

John    Evans,   whig 320 

Green,   dem 116 

Surz^eyor. 

E.   K.    Gibbon,   whig 261 

Turner,   dem 168 

Strong  Burnell,   whig    27 

ELECTION,    APRIL,    1844. 

Against  Convention 204 

For    Convention    143 

ELECTION.   AUGUST  6,   1844. 

Commissioners. 

Otho  G.   McLain,  dem 303 

John    Coleman,    whig 248 

Commissioner's  Clerk. 

John  Pope,  dem 272 

E.  K.  Gibbon,  whig 271 

Recorder. 

John  D.  Evans,  dem 330 

James    Thorington,    whig 212 


Treasurer. 

A.    H.    Miller,    dem 266 

John    Evans,    whig 234 

ELECTION,   APRIL    1 5,    1845. 

Council. 

L.   Summers,  dem 231 

Z.    Metcalf,   whig 201 

House. 

J.   M.  Robertson,   whig 255 

E.   S.  Wing,  dem 198 

Constitution. 

Against    291 

For    169 

ELECTION,    AUGUST,    1 845. 

Treasurer. 

A.    H.    Miller 243 

John   Evans    3 

Surveyor. 

Willard    Barrows,    dem 215 

Jonathan   Parker,   whig 201 

Assessor. 

Stephen   Henley,   dem 231 

Samuel  Hedges,  whig 201 

ELECTION.   AUGUST,    1846. 

Representative. 

E.    S.   Wing,   dem 275 

Ebenezer   Cook,    whig 272 

Sheriff. 

A.    H.    Davenport,   dem 338 

E.  A.  Riggs,  whig 199 

Commissioner. 

C.  G.  Blood,  dem 281 

A.   C.   Fulton,   whig 266 

Recorder. 

J.    D.   Evans,   dem 341 

W.    S.   ColHns,   whig 193 

Treasurer. 

A.   H.  Miller,  dem 319 

J.  Morton,  whig 229 

Commissioner's  Clerk. 

J.    Pope,    dem 305 

J.    Evans,    whig 240 

Probate  Judge. 

J.    Thorington,    whig 311 

C.  Weston,  dem 223 


556 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


Coroner. 

W.  L.  Cook,  dem 296 

H.    S.   Finley.   whig 236 

Constitution. 

For    296 

Against    245 

ELECTION,   OCTOBER,    1 846. 

State  Senate. 

L.    Wheeler,    whig 331 

L.    Summers,    dem 291 

Clerk   of  District  Court. 

James  Thorington,  whig 351 

J.  C.  Betts,  dem 261 

ELECTION,    AUGUST,    1 847. 

Sheriff. 

Harvey  Leonard,  dem 342 

R.    Christie,    rep 320 

Recorder. 

A.   H.    Miller,   dem 330 

William    Inslee,    whig 328 

Presecuting  Attorney. 

A.  W.  McGregor,  whig 326 

V.   M.   Firor,  dem 324 

Commissioner's  Clerk. 

John  Pope,  dem 352 

R.   Ricker,  Jr.,   whig 309 

Probate  Judge. 

James   Thorington,    whig 380 

John    Rowser.    dem    287 

Surveyor. 

G.   W.   Gale,  whig 339 

W.    Barrows,   dem 294 

ELECTION,    AUGUST,    1 848. 

Representative. 

John  D.  Evans,  dem 347 

A.   C.   Fulton,   whig 341 

Clerk   of  District  Court. 

James  Thorington.  whig 380 

John    Pope,    dem 309 

A.    Logan 4 

Commissioner. 

E.    S.    Wing,    dem 347 

S.  Thompson,  whig 339 


ELECTION,    AUGUST,    1 849. 

Sheriff. 

Harvey  Leonard,   dem 495 

Enos  Tichenor,  whig 234 

Recorder. 

Hiram   Price,  dem 462 

James    McManus,    whig 269 

County  Commissioner's  Clerk. 

John  Rowser,  dem 369 

WilHam  P.  Campbell,  whig 356 

Surveyor. 

Willard    Barrows,    dem 297 

Jonathan    Parker,    Ind.    whig 240 

Mr.    Finley    178 

Prosecuting  Attorney. 

Alex.  W.  McGregor,  whig 366 

S.  R.   Miller,  dem 313 

Coroner. 

T.  V.  Blakemore,  whig 371 

William  McDade,  dem 337 

Probate  Judge. 
James    Thorington,    whig 327 

ELECTION,    AUGUST,    185O 

State  Senator. 

W.   E.  Leffingwell,   dem 404 

L.    Carpenter,   whig 308 

Representative. 

Laurel  Summers,  dem 402 

A.  C.  Fulton,  whig 354 

Clerk  District  Court 

James    Thorington,    whig 414 

T.   D.  Eagal.   dem 349 

Prosecuting   Attorney. 
A.  W.   McGregor,  whig 306 

County   Commissioner. 

J.   W.  Wiley,  dem 410 

D.  B.  Shaw,  whig 358 

ELECTION,    AUGUST,    1 85 1. 

County  Judge. 

William    Burris.    whig 508 

C.  G.  Blood,  dem 342 

Supervisor. 

J.   A.    Birchard.   dem 458 

S.  Thompson 423 


■  1   P«    - 


jmmii 


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SCOTT  COUNTY  JAIL 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


559 


Sheriff. 

Harvey   Leonard,    dem 531 

J.    Bechtel    371 

Surveyor. 

Willard   Barrows,   dem 475 

James    Porter,    whig 388 

Coroner. 

J.  Carney,  dem 447 

T.  V.  Blakemore,  whig 418 

Recorder. 
Hiram   Price,  dem 560 

ELECTION,    AUGUST,    1 852. 

State  Senator. 

E.    S.   Wing,   dem 544 

George    Smith,    whig 482 

Clerk  District  Court. 

James    Thorington,    whig 559 

T.  D.  Eagal,  dem 471 

Prosecuting  Attorney. 

J,    F.   Dillon,   dem 663 

A.  W.  McGregor,  whig 368 

ELECTION,    AUGUST,    1 853. 

Sheriff. 

Harvey  Leonard,   dem 997 

D.  C.  Eldridge,  whig 576 

Surveyor. 

Jonathan  Parker 628 

Samuel  Perrin 324 

Willard    Barrows 313 

Recorder. 

Hiram  Price,  tem 859 

Robert  Christie 411 

Coroner. 

L.  B.  Collamer,  tem 883 

James    Carney,    dem 347 

ELECTION,    AUGUST,    1 854. 

State  Senator. 

A.  C.  Fulton,  whig 834 

J.  A.  Birchard,  dem 453 

Clerk  of  District  Court. 

J.  D.  Patton,  whig 706 

C.   G.   Blood,  dem 493 

T.  V.   Blakemore 132 

Prosecii ting  Attorney. 

H.   G.   Barner,   whig 851 

A.   Davison,   dem 476 


ELECTION,    AUGUST,     1855. 

County  Judge. 

William  L.  Cook,  dem 968 

William    Burris,    tem 952 

Sheriff. 

Harvey    Leonard,    dem 1054 

L.  J.  Center,  tem 869 

Recorder. 

James  McCosh,  tem 968 

William   Gray,  dem 453 

Surveyor. 

William  P.  Campbell,  tem 996 

Henry  Lambach,  dem 938 

Coroner. 

Cyrus    Fisk,   dem 976 

William    Crosson,    tem 959 

ELECTION,  OCTOBER,  1858. 

Clerk  of  District  Court. 

Ira  M.  Gifford,   rep 2057 

Joseph  A.  Crandall,  dem 1358 

ELECTION,  OCTOBER  II,  1859. 

State  Senator. 

J.    W.    Thompson,    rep .2129 

Edwin    Smith,    dem 1685 

County   Judge. 

R.    Linderman,    rep 2187 

Charles   Weston,   dem 1631 

Sheriff. 

James  Thorington,   rep 1951 

Harvey   Leonard,    dem 1858 

Recorder. 

James    McCosh 2368 

William    \^anTuyl     14 11 

County  Superintendent. 

Thomas  J.  Saunders,  rep 2137 

Joshua    Dial,    dem 1675 

Surveyor. 

W.  P.  Campbell,  rep 2212 

J.  T.  Hogan.  dem   1593 

Coroner. 

J.  W.  H.  Baker,  rep 2204 

A.  S.  Maxwell,  dem 1612 

ELECTION,    OCTOBER.    1 86 1. 

State  Senator. 

Benjamin   F,   Gue,   rep 2333 

John  B.  Leake,  dem 1969 


560 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


Hiram    Wheeler 1046 

George  S.  C.  Dow 839 

J.    W.    Clark 247 

County  Judge. 

Rufus    Linderman,    rep 1863 

John  W.  Van  Hosen,  dem 1068 

Samuel    B.    Wyman 503 

Sheriff. 

James   Thorington,   rep 1847 

Harvey  Leonard,  dem 1640 

Treasurer  and  Recorder. 

A.   F.  Mast,  dem 1846 

James  McCosh,  rep 1613 

County   Superintendent. 

Dudley  L.  Gorton,  rep 1867 

Joshua    Dial,    dem 1632 

Surveyor. 

William   P.   Campbell,   rep 3279 

Scattering    2 

Coroner. 

J.   J.   Tomson.   rep 1855 

Jared   C.    Parker,  dem 1647 

ELECTION,    OCTOBER,    1 862. 

District  Attorney. 

Lyman   A.   Ellis,   rep 1981 

Charles  M.   Dunbar,  dem 11 77 

State  Senator. 

Thomas  J.  Saunders,  rep 1957 

Thos.  J.  Saunders,  (sold's  vote).  .    217 

David  Higgins,  dem 1197 

David  Higgins,   (sold's  vote) ....      17 
Clerk  of  District  Court. 

Ira  M.  Gifford,  rep 1985 

Ira  M.  Gifford,   (sold's  vote)....    327 

Reimer   Soehren,   dem 1 167 

R.  Soehren,  (sold's  vote) 37 

ELECTION,  OCTOBER,   1 863. 

County  Judge. 

Rufus    Linderman,    rep 2632 

T.  D.  Eagal.  dem 1300 

Sheriff. 

John  M.  Lyter,  rep 2583 

Harvey  Leonard,   dem 1349 

Treasurer  and  Recorder. 

John   Collins,   rep 2572 

A.  F.  Mast,  dem 1352 


Coroner. 

J.  J.  Tomson,  rep 2625 

W.  W.  Parker,  dem 1302 

County  Superintendent. 

Dudley  L.  Gorton,  rep 2609 

William  Geerdts,  dem 1317 

Er,ECTION,    NOVEMBER,   1 864. 

Recorder. 

James  Thorington,  rep 2688 

J.   Thorington    (sold's   vote) 563 

August  F.  Mast,  dem 1348 

Aug.      F.    Mast    (sold's   vote) ....        4 

Clerk  of  District  Court. 

Mahlon  D.  Snyder,  rep 2718 

M.   D.    Snyder,    (sold's   vote)....    577 

Hiram  Wheeler,  dem 1320 

H.  Wheeler    (sold's   vote) 6 

ELECTION,    OCTOBER,    1 865. 

Sheriff. 

John   M.   Lyter,   rep 2067 

Hugo   Hoffman,   dem 1835 

Treasiirer. 

Thomas  K.  Fluke,  rep 1911 

Chester    Barney,   dem 1835 

Sur-c'cyor. 

William    P.    Campbell,    rep 2078 

Scattering    28 

County  Superintendent. 

W.  O.  Hiskey,  rep i960 

J.  W.  Moore,  dem 1795 

ELECTION,  OCTOBER,  1866. 

Recorder. 

James  Thorington,  rep 3996 

M.  D.  Snyder,  dem 91 

Clerk  District  Court. 

John    Gallaghan.    dem 2654 

John    W.    Collins,    rep 1726 

County  Superintendent. 

George  P.  Whitcomb 3014 

D.  L.  Gorton 18 

ELECTION,    OCTOBER,    1 867. 

State  Senator. 

W.  W.  Cones 2500 

H.  R.  Claussen 1806 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


561 


Treasurer. 

L.  S.  \'iele.  dem 2487 

T.    K.    Fluke,   rep 1856 

Sheriff. 
G.   Schnitg-er,   dem 2491 

F.  M.  Suiter,  rep 1834 

County  Judge. 

T.  D.  Eagal,  dem 2432 

R.   Linderman,  rep 1917 

County  Superintendent. 

John  Gallag-her,  dem 2480 

Thomas  J.  Saunders,  rep 1855 

Surveyor. 

Thomas  Murray,  dem 2524 

William  P.  Campbell,  rep 1749 

Coroners. 

G.  Keepfuer.  dem 2518 

J.  J.  Tomson,  rep 1830 

ELECTION,    NOVEMBER.    1 868. 

Clerk  District  Court. 

M.    D.    Snyder,    rep 3026 

Fred    Vollmer.   dem 2281 

Recorder. 

F.  M.  Suiter,  rep 2888 

M.  J.  Rohlfs,  dem 2312 

Corojiers. 

J.  J.  Tomson,  rep ^777 

James  McCortney,  dem 2593 

ELECTION,    OCTOBER,    1 869. 

Supreme    Judge. 

John   F.    Dillon,   rep 2428 

W.  F.  Brannan.  dem 1391 

Auditor. 

R.  D.  Leonard,  rep 2237 

T.  D.  Eag-al.  dem 1580 

Treasurer. 

Henry    Egbert,    rep 1945 

L.  S.  Viele.  dem 1803 

Sheriff. 

Gustavus    Schnitger.    rep 1912 

Harvey   Leonard,   dem 1840 

County  Superintendent. 

Roderick  Rose,  rep 2074 

John    Gallagher,    dem 1713 


Coroner. 

].  J.  Tomson,  rep 2303 

James    McCortney.    dem 1417 

Surveyor. 

Thomas  Murray,  dem 2016 

William    P.    Campbell,    re]) 1745 

ELECTION,  OCTOBER.  187O. 

Clerk  District  Court. 

M.  D.  Snyder,  rep 2105 

W.  W.  Buell.  dem 1078 

Recorder. 

F.  M.   Suiter,  rep 21 16 

J.  W.  Jamison,  dem 1070 

County  Superintendent. 

P.  S.  Morton,  rep 2087 

Frank  L  Jervis,  dem io8q 

ELECTION,    OCTOBER,     1 87 1. 

Treasurer. 

Henry   Egbert,   rep 2561 

J.  W.  Jamison,  dem 1345 

County  Superintendent. 

Philo  S.  Morton,  rep 2526 

William    Geerdts,    dem 1357 

Auditor. 

R.    D.    Leonard,   rep 2531 

T.  D.  Eagal.  dem 1345 

Sheriff. 
Harvey  Leonard,   dem 1956 

G.  Schnitger,  rep 1882 

Coroner. 

J.  J.  Tomson,  rep 2542 

J.    McCortney,   dem    1352 

ELECTION,   NOVEMBER.    1 872. 

Clerk  District  Court. 

William  K.  White,  lib 2734 

William   G.    Scott,   rep 2338 

Recorder. 

Frank  M.  Suiter,  rep 2645 

James  McNamara,  dem 2432 

ELECTION.  OCTOBER.  1 873. 

Treasurer. 

M.    J.    Rohlfs,    anti-mon 2446 

Richard  Smetham,  rep 1988 


562 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


Auditor. 

R.   D.  Leonard,   rep 2365 

W.    B.    Barnes,    anti-mon 2078 

Sheriff. 

H.   Leonard,   anti-mon 3244 

Bernhard    Finger,    rep 1207 

Coroner. 

W.   W.    Grant,   anti-mon 2832 

J.  J.  Tomson,  rep 1621 

ELECTION,  OCTOBER,  1 874. 

District  Attorney, 

Lyman   A.    Ellis,    anti-mon 2809 

John  N.  Crawford,  rep 1301 

Clerk  District  Court. 

W.    H.    Gabbert,    anti-mon 2756 

D.  B.  Nash,  rep 1328 

Recorder. 

Joseph  A.  LeClaire,  rep 2298 

Charles  Freidrich    1794 

ELECTION,    OCTOBER,    1 875. 

County  Superintendent. 

Charles  H.  Clemmer,  dem 2408 

P.  S.  Morton,  rep 1594 

Harvey  Leonard  for  sheriff, 
M.  J.  Rohlfs  for  treasurer, 
W.  W.  Grant  for  coroner, 
Thomas  Murray  for  surveyor, 
had  no  opposition. 

ELECTION,    NOVEMBER,    1 876. 

Clerk  District  Court. 

Joseph  Andrews,  rep 3370 

W.  H.  Gabbert,  dem 3332 

Recorder. 

Joseph  A.  LeClaire,  rep 3667 

John  L.  Boehl,  dem 3011 

ELECTION,  OCTOBER,  1 877. 

Sheriff. 

Harvey    Leonard,    dem 31/3 

John   M.   Lyter,   rep 2123 

Coroner. 

H.  L.  Baldwin,  rep 2996 

A.  W.  Campbell,  dem 2059 

W.  G.  Peck,  gr 249 


County  Superintendent. 

C.  H.  Clemmer,  dem 2579 

J.  F.  Lavender,  rep 2387 

George  W.  Thompson,  gr 340 

ELECTION,  OCTOBER,  1 878. 

Clerk  District  Court. 

Joseph   Andrews,   rep 3204 

W.    O.    Schmidt,    dem 1965 

William  Hafflebach,  gr 471 

Recorder. 

Joseph  A.    LeClaire,  rep 3052 

John   Noth,   dem 1907 

Ed.  J.  Jennings,  gr 654 

ELECTION,  OCTOBER,  1 879. 

Sheriff. 

Harvey  Leonard,  dem 2685 

John   B.   Rowse,   rep 2499 

W.  W.  Hathaway 142 

J.  M.  D.  Burrows 313 

Treasurer. 

M.  J.  Rohlfs.  rep 3219 

A.   F.   Mast,   dem 2094 

J.    S.    McHarg, 220 

J.    F.    Carter 256 

Auditor. 

Thomas  Winkless,  rep 3207 

C.  C.  Campbell,  dem i999 

Daniel  Moore 222 

W.  T.  Reid 317 

County  Superintendent. 

P.   S.   Morton,   rep 2760 

C.  H.  Clemmer.  dem 2555 

Maggie  Ross   490 

Coroner. 

H.  L.  Bawden.  rep 3447 

James   McCortney.   dem 2169 

W.  G.  Peck 208 

Surveyor. 

Thomas  Murray,  dem 2432 

M.  J.  Higgins 508 

ELECTION.   NOVEMBER,    1880. 

Clerk  District  Court. 

Joseph  Andrews,  rep 4484 

W.  J.  Birchard,  dem 2538 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


563 


Recorder. 

Joseph  A.   LeClaire,   rep 4000 

C.  H.  Clemmer,  clem 3041 

ELECTION,  OCTOBER,  1881. 

Sheriff. 

Nathaniel  Leonard,  dem 2390 

John   B.  Rowse,   rep 2256 

M.  J.  Leavitt,  gr 126 

Treasurer. 

M.  J.  Rohlfs,  rep 3058 

Lemuel  Parkhurst,  dem 1616 

Benjamin  Painter,  gr 147 

Auditor. 

Thomas  Winkless,  rep 3188 

A.  R.  Dixon,  dem 1349 

T.  J.  O'Meara,  gr 245 

County  Superintendent. 

Philo  S.  Morton,  rep 3104 

August  Wulff,  dem 1396 

Maggie  Ross,  gr 170 

Coroner. 

H.  L.  Bawden,  rep 3148 

W.   W.   Grant,   dem 107 

J.  B.  Kessler, 162 

M.  B.  Cochran    284 

Sheriff. 
1882-91         Nathaniel  Leonard. 
1892-97         Harvey  L  Jones. 
1898-1906     E.  G.  McArthur. 
1907-1910     L.  Eckhardt. 
Recorder. 
1882-6  Henry  Vollmer. 

1886-90         Fritz    Susemihl. 
1891-7  F.  Aschermann 

1898-1902     Alonzo    Bryson. 
1903-4  Alexander  W.    Carroll. 

1905-06         Charles  Like. 
1907-09         Frank  Holm. 

Coroner. 
1878-83         H.  L.  Bawden. 
1884-6  J.  H.  McCortney. 

1887-9  H.  L.  Bawden. 

1890-7  J.  H.  McCortney. 

1 898- 1 909     F.  Lambach. 
1909-10         F.  E.  Rudolph. 

Surveyor. 
1867-97         Thomas  Murray. 


1898-9  Charles  E.  Sheriff. 

1900-6  Thomas  Murray. 

1907-9  C.  H.  Beuck. 

1909  Allen  R.  Boudinot  (to  fill 

vacancy.) 

Prosecuting  A ftorney. 

1884-8  C.  A.  Ficke. 

1889-90  J.  W.  Stewart. 

1 89 1 -4  Fred  Heinz. 

1895-6  William    \l.    Chamberlin. 

1 897- 1902  Julius  Lischer. 

1903-4  Fred  W.  Neal. 

1905-7  A.  W.  Hamann. 

1907-9  Fred  Vollmer. 

County  Superintendent. 
1884-7  C.  E.  Birchard. 

1887-8  H.     E.     Downer     (to     fill 

vacancy.) 
1888-97         C.  L.  Suksdorf. 
1898-1901     A.  A.  Miller. 
1902-3  Fred  J.  Walker. 

1904-5  J.  H.  Jacobs. 

1906-9  W.  D."  Wells 

1909-10         Henry    E.    Ronge    (to    fill 

vacancy. ) 


Clerk  District  Court. 

1886-92 

W.  J.  Birchard. 

1893-6 

August  A.  Balluff. 

1 897- 1 902 

J.  F.  Cheek. 

1903-4 

William  G.  Noth. 

1905-7 

William  Gruenwald. 

1908-9 

H.  J.  McFarland. 

Treasurer. 

1888-9 

P.  W.  :McManus. 

1890-3 

Henry  C.  Struck,  Jr. 

1894-7 

J.  B.  Frahm. 

1 898- 1 90 1 

P.  W.  McManus. 

1902-7 

Rudolph  Rohlfs. 

1908-10 

Ben  F.  Luetje. 

Auditor. 

1886-94 

C.  C.  Campbell. 

1895-6 

W.  H.  :\Iartin. 

1 897- 1 902 

H.  F.  Jarchow. 

1903-4 

Edward  Berger. 

1905-7 

P.  W.  McManus. 

1908-10 

Edward  Collins. 

564  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

GROWTH    OF   THE    COUNTY    IN    WEALTH    AND    POPULATION. 

The  pioneers  of  this  section  of  the  country  left  their  homes  in  the  eastern 
states  to  better  their  condition  and  make  for  themselves  and  their  posterity  homes 
they  could  claim  as  their  own.  Many  of  them  were  forced  by  circumstances  to 
"seek  pastures  new"  and  brave  every  hardship  and  many  dangers.  With  assets 
chiefly  limited  to  indomitable  pluck  and  perseverance,  they  came  here  to  carve 
out  their  own  fortunes  and  in  the  outset  were  willing  to  take  "pot  luck"  and  trust 
in  the  future.  Hence,  when  the  county  first  opened  its  official  doors  for  business 
and  the  treasury  drew  on  the  people  for  money  in  the  way  of  taxes  to  pay  the 
expenses  of  the  new  and  budding  community,  but  little  was  forthcoming  and  even 
a  deficit  was  reported  by  the  incumbent  of  the  county  treasurer's  office.  This  is 
made  clear  by  a  few  extracts  from  Mr.  Barrows*  excellent  history  which  is  given 
a  place  in  this  work.  Mr.  Barrows  relates  that  in  1S38  the  county  treasurer  re- 
ceived for  taxes,  licenses  and  fines,  less  than  $500  and  expended  nearly  $800.  In 
1839  the  receipts  were  $2,578.04,  which  amount  was  paid  into  the  treasury  on 
licenses,  ferries,  fines  and  general  taxes.  The  expenditures  amounted  in  that 
year  to  $1,804.63.  In  1840  the  expenditures  greatly  exceeded  the  receipts.  There 
was  paid  into  the  treasury  in  that  year  $1,635  and  paid  out  $2,121.  Seven  thou- 
sand and  nineteen  dollars  and  nine  cents  was  received  in  the  county  treas- 
ury for  1841  and  $6,689.99  expended.  It  would  seem  from  this  great  increase  in 
receipts  and  expenditures  for  this  year  that  it  was  a  highly  prosperous  one  as  com- 
pared with  the  former  ones.  In  1842  the  balance  in  the  treasury  was  $484.48  and 
in  1843  the  expenses  of  the  county  exceeded  its  receipts  by  $905.82.  The  financial 
condition  of  the  county  in  1844  was  considered  very  flattering  as  expenditures  for 
that  year  were  only  $1,757.78  and  the  receipts  $2,503.80.  A  hiatus  occurs  in  Mr. 
Barrows'  records  between  the  years  1844  and  1847.  For  the  last  mentioned  year 
he  gives  the  following  tabulated  returns  of  the  assessment  on  valuations  on  all 
kinds  of  property  in  the  county : 

73,264  acres  of  land  valued  at $238,375 

Value  of  town  lots    7i)970 

Money  at  interest  in  the  county ^>^75 

Merchandise     10,885 

918  head  of  horses    29,244 

Machinery     5^840 

2,883  head  of  cattle 25,286 

2,748  head  of   sheep    4,oi3 

3,960  head  of  hogs  4-224 

5  head  of  mules   210 

Miscellaneous  property 800 

Furniture i  -960 

48  wagons      1.825 

Total  assessment  $396.30? 

Now  the  sum  total  of  this  assessment  and  the  various  items  that  come  under 
the  fiat  of  the  law  for  the  purpose  of  producing  revenue  for  the  ambitious  and 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  565 

growing  bailiwick  of  Scott,  may  well  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  comparison 
with  a  statement  of  taxable  property  in  Scott  county  for  the  year  1909  to  show 
the  wonderful  progress  the  county  has  made  in  the  busy  and  profitable  pursuits 
of  husbandry,  manufactures  and  other  multifarious  industries  that  have  added  so 
largely  to  her  present  wealth. 

ABSTRACT    OF    VALUATIONS    AND    TAXES    LEVIED    AND    ENTERED    ON     THE    TAX    LISTS 
OF  SCOTT  COUNTY,  IOWA,  FOR  THE  YEAR  I909. 

Valuations. 

Lands    $4,132,472.00 

Lots    7,386,093.00 

Personalty    6,086,753.00 

Express  companies 6,123.00 

Railway  companies    797,906.00 

Telephone  and  telegraph  companies 53>397-00 

Total  taxable  value                                                            $18,462,744.00 
Exemptions  for  old  soldiers 37,695.00 

Net  taxable  value  $18,425,049.00 
Taxes. 

Mills 

State    3.4  $  62,645.17 

University    0.2  3,685.01 

College    0.2  3,685.01 

Normal    School    o.i  1,842.50 

State  Insane   0.9  16,582.54 

County    3.1  57.117-65 

Poor    1.5  27,637.57 

County  Insane    i,  18,425.05 

County  Road,  outside  city  of  Davenport i.  6,434.89 

County  Bridge,  outside  city  of  Davenport 4.  .    25,739.57 

County  School    i.  18,425.05 

Soldiers'  Relief    0.2  3,685.01 

Juvenile  Home   0.3  5.527.5 1 

Drainage,  outside  city  of   Davenport O.i  643.49 

Totals 17.0  $252,076.02 

Teachers'    185,632.82 

Contingent 88.561.26 

School  House    36,561.67 

Poll    4,566.50 

Dog    3,640.00 

Township  Road   20.389.73 

Cemetery  Fund  91.68 


566  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Board  of  Health  > 628.45 

Corporation,  etc 7,3i3-50 

$4,761.89  corporation 

785.11  electric  light 

785.11  water 

196.28  sewer 

785.11  bond 

Quarantine    186.27 

Highway    69,40 

Delinquent   Road    1,932.49 


Total    $601,649.79 

ABSTRACT    OF    TAXES    BY    TOWNS    AND    TOWNSHIPS    LEVIED    AND  ENTERED    ON    THE 

TAX  LISTS  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY,  IOWA,   FOR  THE  YEAR  I909. 

Towns  and  Townships                                 Valuation  Tax 

Aliens  Grove  Township   $      366,726.00  $  11,963.40 

Bettendorf,  Town  of    213,627.00  10,701.70 

Blue  Grass  Township  514,125.00  16,486.88 

Blue  Grass,  Town  of 47,531.00  2,024,70 

Buffalo  Township   230,371,00  8,556.10 

Buffalo,  Town  of    42,883.00  1,837.20 

Butler  Township    279,373.00  9,929.19 

Cleona   Township    430,552.00  12,747,28 

Davenport  Township    737,873.00  25,146.56 

Davenport,  City  of   11,990,157.00  387,689.53 

Eldridge,  Town  of   83.744.00  2,800.30 

Hickory  Grove  Township   472,589.00  13,694.27 

LeClaire    Township    283,402.00  9,263.86 

LeClaire,  Town  of 106,432.00  5,908.54 

Liberty  Township   475,859.00  13,818.62 

Lincoln  Township   412,533.00  12,846.27 

Pleasant  Valley  Township 263,543.00  9,051.78 

Princeton  Township   239,664.00  8,454.06 

Princeton,  Town  of    47,832.00  2,399.77 

Rockingham  Township  172,323.00  4,999,22 

Sheridan  Township   535,224.00  15)613,93 

Walcott,  Town  of  122,834.00  4,451.11 

Winfield  Township   373,852.00  1 1,265.52 

Total $18,425,049.00  $601,649.79 

Mulct  Tax  Levies. 

Liquor    $1 16,400,00 

Cigarettes    750,00 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  567 

ITEMIZED  REPORT  0['   PERSONAL   PROPERTY    AND   \ALUE,   AS   ASSESSED 
FOR    THE    YEAR    I9O9. 

Horses                                                           No.  Actual  Value 

Colts,  one  year  old 844  $      38,163.00 

Colts,  two  years  old 802  53.505-00 

Horses,  three  years  old  and  over 9.392  783,552.00 

Stallions    44  18,580.00 

Mules,  Etc. 

Mules  and  asses,  one  year  old  and  over.  .  .  .      376  $32,980.00 

Swine,  over  six  months  old 40,852  279,788.00 

Sheep,  over  six  months  old 1,867  7,267.00 

Goats,  over  six  months  old 50  160.00 

Cattle. 

Cattle  in  feeding 2,626  $102,1 10.00 

Heifers,  one  year  old    3,8oi  57,319.00 

Heifers,  two  years  old 2,738  55,081.00 

Cows    15,815  448,670.00 

Steers,  one  year  old 3,ii7  53,163.00 

Steers,  two  years  old 1,389  33.739-00 

Steers,  three  years  old 12  425.00 

Bulls    972  30,376.00 

Miscellaneous. 

Vehicles   2,739  $293,806.00 

Furniture,  etc 218,535.00 

Moneys  and  credits   7,759,710.00 

Merchandise 5,038,431.00 

Corporation  stock  8,198,446.00 

Manufacturing    1,960.00 

Other  personal  property   730,426.00 

Buildings  on  leased  land 110,820.00 


Total    $24,347,012.00 

GROWTH    IN    POPULATION. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1836,  there  were  about  100  souls  in  Davenport  and 
probably  not  more  than  that  scattered  throughout  the  then  unorganized  county. 
From  that  time  on  up  to  1847,  when  the  first  official  census  was  taken,  settlers 
came  in  slowly  but  gradually.  Below  is  given  a  table  of  the  census  of  the  county 
from  1847  to  1905 : 
1847    3.652     1856 21,521 

1849    4,837     i860    25,959 

1850    5,986     1863    26,277 

1852    8,621     1865    28,474 

1854    12,671     1867    34,36a 


568  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

1870  38,599  1890  43.164 

1875  39736  T895  45-869 

1880  41,266  1900  51.558 

1885  41.956  TO05  55.910 


Hn^^^M 

J  _    ^1.. 

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Cnivc  of  All 


iiH"  l>o('l;iiV('  ill  fnvf'STOini 


CHAPTER  XX. 
CHURCHES  AND  PARISHES. 

DAVENPORT  THE  SEE  CITY  OF  THE  DIOCESE  OF  IOWA  AND  THE  DIOCESE  OF  DAVENPORT 

THE    HANDSOME    CATHEDRALS    AND    OTHER    SANCTUARIES     OF     THE     CITY 

SKETCHES  OF  THE  BISHOPS  WHO  HAVE  DIRECTED  CHURCH   WORK  FROM  DAVEN- 
PORT  ^SKETCHES  SUPPLIMENTAL  TO  THOSE  APPEARING  IN  THE  BARNES  HISTORY 

— DAVENPORT   A   CITY  OF  SPIRES. 

EARLY  CATHOLIC  HISTORY. 

The  following  facts  relating  to  the  history  of  the  CathoHc  church  in  Daven- 
port have  been  taken  from  articles  written  by  Rev.  John  F.  Kempker  and  from 
others  that  have  appeared  in  the  Catholic  Messenger  frorh  time  to  time. 

On  the  22d  of  April,  1837.  the  Fathers  of  the  Third  Provincial  Council  of 
Baltimore  petitioned  Pope  Gregory  XVI  that  Dubuque  be  made  an  Episcopal 
see,  having  for  its  diocese  all  that  portion  of  the  territory  of  Wisconsin  which  lies 
between  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi  river  and  the  east  bank  of  the  Missouri 
river.  In  an  apostolical  brief  of  July  28th  of  the  same  year  the  Pope  appointed 
\'ery  Rev.  Mathias  Loras  as  bishop  of  Dubuque  and  on  the  2d  of  September,  1837, 
information  was  forwarded  by  letter  to  the  archbishop  of  Baltimore  and  on  the 
following  loth  of  December,  Dr.  Loras  was  consecrated  by  Bishop  M.  Portier 
in  the  cathedral  of  Mobile.  Alabama. 

Bishop  Loras  was  born  on  the  30th  day  of  August,  1792,  and  was  the  son  of 
parents  who  were  prominent  in  society  for  their  piety  and  devotion  to  the  church. 
On  account  of  loyalty  to  the  royal  family  the  father  was  sacrificed  to  the  brutality 
of  the  mob  spirit  then  rampant  in  France.  Young  Loras  and  his  mother  escaped 
injury  at  the  hands  of  the  revolutionists  and  he  received  his  preparation  for  the 
priesthood  in  an  old  Carthusian  house  conducted  by  missionary  priests.  He  was 
ordained  at  Lyons  in  18 17  and  soon  afterward  was  appointed  superior  of  the 
seminary  of  Largentiere,  where  he  remained  several  years.  Later  he  joined  a 
band  of  missionary  priests  who  were  conducting  spiritual  conferences  in  the  Lyons 
diocese,  in  which  he  was  engaged  when  he  accompanied  the  bishop  of  Mobile  to 


572  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

this  country,  arriving  at  New  Orleans  December  24,  1829.  He  reached  the  seat 
of  the  new  diocese  on  the  3d  day  of  January,  in  1830.  In  the  organization  of  the 
diocese  the  bishop  appointed  Loras  as  vicar  general  as  well  as  pastor  of  the  cathe- 
dral church.  When  the  Spring  Hill  college  was  opened  Father  Loras  was  one 
of  the  professors  and  in  1833-34  was  president  of  the  institution.  The  Fathers  of 
the  III  Provincial  Council  of  Baltimore  proposed  Dubuque  for  a  new  diocese  and 
-Bishop  Rosati  pointed  out  Father  Loras  as  a  worthy  incumbent.  He  was  recom- 
mended by  the  assembled  fathers  as  eminently  deserving  and  his  choice  for  the 
uncultivated  but  promising  territory  proved  providential.  In  the  month  of  August 
he  received  from  Rome  the  announcement  of  his  appointment.  After  his  ap- 
pointment he  went  to  France  where  he  remained  a  number  of  months,  returning 
in  the  fall  of  1838  accompanied  by  Revs.  Joseph  Cretin,  J.  A.  M.  Pelamourgues, 
and  four  sub-deacons,  August  Ravoux,  Remigues  Peliot,  Lucien  Galtier  and 
J.  Causse.  Proceeding  on  their  journey  to  Baltimore  Father  Pelamourgues 
and  the  four  seminarists  remained  at  the  St.  Mary's  Seminary  while  Bishop  Loras 
and  Father  Cretin  continued  on  to  St.  Louis.  Here  they  were  compelled  to 
remain  for  the  winter  on  account  of  the  weather  and  the  closing  of  navigation  on 
the  river.  At  St.  Louis  the  Creoles  avowed  they  never  knew  anyone  to  preach 
better  than  the  Bishop  of  Dubuque.  In  the  spring  Father  Pelamourgues  joined  his 
superior  and  soon  after  Easter  they  continued  on  their  way  to  Dubuque  on  a 
Mississippi  steamer,  arriving  at  their  destination  on  the  19th  day  of  April,  1839. 
On  the  day  following  the  prelate  baptized  an  infant,  the  first  baptism  recorded  in 
the  register  of  Dubuque.  April  21st  the  new  bishop  was  solemnly  installed  in  his 
cathedral  church,  with  the  assistance  of  Revs.  Joseph  Cretin,  J.  A,  M.  Pelamour- 
gues and  S.  Mazzuchelli.  On  the  23d  of  May  Bishop  Loras  visited  Davenport, 
where  he  blessed  St.  Anthony's  church.  In  1849  he  commenced  the  building 
of  his  new  cathedral  and  in  December,  1857,  he  celebrated  holy  mass  therein  and 
on  the  following  day  suffered  an  attack  of  paralysis.  On  February  i8th  he  of- 
fered up  the  holy  sacrifice  and  seemed  cheerful.  Later  in  the  day  he  showed 
much  pleasure  and  vivacity  in  greeting  Father  Emonds,  who  had  then  arrived  on 
his  return  from  Europe.  Early  in  the  evening  he  retired.  At  about  8  o'clock 
Father  McCabe  heard  moaning  and  when  the  Bishop's  room  was  entered  he 
was  found  unconscious.  He  closed  his  eyes  in  death  the  following  morning, 
February  19,   1858. 

BISHOPS   MCMULLEN  AND  COSGROVE. 

Says  Rev.  James  McGovern,  D.  D.,  in  his  fife  of  Bishop  McMullen :  "Long 
before  the  diocese  of  Chicago  was  created  by  the  sovereign  pontiff  Dubuque  had 
been  erected  into  an  Episcopal  see,  embracing  the  territories  of  Iowa  and  Minne- 
sota. On  December  10,  1837,  the  Rt.  Rev.  Mathias  Loras,  D.  D.,  a  native  of 
Lyons,  France,  was  consecrated  at  Mobile,  Alabama,  the  first  bishop  of  this  dio- 
cese. At  the  time  there  was  but  one  church  in  the  whole  territory  of  Iowa,  and 
Rev.  Samuel  Mazzuchelli  was  the  only  resident  priest.  *  *  *  Bishop  Loras 
took  possession  of  his  new  diocese  and  was  installed  in  the  church  of  St.  Raphael, 
April  29,  1839,  commencing  his  Episcopal  duties  with  three  priests  and  four  the- 
ological students.     Father  Pelamourgues  was  assigned  to  the  extensive  mission 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  573 

of  Davenport,  which  comprised  all  of  the  southern  part  of  the  territory.  *  *  * 
He  did  so  well  in  laying  the  corner  stone  of  the  church  in  this  vast  field  of  labor 
that  neither  time  nor  human  events  have  changed  his  foresight  and  he  had  the 
consolation  of  seeing  large  and  prosperous  Catholic  communities  grow  up  around 
him."  It  was  therefore  Father  Pelamourgues — as  he  became  familiarly  known  to 
everybody  in  Davenport — who  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Davenport  diocese.  A 
man  of  splendid  organizing  ability,  deep  piety  and  earnest  devotion  to  the  cause 
to  which  he  had  consecrated  his  life,  he  greatly  advanced  the  upbuilding  of  the 
church,  remaining  at  Davenport  until  he  had  reached  a  venerable  age,  when  he 
sought  retirement  at  his  home  in  France,  preferring  this  to  the  prospective  reward 
of  a  bishopric. 

During  the  administration  of  Bishop  Loras  the  diocese  of  St.  Paul  had  been 
segregated  from  the  original  diocese  of  Dubuque,  and  during  the  administration 
of  his  immediate  successor,  Rt.  Rev.  Clement  Smyth,  D.  D.,  the  rapid  growth 
of  the  church  caused  another  division  of  the  diocese  to  be  considered.  Under  the 
administration,  however,  of  Rt.  Rev.  John  Hennessy,  D.D.,  who  became  bishop 
of  Dubuque  after  the  death  of  Bishop  Smyth,  division  was  postponed  until  1881, 
when  the  new  diocese  of  Davenport  was  created.  The  Sacred  Congregation  of 
the  Propaganda  announced  that  the  city  of  Davenport  had  been  decided  on  as 
the  see  city  of  the  new  diocese,  which  would  take  in  all  that  part  of  the  state  of 
Iowa  bounded  on  the  east  by  the  Mississippi  river,  on  the  west  by  the  Missouri 
river,  on  the  south  by  the  state  of  Missouri,  and  on  the  north  by  the  northern 
boundaries  of  the  counties  of  Harrison,  Shelby,  Audubon,  Guthrie,  Dallas,  Polk, 
Jasper,  Poweshiek,  Iowa,  Johnson,  Cedar  and  Scott.  A  special  cable,  dated  at 
Rome,  May  9,  1881,  conveyed  this  further  intelligence:  "On  Sunday,  May  8, 
1881,  the  feast  of  the  patronage  of  St.  Joseph,  it  pleased  our  Holy  Father  Pope 
Leo  XIII,  first  to  ratify  the  creation  of  the  diocese  of  Davenport,  Iowa,  cut  from 
the  diocese  of  Dubuque,  which  comprised  the  whole  state  of  Iowa;  second,  to 
name  the  Very  Rev.  John  McMullen.  D.  D.,  V.  G.  of  Chicago,  to  be  the  first 
bishop  of  Davenport.  This  see  will  be  a  suffragan  of  the  Metropolitan  see  of  St. 
Louis." 

To  briefly  sketch  the  further  development  of  the  diocese,  and  the  lives  of  the 
able  and  zealous  clergymen  who  have  controlled  its  destinies  since  its  organization, 
is  the  further  purpose  of  this  chapter  of  church  history.  The  newly  appointed 
Bishop  McMullen  was  at  the  time  of  his  elevation  to  the  Episcopacy  vicar-gen- 
eral of  the  diocese  of  Chicago,  had  long  held  a  pastorate  in  that  city  and  was 
greatly  beloved  by  all  classes  of  people. 

He  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  having  been  born  in  Ballanyhinch,  county  Down, 
January  8,  1832.  His  father.  James  McMullen,  and  Alice,  his  wife,  sailed  for 
America  when  he  was  httle  more  than  a  year  old,  and  after  a  long  and  stormy 
voyage  they  landed  at  Quebec.  For  three  years  the  family  lived  on  a  farm  near 
Quebec,  and  later  the  elder  McMullen  established  his  home  on  another  farm  near 
Prescott,  in  the  province  of  Ontario.  Here  a  fire  destroyed  the  homestead  and 
they  removed  to  the  neighborhood  of  Ogdensburg,  New  York,  where  they  re- 
sided until  1843,  when  they  removed  to  Illinois.  The  boy  who  was  afterward  to 
become  Bishop  McMullen,  was  twelve  years  old  when  his  parents  settled  in  Chi- 
cago.   Prior  to  this  time  he  had  attended  only  a  country  school,  but  he  had  given 


574  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

evidence  of  strong-  intellectuality,  and  when  afforded  the  advantages  of  educa- 
tional training  in  the  schools  of  Chicago  he  made  rapid  advancement.  When 
Bishop  Quarter  founded  the  University  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Lake,  John  McMul- 
len  entered  the  new^  college  and  therein  received  his  academic  training.  "In  his 
academic  course,"  says  Dr.  McGovern,  in  the  biography  from  w^hich  quotation 
has  been  made  "he  gave  undoubted  proof  of  his  future  career.  His  triumphs 
of  eloquence  in  debate,  his  caustic  pen,  his  sound  judgment  and  his  mastery  of 
the  most  intricate  problems  in  mathematical  science,  caused  him  to  come  under 
the  approving  eye  of  his  professors.  In  a  httle  college  paper,  issued  by  him  and 
another  classmate,  his  intellectual  weapons  flashed  with  unwonted  brilliancy,  and 
the  seeds  of  literature  sowed  in  his  powerful  mind  blossomed  with  a  vigor  which 
made  itself  remarkable  in  its  fruits." 

A  deep  piety  and  a  remarkable  capacity  for  influencing  the  character  and 
conduct  of  his  associates,  were  distinguishing  features  of  his  early  life  and  his 
fitness  for  the  priesthood  as  well  as  his  evident  desire  to  enter  that  holy  calling 
were  noted  by  his  teachers  and  friends.  At  the  close  of  his  college  course  in 
1850  he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and  soon  afterward  entered 
upon  a  course  of  theological  study. 

In  1852,  while  pursuing  these  studies,  he  was  directed  by  his  physician  to 
give  up  the  routine  for  a  time,  and  while  obeying  this  injunction  he  devoted  him- 
self to  writing  for  pubHcation  a  series  of  letters  which  constituted  an  important 
contribution  to  the  Catholic  Hterature  of  that  period.  In  the  fall  of  1853,  in  com- 
pany with  James  McGovern,  now  a  noted  Catholic  clergyman  and  author,  he  was 
sent  by  Bishop  Van  de  Velde,  of  the  Chicago  diocese,  to  the  College  of  the  Pro- 
paganda at  Rome,  where  he  pursued  a  few  years'  course  of  study.  In  the  summer 
of  1858,  he  was  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  received  from 
Cardinal  Barnabo  the  insignia  of  Doctor  of  Divinity.  He  immediately  left  Rome 
for  the  United  States  and  arrived  in  Chicago  in  October  of  that  year.  Immedi- 
ately after  his  return  home  he  engaged  actively  in  ministerial  work  and  one  of  his 
first  important  acts  was  the  founding  of  the  House  of  the  Good  Shepherd,  an 
institution  which  has  been  grandly  prolific  of  good  results.  In  1861  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  take  charge  of  the  Cathedral  of  the  Holy  Name,  but  in  a  short  time 
he  was  called  to  the  presidency  of  the  University  of  St.  Mary  of  the  Lake,  a  posi- 
tion which  he  retained  for  several  years.  In  1870  he  became  rector  of  the  Ca- 
thedral of  the  Holy  Name  and  continued  to  discharge  the  duties  of  this  pastorate 
until  he  was  made  bishop  of  Davenport.  In  the  meantime  he  was  appointed  vicar- 
general  to  Bishop  Foley,  and  continued  in  this  position  by  Archbishop  Feehan, 
when  that  renowned  ecclesiastic  succeeded  to  the  bishopric  left  vacant  by  the 
death  of  Bishop  Foley. 

Such  is  a  brief  sketch  of  the  early  life  of  the  man  appointed  first  bishop  of 
Davenport.  A  profound  scholar,  an  eloquent  preacher  and  an  ardent  church- 
man, when  he  took  charge  of  the  new  diocese  he  threw  himself  into  the  work 
of  building  up  the  church  in  the  promising  field  to  which  he  had  been  assigned, 
with  the  ardor  of  an  enthusiast.  On  the  30th  day  of  July,  1881,  Bishop  Mc- 
Mullen  arrived  in  Davenport,  and  received  a  royal  welcome  not  only  from  the 
people  of  his  own  church,  but  from  citizens  of  Davenport  generally.  After  the 
ceremonies  incident  to  his  installation  he  took  up  his  abode  with  Father  Cos- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  575 

grove,  who  for  twenty-five  years  had  been  the  pastor  of  St.  Marguerite's  church, 
and  after  a  few  days'  rest  began  a  visitation  of  his  diocese  in  order  to  become 
acquainted  with  its  condition.  He  speedily  placed  himself  en  rapport,  not  only 
with  the  clergy  but  with  the  congregations  of  his  diocese,  and  all  became  devotedly 
attached  to  the  good  man  under  whose  guidance  and  through  whose  well  directed 
efforts  the  interests  of  the  church  were  rapidly  advanced.  The  priests  of  the 
diocese  purchased  and  presented  to  him  as  an  episcopal  house  the  beautiful  home 
of  Antoine  LeClaire,  situated  on  a  historic  bluff  overlooking  the  three  cities  of 
Davenport,  Moline  and  Rock  Island,  and  numerous  other  testimonials  of  their 
regard  came  to  him  from  time  to  time.  In  five  months  he  visited  almost  every 
point  in  the  diocese  and  confirmed  more  than  six  thousand  people.  The  labors 
which  he  undertook  were  too  arduous,  however,  to  be  long  endured,  and  in  the 
first  year  of  his  administratorship  his  health  broke  down,  and  after  a  long  con- 
tinued illness  he  passed  away,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1883,  mourned  by  the  church 
and  the  general  public  of  his  diocese,  as  well  as  by  thousands  of  Catholics  in 
Chicago  and  elsewhere,  where  he  was  known.  When  Bishop  McMullen  began 
his  labors  in  Davenport  he  had  selected  St.  Marguerite's  as  the  cathedral  church, 
and  Rev.  Henry  Cosgrove,  D.D.,  pastor  of  that  church,  as  vicar-general  of  the 
diocese.  Becoming  thus  the  bishop's  chief  executive  in  looking  after  the  affairs 
of  the  diocese,  a  large  measure  of  responsibility  for  its  welfare  devolved  at  once 
upon  Father  Cosgrove.  He  had  a  more  extensive  acquaintance  throughout  the 
diocese  than  any  other  priest,  and  a  more  intimate  knowledge  than  any  of  them 
of  the  condition  of  the  various  parishes,  of  the  opportunities  for  church  exten- 
sion and  of  the  educational  and  charitable  work  to  be  looked  after. 

In  his  capacity  as  vicar-general  he  was  called  upon,  when  Bishop  McMullen 
was  stricken  with  the  illness  which  ended  his  life,  to  take  charge  in  great  measure 
of  diocesan  affairs,  and  while  the  good  bishop,  up  to  the  last  hour  of  his  life  never 
lost  interest  in  these  affairs,  it  was  Father  Cosgrove  who  received  his  instruc- 
tions and  executed  his  plans.  Brought  thus  into  a  most  intimate  relationship  to 
the  diocese  as  a  whole,  and  having  demonstrated  his  fitness  for  the  high  office 
of  a  bishop  of  the  church,  by  actual  performance  of  many  of  the  duties  incident 
thereto,  it  was  natural  that  there  should  have  been  on  the  part  of  the  clergy  of  the 
diocese  a  desire  that  the  Rev.  Dr.  Cosgrove  should  become  successor  to  Bishop 
McMullen.  A  petition  to  this  effect,  signed  by  nearly  all  the  priests  of  the  dio- 
cese, was  sent  to  Rome,  this  being,  it  is  said,  the  first  instance  in  the  history  of 
the  church  in  the  United  States  in  which  the  priests  of  a  diocese  petitioned  for 
the  appointment  of  one  of  their  number  as  bishop.  It  received  the  favorable 
consideration  of  the  cabinet  of  cardinals  and  Father  Cosgrove  became  second 
bishop  of  Davenport. 

A  native  of  the  United  States,  Bishop  Cosgrove  was  born  in  Williamsport, 
Pennsylvania,  December  19,  1834.  His  father.  John  Cosgrove.  was  a  native  of 
Ireland,  who  emigrated  to  this  country  with  his  young  wife  and  settled  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  1830.  In  1845  the  family  removed  to  Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  it  was 
here  that  Bishop  Henry  Cosgrove  received  his  early  education.  As  a  boy  he  was 
one  of  the  acolytes  in  the  old  cathedral  of  Dubuque,  when  Bishop  Loras  was  at 
the  head  of  the  diocese,  and  his  early  inclinations  were  toward  the  priesthood. 
When  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age  he  began  the  course  of  study  which  was  to  fit 


576  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

him  for  holy  orders  under  the  tutelage  of  Rev.  Joseph  Cretin,  then  vicar-general 
of  the  diocese  of  Dubuque,  and  later  first  bishop  of  the  diocese  of  St,  Paul.  Af- 
ter the  course  of  study  with  Father  Cretin  he  went  to  St.  Mary's  seminary  in 
Missouri,  where  he  completed  a  three  years'  classical  course  and  then  entered 
the  noted  seminary  at  Carondelet,  Missouri,  where  he  took  a  full  course  in  the- 
ology. Returning  to  Dubuque  when  he  had  completed  his  studies,  he  was  or- 
dained priest  by  Bishop  Smyth,  coadjutor  of  Bishop  Loras,  on  the  27th  of  Au- 
gust, 1857,  and  a  few  days  later  he  became  assistant  pastor  of  St.  Marguerite's 
church  in  Davenport.  Rev.  A.  Trevis,  who  at  that  time  held  the  pastorate  of  St. 
Marguerite's,  resigned  for  a  long  absence  in  Europe,  and  at  the  end  of  a  few 
years  Father  Cosgrove  succeeded  to  the  full  pastorate,  which  he  held  up  to  the 
time  of  his  appointment  as  bishop.  During  the  twenty-five  years  of  his  pastoral 
connection  with  this  church,  he  shrank  from  no  responsibility,  neglected  no  duty 
and  overlooked  no  opportunity  to  advance  the  cause  to  which  he  had  consecrated 
himself.  The  church  and  its  schools  flourished,  large  and  handsome  buildings 
were  erected  for  their  accommodation  under  his  supervision  and  in  many  ways 
the  pastor  of  St.  Marguerite's  demonstrated  that  he  was  a  man  of  superior  ex- 
ecutive ability,  as  well  as  an  able  preacher.  His  relations  with  the  non-Catholic 
population  of  Davenport  were  of  a  most  friendly  character,  and  his  appointment 
to  the  vacant  bishopric  was  hailed  with  delight  by  Catholics  and  Protestants  alike. 
When  his  commission  as  bishop  had  been  received  and  duly  presented  to  Arch- 
bishop Kendrick  at  St.  Louis,  Bishop  Cosgrove  returned  to  his  home  to  be  greeted 
by  churchmen  of  his  own  faith,  city  officials  of  Davenport,  representatives  of 
various  social  and  business  organizations  and  the  public  generally,  with  an  en- 
thusiasm which  evidenced  a  remarkable  attachment  to  him  in  the  city  with  which 
he  had  been  identified  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  The  solemn  and  impressive 
ceremony  of  consecration  took  place  in  St.  ^Marguerite's  cathedral  on  the  14th  of 
September,  1884,  and  clothed  with  the  full  powers  of  a  bishop.  Rev.  Dr.  Cosgrove 
went  forth  to  carry  forward  the  work  of  which  he  had  in  reality  had  charge  for 
many  months  previous  to  that  time.  His  faithful  and  efficient  labors  during  his 
administration  are  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  the  membership  of  the  Catholic 
church  in  this  diocese  increased  from  40,000  to  56,000. 

ST.   ANTHONY'S. 

The  beginning  of  St.  Anthony's  is  coincident  with  that  of  Davenport.  Its 
site  is  an  interesting  landmark  in  the  history  of  this  locality.  Its  location  is  desig- 
nated in  the  old  original  city  plat  as  the  "church  square."  The  first  brick  manufac- 
tured in  Davenport  was  used  in  its  construction,  and  that  old  brick  edifice  still 
stands  and  is  now  used  as  a  school  building.  The  congregation  of  St.  Anthony's 
was  founded  by  S.  Mazzuchelli,  dedicated  by  Bishop  Loras  and  developed  under 
Father  Pelamourgues.  Through  the  enterprise  of  the  Very  Rev.  Samuel  Maz- 
zuchelli of  Dubuque,  who  had  for  a  number  of  years  paid  frequent  visits  to  Dav- 
enport and  Stephenson,  now  Rock  Island,  the  original  church  was  built,  and 
the  congregation  first  established.  Ground  was  broken  for  the  church  on  April 
27,  1838.     At  this  time  Henry  Cosgrove,  later  such  an  important  factor  in  the 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  577 

development  of  the  church  in  this  diocese,  and  its  second  bishop,  was  then  but  a 
child  of  four  years  of  age,  living  with  his  parents  at  Williamsport,  Pennsylvania. 

In  the  spring  of  1839  the  church  was  dedicated  by  Mathias  Loras,  the  first 
bishop  of  the  diocese  of  Dubuque,  and  in  response  to  the  petition  of  the  new  con- 
gregation for  a  pastor  he  sent  to  them  in  August  J.  A.  M.  Pelamourgues,  one  of 
the  band  of  clerics  whose  zeal  Bishop  Loras  had  won  for  the  west  while  in  France 
the  year   before. 

St.  Anthony's  at  once  began  to  flourish  and  the  people  of  the  congregation 
and  of  Davenport  as  well  were  prosperous.  Father  Pelamourgues  never  failed 
his  people  in  any  hardships  that  were  to  be  endured  and  stood  by  them  in  their 
every  trial.  It  was  under  his  personal  guidance  that  the  first  school  was  estab- 
lished ever  built  in  Davenport,  and  in  1853  ^^  commenced  the  building  of  he 
present  stone  church.  When  Father  Pelamourgues  came  to  Davenport  there 
were  no  public  schools  established.  A  simple,  self-denying  man,  he  himself  de- 
voted his  time  to  teaching  the  children  of  his  congregation  and  opened  a  school 
in  the  old  brick  church  built  by  Father  Mazzuchelli,  which  building  still  stands 
on  the  church  lot.  This  building  answered  for  church,  school  and  pastoral  resi- 
dence. Father  Pelamourgues'  apartments  were  partitioned  off  by  rough  boards 
in  a  corner  of  the  gallery.  The  choir  was  composed  at  one  time  of  Antoine  Le- 
Claire,  Judge  Mitchell,  Joseph  Motie,  Joseph  Clark,  Miss  Rosa  Clark,  Mrs.  Lou 
Hebert  and  Mary  Finch,  who  were  rehearsed  in  their  singing  by  the  noted  divine. 
There  being  no  organ,  the  accompanying  music  was  composed  of  a  violin,  clari- 
onet, flute  and  'cello,  which  made  up  a  very  acceptable  orchestra.  The  school  was 
taught  by  Father  Pelamourgues  under  a  gallery  in  the  body  of  the  church.  The 
space  taken  up  by  the  children  was  separated  from  the  sanctuary  by  a  curtain. 
Judge  John  F.  Dillon  was  a  pupil  of  this  school  under  Father  Pelamourgues. 

The  present  stone  church,  the  building  of  which  was  started  by  Father  Pela- 
mourgues, was  continued  in  its  construction  by  Rev.  G.  H.  Planthe,  who  was  ap- 
pointed to  succeed  Father  Pelamourgues  when  the  latter  was  called  to  France. 
But  in  July,  1853,  Father  Pelamourgues  returned  and  completed  the  building  at 
the  close  of  the  year. 

This  priest  was  very  effective  in  gaining  means  and  teachers  for  his  school. 
In  1846,  under  his  irresistible  persuasion,  he  induced  the  Sisters  of  Charity  of 
Dubuque  to  establish  the  Sisters'  Parochial  school  in  Davenport  and  opened  the 
Academy  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  which  has  since  reached  high  fame  as 
an  institution  for  young  ladies. 

While  ministering  to  the  immediate  needs  of  his  own  congregation  Father 
Pelamourgues  attended  other  places  as  out-missions,  particularly  Muscatine. 
Iowa  City,  Burlington.  Columbus  Junction,  DeWitt  and  Lyons. 

In  1850,  as  a  reward  for  his  zeal  and  great  labors  for  the  church,  he  v\ras 
offered  the  dignity  of  the  bishopric  of  St.  Paul,  tendered  him  by  Pope  Pius  IX, 
which  he  declined.  It  was  while  he  was  visiting  his  native  place,  Rodez,  France, 
in  1868,  that  he  was  prevented  by  untoward  circumstances,  over  which  he  had  no 
control,  from  returning,  and  died  there  in  1875.  At  the  time  of  his  departure 
from  Davenport,  Rev.  Maurice  Flavin  was  appointed  to  succeed  him  May  10, 
1868.  Rev.  Flavin  remained  imtil  1872  and  was  followed  by  Rev.  P.  A.  McCabe. 
who  had  attended  the  church  from  September,  1853,  until  January,  1854,  during  a 


578  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

visit  of  Father  Pelamourgues  to  France.  He  had  celebrated  the  first  mass  in 
the  stone  church  on  Christmas,  1853.  Father  McCabe  remained  at  St.  Anthony's 
until  1876,  when  he  was  transferred  to  St.  Mary's  church. 

Rev.  Thomas  O'Reilly,  now  of  KeoRuk,  was  pastor  of  St.  Anthony's  from 
January  to  April,  1876.  and  the  short  interval,  from  April  25th  to  December  29th, 
made  up  the  pastorate  of  Father  J.  J.  Swift  at  the  old  church.  Early  in  1877 
Rev.  L.  Roche,  now  of  Cascade,  became  pastor  of  St.  Anthony's  and  under  his 
administration  the  parochial  residence  was  built.  He  remained  until  August, 
1880,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Father  P.  J.  Burke,  who  closed  his  pastorate 
there  in  March,  1882,  when  the  present  pastor.  Rev.  D.  J.  Flannery,  took  charge 
of  the  parish  under  the  direction  and  appointment  of  Bishop  McMullen. 

Father  Flannery  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  December  22,  1872.  He  laid 
out  the  ]\Iason  City  parish  or  territory  which  was  then  sparsely  settled,  and  made 
of  it  a  successful  and  flourishing  mission,  with  several  parishes.  He  also  labored 
in  the  same  capacity  in  Clinton  and  Washington,  and  came  to  St.  Anthony's  ripe 
in  wisdom  and  experience.  He  has  increased  the  size  of  the  old  stone  church  to 
meet  the  growing  needs  of  his  congregation.  At  the  present  time  the  congrega- 
tion numbers  about  175  families,  and  the  school  is  in  a  very  flourishing  condition. 
It  numbers  about  125  pupils,  is  a  free  institution  and  is  conducted  by  the  Sisters 
of  Charity. 

SACRED    HEART    CATHEDRAL. 

The  mother  church  in  the  city  of  Davenport  was  the  historic  St.  Anthony's, 
succeeded  by  the  existing  stone  church.  This  stone  church  was  opened  to  divine 
worship  on  Christmas  day,  1853.  In  the  fourteen  years  prior  to  that  time  the 
brick  building  now  used  as  a  school  house  was  the  church.  In  June,  1856,  .St. 
Kunegunda's  church  was  opened  for  German  Catholics,  and  on  June  29,  1856, 
the  first  stone  of  St.  Marguerite's  church,  the  predecessor  of  Sacred  Heart  ca- 
thedral, was  blessed  by  Bishop  Loras  of  Dubuque  in  the  presence  of  a  large  as- 
semblage, the  sermon  on  the  occasion  being  preached  by  Rev.  John  P.  Donelan. 
On  the  third  Sunday  of  the  following  October  the  church  was  dedicated  by  the 
venerable  Father  Pelamourgues  of  St.  Anthony's  church.  The  corner  stone  of 
St.  Mary's  church  was  laid  on  July  21,  1867.  No  parishes  were  created  until  a 
few  years  ago.  Holy  Family  church  was  established,  making  five  in  all  up  to 
that  time,  in  the  city  of  Davenport.  The  square  upon  which  St.  Marguerite's 
church  was  erected  was  the  donation  of  x\ntoine  LeClaire,  Davenport's  famous 
Catholic  citizen  and  benefactor,  and  his  generosity  exceeded  the  donation  of  the 
site.  Bishop  Loras  had  appointed  Rev.  Andrew  Trevis  the  first  pastor  of  the 
new  parish,  and  for  his  use  a  frame  residence  was  erected,  which  was  later  moved 
north  of  the  church,  and  in  1859  converted  into  a  school.  This  frame  structure 
was  again  enlarged  later  on  so  as  to  furnish  schoolrooms  and  living  rooms  for 
the  Sisters  of  Charity  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  who  w^ere  placed  in  charge 
in  1861.  In  1859  a  brick  pastoral  residence  was  erected;  the  place  between  it 
and  the  church  was  filled  in  1866  by  a  building  forming  the  left  wing  of  the  origi- 
nal church  structure.  The  materials  for  this  addition  were  partly  bought  and 
partly  donated,  the  work  manifesting  the  good  results  of  the  first  mission  ever 


ST.  ANTHONY'S  CHURCH 


SACRED  HEART  CATHEDRAL 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  581- 

preached  in  Davenport  by  the  noted  Jesuit  missionary.  Father  Damen,  vviio  made 
many  converts  at  that  time  and  greatly  stimulated  religious  interest  by  his  power- 
ful exhortations.  In  the  summer  of  1861  Antoine  LeClaire  added  to  his  long 
list  of  benefactions  by  presenting  to  St.  Marguerite's  parish  twenty  acres  of  land 
lying  north  of  the  city  of  Davenport,  which  since  then  have  been  used  and  known 
as  St.  Marguerite's  cemetery,  thus  perpetuating  the  original  name  of  the  congre- 
gation. In  September.  1861,  Mr.  LeClaire  died,  mourned  by  all  the  Catholics  of 
the  city  and  non-Catholics  as  well.  The  memory  of  his  charities  and  benefac- 
tions will  ever  be  cherished  in  this  city  and  his  good  works  no  doubt  were  power- 
ful advocates  for  him  at  the  bar  of  divine  justice. 

In  November,  1861,  Rev.  A.  Trevis,  suffering  from  a  severe  throat  trouble, 
was  obliged  to  seek  relief  in  another  climate,  and  therefore  left  Davenport,  leav- 
ing St.  Marguerite's  church  in  charge  of  his  young  assistant.  Rev.  Henry  Cos- 
grove,  who  had  been  with  him  since  1857.  Under  the  direction  of  this  zealous 
and  able  young  priest  the  prosperity  of  the  flock  advanced  steadily  and  in  1865 
the  foundations  were  laid  for  a  large  addition  to  the  church  which  was  completed  in 
1866,  greatly  enlarging  the  edifice.  Father  Pelamourgues  and  Father  Lau- 
rent, assisted  at  the  dedicatory  ceremonies  at  the  completion  of  the  addi- 
tion. In  1870  and  1871  the  brick  schoolhouse  was  built  at  the  northwest  corner 
of  the  church  square,  which  is  in  use  today,  with  the  large  addition  erected  in  re- 
cent years,  accommodating  now  nearly  five  hundred  pupils.  Originally  the  cen- 
ter room  of  the  ground  floor  was  used  as  an  assembly  hall  and  parish  library 
room,  but  the  constant  increase  in  the  number  of  pupils  gradually  required  the 
turning  over  of  this  room  to  the  use  of  the  scholars  of  the  parish.  So  great 
had  been  the  progress  and  development  of  St.  Marguerite's  that  when,  in  1881, 
Davenport  was  erected  into  an  Episcopal  see,  it  was  chosen  by  the  first  bishop, 
Right  Rev.  John  McMullen,  D.  D,,  for  the  cathedral  of  the  new  Iowa  diocese. 

THE  DIOCESE  OF  DAVENPORT. 

The  new  era  in  the  history  of  Davenport  thus  inaugurated  was  first  made 
known  by  a  cablegram  from  Rome.  That  was  the  beginning  of  the  diocese  of 
Davenport.  Thus  1906  marked  the  golden  anniversary  of  St.  Marguerite's  parish 
and  the  silver  one  of  the  diocese. 

Bishop  McMullen  came  to  Davenport  after  his  consecration  and  was  given 
an  enthusiastic  reception.  He  took  up  his  home  with  Rev.  Henry  Cosgrove, 
whom  he  honored  with  appointment  as  first  vicar  general  of  the  new  diocese. 
Bishop  McMullen  soon  decided  to  establish  a  diocesan  seminary  and  to  aid  the 
project  Vicar  General  Cosgrove  gave  him  the  use  of  two  rooms  in  the  parochial 
school,  where  the  college  was  opened  in  the  fall  of  1882,  with  Rev.  A.  J.  Schulte 
and  Mr.  J.  E.  Halligan  constituting  the  first  faculty  of  the  institution.  From  that 
humble  beginning  has  grown  the  great  establishment  of  the  present  St.  Ambrose 
college.  Bishop  McMullen  died  on  July  4.  1883,  so  that  the  upbuilding  of  the 
college  fell  to  the  lot  of  his  successor,  Bishop  Cosgrove,  under  whose  fostering 
care  it  grew  rapidly  under  the  able  presidencies  of  Rev.  A.  J.  Schulte,  now  of 
Iowa  City,  and  of  his  successor,  Rev.  J.  T.  A.  Flannagan. 


582  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

VERY  REV.   A.  TREVIS,  V.  G. 

Upon  his  promotion  to  the  episcopal  dignity.  IH^Iiop  Cosgrove  went  to  Hve  in 
the  former  Antoine  LeClaire  residence  on  East  Seventh  street,  which  had  been 
presented  by  the  priests  of  the  Davenport  diocese  to  his  predecessor,  Right  Rev. 
John  McMullen,  D.  D.  He  chose  as  his  successor  in  the  pastorate  of  the  cathe- 
dral the  first  pastor  of  old  St.  Marguerite's,  Very  Rev.  A.  Trevis,  whom  he  also 
appointed  as  vicar  general.  Father  Trevis,  who  was  the  first  permanent  pastor 
of  St.  Marguerite's  parish,  and  who  thus  again  became  pastor,  was  ordained  in 
1850.  He  was  appointed  president  of  the  diocesan  seminary  and  assistant  at  the 
cathedral,  Dubuque.  It  was  during  his  presidency  that  the  bishop  received  most 
of  his  classical  education.  When  in  1854  the  church  square  was  donated  for 
church  purposes  by  Antoine  and  Marguerite  LeClaire,  Bishop  Loras  sent  Father 
Trevis  to  organize  the  new  parish.  Giving  up  his  charge  on  account  of  throat 
trouble,  he  went  to  the  old  world,  1861,  remaining  there  about  a  score  of  years, 
when  he  returned  to  Davenport,  where  he  was  stationed  as  chaplain  at  Mercy  hos- 
pital. He  remained  as  pastor  of  St.  Marguerite's  a  second  time  for  about  five 
years,  resigning  on  account  of  his  advanced  age  in  1889,  when  the  great  work 
of  building  a  new  cathedral  was  inaugurated  by  Bishop  Cosgrove,  the  work  re- 
quiring a  younger  and  more  active  pastor.  Father  Trevis  continued  to  exercise 
the  functions  of  his  office  as  vicar  general  until  his  death,  which  occurred  at 
Mercy  hospital,  November  3,  1895,  having  passed  his  seventieth  year,  he  having 
been  born  in  a  village  of  the  Cevennes  mountains,  called  St.  Privat  du  Dragon, 
in  the  Chateau  of  AUeret,  July  31,  1825.  He  was  educated  in  the  seminary  of 
LePuy,  France,  and  it  was  while  on  a  visit  there  that  Bishop  Loras  adopted  him 
for  the  diocese  of  Dubuque.  On  August  15,  1850,  Father  Trevis  was  ordained 
in  Dubuque  and  when  Bishop  Loras  started  the  seminary  called  Mt.  St.  Bernard, 
he  put  Father  Trevis  in  charge,  where  he  remained  until  1856,  when  he  was  sent 
to  take  charge  of  St.  Marguerite's  parish,  Davenport. 

BISHOP    DAVIS. 

James  Davis,  bishop  of  Davenport,  was  the  third  permanent  pastor  of  Sacred 
Heart  cathedral.  He  was  born  in  November,  1852,  near  the  village  of  Knock- 
topher,  County  Kilkenny,  Ireland.  He  received  his  first  religious  instruction 
under  the  direction  of  Very  Rev.  P.  Fogarty,  P.  P.,  at  Donemargin.  His  boyhood 
days  were  spent  in  the  college  of  St.  Carmel  at  Knocktopher,  where  he  began 
his  studies  for  the  church  under  the  direction  of  the  Carmelite  fathers.  After 
studying  the  classics  there  he  entered  St.  Patrick's  Ecclesiastical  college,  Carlow, 
where  he  completed  his  theological  course  and  was  ordained  by  Right  Rev.  Bish- 
op Walsh  of  the  diocese  of  Kildare  and  Loughlin.  on  June  21.  1878.  Shortly 
after  his  ordination  he  left  his  native  land  to  enter  on  his  duties  in  the  diocese  of 
Dubuque,  into  which  he  had  been  adopted  by  the  then  Bishop  Hennessy.  After 
a  short  stay  at  St.  Raphael's  cathedral,  he  was  assigned  to  St.  Peter's  congre- 
gation, Windham,  Johnson  county,  Iowa.  About  two  years  later  he  was  sent 
to  St.  Mary's  parish,  Oxford.  It  was  during  his  four  years'  pastorate 
at  Oxford  that  the  see  of  Davenport  was  erected,  Oxford  being  in  the  new 


IIISTORV  ()!•   SCOTT  COUNTY  583 

diocese;  and  also  that  the  death  of  Bishop  McMuUen  occurred.  In  1884  Bishop 
Cosgrove  assigned  Father  Davis  to  St.  Michael's  congregation  at  Holbrook.  In 
this  large  and  extensive  parish  Father  Davis  labored  until  November,  1889, 
when  he  was  called  by  Bishop  Cosgrove  to  be  rector  of  St.  Marguerite's  cathedral, 
to  succeed  Very  Rev.  A.  Trevis,  resigned.  He  arrived  in  Davenport  on  Novem- 
ber 1 2th  and  was  introduced  by  Bishop  Cosgrove  to  the  congregation  on  Novem- 
ber 17th  as  the  successor  of  Father  Trevis. 

Father  Davis  at  once  set  to  work  on  the  completion  of  the  cathedral  project, 
and  when  that  great  work  was  accomplished  others  followed.  The  $100,000 
structure  was  completed  and  dedicated  on  November  15,  1891  and  under  his  di- 
rection the  parish  grew  and  prospered  wonderfully.  He  remained  in  charge  even 
after  he  was  made  coadjutor  bishop  and  the  Sacred  Heart  Cathedral  parish,  as 
it  has  been  known  since  the  building  of  the  new  cathedral,  is  today  among  the 
greatest  parishes  in  the  whole  state  of  Iowa.  His  high  merit  and  worth  finally 
received  the  climax  of  appreciation,  for  on  October  19,  1905,  upon  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  archbishop  and  bishops  of  the  province  of  Dubuque,  and  the 
priests  of  the  Davenport  diocese.  Vicar  General  Davis  was  raised  by  the  Holy 
See  to  the  rank  of  Bishop  of  Milopotamus  and  Coadjutor  Bishop  of  Daven- 
port. His  consecration  on  November  30,  1905,  was  the  occasion  of  a  notable 
gathering  of  prelates  and  clergy,  and  was  an  occasion  of  great  rejoicing  among 
the  cathedral  parishioners,  the  priests  and  the  people  of  Davenport  and  the  dio- 
cese in  general ;  and  tokens  of  esteem  from  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the  Ancient 
Order  of  Hibernians  and  the  several  church  societies.  The  occasion  of  his  re- 
turn from  his  visit  to  Rome  in  the  fall  of  that  year  was  marked  by  another  warm 
greeting  from  his  congregation. 

ST.  Mary's. 

St.  Mary's  church  and  parish  trace  their  origin  back  to  the  year  of  1867.  The 
corner  stone  of  the  church  edifice  was  laid  July  21st  of  that  year  by  Bishop 
Hennessy  of  Dubuque.  The  building,  since  remodeled,  stands  on  the  original  site 
at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Fillmore  streets.  Father  Pelamourgues  was  its  first 
pastor.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Maurice  Flavin,  May  10,  1868,  who  contin- 
ued there  until  July,  1871.  Father  Flavin  died  at  Los  Angeles,  June  10,  1872, 
where  he  had  gone  for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  Rev.  Michael  Flavin  then  took 
up  the  work  at  St.  Mary's  and  remained  there  thirteen  years.  He  was  followed 
by  Rt.  Rev.  Mgr.  Ryan  who  came  from  St.  Marguerite's  cathedral,  of  this  city.  He 
is  still  the  pastor.  In  his  manifold  duties  he  is  aided  by  an  assistant.  In  1909, 
Father  Ryan  was  invested  with  the  title  of  Monsignior  at  a  public  ceremonial  of 
great  beauty  and  impressiveness. 

ST.  Joseph's. 

In  1855,  there  being  a  large  German  population  in  the  west  end  of  town, 
which  was  quite  remote  from  the  other  Catholic  churches,  a  German  Catholic 
church  was  decided  upon  and  Judge  C.  G.  R.  Mitchell  donated  grounds  for  the 
proposed  church  and  the  stone  building  still  standing,  which  is  now  used  as  a 


584  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

school,  was  erected.  It  was  quite  a  pretentious  building  in  its  day.  The  church 
was  dedicated  May  25,  1856;  Father  Flammang  conducted  the  services  in  the 
German  language.  He  was  succeeded  in  1857  by  Rev.  John  Baumgarten.  He 
stayed  but  one  year  and  then  the  church  was  left  without  a  pastor  for  six  months. 
Rt.  Rev.  Mgr.  Niermann  became  pastor  April  2,  1859.  On  September  16,  1883. 
under  the  patronage  of  St.  Joseph's,  the  new  church  was  dedicated.  In  1900  an  as- 
sistant, Rev.  Frank  Kottenstette,  became  assistant  to  the  aged  pastor  and  re- 
mained two  years.  He  was  succeeded  by  Revs.  Albers  P.  Stahl,  P.  Herbst,  J. 
Snyder,  and  B.  Kueppenbender.  In  1905,  Rev.  N.  J.  Peififer,  immediately  after 
his  ordination,  came  to  the  charge  and  is  still  here. 

HOLY   FAMILY. 

This  is  one  of  the  later  established  churches  of  the  city.  The  parish  was 
started  in  1897.  At  first  a  school  building  was  erected  and  finished  in  1898,  where 
services  were  held  until  1899.  In  May,  of  the  latter  year,  the  basement  of  the 
church,  which  had  been  finished,  was  used  for  religious  services.  The  organi- 
zation started  out  with  twenty  families,  but  now  has  approximately  100  famihes 
and  is  prosperous.  Father  L,  J.  Enright  was  the  first  pastor  and  is  also  the  pres- 
ent one. 

ST.  ALPHONSUS. 

St.  Alphonsus  church  and  parish  were  organized  in  1907  by  Fathers  of  the 
Redemptorist  Order.  The  parochial  territory  is  situated  in  the  southwest  sec- 
tion of  the  city,  and  was  formerly  part  of  St.  Mary's  and  St.  Joseph's  parishes. 
This  territory  having  developed  into  a  great  manufacturing  district,  it  was  deemed 
necessary  to  provide  for  the  growing  Catholic  population  there.  The  church 
edifice  is  a  brick  building  of  imposing  appearance.  Rev.  A,  Guendling  is  the 
pastor  and  has  for  his  assistant  Rev.  O'Neal  Byrne. 

ST.  Paul's. 

St.  Paul's  parish  was  organized  in  February,  1909,  from  fragments  of  terri- 
tory taken  from  the  Sacred  Heart  and  St.  Anthony's  parishes.  The  cornerstone 
of  St.  Paul's  church  edifice  was  laid  with  appropriate  ceremonies  July  4,  1909, 
and  the  first  services  were  held  in  the  building  December  12,  1909.  No  exact 
date  for  the  dedication  of  the  church  has  been  definitely  decided  upon,  but  it  will 
probably  take  place  some  time  in  the  summer  of  1910.  The  parish  is  a  flourish- 
ing one  and  though  in  its  infancy  numbers  eighty  families,  with  eighty-five  chil- 
dren in  the  Sunday  school,  who  are  presided  over  by  the  Sisters  of  Mercy.  Rev. 
C.  J.  Donohoe,  a  native  of  Iowa  county,  Iowa,  and  a  graduate  of  St.  Ambrose 
college,  Davenport,  is  the  pastor. 

OUR  lady  of  lourdes. 

The  Church  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  was  organized  about  nine  years  ago  at 
Bettendorf,  and  services  are  held  there  by  the  Redemptorist  Fathers  of  St.  Al- 
phonsus church,  of  Davenport. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  585 

THE  DIOCESE  OF  IOWA. 

The  first  services  of  the  Episcopal  church  in  Iowa  were  held  in  1836,  when 
occasional  ministrations  were  held  in  Dubuque  by  the  Rev.  Richard  F.  Cadle, 
and  later  by  the  Rev.  E.  G.  Gear  and  the  Rev.  J.  Batchelder.  The  first  services 
in  Scott  county  were  held  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Dr.  Philander  Chase,  bishop  of  Illi- 
nois, who  officiated  in  the  hotel  at  Rockingham  in  the  fall  of  1837.  Thirty  or 
forty  people  were  present,  among  them  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wm.  Van  Tuyl.  In  1841 
the  domestic  committee  of  the  board  of  missions  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
church  in  the  United  States  appointed  the  Rev.  Zachariah  Goldsmith  as  missionary 
to  Davenport,  and  on  the  14th  of  October  of  the  same  year  Trinity  church  was 
organized.  The  first  wardens  were  Ira  Cook  and  J.  \\^  Parker.  H.  S.  Finley 
was  the  first  secretary  and  Ebenezer  Cook  the  first  treasurer.  W.  W.  Dodge  was 
also  a  member  of  the  first  vestry.  After  the  organization  of  the  parish,  the  con- 
gregation worshiped  in  a  building  on  Main  street  near  where  the  Commercial 
club  now  stands.  In  1853  a  new  church  was  built  upon  the  corner  of  Fifth  and 
Rock  Island  streets.     This  was  the  first  church  built  of  stone  in  the  state  of  Iowa. 

In  the  meantime  work  had  been  developing  in  the  more  important  towns,  and 
in  July,  1853,  the  Rt.  Rev.  Jackson  Kemper,  D.D.,  the  venerable  missionary  bishop 
of  the  northwest,  issued  an  invitation  to  the  clergy  and  representatives  of  all  or- 
ganized congregations  in  the  state  of  Iowa  to  meet  at  Muscatine  on  Wednesday, 
August  17th,  at  6  o'clock.  In  accordance  with  this  invitation  the  clerg}^  and  laity 
met  in  the  chapel  of  Trinity  church,  Muscatine.  The  bishop  being  absent,  the 
Rev.  Alfred  Louderback.  rector  of  Trinity  church,  Davenport,  was  elected  chair- 
man. A  constitution  and  canons  for  the  church  in  Iowa  were  adopted  and  the 
election  of  a  bishop  for  Iowa  determined  upon.  On  May  31,  1854.  the  first  con- 
vention of  the  diocese  of  Iowa  was  held  in  Trinity  church.  Davenport,  being 
called  to  order  by  Bishop  Kemper.  At  this  convention,  the  Rev.  Henry  Washing- 
ton Lee,  D.D.,  was  elected  the  first  bishop  of  Iowa.  Dr.  Lee  was  at  the  time  the 
rector  of  St.  Luke's  church,  Rochester,  N.  Y.  He  was  consecrated  in  his  parish 
church  October  18,  1854.  Bishop  Lee  preached  in  his  diocese  for  the  first  time 
October  29th,  in  St.  John's  church,  Dubuque.  Bishop  Lee  was  an  earnest,  large- 
minded  and  large-hearted  man.  He  gave  himself  to  his  work  with  unsparing 
devotion  and  with  great  foresightedness  undertook  the  creation  of  a  fund  which 
should  adequately  endow  the  diocese.  Through  the  liberality,  chiefly,  of  eastern 
churchmen,  he  obtained  means  for  the  purchase  of  some  6,500  acres  of  land  in 
Iowa,  which  land  was  held  until,  through  increase  in  value,  sales  were  made  which 
paid  for  the  erection  of  the  Episcopal  residence,  Brady  and  Eleventh  streets, 
Davenport,  at  a  cost  of  $21,000.  and  netted  an  endowment  of  $53,000  for  the 
diocese. 

On  the  1st  day  of  August.  1856.  Bishop  Lee  purchased  for  $36,000  the  prop- 
erty in  Davenport  known  as  "Iowa  College."  situated  between  Brady  and  Harri- 
son streets  arid  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  streets.  In  this  building  on  the  12th  of 
December,  he  opened  the  preparatory  department  of  Griswold  college.  Subse- 
quently the  college  itself  was  founded  and  for  many  years  gave  promise  of  a 
useful  future.  The  bishop's  plans  were  wise,  his  labors  indefatigable,  his  courage 
was  great,  but  no  one  could  have  foreseen  the  changes  which  were  coming  in 


586  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

educational  work.  After  nearly  twenty  years  of  useful  activity  the  college  had 
to  be  closed.     Bishop  Lee,  however,  had  passed  away  many  years  before. 

When  Bishop  Lee  came  to  Davenport  he  found  that  several  families  had  left 
Trinity  church  and  were  anxious  to  start  work  in  the  new  residence  district  on  the 
hill.  He  gave  consent  to  the  formation  of  a  new  parish  to  be  known  as  St.  Luke's. 
The  congregation  worshiped  for  a  time  in  the  old  Baptist  church  on  Brady  be- 
tween Third  and  Fourth  streets.  The  first  rector  was  the  Rev.  George  W.  Wat- 
son, D.D.,  who  was  followed  by  the  Rev.  Horatio  N.  Powers,  D.D.  During  Dr. 
Powers'  rectorship  a  new  church  was  built  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Seventh 
and  Brady  streets.  There  were  financial  difficulties  and  the  church  was  even- 
tually sold  to  the  Presbyterians.  It  is  now  the  Academy  of  Sciences.  A  chapel 
was  built  on  the  college  property,  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Main  and  Twelfth 
streets,  where  the  congregation  worshiped  until  June  i8.  1873,  when  it  became 
Grace  Cathedral  parish,  but  was  known  as  "The  Bishop's  Church,"  and  took  pos- 
session of  the  beautiful  and  expensive  building  which  had  been  erected,  near 
the  bishop's  house,  on  the  block  between  Brady  and  Main  streets. 

Trinity  had  in  the  meantime  moved  up  to  Brady  and  Seventh  streets.  Here 
Mrs.  Clarissa  C.  Cook  had  erected  a  fine  stone  building  in  memory  of  her  hus- 
band, the  Hon.  Ebenezer  Cook,  who  for  thirty  years  was  a  vestryman  of  Trinity 
parish  and  its  most  devoted  and  unwearied  friend. 

On  the  26th  of  September,  1874,  Bishop  Lee  passed  to  his  rest.  He  had 
worked  hard  and  had  seen  the  diocese  make  substantial  growth  in  resources, 
numbers  and  in  influence.  On  May  30,  1876,  in  St.  Paul's,  Des  Moines,  the 
Rev.  William  Stevens  Perry,  D.D.,  of  Geneva,  N.  Y.,  was  elected  bishop  of  Iowa. 
Bishop  Perry,  already  widely  known  through  the  important  positions  held  in  the 
church's  general  councils  and  in  pastoral  and  collegiate  relations,  received  a 
most  hearty  welcome  throughout  the  entire  diocese.  He  labored  faithfully  until 
his  death.  May  13,  1898.  During  his  episcopate  the  diocese  doubled  in  the  num- 
ber of  its  communicants,  St.  Katharine's  school  was  founded,  and  St.  Luke's 
hospital  undertaken.  The  diocese  was  most  materially  benefited  by  the  bequests 
of  a  faithful  communicant,  who  was  one  of  the  most  efficient  church  workers  in 
Iowa  from  the  early  days  until  her  death — Mrs.  Clarissa  C.  Cook,  widow  of  the 
Hon.  Ebenezer  Cook,  of  Davenport.  Besides  liberal  gifts  for  the  building  and 
equipment  of  a  public  library  and  a  home  for  the  aged  in  Davenport,  she  gave 
to  the  Episcopal  church  in  Iowa  for  various  objects  upward  of  $75,000.  These 
funds  have  been  carefully  invested  and  the  income  still  helps  the  work  of  the 
church  which  she  so  greatly  loved  and  for  which  she  labored  so  unselfishly. 

During  the  episcopate  of  Bishop  Perry  the  work  of  the  Davenport  parishes 
went  on  faithfully  and  successfully. 

On  the  22d  of  February,  1899,  the  Rev.  Theodore  Nevin  Morrison.  D.D., 
rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany,  Chicago,  was  consecrated  the  third  Bishop 
of  Iowa.  During  his  Episcopate  it  became  apparent  to  every  one  that  the  best 
interests  and  the  future  growth  of  the  Episcopal  church  in  Davenport  would  be 
served  by  a  union  of  Trinity  and  Grace  Cathedral  parishes.  In  December,  1909, 
a  movement  was  made  looking  to  such  a  union,  and  it  at  once  received  the  hearty 
support  of  all  the  members  of  both  parishes.     The  members  of  Grace  Cathedral 


TRINITY  CATHEDRAL 


-^- 

FIRST  CHRISTIAX  CHURCH 


MUST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  589 

parish  connected  themselves  with  Trinity  parish.  The  service  on  Christmas 
day  was  held  in  Trinity  church  and  on  Sunday,  Dec.  26th,  the  united  congrega- 
tion worshiped  in  the  cathedral.  The  corporation  of  Trinity  parish  was  thus 
perpetuated  and  the  cathedral  is  now  known  as  Trinity  cathedral.  Thus  at  last 
Bishop  Lee's  original  purpose  has  been  carried  out,  for  in  his  annual  address  to 
the  Diocesan  convention  of  1873,  he  said :  "My  own  desire  had  been  to  have  a 
united  parish,  under  some  acceptable  arrangement  as  a  Diocesan  or  Cathedral 
church,  and  to  give  to  the  building  the  name  of  Trinity,  as  that  of  the  original 
church."     The  rectors  of  Trinity  church  have  been : 

The  Rev.  Zachariah  Goldsmith,  1841 ;  the  Rev.  Alfred  Louderback,  1849 
the  Rev.  F.  Emerson  Judd,  1861 ;  the  Rev.  A.  H.  Stubbs,  1865 ;  the  Rev.  F.  W 
Boyd,  D.  D.,  1869;  the  Rev.  WilHs  H.  Barris,  1870,  minister  in  charge;  the  Rev, 
J.  E.  Goodhue,  1871  ;  the  Rev.  Willis  H.  Barris,  1877,  minister  in  charge;  the  Rev. 
Philo  W,  Sprague,  1878,  canon  in  charge;  the  Rev.  D.  C.  Garrett,  1884;  the  Rev. 
Myron  A.  Johnson,  D.  D.,  1891  ;  the  Rev.  CHnton  H.  Weaver,  S.  T.  D.,  18 
the  Rev.  A.  E.  Montgomery,   1901  ;  the  Rev.  Gasherie  DeWitt  Dowling,   1904. 

The  rectors  of  St.  Luke's  were :  the  Rev.  Horatio  N.  Powers,  D.  D.,  1857-1865 

The  rectors  of  the  Bishop's  church  were:  The  Rt.  Rev.  Henry  W.  Lee,  D.  D., 
ex-officio ;  the  Rev.  Horatio  N.  Powers,  D.  D.,  assistant  in  charge,  1865-18 
the  Rev.  Hale  Townsend,  assistant  in  charge,  1865-1872;  the  Rev.  R.  D.  Brooke, 
assistant  in  charge,  1869-1873;  the  Rev.  Edward  Lounsbery,  assistant  in  charge, 
1870-1874;  the  Rev.  Joseph  S.  Jenckes,  assistant  in  charge,  1875-1877. 

On  April  i,  1877,  the  ''Bishop's  Church"  gave  way  to  a  cathedral  organization, 
and  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Barris,  D.  D.,  became  dean.  The  canon  in  charge  was  the 
Rev.  W.  W.  Silvester.  In  1882,  the  Rev.  Harry  Thompson  was  appointed  canon 
in  charge.  In  1884  the  Rev.  Charles  H.  Kellogg  was  appointed  canon  in  charge. 
The  Rev.  Charles  R.  Hale  became  dean  in  1886;  the  Rev.  Charles  H.  Seymour 
being  can«n  in  1886.  In  1893,  the  Rev.  William  C.  Rogers  was  appointed  canon. 
The  Rev.  Hamilton  Schuyler  became  dean  in  1896. 

In  September,  1899,  the  cathedral  organization  was  allowed  to  lapse  and  the 
congregation  organized  as  Grace  Cathedral  parish.  The  vestry  called  the  Rev. 
Nassau  S.  Stephens,  who  took  charge  Oct.  i,  1899.  In  1905,  the  Rev.  W.  W. 
Love  became  the  rector.  The  Rev.  Marmaduke  Hare,  M.  D.,  accepted  a  call  to  the 
rectorship  and  entered  on  his  duties  Jan.  i,  1908.  The  bishop  has  conferred  upon 
Dr.  Hare  the  honorar}^  title  of  dean. 

Beside  the  Cathedral  parish  there  is  Christ  church  at  the  corner  of  Third  and 
Pine  streets.  Christ  church  is  ministered  to  by  the  chaplain  of  St.  Katharine's 
school.    There  is  a  small  frame  church  building  and  a  substantial  rectory. 

St.  Katharine's  school  has  been  for  some  years  under  the  care  of  the  sisters 
of  St.  Mary.  It  is  in  a  most  prosperous  condition  and  has  within  the  past  few 
years  added  to  its  property  the  handsome  house  and  five  acres  of  ground  known 
as  "the  Renwick  property"  which  adjoined  the  school,  giving  an  increased  capa- 
city and  providing  room  for  growth.  The  school  has  a  high  reputation  for 
scholarship  and  sends  graduates  yearly  to  the  women's  colleges  of  the  east.  The 
home  life  has  always  been  a  feature  of  the  school  and  year  by  year  the  number 
of  pupils  increases  and  come  from  a  greater  distance. 


590  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

BISHOP  HENRY  W.  LEE. 

Henry  W.  Lee,  the  first  Episcopal  bishop  of  Iowa,  was  born  in  Hamden, 
Connecticut,  on  the  29th  of  July,  181 5.  A  few"  months  later  his  father  removed 
to  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  where  the  son  spent  his  youthful  days  and  re- 
ceived his  education.  In  October,  1839,  he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  of  the 
Episcopal  church  by  Bishop  Griswold.  He  was  called  to  be  rector  of  Christ 
church  at  Springfield  in  April,  1840,  where  he  remained  three  years.  He  then 
accepted  a  call  to  St.  Luke's  church,  at  Rochester,  New  York,  where  he  re- 
mained eleven  years.  The  degree  of  D.D.  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Hobart 
college  in  1850  and  by  the  University  of  Rochester  in  1852.  In  1867  the  degree 
of  LL.D.  was  conferred  on  him  by  the  University  of  Cambridge,  England.  On 
the  ist  of  June,  1854,  Dr.  Henry  W.  Lee  was  elected  bishop  of  the  diocese  of 
Iowa  and  on  the  i8th  of  October  was  consecrated  at  Rochester  in  the  presence 
of  the  bishops  of  New  York,  Massachusetts,  Maine,  Michigan  and  Illinois, 
Bishop  Eastman  of  Vermont  presiding.  Bishop  Lee  made  a  visit  to  the  principal 
churches  of  Iowa  in  the  fall  of  that  year  and  in  January,  1855,  removed  to  Daven- 
port. He  immediately  entered  upon  the  work  of  raising  a  permanent  fund  for 
the  diocese  which  was  wisely  invested  in  more  than  six  thousand  acres  of  land 
which,  as  the  years  went  by,  became  valuable  yielding  a  large  income.  He  was 
instrumental  in  founding  Griswold  college  at  Davenport,  which  was  opened  in 
i860.  In  1867  he  made  a  visit  to  the  principal  countries  of  Europe,  preaching 
in  some  of  the  largest  churches  of  England,  France  and  Ireland.  After  an 
arduous  service  of  twenty  years  as  bishop  of  Iowa,  Henry  W.  Lee  died  at  his 
home  on  the  26th  of  September,  1874.  The  last  great  work  he  gave  to  the  diocese 
was  the  erection  of  Trinity  cathedral  at  Davenport, 

ST.  John's  methodist  episcopal. 

The  first  arrival  of  the  Methodist  church  in  Scott  county  to  minister  to  things 
spiritual  was  in  1835.  The  first  messenger  sent  was  the  Rev.  E.  C.  Gavit,  of 
the  Ohio  conference,  who  in  the  year  1835  was  requested  by  the  bishop  to  go 
west  and  labor  among  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians.  He  was  also  to  visit  all  the 
white  settlements  to  provide  the  scattered  inhabitants  with  the  means  of  grace. 
He  was  expected  to  bear  his  own  expenses  in  reaching  the  country  and  to  trust 
God  and  the  good  will  of  the  few  white  settlers  for  his  support.  Father  Gavit 
and  Captain  Sholes  in  the  year  1835  built  a  frame  house,  which  was  the  second 
erected  in  that  vicinity,  and  in  which  he  preached  his  first  sermon  and  organized 
the  first  Sunday  school  in  what  is  now  the  city  of  Davenport.  His  missionary 
labors,  however,  were  not  confined  to  this  locality.  He  traveled  from  the  Missouri 
state  line  to  St.  Anthony's  falls,  preaching  in  all  the  towns  and  hunting  up  all 
the  white  settlers  along  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi  as  far  back  as  he  could 
learn  of  any  white  inhabitants.  In  the  year  1837  Father  Gavit  left  this  field  of 
labor  and  returned  to  Ohio.     In  1887,  after  more  than  fifty  years  of  marvelous 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  591 

growth,  which  has  made  the  Httle  hamlet  a  prosperous  city,  the  venerable  man 
of  God  returned,  to  find  all  changed,  his  dusky  auditors  gone,  and  a  large,  intelli- 
gent audience  ready  and  delighted  to  listen  as  he  recalled  the  past  and  thrilled 
them  with  the  "Old,  old  story." 

In  order  to  give  intelligently  the  history  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in 
Davenport  in  its  beginning,  it  is  necessary  to  note  the  development  of  the  same 
in  connection  with  the  work  of  Methodism  in  Rock  Island  and  in  Rockingham, 
Iowa,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Illinois  conference.  In  order  to  obtain  this  retro- 
spect it  is  necessary  to  rely  mainly  on  the  information  kindly  furnished  by  two 
of  the  members  of  the  first  Methodist  society  formed  in  Davenport,  W.  L.  Cook 
and  Israel  Hall. 

In  the  minutes  of  the  Illinois  conference  held  at  Union  Grove,  Illinois,  Sep- 
tember, 1833,  Rock  Island  is  named  as  a  mission  of  the  Quincy  district,  with 
Peter  Cartwright  presiding  elder  and  Asa  McMurtry  preacher  for  Rock  Island. 
The  latter  preached  a  few  times  in  Rockingham,  Iowa.  In  the  conference  min- 
utes of  1834  D.  C.  James  is  the  preacher  named  for  the  Rock  Island  mission.  He 
preached  quite  often  at  Rockingham.  In  August,  1836,  the  Methodist  society 
was  organized  at  Rockingham  and  a  class  formed,  consisting  of  about  seven  or 
eight  members.  A.  H.  Davenport  was  appointed  elder.  This  society  was  then  a 
mission  of  the  lUinois  conference.  At  a  meeting  of  that  conference  held  at 
Springfield,  October,  1836,  the  Rockingham  circuit  was  formed,  believed  to  be 
the  third  circuit  organized  in  Iowa,  and  Chauncey  Hobart,  who  died  in  Red 
Wing,  Minnesota,  within  a  year  or  two  ago,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety  years, 
was  sent  to  take  charge  of  the  work.  This  was  a  circuit  of  about  two  hundred 
miles,  extending  from  the  mouth  of  the  Iowa  river  on  the  south  to  the  Wapsi- 
pinicon  on  the  north,  and  as  far  into  the  interior  as  any  white  settlers  would  be 
found.  A  society  was  to  be  formed  wherever  a  sufficient  number  could  be  found 
willing  to  so  unite. 

Chauncey  Hobart  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  Black  Hawk  war  and  was  well 
fitted  by  experience  to  endure  all  the  hardships  of  such  a  field  of  labor.  He 
traveled  a  country  whose  roadways  were  illy  defined,  its  streams  unbridged,  and 
its  inhabitants  widely  scattered.  Rockingham  was  the  only  town  of  any  impor- 
tance within  the  bounds  of  the  circuit,  and  during  the  first  winter  there  were  but 
two  other  regular  appointments,  one  at  a  little  town  called  Black  Hawk,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Iowa  river,  and  one  at  the  home  of  Roswell  H.  Spencer,  in  Pleasant 
Valley.  About  sixty  members  were  gathered  into  the  church  and  the  next  year 
the  number  of  appointments  was  increased.  But  the  society  at  Rockingham  re- 
mained the  center  and  probably  contained  more  members  than  all  the  others  to- 
gether. In  the  year  1838  Chauncey  Hobart  was  succeeded  by  his  brother,  Norris 
Hobart.  In  1839  H.  J.  Brace  was  placed  in  charge,  assisted  by  B.  H.  Cartwright, 
brother  of  the  well  known  Peter  Cartwright,  and  with  this  year  began  the  his- 
tory proper  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  Davenport. 


592  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Near  the  middle  of  August,  1839,  the  presiding  elder,  Rev.  B.  Weed,  thought 
there  was  sufficient  encouragement  and  members  enough  to  form  a  church  organ- 
ization in  this  place.  Accordingly  he  authorized  William  L.  Cook  to  sever  his 
connection  with  the  church  in  Rockingham,  and  if  he  could  succeed  in  finding 
enough  members,  to  form  a  class  in  Davenport.  His  search  among  the  Protestant 
settlers  resulted  in  finding  five  persons  beside  himself  and  wife  who  had  been 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  A  meeting  was  called  at  the  home 
of  Timothy  Dillon,  grandfather  of  Hon.  John  F.  Dillon,  situated  on  what  is  now 
Third  street  near  Washington  square.  There  were  present  at  this  meeting  Wil- 
liam L.  Cook  and  wife,  Timothy  Dillon  and  wife,  Israel  Hall  and  W.  J.  Ruby  and 
wife.  All  of  these  brought  their  church  letters  and  responded  with  glad  service 
to  the  call  to  unite  in  the  wilderness  and  build  for  themselves  and  their  children 
a  new  church  home.  William  L.  Cook  was  chosen  leader  of  this  class  and  for 
more  than  forty  years  thereafter  filled  the  office  of  class  leader  and  steward  of 
the  Methodist  church.  From  time  to  time  others  added  their  names  to  the  class 
roll  until  in  1840,  when  Rev.  Chester  Campbell  was  preacher,  there  were  about 
twenty  members.  Among  the  first  of  these  was  Rachel  Hall,  who  did  not  reach 
here  until  some  days  after  her  husband;  William  Moran,  Susan  Morgan,  Mar- 
garet A.  Bowling,  now  Mrs.  Paden,  and  David  Miller  and  wife.  A  little  later 
came  Father  Woodward  and  family.  Sister  Woodward  was  spoken  of  as  a 
mother  in  Israel.  Two  families  by  the  name  of  Morgan,  descendants  of  Quakers, 
were  prompt  and  faithful  in  attending  church.  The  society  met  regularly  each 
Sabbath,  generally  at  the  house  of  Timothy  Dillon,  until  the  number  had  grown 
too  large  for  private  houses,  when  other  rooms  as  they  could  be  procured  were 
rented  for  service.  Having  only  occasional  preaching  in  1840,  they  sent  a  request 
to  conference  for  a  stationary  preacher.  Francis  H.  Chenowith  was  sent  and 
Davenport  became  a  regular  station.  In  the  year  of  1841  it  was  determined  to 
build  a  church.  The  society  was  small  in  number  and  not  rich  save  in  faith. 
Nevertheless  they  purchased  a  lot  on  the  west  side  of  Perry  street,  between 
Fourth  and  Fifth  streets,  which  was  then  considered  out  of  town,  and  prepared 
to  build  a  brick  chapel  thirty  by  forty  feet.  That  may  seem  today  a  small  under- 
taking, but  relatively  it  was  a  great  one.  It  is  said  that  at  that  time  all  of  the 
members  were  poor.  The  most  of  them  could  put  all  their  worldly  goods  in  a 
wagon  and  move  out  west.  The  Rev.  Chenowith  was  granted  a  vacation  and 
commissioned  to  go  to  Ohio  where  many  of  the  members  had  formerly  lived,  and 
solicit  aid  for  the  enterprise.  Money,  or  what  was  convertible  into  money,  was 
gratefully  received  and  about  two  hundred  dollars  was  realized  by  this  effort. 
This  was  the  last  year  of  Rev.  Chenowith's  stay  in  Davenport.  While  here  he 
married  the  daughter  of  Andrew  Logan,  editor  and  proprietor  of  the  Iowa  Sun, 
the  first  paper  pubHshed  in  Davenport.  The  preacher  sent  by  the  Illinois  confer- 
ence, which  met  in  Rock  Island,  August  24,  1842,  was  David  Worthington  who 
was  a  man  greatly  beloved  by  all.  This  minister,  being  a  carpenter  by  trade,  like 
Paul,  labored,  working  with  his  own  hands.  The  church  walls  were  up  and  the 
preacher  with  a  few  others  went  to  work  and  succeeded  in  putting  the  roof  on. 
the  floor  laid  and  the  windows  in  in  time  for  the  first  quarterly  meeting,  which 
was  held  December  24,  1825,  Rev.  B.  Weed,  presiding  elder.  This  quarterly 
meeting  was  protracted  five  or  six  weeks  and  about  fifty  members  were  added 


CALVARY  BAPTIST  CHURCH 


ST.  JOHN'S  M.  E.  CHURCH 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  595 

to  the  church.  At  the  conference  of  1844  Joseph  S.  Lewis,  of  Cincinnati,  was 
sent  here.  UnUke  his  predecessors,  while  through  no  fault  of  his  own,  he  could 
not  adapt  himself  to  pioneer  life.  Well  educated,  a  good  preacher  he  was,  but 
one  not  fitted  to  bring  himself  into  sympathy  with  the  community  in  which  he 
labored.  At  this  time  the  only  church  property  which  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  had  in  Davenport  was  this  small  brick  building  on  Perry  street,  below 
Fifth,  about  opposite  where  the  Kimball  House  stands — a  church  with  no  par- 
sonage, no  fence,  no  carpet,  no  pulpit  except  a  sort  of  big  pine  box  used  for 
that  purpose,  and  with  seats  made  of  slabs,  fiat  side  up,  supported  by  legs 
inserted  into  two-inch  auger  holes.  There  was  a  mortgage  of  $150  on  the  lot — 
a  bigger  load  then  than  $15,000  would  be  today.  In  1845  R^v.  Harrison  was 
sent.  He  did  not  finish  the  conference  year,  his  place  being  filled  by  Joseph 
Brook,  an  able  and  popular  man. 

In  1846  Davenport  station  was  discontinued  and  the  appointment  was  at- 
tached to  Fairport  circuit  and  Cedar  mission.  The  preachers  were  William 
Simpson  and  William  Burris.  It  is  recorded  of  the  former  that  in  every  posi- 
tion he  was  the  same  noble-hearted  man.  William  Burris  preached  one  year 
and  then  left  the  ministry  and  settled  in  Davenport.  In  1847  Joel  B.  Taylor 
and  Asbury  Collier  were  the  circuit  preachers.  In  1848  Davenport  station  again 
appeared  in  the  minutes,  Joel  B.  Taylor  being  the  station  preacher.  He  was 
in  the  ministry  for  thirty-eight  years,  and  the  societies  at  Epworth.  Camanche 
and  Clinton  were  founded  by  him.  He  died  in  1881.  In  1849  John  L.  Kelley, 
who  entered  the  itinerary  in  1836,  was  the  preacher.  In  1850  Landon  Taylor 
was  sent.  In  185 1  Rev.  James  Gilruth  and  wife  became  members  of  the  church 
at  Davenport.  He  afterward  preached  here  and  was  well  liked  by  all.  In  the 
number  embracing  the  religion  at  this  time  (1851)  was  Miss  Mary  Price,  who 
later  became  the  wife  of  Dr.  Robert  L.  Collier,  then  stationed  at  Davenport. 
The  station  preacher  in  1852  was  A.  J.  Kynette,  the  last  preacher  to  occupy  the 
pulpit  in  the  little  old  church.  In  1854  Sanford  Haines  was  sent,  and  in  1855 
I.  P.  Lindeman.  During  the  latter's  administration,  through  no  fault  of  his, 
there  was  a  schism  in  the  church.  About  fifty  members  organized  a  society 
and  built  a  house  which  they  called  Asbury  chapel,  which  was  situated  on  the 
east  of  Perry,  between  Third  and  Fourth  streets.  Rev.  Lindeman  went  with 
the  new  society  and  stayed  with  them  the  remainder  of  that  year  and  the  fol- 
lowing. His  place  at  the  Fifth  Street  church  was  filled  by  the  Rev.  William 
Cone.  The  new  society  was  next  served  by  Samuel  Pancoast,  followed  by 
Richard  Wertz.  This  society  held  together  for  a  short  time  afterward,  but 
eventually  the  chapel  was  burned  and  the  society  disbanded,  some  of  the  mem- 
bers going  back  to  the  parent  church,  some  to  other  churches,  and  others  living 
without  any  church  home. 

Rev.  J.  G.  Demmit  was  presiding  elder  from  1852  to  1855,  when  the  Daven- 
port charge  was  part  of  the  Dubuque  district.  In  the  '60s  he  was  stationed  at 
Davenport.  During  the  pastorate  of  Landon  Taylor  the  membership  of  the 
church  was  doubled,  and  soon  after  when  his  successor.  Dr.  Kynette,  arrived, 
it  was  found  necessary  to  provide  a  larger  building.  It  was  first  agreed  to 
purchase  a  lot  upon  which  a  part  of  the  Rock  Island  station  now  stands,  but 
finally  the  lot  upon  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Brady  was  decided  upon  and  prepa- 


596  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

rations  were  begun  for  the  building  of  the  church.  In  the  autumn  of  1853  the 
work  had  so  far  progressed  that  the  basement  was  occupied  for  services  during 
the  following  winter.  The  building  was  finished  the  next  summer  and  was 
dedicated  in  1854.  Rev.  James  I.  Watson  preached  the  dedication  sermon  and 
Rev.  Henry  Clay  Dean  preached  in  the  evening.  Dr.  Kynette  was  pastor  in 
charge  during  these  two  years.  The  church  was  soon  paid  for  and  a  parson- 
age built.  In  1856  the  Upper  Iowa  conference  was  formed  and  Davenport  be- 
came a  part  of  it.  The  first  preacher  sent  was  Rev.  W.  R.  Keeler,  later  dean 
of  the  School  of  Theology,  Central  Tennessee  college.  In  1857  G.  D.  Brown 
came  to  the  church  and  labored  until  May,  1858,  and  on  the  26th  of  that 
month,  after  a  few  days  of  great  suffering,  entered  into  rest.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded in  the  pastorate  by  the  Rev.  Robert  L.  Collier,  who  later  gained  world- 
wide repute  as  a  pulpit  orator. 

The  ten  years  closing  with  1866  were  years  of  steady  growth  and  prosperity. 
The  church  was  then  under  the  care  of  C.  J.  Truesdale.  The  congregation  was 
still  larger  in  1867,  when  the  Rev.  A.  B.  Kindig  succeeded  to  the  pastorate. 
It  was  decided  that  the  Fifth  Street  church  was  too  small  and  a  division  of 
the  membership  was  made  at  a  meeting  of  the  official  board  February  25th  of 
that  year.  March  ist,  the  trustees  reported  the  purchase  of  a  lot  at  the  corner 
of  Fourteenth  and  Brady  streets  and  a  resolution  was  passed  to  proceed  at 
once  to  build  a  church  edifice  thereon.  A  tabernacle  for  the  temporary  use  of 
the  society  was  ordered.  March  8th  it  was  reported  ready  for  use  and  March 
25th  the  building  committee  were  authorized  to  procure  plans  and  let  the  con- 
tract for  a  two-story  building,  forty-four  by  seventy-six  feet.  About  eighty 
members  of  the  parent  society  went  to  form  the  new  one  and  Rev.  J.  C.  Irwin, 
then  of  Moline,  was  asked  to  come  and  take  charge  of  the  church.  The  new 
church  was  dedicated  in  1867  and  Rev.  Thomas  Eddy  preached  the  sermon. 
The  first  pastor  was  Emery  Miller.  The  report  for  1868  was:  Fifth  Street 
church,  full  membership,  243 ;  Fourteenth  Street  church,  full  membership, 
eighty-one;  total,  324.  The  report  for  1888  showed:  Fifth  Street  church,  297; 
Fourteenth  Street  church,  220;  total,  517.  The  net  gain  in  twenty  years  was 
193.  The  Fourteenth  Street  church  maintained  a  mission  in  East  Davenport 
for  many  years  at  Spring  Street  church.  Cook  chapel,  Gilruth  chapel,  and 
Fourteenth  Street  church  were  all  offshoots  of  the  parent  church.  While  the 
society  occupied  the  little  old  church  the  conference  was  held  in  it.  Bishop 
Waugh  presided  at  that  conference.  At  the  conference  of  1863  it  was  decided 
that  the  railroad  trains  on  Fifth  street  interfered  too  much  with  the  church 
services,  and  permission  was  granted  to  sell  the  property,  and  the  lot  upon 
which  the  next  church  then  stood  was  purchased  at  a  cost  of  $6,000.  It  was 
expected  that  $12,000  and  the  proceeds  of  the  old  church  probably  would  pay 
for  the  new  site  and  build  the  church.  In  February,  1872,  plans  for  the  build- 
ing were  submitted,  and  on  March  8th  the  committee  let  the  contract  for  the 
building  at  Ninth  street.  The  building  was  completed  and  furnished  and  was 
dedicated  February  9,  1873.  Bishop  Andrews  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon. 
The  full  membership  was   168,  and  Rev.  Emery  Miller  was  pastor.     In  1879 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  597 

Dr.  Rhea  was  pastor.  The  Women's  Foreign  Missionary  society  was  organ- 
ized in  1874,  and  the  Home  Missionary  society  in  1883. 

With  the  close  of  the  conference  of  1899  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  and  the  Fourteenth  Street  Methodist  church  ceased  to  exist,  and  the 
Central  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  organized,  through  the  reunion  of 
the  two  former  churches.  Then  in  1902  the  cornerstone  of  the  present  mag- 
nificent stone  structure  was  laid,  and  on  December  13,  1903,  it  was  dedicated, 
Dr.  J.  F.  Barry,  now  Bishop  Barry,  preaching  the  dedicatory  sermon  on  that 
occasion. 

The  characteristic  features  of  St.  John's  church,  which  took  the  name  after 
the  new  structure  was  built,  is  well  worth  a  passing  notice.  In  type  it  is  the 
revival  of  a  very  old  English  gothic,  and  is  probably  the  only  similar  structure 
in  this  country.  In  design  it  is  plain,  chaste,  original,  massive,  churchly;  in 
execution,  endurance  and  solid  worth  are  the  dominant  purposes,  and  a  church 
has  been  constructed  that  will  not  soon  grow  old.  P.  T.  Burrows,  of  Daven- 
port, was  the  designing  architect,  and  F.  G.  Clausen  was  the  superintending 
architect.  The  church  property  as  it  now  stands  cost  $112,000,  and  is  free 
from  debt.  The  parsonage  itself  cost  $12,000.  The  present  membership  of 
the  church  is  1,030,  while  that  of  the  Sunday  school  is  623. 

The  following  pastors  presided  in  Davenport  since  1864  at  the  Fifth  Street 
church:  Henry  Paylies,  from  1864  to  1866;  A.  B.  Kendig,  1866  to  1868;  I.  K. 
Fuller.  1868  to  1869;  J.  S.  Anderson,  1870-71;  Emery  Aliller,  1871-74;  T. 
McClary,  1874-75;  A.  C.  Manwell,  1875-78;  J.  H.  Rhea,  1878-81;  F.  E.  Brush, 
1881-84;  J.  S.  McCord,  1884-87;  J.  G.  Van  Ness,  1887-88;  U.  Z.  Gilmer,  1888- 
89;  J.  S,  McCord,  1891-95;  F,  W.  Loos,  1895-98;  H.  O.  Pratt,  1898.  At  the 
Fourteenth  Street  church  were  Emery  Miller,  1867-68;  C.  W.  Copeland,  1868- 
69;  U.  F.  Paxton,  1869-71;  R.  W.  Keeler,  1871-72;  William  Fawcett,  1872-76; 
E.  Skinner,  1876-77;  H.  S.  Church,  1877-80;  S.  W.  Heald,  1880-83;  William 
Lease,  1883-86;  T.  E.  Fleming,  1886-87;  J.  B.  Casebeer  and  J.  S.  Mclntyre, 
1887-88;  J.  S.  Mclntyre,  1888-89;  Rev.  McCurdy,  1899.  Under  H.  O.  Pratt 
and  Rev.  McCurdy  the  Central  Methodist  Episcopal  church  was  organized. 
After  this  union  the  first  pastor  was  Rev.  Dr.  W.  F.  Bartley,  who  remained 
until  1901.  From  1901  to  1904  F.  L.  Thompson  was  pastor;  from  1904  until 
1907,  L.  C.  Lemon,  who  was  followed  in  1907  by  J.  A.  Burchit,  the  present 
pastor. 

THE    CHRISTIAN    CHURCH. 

On  a  brig^ht  Sunday  morning,  July  28,  1839,  a  small  band  of  men  and  women 
might  have  been  seen  wending  their  way  to  the  home  of  D.  C.  Eldridge,  a  small 
brick  house  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Third  and  Main  streets.  This  gathering 
was  the  result  of  many  conferences  and  much  thought  and  prayer,  for  these 
earnest  Christians  purposed  in  their  heart  the  banding  of  themselves  into  a 
congregation  for  united  religious  work.  In  this  meeting  plans  for  organiza- 
tion were  discussed  and  future  work  contemplated.  Elder  James  T.  Rumbold 
was  chosen  as  pastor,  and  the  First  Christian  church  of  Davenport  was  organized 
with  the  following  charter  members:  James  Rumbold,  Sr.,  and  Mrs.  Catherine 


598  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Rumbold,  James  Rumbold,  Jr.,  John  Owens,  Mrs.  Eunice  Owens,  Miss  Elizabeth 
Meeks,  Miss  Rhoda  Owens,  George  H.  Tapley,  Richard  S.  Craig,  Mrs.  Mahalia 
Craig,  Duncan  C.  Eldridge,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Eldridge,  Thomas  Marsh,  Mrs.  Betsy 
Marsh,  John  Carroll,  Sr.,  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Carroll,  sixteen  in  all.  That  was 
seventy  years  ago  last  July.  In  September  of  the  same  year  there  were  added 
to  the  membership ;  James  Glaspell,  Mrs.  Jane  Glaspell,  Silas  Glaspell,  Gabriel  Mc- 
Arthur,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  McArthur,  Miss  Ruth  Glaspell  and  William  Hickson.  So 
far  as  is  known  every  charter  member  of  this  church  is  deceased  and  but  few  of 
the  members  of  its  first  years  are  here  upon  earth.  The  church  grew  rapidly  and 
the  members  felt  that  as  a  church  they  were  not  properly  organized,  for  they 
were  well-informed  Christians.  They  had  come  from  Louisville  and  Coving- 
ton, Kentucky,  and  from  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  the  vicinity  of  these  cities,  and 
their  conversion  had  been  under  the  preaching  of  such  men  as  Alexander  Camp- 
bell, Walter  Scott,  Jamics  Challen  and  D.  S.  Burnett.  So  they  now  proceeded 
to  elect  officers  according  to  the  plan  of  the  New  Testament  churches.  James 
Rumbold  and  James  Glaspell  were  chosen  elders,  with  George  H.  Tapley,  clerk. 
Meetings  continued  to  be  held  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Eldridge  until  the  congrega- 
tion had  outgrown  this  place  and  it  became  necessary  to  arrange  for  more  com- 
modious quarters.  It  was  then  that  George  Tapley  offered  his  carpenter  shop  on 
the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Brady  streets  for  their  use.  All  during  the  week  the 
noise  of  hammer  and  saw  was  heard  there.  But  on  Saturday  night  the  owner 
prepared  for  the  Sunday  audience.  Though  the  seats  were  but  rough  boards, 
those  occupying  them  made  no  complaint,  and  in  those  days  one  heard  no  ex- 
pression of  grievance  against  the  janitor.  And  after  all,  the  carpenter  shop  was 
not  an  unfitting  meeting  place  for  the  followers  of  the  humble  Nazarene.  Its 
associations  could  not  be  otherwise  than  Christ-like,  for  His  hand  once  shoved 
the  plane.  About  this  time  a  prayer  meeting  was  started  at  the  home  of  R.  S. 
Craig  and  from  that  on  prayer  meetings  were  held  from  house  to  house.  They 
held  their  Sunday  meetings  in  Mr.  Tapley's  shop  for  about  a  year.  Elder  Rum- 
bold still  occupied  the  pulpit.  Soon  the  carpenter  shop  became  too  small  and 
D.  C.  Eldridge  and  James  Rumbold  waited  on  Antoine  LeClaire,  who  owned  the 
land  in  that  part  of  the  town,  and  succeeded  in  getting  the  donation  of  the  lot 
on  the  east  side  of  Brady  street  between  Fourth  and  Fifth  streets.  There  is  a 
tradition  to  the  effect  that  among  his  other  peculiarities  Mr.  LeClaire  had  one  of 
wearing  his  hat  in  such  a  manner  as  to  indicate  his  temper.  So  these  two  men 
visited  him  several  times  before  laying  their  petition  before  him,  waiting  for  his 
hat  to  assume  a  favorable  position.  The  laid- forward  position  was  the  inflam- 
mable one,  the  one  he  used  to  keep  people  and  petitioners  out.  On  these  occa- 
sions Mr.  Eldridge  and  Mr.  Rumbold  merely  talked  over  general  subjects  and 
then  bowed  themselves  from  his  presence.  But  happening  in  one  day  when  his 
hat  was  pushed  well  back  on  his  head,  they  instantly  made  known  their  desire, 
which  was  cheerfully  granted.  On  the  lot  donated  by  Antoine  LeClaire  a  meet- 
ing house  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $300.  Shortly  after  this  the  Sanfords, 
Lesslies,  Sanders,  Lyters  and  Grays  were  added  to  the  congregation,  greatly  in- 
creasing its  strength  and  efficiency:  and  then  followed  such  pastors  as  Dr. 
Horatio  Gatchell,  Charles  Levan,  James  Gaston  and  Jonas  Hartzell.  It  was  dur- 
ing the  ministry  of  Rev.  Hartzell  that  this  last  church  became  too  small  and 


EDWAPvDS   rOXOREGATloNAl.    CHURCH 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  601 

the  congregation  met  in  the  courthouse  until  the  second  church  was  buik  on  the 
site  of  the  first  one,  at  a  cost  of  $1,200.  This  structure  was  occupied  in  1854 
without  a  dollar's  indebtedness.  Many  years  afterward  the  second  building  was 
sold  and  became  Hibernian  Hall.  It  was  soon  after  moving  into  the  new  church 
that  the  little  band  had  a  visit  from  Alexander  Campbell.  Their  appreciation 
of  him  was  indicated  by  the  fact  that  he  preached  on  this  occasion  for  more  than 
two  hours,  and  not  only  held  his  audience  to  the  last  but  the  time  seemed  all  too 
short.  This,  however,  was  no  unusual  thing  with  him,  and  not  only  was  this 
true  of  Mr.  Campbell,  but  most  sermons  in  those  days  were  long,  ranging  from 
forty-five  minutes  to  twice  that  length,  and  the  people  seldom  grew  tired  lis- 
tening. Following  the  ministry  of  Elder  Hartzell  the  next  three  pastors  were: 
Eli  Rigdon,  Samuel  Law  and  James  Challen.  It  was  under  the  ministry  of 
Elder  Challen  that  the  church  reached  its  way  to  prosperity,  and  it  was  during 
this  period  that  the  Rock  Island  congregation,  which  up  to  that  time  had  worshiped 
with  the  Davenport  church,  felt  strong  enough  to  form  themselves  into  an 
organization  of  their  own.  Rev.  Challen  was  a  great  preacher  and  a  facile  writer, 
courtly,  dignified  and  cultured.    Everyone  admired  and  loved  him. 

The  Sunday  school  was  large  and  full  of  interest  and  enthusiasm.  There  were 
no  "helps"  in  those  days  in  the  way  of  International  lessons.  Each  teacher  and 
officer  took  his  turn  at  leading  and  the  lessons  came  fresh  from  the  Holy  Book 
itself.  The  pupils  learned  verses  from  the  Bible  and  the  children  would  often 
repeat  from  memory  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  verses  that  they  had  learned  dur- 
ing the  week.  Rev.  Challen  was  followed  in  the  pastorate  by  Revs.  J.  B.  John- 
son, H.  H.  Black,  J.  Carroll  Stark,  Gilbert  J.  Ellis,  J.  F.  Ghormley,  W.  H.  Mar- 
tin, J.  T.  H.  Stewart,  J.  Mad.  Williams,  E.  W.  Johnson,  L.  Lane.  C.  C.  Davis 
and  A.  Martin.  In  1874  Isaac  Errett  came  west  to  attend  the  commencement 
of  the  State  University  of  Iowa.  While  in  Davenport  he  talked  with  Mrs.  M.  A. 
Sanders  concerning  the  organizing  of  the  women  of  the  Christian  church  in 
the  United  States  into  missionary  societies.  Mrs.  Sanders  in  turn  conferred  with 
the  ladies  of  the  church  and  when  the  National  society  of  the  C.  W.  B.  M.  was 
formed,  the  Davenport  church  had  a  society  already  organized  in  this  work, 
and  thus  this  church  is  the  unknown  to  fame  but  real  mother  of  the  great  In- 
ternational Christian  Women's  Board  of  Missions.  During  Rev.  Ellis'  ministry 
the  Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor  was  organized,  and  to  his 
and  Mrs.  Ellis'  interest  and  zeal  the  success  of  this  society  belongs.  Then  the 
old  property  on  Brady  street  was  sold  and  during  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Ghorm- 
ley the  present  church  edifice  was  erected,  and  the  other  large  churches  followed 
it  up  the  hill.  The  present  pastor,  S.  M.  Perkins,  came  to  the  church  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1908.  The  members  of  the  church  now  number  over  500.  and  during  Rev. 
Perkins'  work  here  there  have  been  275  accessions  to  the  church. 

EDWARDS  CONGREGATIONAL. 

The  First  Congregational  church  of  Davenport  grew  out  of  a  Sunday  school 
organized  in  May,  1839,  by  a  few  members  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church. 
Only  two  Congregational  churches  in  the  state  antedate  this,  which  was  formed 
by  twelve  persons,  July  30,  1839.     For  some  time  the  members  met  in  various 


602  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

places,  chiefly  private  dwelling  houses,  and  a  deacon  read  the  printed  sermons  of 
eastern  preachers.  In  1840  Rev.  J.  P.  Stuart,  who  had  been  sent  to  Stephenson, 
(Rock  Island)  and  vicinity,  preached  from  July  to  December  of  that  year. 
From  the  latter  date  until  June  of  1841,  Rev.  Oliver  Emerson  ministered.  Rev. 
Allen  B.  Hitchcock,  a  graduate  of  Yale,  came  in  1841,  and  remained  till  1844. 
During  his  pastorate  a  building,  thirty-eight  by  twenty- four,  was  erected  upon 
a  lot  on  Fifth  and  Main  streets,  which  had  been  secured  by  the  exchange  of 
one  donated  by  the  famous  Antoine  LeClaire.  The  pastor,  who  had  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade,  and  three  of  the  members,  built  this  edifice,  all  contributing 
their  services.  This  structure  was  twice  enlarged  to  accommodate  the  growing 
congregation.  At  the  completion  of  the  second  improvement  in  1855  the  roof 
caved  in,  necessitating  repairs  at  great  sacrifice  to  the  members.  Rev.  Ephraim 
Adams,  still  living  at  Waterloo,  Iowa,  followed  Mr.  Hitchcock,  being  installed 
in  1847.  He  remained  until  1855,  when  Rev.  George  F.  Magoun  came.  The 
latter  was  a  man  of  high  intellectual  attainments  and  a  preacher  of  great  ability. 
Under  his  ministry  there  were  repeated  revivals  and  large  accessions  to  the 
membership.  The  land  area  was  increased  and  plans  were  made  for  a  very  large; 
edifice.  In  1857  the  financial  crash  came  and  the  church  was  prostrated.  The 
members  suffered  great  financial  losses,  and  became  disheartened.  An  otherwise 
small  debt  weighed  heavily  upon  them,  and  despite  all  efforts,  aided  by  the  advice 
of  a  council,  by  i860  the  church  was  practically  disbanded  after  a  prosperous 
existence  of  twenty-one  years.  The  membership  had  run  up  to  250.  For  al- 
most a  year  the  church  was  closed,  mute  witness  of  hard  times,  financially  and 
spiritually. 

Rev.  William  Windsor,  sent  out  by  the  Home  Missionary  society  organized 
the  Edwards  church  with  twenty-six  members,  August  17,  1861.  Mr.  Wind- 
sor remained  five  years,  gathering  over  100  members,  brought  the  church  to  self- 
support,  and  raised  the  salary  from  $400  to  $1,000.  A  prosperous  work  of  four 
and  one-half  years  under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  J.  A.  Hamilton  followed,  and 
the  membership  rose  from  120  to  273.  Dr.  J.  G.  Merrill  followed  and  remained 
ten  years,  1872-1882.  Under  him  in  1873  the  main  part  of  the  present  edifice 
was  erected.  In  1881  its  interior  was  completely  destroyed  by  fire.  This  damage 
was  quickly  repaired  and  the  building  made  more  serviceable  than  before.  The 
pastorate  of  Dr.  Merrill  was  remarkably  prosperous.  During  this  period  Beth- 
lehem hall  was  erected  for  the  mission  in  West  Davenport,  which  had  been  in- 
augurated in  the  closing  years  of  Dr.  Hamilton's  work.  When  Dr.  Merrill  left 
the  church  roll  numbered  314  names.  Upward  of  1,600  persons  have  belonged 
to  the  Edwards  church ;  among  them  many  of  the  most  substantial  people  of  the 
city. 

In  1894  the  Bethlehem  mission  was  organized  into  a  church,  several  mem- 
bers of  Edwards  church  voluntarily  taking  their  letters  and  constituting  the 
nucleus  of  the  new  organization.  This  mission  became  later  the  Bethlehem 
Congregational  church  which  recently  merged  with  the  German  Congrega- 
tional church  as  the  Berean  church  of  which  Rev.  R.  K.  Atkinson  is  pastor. 

Nor  is  this  all  of  Congregationalism  in  Davenport,  for  in  1854  the  German 
Congregational  church  was  organized. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  603 

As  early  as  1890  plans  for  the  chapel  addition  began  to  be  considered,  as 
the  auditorium  was  inadequate  for  any  expansion  of  the  Sunday  school  or 
other  work  in  the  interest  of  Christian  nurture.  The  accumulation  of  money  for 
this  extension  began,  but  the  whole  matter  received  a  set-back  during  the  period 
of  financial  depression,  1892-1896.  At  the  annual  meeting,  January,  1900,  the 
church  voted  to  raise  money  for  renovating  the  church  and  building  a  chapel  on 
the  rear  of  the  lot.  On  November  4th,  of  the  same  year,  the  present  structure, 
costing  $12,000,  was  dedicated  and  the  church  reopened  after  a  thorough  reno- 
vation without  and  within,  costing  about  $4,000.  These  changes  gave  the  Ed- 
wards congregation  one  of  the  best  church  plants  in  the  state.  During  the 
year  $11,000  of  the  amount  needed  for  these  improvements  was  raised  in  cash 
and  pledges. 

Up  to  1904  Edwards  church  and  society  existed  jointly,  but  the  growing  de- 
sire to  incorporate  as  a  church  alone  led  to  steps  looking  up  to  that  end.  Ac- 
cordingly the  legal  proceedings  necessary  to  the  incorporation  of  Edwards  church, 
and  the  termination  of  the  ecclesiastical  society  formerly  connected  herewith,  and 
the  transference  of  the  property  to  the  church  were  regularly  and  properly  taken. 
The  final  meeting  when  this  business  was  transacted  was  held  March  10,  1904. 

Still  another  interesting  chapter  might  be  written  about  Iowa  college,  which, 
after  much  prayer  and  sacrifice,  was  incorporated  in  1847  ^"d  opened  in  Daven- 
port, November  i,  1848.  Chief  among  its  founders  and  supporters  were  Revs. 
Asa  Turner,  JuHus  A.  Reed,  A.  B.  Robbins  and  all  the  famous  "Iowa  Band." 
The  city  subscribed  $1,365  and  thirteen  lots,  and  the  twelve  trustees,  home  mis- 
sionary pastors  on  salaries  of  $400,  gave  $100  each.  Once  the  college  moved 
from  the  original  location  on  Ripley  street  to  the  property  now  occupied  by 
the  Episcopal  cathedral  and  the  new  high  school.  Disputes  with  the  city  regard- 
ing a  street  through  the  property,  together  with  a  gift  of  land  and  an  opening 
at  Grinnell,  led  to  the  removal  thither  in  1858,  where  the  college  has  prospered 
under  the  presidencies  of  Dr.  Magoun,  Dr.  Gates,  Dr.  Dan  F.  Bradley  and  J. 
H.  T.  Main. 

MEMBERSHIP  BY  PERIODS. 

1861,26;  1865,61;  1870,  170;  1875,  216;  1880,  322;  1885,  304;  1890,  317;  1895, 
314;  1900,  325;  1905,  396;  I9IO,  455. 

CHARTER  MEMBERS  OF  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Organized  July  30,   1839. 

Strong  Burnell,  Olivia  (Strong)  Burnell,  William  S.  Collins,  Benjamin  F. 
Coates,  Jane  C.  Fessenden.  John  C.  Holbrook,  Cynthia  (Mrs.  John  C.)  Holbrook, 
Andonean  Kendal,  Mary  C.  (Mrs.  Andonean)  Kendal,  Abraham  Neely,  Char- 
lott  (Mrs.  Abraham)  Neely. 

PASTORS  OF  FIRST  CHURCH. 

Rev.  J.  p.  Stuart,  June  to  December,  1840;  Rev.  Oliver  Emerson,  December 
20,  1840,  to  June  20,  1841 ;  Rev.  Allen  B.  Hitchcock,  September  12,   1841,  to 


604  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

November  i,  1844;  Rev.  Ephraim  Adams,  D.  D.,  November  i,  1844,  to  May  i, 
1855;  Rev.  George  F.  Magoun,  D.  D.,  June,  1855,  to  September  9,  i860;  Rev. 
William  Windsor,  August  17,  1861,  to  September  23,  1866;  Rev.  J.  A.  Hamilton, 
D.  D.,  August  I,  1867,  to  November  30,  1871 ;  Rev.  J.  G.  Merrill,  D.  D.,  Janu- 
ary 2,  1872,  to  August  31,  1882;  Rev.  Martin  L.  Williston,  September  17,  1882, 
to  January  i,  1888;  Rev.  A.  W.  Archibald,  D.  D.,  June  i,  1888,  to  November 
15,  1892;  Rev.  B.  F.  Boiler,  January  i,  1893,  to  October  i,  1894;  Rev.  G.  S. 
Rollins,  D.  D.,  December  i,  1894,  to  November  i,  1902;  Rev.  Charles  A.  Moore, 
Ph.  D.,  February  i,  1903.  Dr.  Moore  is  now  pastor  of  the  church.  During 
his  recovery  from  serious  illness  Rev.  W.  J.  Suckow,  field  secretary  of  Grinnell 
college,  is  serving  as  pulpit  supply. 


ST.    PAULS    ENGLISH    EVANGELICAL    LUTHERAN. 

Tradition  has  it  that  in  the  early  '50s  efforts  were  made  to  establish  an  English 
Lutheran  church  in  Davenport,  and  it  is  a  rpatter  of  regret  that  no  documents  of 
any  kind  are  to  be  found  save  one,  in  which  the  banking  firm  of  Cook  &  Sargent 
agree  to  convey  to  the  trustees  of  the  First  English  Evangehcal  Lutheran  church 
of  the  city  of  Davenport  lot  i  in  block  No.  3  in  Green's  second  addition  to  the 
city  of  Davenport,  for  the  consideration  of  one  dollar,  provided  the  said  trustees 
erect  thereon  a  two  story  building  not  less  than  forty  by  seventy  feet.  However, 
the  conditions  were  not  met.  The  names  of  the  late  Dr.  Stukenberg,  Rev.  Kissel, 
and  others,  had  been  associated  with  these  early  attempts,  but  nothing  permanent 
resulted  until  Rev.  George  W.  Snyder  was  appointed  the  missionary  by  the  board 
of  home  missions,  his  commission  dating  April  i,  1879.  During  the  preceding  year 
Rev.  Snyder,  in  conjunction  with  Rev.  G.  W.  Diveley,  had  canvassed  the  city  and 
secured  the  signatures  of  some  thirty  persons  desirous  of  becoming  members  of 
the  new  organization.  These  persons  were  not  formed  into  a  congregation  until 
later.  The  missionary,  not  having  a  suitable  place  to  hold  services,  started  on  a 
canvassing  trip  throughout  the  church,  without  holding  any  religious  meetings 
here  until  he  had  secured  $4,000  dollars  for  the  erection  of  a  suitable  place  of 
worship.  The  lots  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Fourteenth  streets,  where  the 
church  and  parsonage  are  located,  were  purchased  at  a  total  cost,  including  sewer 
and  other  expenses,  of  $i,74q.  The  chapel,  now  part  of  the  new  edifice,  and 
used  as  the  Sunday  school  room,  was  erected  during  the  fall  of  1881  and  spring 
of  1882.  The  first  service  therein  was  held  January  22,  1882.  The  Sunday  school 
was  also  organized  that  day  with  thirty-four  present.  Of  the  original  signers 
of  the  constitution  the  following  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  new  congregation : 

H.  B.  Martin,  Mrs.  A.  S.  Martin,  Mrs.  Jane  Rhodes.  Bernhard  Reilley,  Mrs. 
Catherine  Reilley,  Miss  Anna  A.  Reilley,  Philip  Garner.  Mrs.  Susan  Garner,  Miss 
Lucinda  Garner,  now  Mrs.  John  Roth,  and  Mrs.  Laura  B.  Snyder.  The  congre- 
gation having  been  received  into  connection  with  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  synod 
of  Iowa,  on  October  30,  1879,  ^low  began  its  real  work.  During  the  year  1882 
sixteen  new  members  were  added  to  the  church.  Of  these,  who  might  be  well 
considered  the  charter  members,  the  following  remain  on  the  honor  roll :  Mrs. 
Jane  Rhodes,  Mrs.  Catherine  Reillev.  ^liss  Anna  A.  Reilley.  ?ilrs.  Lucinda  Roth. 


ENGLISH  EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  CHURCH.  DAVENPORT 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  607 

Miss  Emma  Heden,  Aliss  Laura  Rhodes  and  J.  A.  Rhodes.     Death  has  claimed 
several  and  others  were  dismissed  by  letter. 

The  chapel  was  dedicated  on  April  30,  1882,  Rev.  G.  W.  Stelling,  D.  D.,  then 
of  Omaha,  preaching  the  dedication  sermon.  Rev.  J.  W.  Goodlin,  the  secretary 
of  the  board  of  home  missions,  was  present,  as  well  as  Rev.  S.  D.  Barnitz,  the 
western  secretary  of  the  board,  who  assisted  in  the  services.  There  was  a  whole 
week  of  rejoicing  and  preaching.  The  offerings  on  the  following  Sunday  were 
sufficient  to  liquidate  all  indebtedness.  The  same  fall  the  present  parsonage  was 
built  at  a  cost  of  $2,292.  Of  this  amount  the  board  of  church  extension  loaned 
the  congregation  $1,625.  This  indebtedness  taxed  the  young  mission  for  several 
years,  but  on  June  5,  1889,  the  last  farthing  was  paid.  On  April  i.  1891,  Rev. 
George  W.  Snyder  closed  his  pastorate  at  St.  Paul's  to  assume  the  charge  of  a 
new  mission  at  Council  Bluffs.  During  the  vacancy  that  occurred  after  the  de- 
parture of  Rev.  Snyder,  Rev.  E.  F.  Bartholomew,  D.  D.,  from  Augiistana  college, 
supplied  the  pulpit,  and  various  brethren  visited  the  church  with  a  view  of  be- 
coming the  pastor.  On  the  7th  of  May,  1891,  the  present  pastor.  Rev.  W.  Henry 
Blancke,  was  invited  to  the  pastorate,  and  on  June  24,  1891,  the  call  was  accepted. 
The  church  and  Sunday  school  increased  and  grew  in  number  and  efficiency.  The 
chapel  became  too  small  to  suit  the  needs  of  the  congregation,  so  on  February  26th, 
it  having  been  determined  to  build  a  new  church  edifice,  a  building  committee  was 
appointed  consisting  of  W.  B.  Murray,  M.  S.  Like,  F.  L.  Secoy.  P.  Paulson  and 
A.  H.  Puttcamp,  with  full  instructions  to  erect  a  building  not  to  exceed  in  cost 
$12,000.  A  finance  committee  was  also  appointed  consisting  of  H.  H.  Vogt,  Lars 
Johnsen,  and  Jacob  Olsson.  The  pastor  was  an  ex-officio  member  of  both  com- 
mittees. At  a  final  meeting  of  the  congregation  the  bids  and  plans  were  submitted 
for  a  $22,000  structure,  which  were  accepted,  and  on  May  4,  1902,  the  beautiful 
edifice  was  dedicated  with  a  total  cost  of  $26,000,  including  organ  and  furnishings. 
Rev.  E.  F.  Bartholomew,  D.  D.,  preached  the  dedication  sermon  in  the  morning 
and  Rev.  J.  A.  Wirt,  D.  D.,  of  Des  Aloines,  preached  the  evening  sermon.  At 
both  these  services  the  offerings  amounted  to  nearly  $6,000.  Since  Rev.  Blancke's 
pastorate  began  up  to  the  present  time  there  have  been  received  into  the  church 
over  300  new  members,  and  the  Sunday  school  has  an  enrollment  of  about  250. 
In  connection  with  the  church  is  a  Young  People's  Luther  league  of  about  sev- 
enty-five members. 

FIRST  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH. 

When  Mr.  Barrows  ended  his  chronicle  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  the 
congregation  was  worshiping  in  the  building  which  had  been  erected  in  1853  o" 
the  north  side  of  Third  between  Main  and  Harrison  streets.  Rev.  J.  D.  Mason 
had  resigned  his  pastorate  and  his  successor  had  not  been  chosen.  Rev.  S.  Mc- 
Anderson  came  from  Pennsylvania  to  fill  the  vacancy,  commencing  his  service  in 
January  of  i860  and  continuing  until  December  31,  1869.  It  was  during  this  pas- 
torate, in  April,  1864,  that  the  congregation  sold  the  Third  street  church  building 
to  Woeber  Brothers,  carriage  makers  and  bought  St.  Luke's  church  on  the  corner 
of  Seventh  and  Brady  streets.     It  was  virtually  an  exchange  as  far  as  financial 


608  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

value  is  concerned,  the  consideration  in  each  case  being  $6,000,  although  the  con- 
struction cost  of  St.  Luke's  had  been  considerably  more. 

In  the  spring  of  1870  Rev.  J.  B.  Stewart,  D.  D.,  became  pastor  of  the  church 
and  continued  in  that  relation  until  October  i,  1872.  Next  New  Year's  day  Dr. 
C.  D.  Nott,  a  grandson  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Eliphalet  Nott,  president  of  Union  college, 
came  to  the  First  church  and  remained  until  1880.  Rev.  Dr.  N.  M.  Clute  next 
filled  the  pulpit  and  cared  for  the  spiritual  health  of  his  people  until  May,  1885. 
Upon  his  resignation  a  search  for  his  successor  was  made  and  it  was  almost  a  year 
before  Dr.  J.  B.  Little  took  up  the  work.  The  date  was  April,  1886,  his  installa- 
tion following  June  15,  1886. 

In  June,  1896,  Dr.  Little  resigned  and  November  8  of  the  same  year  Rev.  Dr. 
John  B.  Donaldson  came  from  Minneapolis  to  succeed  him.  Preparations  were 
begun  for  the  erection  of  a  new  church  building  which  should  be  more  commodious, 
nearer  the  center  of  the  parish  and  more  in  accord  with  what  is  now  considered  a 
church  building  should  be.  March  18,  1898,  ground  was  broken  at  the  corner  of 
Kirkwood  boulevard  and  Iowa  street.  July  20th  the  corner  stone  was  laid.  De- 
cember 17,  1899,  the  completed  church  was  dedicated. 

The  new  structure  is  built  of  Marquette  brown  stone  which  has  a  magnesian 
stain,  known  as  the  "rain  drop"  marking.  It  makes  the  warmest,  richest,  stateliest 
structure  that  heart  could  wish.  The  architecture  is  Romanesque,  the  tower  in 
the  style  of  Richardson  the  eminent  Boston  architect  and  the  carved  oak  leaves 
and  foliage  in  the  gables  are  of  renaissance  design.  The  interior  is  octagonal  in 
shape  while  the  ceiling  is  marked  with  a  Maltese  cross  and  a  Greek  cross.  Every 
convenience  and  adjunct  has  been  given  place  in  this  splendid  building  and  it  is 
considered  a  model  church  home  by  all  who  have  seen  it. 

In  April,  1907,  the  old  building  on  Third  street  which  was  the  location  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  church  congregation  for  so  many  years  was  torn  down  to  make 
room  for  a  fine  business  block. 

July  22,  1907,  Dr.  Donaldson,  greatly  beloved  by  his  people  for  his  ready  sym- 
pathy, pulpit  excellence  and  spirituality,  resigned.  His  successor,  Rev.  Leroy  M. 
CofTman,  of  Sidney,  Ohio,  accepted  a  call  to  this  church,  April  26,  1908,  and  has 
since  his  removal  to  Davenport  been  the  shepherd  of  the  flock.  He  has  been 
assisted  for  some  months  by  Rev.  H.  C.  Anderson,  who  has  especial  charge  of  the 
work  at  Newcomb  chapel. 

MCCLELLAN    HEIGHTS   UNITED   PRESBYTERIAN. 

The  Associate  Reformed  Presbyterian  church,  a  lineal  ancestor  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  church,  was  organized  in  Davenport  on  October  21,  1854.  There  was 
at  this  time  a  membership  of  ten.  Rev.  William  Graham  was  the  pastor  and 
Thomas  M.  Patterson  and  Alexander  Blair  were  elected  ruling  elders.  The  or- 
ganization had  property  at  the  corner  of  Tenth  and  Scott  streets.  In  1858,  through 
the  union  of  the  Associated  and  Associate  Reformed  Presbyterian  denominations 
the  United  Presbyterian  church  was  formed,  and  from  that  time  on  the  Daven- 
port organization  was  known  by  that  name.  In  the  spring  of  1883  the  congrega- 
tion disposed  of  its  property  on  Scott  street  and  purchased  property  on  the 
corner  of  Eleventh  and  Brady  streets.  The  work  continued  in  this  new  location  un- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  609 

der  many  ministries  and  with  varying  degrees  of  success  until  the  year  1905.  In  the 
summer  of  that  year  Alexander  Gilchrist,  D.  D.,  secretary  of  the  United  Pres- 
byterian Board  of  Home  Missions,  visited  the  Davenport  field  and,  considering 
the  work  unsatisfactory,  appointed  Rev.  W.  R.  Cox  to  be  the  acting  pastor,  with 
a  view  to  bettering  the  efficiency  of  the  church.  After  some  months  spent  in 
getting  acquainted  with  the  condition  of  the  congregation  and  the  needs  of  the 
city,  it  was  decided  to  rebuild  in  a  new  location.  The  old  congregation  was  dis- 
solved and  a  new  one  organized  May  15,  1906.  A  building  site  was  secured  at  the 
corner  of  Jersey  Ridge  road  and  Fulton  avenue.  Here  work  was  begun  at  once 
and  the  new  church  was  dedicated  September  29,  1907.  Messrs.  John  Vander 
Heyden,  Arthur  Peterson  and  S.  C.  Card  were  elected  and  ordained  ruling  elders. 
A.  W.  Jamieson  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  congregation.  The  membership  of 
the  new  organization  consisted  of  about  thirty  earnest,  zealous  people,  who  have 
not  hesitated  to  grapple  with  the  problems  of  a  new  work  in  a  new  field,  and 
they  have  been  signally  blessed  with  a  steady  progress.  Rev.  W.  R.  Cox  continued 
in  the  work  till  March,  1908.  Rev.  W.  O.  Chisholm  took  up  the  work  in  August, 
1908,  and  still  is  with  this  people.    The  membership  is  now  sixty-five. 


FIRST  UNITARIAN  CHURCH. 

The  earliest  record  books  of  this  church  have  been  lost,  which  make  it  diffi- 
cult for  the  historian  to  give  a  complete  and  accurate  account  of  its  organization. 
However,  in  1899  the  twenty-first  anniversary  of  the  church  was  held,  at  which 
the  pastor  of  that  day,  Arthur  M.  Judy,  and  others,  supplied  most  of  the  missing 
links  in  papers  read  upon  that  interesting  occasion.  The  paper  of  Major  Morton 
L.  Marks  appears  to  be  the  most  pertinent  to  the  subject.    He  relates : 

"On  June  28,  1868,  Rev.  Laird  Collier  preached  afternoon  and  evening  in  the 
Burtis  opera  house  to  congregations  which  'would  have  filled  to  overflowing  any 
church  in  the  city.'  After  the  evening  meeting  the  first  recorded  step  toward  the 
organization  of  the  Unitarian  church  in  Davenport  was  taken  by  the  adoption 
of  a  motion  offered  by  Dr.  Barrows,  that  a  Liberal  church  be  organized.  Sixty- 
three  signatures  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  favored  such  an  organization  hav- 
ing been  obtained,  a  committee  consisting  of  H.  Darlington,  John  Gallagan,  A. 
Kimball,  W.  A.  Remington  and  Dr.  D.  C.  Roundy  was  appointed  to  canvass  the 
matter  further  and  report  at  an  adjourned  meeting  in  the  opera  house  Tuesday, 
June  30th,  two  days  later.  The  meeting  having  come  together  at  the  appointed 
time,  the  church  was  organized  by  the  adoption  of  articles  of  association.  At 
the  same  meeting  the  following  trustees  were  elected:  A.  H.  Bennett,  Howard 
Darlington,  John  Gallagan,  Dr.  D.  C.  Roundy  and  A.  Kimball.  Twenty-eight 
signatures  were  secured  at  this  meeting  and  it  was  decided  to  secure  the  services 
of  a  pastor.  During  the  summer  the  pulpit  was  supplied  as  follows :  July  19th, 
by  Rev.  Robert  Collier,  of  Chicago;  July  26th,  by  Rev.  W.  S.  Haywood,  of  Bos- 
ton ;  August  23d,  by  Rev.  F.  E.  Kitridge,  of  Concord,  New  Hampshire ;  August 
26th,  by  Rev.  McDaniel,  of  Brighton,  IMassachusetts ;  September  27,  1868,  and  on 
the  following  Sunday,  Rev.  N.  Seaver,  of  Boston,  preached  morning  and  after- 
noon at  the  Burtis  opera  house,  and  early  in  October  the  society  extended  to  him 
a  call  to  fill  the  pulpit,  which  he  accepted  and  entered  upon  his  pastoral  duties 


610  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

November  14,  1868.  February  16.  1871,  articles  of  incorporation  were  filed  by 
the  following  persons:  D.  C.  Roundy,  M.  K.  Parks,  E.  A.  Day,  John  C.  Bills,  H. 
C.  F.  Jensen,  George  E.  Hubbell  and  George  H.  French,  for  the  purpose  of  ac- 
quiring and  disposing  of  property  and  to  create  debts  not  to  exceed  $2,000,  and 
in  1875,  during  Rev.  Hunting's  pastorate,  the  constitution  upon  which  the  church 
is  now  acting  was  adopted.  For  some  time  services  were  held  in  the  Burtis  opera 
house,  then  in  the  city  hall.  In  1870  the  society  built  a  church  of  its  own,  which 
was  dedicated  February  19,  1871.  The  present  building,  on  the  corner  of  Tenth 
and  Perry  streets,  was  erected  in  1897  and  in  1905  was  remodeled. 

FIRST    CHURCH    OF    CHRIST,    SCIENTIST. 

The  members  of  the  First  Church  of  Christ,  Scientist,  their  church  property 
entirely  cleared  from  debt,  dedicated  it  Sunday,  June  29,  1908,  formally,  with 
services  both  in  the  morning  and  evening.  The  service  rooms  in  the  church,  at 
the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Perry  streets,  were  crowded  both  in  the  morning  and 
evening,  and  it  was  necessary  to  open  the  reading  rooms  to  accommodate  the 
members  and  visitors.    On  this  occasion  the  following  article  was  read : 

The  first  knowledge  of  the  healing  work  done  through  Christian  Science  was 
brought  to  this  city  by  a  lady  in  1887.  Being  at  one  of  the  hotels  she  was  soon 
known  as  a  practitioner  and  many  people  went  to  her  for  help.  One,  a  young 
girl,  was  lame,  having  one  limb  shorter  than  the  other.  She  decided  to  try  the 
treatment  and  asked  a  lady  friend  to  go  with  her.  Not  believing  the  healing 
possible,  but  willing  to  help  the  girl  all  she  could,  she  went.  To  her  amazement 
the  limb  was  lengthened  and  healed.  When  the  girl  bought  her  first  pair  of  shoes, 
having  both  alike,  this  lady  was  present.  Believing  it  a  wonderful  cure,  this 
friend  determined  to  know  what  power  caused  it.  Inquiring  of  the  practitioner 
she  was  told  Mrs.  Mary  B.  G.  Eddy,  of  Boston,  was  the  discoverer  and  founder 
of  Christian  Science,  and  "Science  and  Health  with  Key  to  the  Scriptures"  was 
the  text  book  to  get  and  study.  She  sent  for  a  copy  but  had  it  in  the  house  six 
months  before  reading  it.  In  the  meantime  other  literature  had  found  is  way  to 
Davenport.  Many  people  read  it,  thinking  it  Christian  Science,  or  something  just 
as  good.  Some  of  them  were  friends  of  the  lady  who  sent  for  "Science  and 
Health."  Following  her  advice  they  gave  up  this  literature  and  teaching  to  study 
"Science  and  Health."  Christian  Science  now  had  a  start.  From  this  time  on 
meetings  were  held  in  private  houses  for  the  discussion  of  Christian  Science. 
Several  teachers  came  and  held  classes.  None  of  them  stayed  longer  than  a  few 
weeks  or  months.  Some  read  "Science  and  Health,"  some  did  not,  but  none  of 
them  were  accredited  teachers. 

The  first  to  come  with  authority  to  teach  was  a  student  of  Mrs.  Eddy.  She 
spent  three  months  in  1889,  doing  all  she  could  to  establish  the  work  in  that 
short  time.  But  no  one  came  to  stay  until  1891,  when  two  gentlemen  moved  here 
to  live  and  with  the  intention  of  practicing  Christian  Science.  They  opened  the 
way  for  systematic  work  and  teaching.  For  the  following  year  meetings  were 
held  in  a  private  house.  Then  room  21,  Masonic  Temple,  was  secured  and  First 
Church  of  Christ,  Scientist,  of  Davenport,  was  organized  May  31,  1892,  with 
sixteen  charter  members,  about  half  of  them  from  Rock  Island,  Illinois.     The 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  611 

tirst  services  were  held  Sunday  mornings  and  i'Viday  afternoons.  The  after- 
noon testimony  meetings  were  soon  changed  to  Wednesday  evenings,  the  same 
as  now.  Interest  in  Christian  Science — and  attendance  at  the  services — increased 
steadily  until  larger  quarters  were  needed.  During  the  summer  of  1895  the  Sun- 
day services  were  changed  to  Columbian  hall,  near  Third  and  Brady  streets.  In 
the  fall  the  people  from  Rock  Island  felt  they  were  strong  enough  to  commence 
the  work  in  that  city.  So  Wednesday  evening  meetings  were  begun,  although 
they  still  attended  Sunday  services  in  Davenport. 

October  25,  1896,  First  Church  of  Christ,  Scientist,  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  was 
formed.  This  step  forward  took  away  about  half  the  membership  from  the 
Davenport  church.  Being  the  result  of  progress  and  strength,  giving  the  promise 
of  two  churches  where  there  had  been  only  one,  all  rejoiced  when  the  organization 
was  completed.  Later  on  the  Masonic  Temple  room  was  given  up  and  all  meet- 
ings held  in  Columbian  hall.  The  congregation  grew  until  it  was  necessary  to  find 
another  place.  As  there  was  no  larger  hall  in  the  city  it  was  necessary  to  buy  or 
build.  So  this  fine  location  was  secured.  This  change  brought  greater  interest 
and  attendance  at  the  services ;  more  call  for  literature  at  the  reading  room.  This 
has  continued  until  now  the  church  has-  paid  the  debt  incurred  with  the  pur- 
chase of  its  property  and  is  rejoicing  in  greater  freedom  and  prosperity,  both 
spiritual  and  financial  than  ever  before.  The  obstacles  overcome  have  been  many. 
The  usual  course  has  been  followed  here,  beginning  with  the  interest  and  work  of 
one — then  a  handful  of  people  to  hold  meetings — resulting  in  the  organization  of 
the  church.  Much  gratitude  should  be  given  those  who  have  worked  earnestly 
and  faithfully  to  accomplish  this.     They  are  to  be  congratulated  upon  the  work. 

MOUNT   IDA   PRESBYTERIAN. 

In  May.  1855,  A.  C.  Fulton  gave  to  the  trustees  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  a  lot  at  the  corner  of  Fulton  and  College  avenues,  to  be  used  for  church 
purposes,  and  there  a  mission  was  maintained  by  the  First  church  until  February 
6.  1876,  when  the  Renwick  Memorial  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  with 
twenty  charter  members,  of  which  Mrs.  Amanda  Keever  is  still  living.     Rev.  J. 

D.  Mason,  who  served  as  pastor  for  the  first  few  weeks  until  succeeded  by  Rev. 
W.  S.  Messmer.  headed  the  list  of  the  incorporators  when  the  church  was  re- 
named the  College  Avenue  Presbyterian  church.  Those  associated  with  Mr. 
Mason  in  this  incorporation  were  P.  S.  Morton,  A.  M.  Miner.  Thomas  Havens. 
J.  H.  Knostman,  James  H.  Weise.  G.  F.  Knostman.  J.  W.  ^^oodry.  and  Miss 

E.  'Andreas.  The  first  board  of  elders  comprised  J.  H.  Knostman.  P.  S.  Morton, 
Wm.  Walker,  and  Thomas  Havens. 

The  church  building  was  erected  on  grounds  enlarged  by  purchase  in  1875 
and  to  the  original  structure  additions  have  been  made  as  the  congregation  has 
grown.  At  .this  time  this  church  organization  faces  the  problem  of  providing 
more  room  for  church  services  and  Sunday  school. 

June  13,  1882,  the  church  was  reorganized  as  the  Second  Presbyterian  church 
and  a  few  years  since  the  name  was  again  changed  to  the  Mt.  Ida  Presbyterian 
church. 


612  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Rev.  W.  S.  Messmer  served  as  pastor  in  1876-1877;  Rev.  J.  W.  Coleman, 
1877-1878;  Rev.  Robert  Edgar,  1881-1891 ;  Rev.  W.  H.  Kearns,  1891-1894;  Rev. 
W.  R.  Williams,  1895-1896;  Rev.  J.  H.  McArthur,  1897-1898;  Rev.  D.  W.  Wy- 
lie,  1899-1902;  Rev.  Mott  R.  Sawyers  from  1902  to  the  present  time. 

CALVARY    BAPTIST. 

This  church  was  first  known  as  the  First  Baptist  church,  and  held  its  first 
religious  service  in  the  house  of  John  M.  Eldridge,  which  was  on  Brady  street, 
and  later  converted  into  a  photograph  gallery.  Rev.  Israel  Fisher  was  the  first 
pastor.  He  left  here  for  Oregon,  where  he  died  some  years  later.  The  church 
was  organized  by  Rev.  Mr.  Fisher  with  the  following  charter  members :  J.  M. 
Eldridge,  Mrs.  Mary  Eldridge,  John  Swartout,  Charles  Swartout,  Richard  Price 
and  wife  and  David  Wilson  and  wife.  Richard  Price  and  David  Wilson  were  the 
deacons.  The  congregation  fitted  up  a  room  on  Front  street,  over  a  store,  as  a 
place  of  worship,  and  held  services  there  until  they  built  a  brick  structure  at  the 
corner  of  Fourth  and  Brady  on  a  lot  donated  by  Antoine  LeClaire  to  the  church. 
Services  were  held  here  until  the  building  became  too  small  and  finally  they  re- 
moved to  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Main,  where  a  pretentious  brick  structure  was 
erected  and  later  occupied  by  the  high  school  and  now  used  for  a  bakery  by  the 
Korn  Bakery  Company. 

History  records  that  in  October,  1851,  sixteen  persons  who  had  taken  letters 
from  the  First  Baptist  church  met  in  a  school  house  on  Perry  street,  now  The 
Boies'  undertaking  rooms,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  what  is  now  the  Cal- 
vary Baptist  church.  Among  them  the  familiar  names  of  Davis,  Blood  and 
Witherwax  appear.  They  purchased  with  a  dwelling  the  northwest  corner  of 
Fourth  and  Perry  and  services  were  held  in  this  place  for  some  time.  In  1852 
for  various  reasons  this  lot  was  sold  and  the  southwest  corner  of  Fourth  was 
purchased — a  lot  including  the  one  now  occupied  by  the  postoffice  and  also  the 
one  in  the  rear,  now  occupied  by  the  Tri-City  Electrical  Company. 

On  leaving  the  dwelling  house  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Perry  the  people 
worshiped  in  the  block,  at  the  corner  of  Third  and  Brady,  a  place  known  as  the 
Medical  college,  and  at  this  time  they  enjoyed  the  pastoral  services  of  Rev.  E.  M. 
Mills,  who  settled  here  in  1852  and  served  them  for  five  years,  during  which  time 
some  seventy  were  added  to  the  church  by  baptism.  It  was  during  his  pastorate 
that  the  house  of  worship  at  Fourth  and  Perry  was  erected,  first  forty  by  sixty 
feet — and  then  an  addition  of  twenty  feet  added  on  the  west  before  the  audience 
room  was  completed. 

Rev.  Mills  resigned  in  1857  and  Rev.  J.  Butterfield,  of  Waterloo,  New  York, 
was  called  to  succeed  him.  The  building  was  approaching  completion  and  was 
formally  dedicated  in  May  of  that  year,  with  the  dedication  sermon  by  Brother 
Mills,  the  first  pastor.  Brother  Butterfield  addressed  himself  with  great  efficiency 
to  the  financial  burden  which  had  been  assumed  to  complete  this  house,  and 
during  his  pastorate  over  fifty  were  added  by  baptism.  During  this  time  the 
first  and  second  churches  were  united — a  step  that  seemed  necessary  in  order  to 
save  one  building  for  the  Baptists.    In  1864  Rev.  D.  S.  Watson  succeeded  to  the 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  613 

pastorate.  During  his  pastorate  the  old  debt  was  canceled  and  the  name  of 
Calvary  Regular  Baptist  church  was  taken.  Rev.  Watson  was  popular  with  all 
and  especially  liked  by  the  young  people.  His  great  field  was  in  the  pulpit  and 
many  old  and  young  who  had  previously  given  religion  little  thought  came  to 
hear  his  powerful  sermons.  Anyone  of  those  present  can  remember  as  though 
it  were  yesterday  a  sermon  on  the  Love  of  Christ.  At  its  close  he  left  the  desk, 
came  to  one  side  of  the  very  front  of  the  platform,  his  tall  form  erect,  and  his 
dark  eyes  flashed  from  under  darker  eyebrows,  and  repeated  Romans  viii,  35. 

Brother  Watson  resigned  in  1867  and  a  year  intervened  before  the  church  wel- 
comed Rev.  T.  W.  Powell,  a  man  whose  kindness  and  sympathetic  nature  won 
many  hearts.  After  a  pastorate  of  two  years  ill  health  compelled  him  to  resign 
to  be  succeeded  by  Rev.  N.  S.  Burton,  D.  D.,  a  man  sound  in  doctrine  and  logical 
in  his  sermons.  The  North  Davenport  mission  was  established  during  his  pas- 
torate and  many  added  to  the  church.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  T.  W.  Powell, 
who  remained  three  years,  but  a  delicate  constitution  obliged  him  to  seek  a  field 
where  the  labor  would  be  less.  Rev.  W.  H.  Stifler,  D.  D.,  was  his  successor,  a 
man  full  of  energy  and  life,  and  he  served  acceptably  for  over  five  years. 

Rev.  Frank  L.  Wilkins,  D.  D.,  was  next  called  to  the  pastorate,  and  entered 
upon  his  work  November  29,  1885.  The  church  up  to  this  time  had  occupied 
the  stone  edifice  at  the  corner  of  Perry  and  Fourth  streets.  The  church  decided 
May  6,  1886,  to  undertake  the  building  of  a  new  house  of  worship  to  be  located 
on  the  "Blufif."  A  site  at  the  corner  of  Perry  and  Fourteenth  streets  was  later 
purchased,  at  a  cost  of  $3,400,  and  here,  September  21,  1899,  the  cornerstone 
of  the  new  edifice  was  laid.  Special  meetings  in  celebration  of  the  semi-centennial 
of  Baptist  history  in  Davenport  were  held  September  20th,  21st,  and  22d;  the 
Davenport  association  having  by  arrangement  held  its  annual  meeting  on  the 
previous  two  days.  The  delegates  remained  as  a  body  to  the  local  celebration. 
The  week's  meetings,  with  the  laying  of  the  stone  on  Saturday,  mark  the  most 
memorable  event  in  the  history  of  Calvary  church — practically  the  opening  of  a 
new  era  for  the  Baptist  cause  in  Davenport. 

The  new  edifice  was  dedicated  Sunday,  Alay  25.  1890.  The  total  cost  of 
the  building  with  its  furnishings,  including  the  pipe  organ  ($3,100),  was  about 
$33,000. 

Dr.  Wilkins  resigned  the  pastorale  in  1891  to  accept  the  general  secretary- 
ship of  the  Baptist  Young  Peoples'  Union  of  America.  Rev.  E.  H.  Lovett,  of 
Oswego,  New  York,  was  called  as  his  successor,  remaining  six  years,  years  of 
large  ingathering.  Three  hundred  or  more  were  added  to  the  church.  At  his 
resignation,  without  interregnum  and  without  visitation.  Rev.  J.  W.  Weddell, 
D.  D.,  pastor  of  the  "Old  Tenth"  church  of  Philadelphia,  was  called  to  the  pas- 
torate. He  responded  to  the  call  in  a  like  generous  spirit,  and  assumed  spiritual 
charge  in  February,  1898,  God's  blessing  being  on  the  union  from  the  first. 

Rev.  H.  O.  Rowlands  of  Lincoln,  Neb.,  succeeded  to  the  pastorate  June,  1903. 
In  1910  a  mission  was  started  in  the  northern  part  of  the  city,  a  lot  has  been  pur- 
chased and  the  erection  of  a  building  is  contemplated  in  the  near  future.  Present 
membership,  508. 


614  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

BEREA   CONGREGATIONAL. 

This  church  is  made  up  by  the  merging  of  the  German  and  Bethlehem  Con- 
gregational organizations.  The  German  Congregational  church  was  organized  in 
1854  and  services  were  held  in  a  building  on  Fifth  street,  just  west  of  Warren, 
until  1902,  when  property  was  bought  at  Fourth  and  Pine  streets  and  a  handsome 
church  edifice  erected  thereon.  Just  north  of  the  church  and  on  the  same  lot  a 
neat  pressed  brick  parsonage  was  built.  In  this  church  services  were  held  for 
fifty-six  years  without  intermission,  until  its  union  with  the  Bethlehem  church, 
in  October,  1909. 

The  Mission  Sunday  school  was  organized  in  the  late  '60s  to  conduct  instruc- 
tion in  English  in  the  west  end  of  Davenport.  For  a  number  of  years  this  Sunday 
school  met  at  the  German  Congregational  church  on  West  Fifth  street  Sunday 
afternoons.  In  1882  members  of  the  Edwards  Congregational  church,  with  a 
few  others  who  had  been  helping  in  the  Sunday  school,  built  Bethlehem  hall  on 
Warren  street  just  south  of  Fifth.  In  1894  the  Bethlehem  church  was  organ- 
ized as  an  independent  society,  and  continued  at  the  old  location  until  its  union 
with  the  German  church  in  October,  1909,  to  form  the  Berea  church.  Under  the 
leadership  of  the  Rev.  R.  K.  Atkinson,  pastor  of  the  Bethlehem  church,. the  Berea 
Congregational  church  was  organized  by  merging  with  the  Bethlehem  as  stated 
above.  The  church  has  220  members  and  its  property,  consisting  of  a  modern 
church  building,  valued  at  about  $14,000.  The  Sunday  school  enrolls  230  mem- 
bers, and  all  the  auxiliary  organizations  of  the  church  are  active  and  aggressive. 

TRINITY  GERMAN  EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN. 

This  church  was  organized  January  30,  1870,  by  the  following  twelve  Chris- 
tian men:  Jacob  Stahmer,  Paul  Stahmer,  John  C.  Stahmer,  Fritz  Meier,  John 
Meier,  Franz  Peters,  Peter  Ruehmann,  Franz  Hagermann,  Christian  Harsch, 
Heinrich  Oldson,  Heinrich  Dose.  Frederick  Loehndorf.  At  this  time  there  were 
eighty-three  members,  and  the  first  pastor  was  William  Vonhof .  who  served  from 
1870  until  1871.  His  successor  was  E.  Gieseke.  whose  pastorate  continued  from 
1872  until  1875.  From  1875  tmtil  1878  Theo  Bensen  was  the  pastor.  He  was 
followed  by  J.  Streckfuss.  who  remained  until  1882.  A.  D.  Greif  was  his  suc- 
cessor, and  filled  the  pulpit  acceptably  from  March.  1883,  to  April  10,  1910,  at 
which  time  it  was  his  purpose  to  leave  for  Charter  Oak,  Iowa.  During  his  pas- 
torate here  Mr.  Greif  had  two  assistants.  Christian  W.  Otto,  from  1886  to  1887, 
and  his  son,  H.  P.  Greif,  from  1897  until  1900.  The  church  erected  a  building 
in  1870  which  is  now  used  as  a  school  for  children  of  the  congregation  and  in 
1883  the  present  building  was  erected  on  Myrtle  street  near  Fifth.  The  mem- 
bership now  numbers  435.  with  200  in  the  Sunday  school. 

HOLY    CROSS    EVANGELICAL    LUTHERAN. 

This  church  is  in  East  Davenport  on  Belle  avenue.  It  was  organized  April 
6,  1902,  with  three  members:  Otto  C.  Westphal.  the  pastor.  Charles  Poppe.  and 
the  present  pastor.  H.  P.  Greif.     The  first  services  were  held  in  the  chapel  on 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  615 

Spring  street  and  continued  there  for  about  six  months.  The  congregation  then 
removed  to  a  vacant  store  room  on  Eddy  street,  where  services  were  held  three 
months,  and  the  following  four  months  meetings  were  held  in  the  third  story  of 
the  East  Davenport  Turner  hall.  At  this  time  there  were  about  twenty  mem- 
bers. For  the  following  six  months  there  were  no  services,  but  during  that  time 
a  new  building  was  in  course  of  erection  on  Belle  avenue,  and  on  April  6,  1902, 
the  congregation  occupied  the  new  structure  and  listened  to  a  dedicatory  sermon 
which  was  preached  by  the  visiting  elder,  Rev.  A.  D.  Greif,  the  father  of  the 
present  pastor.  The  building  was  of  frame  and  with  the  lot  the  property  cost 
$2,400.  The  membership  consists  of  128  persons,  and  in  the  Sunday  school  there 
are  eighty-five  children.     The  church  is  absolutely  free  of  debt. 

THE  GERMAN    METHODIST   EPISCOPAL. 

This  church  was  organized  February  20,  1858,  and  its  first  pastor  was  Rev. 
Ulrich  Von  Gunten.  The  first  services  were  held  in  a  building  on  Brady  and 
Fifth  streets,  which  was  the  old  English  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  The  first 
trustees  were  Israel  Hall,  C.  M.  Peck,  John  Hornby,  James  Bradshaw  and 
William  Cook.  The  present  church  edifice  was  soon  after  built  on  the  corner  of 
Sixth  and  Warren  streets.  In  the  pastorate  Rev.  Von  Gunten  was  succeeded 
by  the  following:  J.  M.  Winkler,  1859-60;  Peter  Helwig,  1860-1 ;  George  Haas. 
1861-2;  M.  Kaumermeyer,  1862-3;  J.  M.  Winkler,  1863-4;  Charles  Heidel.  1864-5 ; 
Charles  Haltkamp.  1865-6;  Frederick  Heinz.  1866-9;  Philip  Hehmer,  1869-72; 
Christ  Peisch.  1872-73;  J.  G.  Eeist,  1873-5;  Charles  Halerhorst,  1875-6;  Gott- 
freid  Bonn.  1876-9;  Henry  Diener,  1879-80;  William  Winter,  1880-1 ;  R.  J.  Till- 
man, 1881-3;  John  P.  Miller,  1883-6;  John  C.  Rapp,  1886-90;  A.  H.  F.  Hertzler. 
1890-93  ;  William  Schoenig,  1893-8;  George  Ebzerath,  1898-1902 ;  Charles  J.  Moel- 
ler,  1902-6;  John  C.  Behrens,  1906-8;  A.  J.  Luebbers,  1908.  The  membership  of 
this  church  for  several  years  has  greatly  diminished,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
children  of  the  members  prefer  attending  the  English  churches.  The  member- 
ship now  is  only  about  forty,  with  fifty  in  the  Sunday  school.  Just  east  of  the 
church  and  on  the  same  lot,  is  the  parsonage,  which  was  built  in  1881. 

TEMPLE  EMANUEL. 

Temple  Emanuel  church  was  organized  in  1861  and  the  congregation  erected 
a  temple  on  the  corner  of  Ripley  and  Fourth,  which  was  dedicated  in  1884.  The 
congregation's  new  church  on  the  corner  of  Eleventh  and  Brady  was  dedicated 
in  1906.  The  first  rabbi  was  Isaac  Fall.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rabbi 
Freuder.  Then  came  Rabbi  Maurice  Thorner.  In  1900  W.  H.  Fine- 
shriber  assumed  the  pastorate  and  is  the  present  rabbi.  The  congregation  is 
made  up  of  seventy-five  families  of  Davenport.  Rock  Island  and  Moline.  Fifty 
children  attend  the  Sunday  school. 

SWEDISH    LUTHERAN. 

The  Swedish  Lutheran  church  was  organized  in  1883,  and  the  same  year  the 
church  building  was  erected  and  dedicated.     It  had  for  its  first  pastor  O.  Tor- 


616  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

rell.  In  1888  Prof.  O.  Oleson  came  to  this  charge  and  remained  until  1903,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  A.  W.  Kjellstrand.  The  present  pastor,  O.  W.  Ferm,  has 
been  here  since  1906.  The  church  was  incorporated  by  the  following  gentle- 
men: Charles  Lindwall,  John  W.  Matson,  G.  Eklund,  A.  Lindblom,  and  C.  L. 
Lindholm. 

The  church  started  with  twenty-five  members  and  now  has  150,  with  sixty-five 
in  the  Sunday  school.  The  building  is  located  on  East  Sixth  street  and  just  east 
of  it  is  the  parsonage,  built  in  1905. 

THIRD    BAPTIST      (COLORED). 

This  church  is  made  up  of  the  good  colored  Baptist  people  of  Davenport,  and 
was  organized  in  1875.  The  congregation,  though  weak  in  number,  is  strong  in 
fervor  and  hopes  for  the  future.  Its  church  building  is  located  on  West  Thir- 
teenth street. 

THE    AFRICAN    METHODIST    EPISCOPAL. 

The  A.  M.  E.  church  was  organized  in  1875  ^"^  ^t  ^^s  a  membership  of  about 
fifty  souls.  It  has  its  Sunday  school,  which  is  prospering.  This  church  is  at  the 
corner  of  Fourth  and  Gaines  streets. 

THE  FIRST  GERMAN  EVANGELICAL  LUTHER  ZION's    CHURCH. 

The  history  of  this  church  begins  on  the  9th  of  July,  1862,  that  being  the  time 
of  its  organization.  It  had  for  its  first  members  S.  Hiller,  G.  Crecelius,  B. 
Borgelt,  H.  Flemming  and  F.  Kurmeier.  The  church  edifice  is  located  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Eighth  and  Gaines  streets,  and  there  is  also  a  chapel  belonging  to  this  con- 
gregation on  Oak  and  Fifth  streets,  where  services  are  held  every  Sunday  eve- 
ning. The  present  membership  numbers  350  and  in  the  Sunday  school  there  are 
130.  Connected  with  the  church  is  a  Ladies  Aid  Society  with  twenty-five  mem- 
bers, and  also  a  Young  Folks  society  of  twenty-two  members.  The  church  is  in 
a.  very  prosperous  condition.  The  following  have  been  pastors  of  the  church : 
Revs.  John  Keisel,  from  1861  to  1865;  Josias  Ritter,  1865  to  1868;  Wilhelm  Von- 
hof,  1868-1870;  C.  Renter,  1870-1871 ;  S.  Gass,  1871-1879;  B.  Foelsch,  1879-1891 ; 
C.  Ziche,  1891-1897;  P.  Bunge,  1897-1903;  John  Hurtzig,  1903-1908;  C.  Holter- 
man,  1908,  who  is  the  present  pastor. 

The  present  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1866. 


FOUXTATX  T\  (EXTUAL  I'AlMv 


SOLDIERS'  :\roxr:\iEXT.  davex^poht 


CHAPTER  XXI. 
THE  CIVIL  WAR. 

DRED  SCOTT   IN   DAVENPORT — JOHN    BROWN   AND   COPPOC   THE   REFUGEE — ^THE   CALL 

FOR  TROOPS IOWA's  RESPONSE LOCAL  ENTHUSIASM — SCOTT  COUNTY  SOLDIERS 

IN    MANY   REGIMENTS PROVED    THEMSELVES     THE     BRAVEST    OF   THE    BRAVE — 

IOWA    DRUM    BEAT    HEARD   IN    EVERY    PORTION    OF   THE    SOUTH — THE    HONORED 
DEAD UNAPPRECIATED    ELOQUENCE — LITTLEr's    FIREMEN — SOME    CLOTHES. 

From  the  fact  that  Dr.  Emerson,  who  owned  "Dred"  Scott,  the  slave  whose 
name  gives  the  title  to  one  of  the  most  famous  and  momentous  decisions  ever 
handed  down  by  the  United  States  supreme  court,  lived  in  Davenport  and  prac- 
ticed his  profession  here,  and  also  it  being  a  matter  of  history  that  "Old  John 
Brown"  came  to  Davenport  at  one  time  and  laid  in  a  supply  of  provisions  for 
his  followers,  makes  any  mention  of  these  historic  characters  of  more  than  the 
ordinary  interest  and  for  that  reason  newspaper  extracts  relating  to  them  are 
here  presented,  one  written  by  WilHam  A.  Meese,  of  Moline,  lUinois,  and  the 
other  by  Warren  Teele,  the  latter  appearing  in  the  Half  Century  number  of  the 
Democrat. 

DRED  SCOTT  THE  SLAVE. 

"Dred  Scott  was  a  negro  owned  by  Dr.  John  Emerson,  a  surgeon  in  the  United 
States  army,  and  in  the  year  1834  Scott  came  with  the  doctor  from  Missouri  to 
Fort  Armstrong  on  Rock  island,  Illinois,  where  the  doctor  was  stationed.  Scott 
remained  at  Fort  Armstrong  until  May,  1836,  when  he  went  with  the  doctor 
to  Fort  Snelling  (in  Minnesota)  where  he  married  Harriet,  a  slave  of  his  mas- 
ter, and  had  two  children.  Slavery  was  illegal  in  both  places — in  Illinois  by  its 
''onstitution ;  in  Minnesota  (Louisiana  Purchase)  by  the  Missouri  Compromise. 

"In  1838  Scott  was  taken  to  Jefferson  Barracks,  a  mihtar}'  post  at  St.  Louis, 
and  here  an  action  was  brought  in  the  circuit  court  of  the  state  by  Scott  to  test 


620  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

the  question  of  his  freedom.  The  St.  Louis  court  held  that  Scott's  residence  on 
free  soil  had  made  him  free.  The  case  was  appealed  to  the  supreme  court  of 
Missouri,  which  court  reversed  the  decision  of  the  St.  Louis  circuit  court  and 
held  that  Scott  was  a  slave.  In  the  meantime  Dr.  Emerson  had  sold  Dred  and 
his  family  to  John  F.  A.  Sanford  of  New  York,  and  suit  was  brought  against 
Sanford  in  the  United  States  court  for  Scott's  freedom.  The  case  was  tried  at 
St.  Louis  on  May  15,  1854,  before  the  court  and  a  jury,  and  the  latter  found  that 
'Dred  Scott  was  a  negro  slave,  the  lawful  property  of  the  defendant.'  A  new 
trial  was  refused  and  Scott  carried  his  case  to  the  supreme  court  of  the  United 
States.  The  final  decision  in  the  Dred  Scott  case  was  the  longest  and,  up  to  that 
period,  the  most  interesting  one  ever  given  by  the  supreme  court  of  the  TTnited 
States.     The  substance  of  the  decision  was  as  follows : 

"  'Scott  was  not  made  free  by  being  taken  to  Rock  Island  in  the  state  of 
Illinois.  As  Scott  was  a  slave  when  taken  into  the  state  by  his  owner,  and  was 
there  held  as  such,  and  brought  back  into  Missouri  in  that  character,  his  status, 
as  free  or  slave,  depended  on  the  laws  of  Missouri,  and  not  of  Illinois.  He  and 
his  family  were  not  free,  but  were,  by  the  laws  of  Missouri,  the  property  of  the 
defendant.'  This  decision  by  Roger  B.  Taney  only  helped  to  fan  the  flames, 
and  the  free-soil,  native  American  and  anti-slavery  democrats  of  the  north  now 
took  more  aggressive  steps  toward  the  abolition  of  the  slave  trade." 

THE   EMERSON    CLAIM. 

While  Dr.  John  Emerson  was  serving  his  country  as  surgeon  to  the  garrison 
at  Fort  Armstrong  the  tide  of  immigration  set  strongly  to  the  newly  opened  Black 
Hawk  Purchase  and  carried  him  across  the  river  to  Davenport,  his  assignment 
as  surgeon  allowing  him  some  little  latitude  of  action.  Here  he  built  a  substantial 
brick  residence  which  still  standing  is  numbered  as  219  on  East  Second  street.  A 
view  of  this  relic  of  early  days  appears  in  this  work.  From  the  signs  generously 
plastered  thereon  it  can  be  surmised  that  in  this  lowly  condition  it  is  a  warehouse 
of  the  Iowa  Telephone  Company.  While  at  Fort  Armstrong  Dr.  Emerson  en- 
tered a  claim  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  next  east  and  adjoining  the  claim  taken  up 
by  George  L.  Davenport,  the  first  claim  entered  upon  in  the  Black  Hawk  Pur- 
chase. Upon  this  claim  Dr.  Emerson  built  a  shack  and  installed  therein  his  slave 
Dred  Scott  to  occupy  and  make  good  all  rights  of  a  claimmaker.  At  that  time  this 
region  was  in  the  territory  of  Michigan.  Later,  July  4,  1836,  it  became  Wis- 
consin. Upon  this  Davenport  residence,  or  rather,  stay  in  Bettendorf,  Scott  in  his 
famous  suit  for  freedom  predicated  residence  in  Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  free 
territory.  When  the  Fort  Armstrong  garrison  was  transferred  to  Fort  Snelling, 
Dr.  Emerson  accompanied  the  troops.  Later  he  came  to  Davenport,  sold  his  claim 
for  one  thousand  dollars,  and  returned  to  St.  Paul,  taking  Dred  with  him.  This 
strengthened  Dred's  case  later  by  a  stay  in  Minnesota.  When  Dr.  Emerson  died 
his  remains  were  buried  in  Antoine  LeClaire's  cemetery  where  LeClaire  street 
crosses  Sixth.  After  the  bodies  here  buried  had  been  removed  to  St.  Mary's 
churchyard  and  the  City  cemetery  in  West  Davenport  this  location  became  the  site 
of  the  fine  old  residence  of  our  historian,  Willard  Barrows. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  621 

In  the  Gazette  of  date  May  4,  1843,  was  published  the  following  profes- 
sional card:  "Dr.  John  Emerson  ofifers  his  professional  services  to  the  citizens  of 
Davenport  and  surrounding  country.  He  may  be  found  at  present  at  the  Le- 
Claire  House."  In  the  issue  of  the  same  paper  which  appeared  on  the  evening 
of  January  4,  1844,  was  this  notice:  "Died — On  the  evening  of  December  28, 
1843,  John  Emerson,  M.  D.,  aged  forty  years,  late  surgeon  in  the  army  of  the 
United  States." 

JOHN    brown's   visit. 

"There  was  a  great  celebration  of  the  4th  of  July  here  in  1858,"  says  War- 
ren Teele,  "most  of  the  business  houses  of  the  town  were  closed  and  the  people 
generally  turned  out  to  the  picnic.  I  was  with  Dalzell  then,  on  the  corner  of 
Second  and  Perry.  I  did  not  care  to  celebrate,  and  so  I  stayed  at  the  store  through 
the  morning,  though  Dalzell  urged  me  to  close  up  and  go  out  for  a  good  time. 
At  last  I  said  I  would  close  at  noon,  one  or  two  other  houses  having  kept  open 
till  then,  and  I  was  waiting  through  the  last  few  minutes  before  the  hour  of 
twelve  when  a  stranger  came  in.  He  was  a  well  built  man,  with  heavy  beard  and 
hair,  quaint  and  old-fashioned  in  style,  and  very  gray.  'Has  thee  any  sidemeat?' 
he  asked  as  I  came  to  meet  him.  'No,'  I  said,  'we  are  just  out  of  sidemeat; 
but  we  have  some  very  fine  shoulders.'  'I  did  not  ask  thee  for  shoulders ;  I  asked 
thee  for  sidemeat,'  he  said,  not  in  an  irritated  tone,  but  steadily  and  composedly 
as  though  merely  setting  me  right  when  I  was  wrong.  I  was  anxious  to  save 
the  sale  for  somebody,  if  I  could  not  for  my  own  house,  so  I  said,  'Wait,  I  think 
I  can  take  you  to  a  man  who  will  sell  you  all  the  sidemeat  you  want,  if  you  will, 
come  with  me.'  He  did  not  say  a  word,  but  was  ready  to  go,  so  I  locked  the 
store  and  led  him  as  fast  as  we  could  walk — I  was  afraid  we  should  find  the 
place  closed — half  a  block  south  on  Perry  and  then  a  block  west  through  the  alley 
to  Burr  &  Swift's  store,  which  stood  just  across  the  alley  from  the  present  sta- 
tion of  the  interurban  road.  We  were  in  time,  and  the  sidemeat  was  satisfactory. 
After  it  the  stranger  bought  flour  and  other  provisions,  in  all  a  bill  of  over 
$400,  and  paid  the  cash.  He  went  around  the  corner  of  Front  street,  toward 
Burrows  &  Prettyman's  mill,  and  came  back  with  a  covered  conestoga  wagon ; 
an  immense  big  thing,  with  the  high  bed  flaring  forward  and  back  like  the  ends 
of  a  scow,  and  the  whole  interior  hooded  under  the  cover.  He  loaded  in  his 
provisions  and  drove  away,  saying  not  a  word  more  than  was  necessary.  It  was 
months  later  that  we  learned — Burr  and  Swift  and  I — that  our  customer  was 
old  John  Brown,  the  liberator.  He  had  the  bottom  of  that  wagon  bed  full  of 
guns  and  pikes  then,  and  he  was  on  his  way  out  to  his  rendezvous  at  Springdale. 

"The  raid,  capture,  trial  and  execution  of  John  Brown  made  a  tremendous 
sensation  here,  where  the  great  mass  of  the  people  sympathized  with  him.  The 
escape  of  one  of  the  Coppocs,  Springdale  boys  who  w^ere  in  his  desperate  little 
band  at  Harper's  Ferry,  gave  great  satisfaction  here,  and  delighted  me  very  much, 
for  I  was  a  John  Brown  man.  Eli  Adams  kept  a  bookstore  on  Brady  street  where 
the  trunk  store  is  now,  between  Second  and  Third.  One  day  Eli  slipped  me 
quietly  upstairs,  and  there  was  Coppoc.  I  know  that  at  least  one  other  man  be- 
side myself  w^as   admitted  to   see  him,   and   I  know   that  he  was  kept  there  at 


622  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

least  about  four  days.  The  detectives  and  United  States  marshals  were  rak- 
ing the  country  for  him,  and  were  right  here  in  Davenport  when  he  was  hidden 
there ;  but  they  never  got  on  his  trail,  and  he  got  away.  The  story  of  his  escape 
from  Harper's  Ferry,  and  his  wayfaring  all  the  way  to  this  city,  is  most  thrill- 
ing, as  it  has  been  given  in  one  of  the  magazines  of  thirty  years  ago,  or  more. 
He  was  escorted  out  of  Davenport  and  on  to  safety.  I  do  not  remember  his  face 
so  well,  but  his  old  leader  had  a  physiognomy  and  a  bearing  that  impressed  me 
deeply,  so  that  I  shall  never  forget  him,  just  as  he  looked.  I  may  add  that  the 
clue  that  brought  the  detectives  to  Davenport  on  Coppoc's  scent  was  the  ad- 
dress, 'Burr  &  Swift,  Davenport,  Iowa,'  on  a  box  found  among  the  effects  of 
John  Brown  that  were  captured  at  Harper's  Ferry." 

COPPOC  THE   REFUGEE. 

In  coming  to  Davenport  Barclay  Coppoc  was  coming  among  friends  he  had 
made  while  serving  as  clerk  in  local  stores.  After  evading  the  extradition  papers 
of  Governor  Wise  of  Virginia  this  young  man  enlisted  in  the  war  for  the  union  and 
early  in  the  struggle  fell  a  victim  to  Missouri  bushwhackers.  He  was  killed  with 
other  soldiers  in  the  wreck  of  a  train  which  went  through  a  bridge  which  had 
been  weakened  by  incendiary  fire. 

Colonel  Wm.  Penn  Clark,  formerly  of  Davenport,  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Des 
Moines  Register  in  which  he  tells  of  a  trip  he  made  in  March,  1859,  from  West 
Liberty  to  Davenport  with  John  Brown  and  party  who  were  taking  twelve  slaves 
captured  in  Missouri  to  freedom.  A  freight  car  containing  the  slaves  was  attached 
to  the  train  and  placed  directly  back  of  the  engine.  In  this  car  were  Brown  and 
others  of  his  adherents,  all  strongly  armed.  Kagi,  the  writer  and  orator  of  the 
Brown  movement,  accompanied  Col.  Clark  into  a  passenger  coach  to  keep  an  eye  on 
a  man  who  had  threatened  to  reveal  to  the  United  States  officers  the  character  of 
the  freight  in  the  car  attached  to  the  train  when  the  train  should  reach  Daven- 
port. It  was  the  purpose  of  Clark  and  Kagi  to  overawe  and  keep  this  man  quiet 
during  the  short  stay  the  train  made  in  this  city.  Col.  Clark  says  in  his  letter, 
"And  this  we  did.  Kagi  was  thoroughly  armed,  as  were  all  the  white  men  with 
Brown,  and  the  party  could  not  have  been  arrested  without  bloodshed.  The  con- 
ductor of  the  passenger  train  was  a  man  named  Jones,  an  Englishman,  who,  I 
believe,  is  dead.  He  was  in  sympathy  with  the  movement,  and  who  knew  how 
anxious  I  was  to  get  the  fugitives  safely  out  of  Iowa.  From  a  window  of  the  old 
Burtis  House  I  watched  the  train  crossing  the  bridge  over  the  Mississippi  and  felt 
greatly  relieved  when  the  train  started  on  its  journey  to  Chicago,  where  the  negroes 
were  safely  landed  the  next  morning." 

While  the  train  stopped  here  Laurel  Summers,  United  States  marshal  with 
a  strong  posse  searched  the  passenger  cars,  but  did  not  examine  the  freight  car 
on  the  rear  of  the  train.  At  Chicago  Allan  Pinkerton,  the  famous  detective,  con- 
ducted the  slaves  to  a  waiting  car  which  took  them  safely  to  Canada. 

THE   REBELLION   OR  THE   WAR  BETWEEN   THE  STATES, 

John  Brown,  who  declared  and  honestly  believed  himself  chosen  of  the  Lord 
to  strike  the  shackles  from  the  southern  slave,  was  hanged  on  the  gallows  at 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  623 

Charlestown,  near  Harper's  Ferry,  Virginia,  on  the  2d  day  of  December,  1859, 
as  a  penalty  for  his  misguided  attempt  to  cause  an  uprising  of  the  blacks  in  the 
vicinity  of  Harper's  Ferry,  where  he  and  his  small  band  of  followers  had  forcibly 
taken  possession  of  the  United  States  arsenal.  This  event  caused  a  furor  of 
excitement  in  the  south  and  events  that  made  for  internecine  strife  and  the  bloodi- 
est civil  war  on  record  were  hastened  at  a  furious  speed  toward  Fort  Sumter, 
where  the  shot  was  fired  that  echoed  its  baleful  significance  throughout  the  hills 
and  vales  of  Christendom.  The  walls  of  Fort  Sumter  were  battered  by  the 
rebel  guns  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  by  the  would-be  assassins  of  the  Union 
on  the  morning  of  April  12,  1861,  and  in  twenty-four  hours  thereafter  news  of 
the  world-momentous  action  had  reached  every  accessible  corner  of  the  United 
States.  In  the  south  the  portentous  message  was  generally  received  with  bois- 
terous demonstrations  of  joy  and  the  belief  on  the  part  of  the  masses  that  the  day 
would  soon  come  for  their  deliverance  from  the  "northern  yoke"  and  that  their 
"peculiar  institution"  was  to  be  perpetuated  under  the  constitution  and  laws  of 
a  new  confederacy  of  states.  In  the  north  a  different  feeling  possessed  the  peo- 
ple. The  firing  on  Fort  Sumter  was  looked  upon  with  anger  and  sadness,  and 
the  determination  was  at  once  formed  to  uphold  the  integrity  of  the  Union  and 
the  perpetuity  of  its  institutions.  It  was  then  that  Abraham  Lincoln  began  his 
great  work  of  preserving  the  Union. 

THE   CALL  FOR  TROOPS. 

On  the  i6th  of  April,  four  days  following  the  assault  on  Fort  Sumter,  Gov- 
ernor Samuel  J.  Kirkwood,  of  Iowa,  received  the  following  telegram  from  Simon 
Cameron,  secretary  of  war: 

"Call  made  on  you  by  tonight's  mail  for  one  regiment  of  militia  for  imme- 
diate service." 

That  very  day  the  governor  proclaimed  to  the  people  of  Iowa  that  the  nation 
was  imperiled  and  invoked  the  aid  of  every  loyal  citizen  in  the  state.  The  tele- 
gram above  alluded  to  was  received  at  Davenport.  The  governor  was  then  re- 
siding at  Iowa  City,  but  there  was  no  telegraphic  communication  in  those  days 
between  the  two  cities. 

It  was  important  that  the  dispatch  should  reach  the  eyes  of  the  governor  at 
once  and  General  Vandever,  then  a  civilian,  volunteered  to  take  the  message 
to  Iowa  City.  The  governor  was  found  on  his  farm  outside  the  city  by  the 
self-appointed  messenger,  dressed  in  homespun  and  working  in  the  field.  Read- 
ing the  dispatch  Governor  Kirkwood  expressed  extreme  surprise  and  exclaimed : 
"Why,  the  president  wants  a  whole  regiment  of  men!  Do  you  suppose  I  can 
raise  so  many  as  that,  Mr.  Vandever  ?"  When  ten  Iowa  regiments  were  offered 
a  few  days  later  the  question  was  answered. 

THE  president's  PROCLAMATION. 

President  Lincoln  announced,  April  15.  1861,  that  the  execution  of  the  laws 
of  the  Union  had  been  obstructed  in  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Alabama,  Flor- 
ida,  Mississippi,  Louisiana   and   Texas  by   "combinations   too  powerful   to  be 


624  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

suppressed  by  the  ordinary  course  of  judicial  proceedings,  or  by  the  powers 
vested  in  the  marshals  by  law."  He  called  out  the  militia  to  the  number  of 
75,000.  Seeing  that  the  insurgents  had  not  dispersed  in  the  states  named  and 
that  the  inhabitants  of  Virginia,  Arkansas,  North  CaroHna  and  Tennessee  had 
joined  them,  he  issued  this  proclamation,  August  16,  1861 : 

"Whereas,  on  the  15th  day  of  April.  1861.  the  president  of  the  United 
States,  in  view  of  an  insurrection  against  laws,  constitution  and  government  of 
the  United  States,  which  has  broken  out  within  the  states  of  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  Alabama,  Florida,  Mississippi,  Louisiana  and  Texas,  and  in  pursu- 
ance of  the  provisions  of  the  act  entitled,  'An  act  to  provide  for  calling  forth 
the  militia  to  execute  the  laws  of  the  Union,  suppress  insurrections  and  repel 
invasions,  and  to  repeal  the  act  now  in  force  for  that  purpose,'  approved  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1795,  did  call  forth  the  miHtia  to  suppress  said  insurrection  and  cause 
the  laws  of  the  Union  to  be  duly  executed  and  the  insurgents  having  failed  to 
disperse  by  the  time  directed  by  the  president;  and  whereas  such  insurrection 
has  since  broken  out  and  yet  exists  within  the  states  of  Virginia,  North  Caro- 
lina, Tennessee  and  Arkansas ;  and  whereas,  the  insurgents  in  all  the  said  states 
claim  to  act  under  the  authority  thereof,  and  such  claim  is  not  disclaimed  or 
repudiated  by  the  persons  exercising  the  functions  of  government  in  such  state 
or  states,  or  in  the  part  or  parts  thereof  in  which  combinations  exist,  nor  has 
any  such  insurrection  been  suppressed  by  said  states: 

"Now,  therefore,  I.  Abraham  Lincoln,  president  of  the  United  States,  in 
pursuance  of  an  act  of  congress  approved  July  13,  1861,  do  hereby  declare 
that  the  inhabitants  of  the  said  states  of  Georgia,  South  Carolina,  Virginia, 
North  Carolina,  Tennessee,  Alabama,  Louisiana,  Texas,  Arkansas,  Mississippi 
and  Florida  (except  the  inhabitants  of  that  part  of  Virginia  lying  west  of  the 
Alleghany  J\Iountains,  and  of  such  other  parts  of  that  state  and  the  other  states 
hereinbefore  named  as  may  maintain  a  loyal  adhesion  to  the  Union  and  the 
constitution  or  may  be  from  time  to  time  occupied  and  controlled  by  the  forces 
of  the  United  States  engaged  in  the  dispersion  of  said  insurgents),  are  in  a 
state  of  insurrection  against  the  United  States;  and  that  all  commercial  inter- 
course between  the  same  and  the  inhabitants  thereof,  with  the  exceptions  afore- 
said, and  the  citizens  of  other  states  and  other  parts  of  the  United  States,  is 
unlawful,  and  will  remain  unlawful  until  such  insurrection  shall  cease  or  has 
been  suppressed;  that  all  goods  and  chattels,  wares  and  merchandise,  coming 
from  any  of  said  states  with  the  exception  aforesaid,  into  other  parts  of  the 
United  States,  without  the  special  license  and  permission  of  the  president, 
through  the  secretary  of  the  treasury,  or  proceeding  to  any  said  states,  with 
the  exceptions  aforesaid,  by  land  or  water,  together  with  the  vessel  or  vehicle 
conveying  the  same  or  conveying  persons  to  or  from  said  states,  with  said 
exceptions,  will  be  forfeited  to  the  United  States;  and  that  from  and  after 
fifteen  days  from  the  issuing  of  this  proclamation,  all  ships  and  vessels  be- 
longing in  whole  or  in  part  to  any  citizen  or  inhabitant  of  any  of  said  states 
with  said  exceptions  found  at  sea  or  in  any  port  of  the  United  States  will  be 
forfeited  to  the  United  States,  and  I  hereby  enjoin  upon  all  district  attorneys, 
marshals  and  officers  of  the  revenue  and  of  the  military  and  naval  forces  of 
the  United  States,  to  be  vigilant  in  the  execution  of  said  act,  and  in  the  en- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  625 

forcement  of  the  penalties  and  forfeitures  imposed  or  declared  by  it;  leaving 
any  part}  uiu)  may  think  him.self  aggrieved  thereby  to  his  application  to  the  sec- 
retary of  the  treasur}'  for  the  remission  of  any  penalty  of  forfeiture,  which 
the  said  secretary  is  authorized  by  lavi^  to  grant  if,  in  his  judgment,  the  special 
circumstances  in  any  case  shall  require  such  remission. 

"In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  caused  the  seal  of 
the  United  States  to  be  affixed. 

"Done  at  the  City  of  Washington,  this  sixteenth  day  of  August,  in  the  year 
of  Our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixty-one,  and  of  the  indepen- 
dence of  the  United  States  of  America  the  eighty-sixth  year. 

"Abraham  Lincoln." 

IOWA    RALLIES    TO    THE    COLORS. 

"Whether  in  the  promptitude  of  her  responses  to  the  calls  made  on  her  by 
the  general  government,  in  the  courage  and  constancy  of  her  soldiery  in  the 
field,"  said  Colonel  A.  P.  Wood,  of  Dubuque,  upon  one  occasion,  "or  in  the 
wisdom  and  efficiency  with  which  her  civil  administration  was  conducted  dur- 
ing the  trying  period  covered  by  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  Iowa  proved  herself 
the  peer  of  any  loyal  state.  The  proclamation  of  her  governor,  Samuel  J. 
Kirkwood,  responsive  to  that  of  the  president  calling  for  volunteers  to  compose 
her  first  regiment,  was  issued  on  the  fourth  day  after  the  fall  of  Sumter.  At 
the  end  of  only  a  single  week  men  enough  were  reported  to  be  in  quarters 
(mostly  in  the  vicinity  of  their  own  homes)  to  fill  the  regiment.  These,  how- 
ever, were  hardly  more  than  a  tithe  of  the  number  who  had  been  offered  by 
company  commanders  for  acceptance  under  the  president's  call.  So  urgent 
were  these  offers  that  the  governor  requested  on  the  24th  of  April  permis- 
sion to  organize  an  additional  regiment.  While  awaiting  the  answer  to  this 
request  he  conditionally  accepted  a  sufficient  number  of  companies  to  compose 
two  additional  regiments.  In  a  short  time  he  was  notified  that  both  of  these 
would  be  accepted.  Soon  after  the  completion  of  the  second  and  third  regi- 
ments, which  was  near  the  close  of  May,  the  adjutant  general  of  the  state 
reported  that  upward  of  170  companies  had  been  tendered  to  the  governor  to 
serve  against  the  enemies  of  the  Union. 

"Much  difficulty  and  considerable  delay  occurred  in  fitting  these  regiments 
for  the  field.  For  the  First  infantry  a  complete  outfit — not  uniform — of  cloth- 
ing was  extemporized — principally  by  the  volunteered  labor  of  loyal  women  in 
the  different  towns,  from  material  of  various  colors  and  qualities  obtained 
within  the  limits  of  the  state.  The  same  was  done  in  part  for  the  Second 
infantry.  Meantime  an  extra  session  of  the  general  assembly  had  been  called 
by  the  governor  to  convene  on  May  15th.  With  but  little  delay  that  body 
authorized  a  loan  of  $800,000  to  meet  the  extraordinary  expenses  incurred  and 
to  be  incurred  by  the  executive  department  in  consequence  of  the  new  emer- 
gency. A  wealthy  merchant  of  the  state — Ex-Governor  Merrill,  then  a  resident 
of  McGregor — immediately  took  from  the  governor  a  contract  to  supply  a  com- 
plete outfit  of  clothing  for  the  three  regiments  organized,  agreeing  to  receive, 
should  the  governor  so  elect,  his  pay  therefor  in  state  bonds  at  par.  This  con- 
tract he  executed  to  the  letter,  and  a  portion  of  the  clothing,  which  was  manu- 


626  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

factured  in  Boston  to  his  order,  was  delivered  at  Keokuk,  the  place  at  which 
the  troops  had  rendezvoused,  in  exactly  one  month  from  the  day  on  which  the 
contract  had  been  entered  into.  The  remainder  arrived  only  a  few  days  later. 
This  clothing  was  delivered  to  the  regiments,  but  was  subsequently  condemned 
by  the  government  for  the  reason  that  its  color  was  gray,  and  blue  had  been 
adopted  as  the  color  to  be  worn  by  national  troops. 

iowa's  borders  threatened. 

"The  state,  while  engaged  in  efforts  to  discharge  her  duty  in  connection 
with  the  common  emergency,  was  compelled  to  make  separate  and  large  pro- 
vision for  the  security  of  her  own  borders.  On  the  south  she  was  threatened 
with  invasion  by  the  secessionists  of  Missouri,  while  on  the  west  and  north- 
west there  was  danger  of  incursions  by  bands  of  hostile  Indians  now  freed 
from  the  usual  restraint  imposed  by  garrisons  of  regular  troops  at  the  frontier 
posts.  For  border  defense  the  governor  was  authorized  to  raise  two  regiments 
of  infantry,  a  squadron — not  less  than  five  companies — of  cavalry,  and  a  bat- 
talion— not  less  than  three  companies — of  artillery.  Only  mounted  troops  were 
enlisted,  however,  for  this  service;  but  in  times  of  special  danger,  or  when  calls 
were  made  by  the  Unionists  of  northern  Missouri  against  their  disloyal  ene- 
mies, large  numbers  of  militia  on  foot  turned  out  (often)  and  remained  in  the 
field  until  the  necessity  for  their  services  had  passed. 

"The  first  order  for  the  Iowa  volunteers  to  move  to  the  field  was  received 
June  13th.  It  was  issued  by  General  Lyon,  then  commanding  the  United  States 
forces  in  Missouri.  The  First  and  Second  infantry  immediately  embarked  in 
steamboats  and  moved  to  Hannibal.  Some  two  weeks  later  the  Third  infantry 
was  ordered  to  the  same  point.  These  three,  together  with  many  others  of  the 
earHer  organized  Iowa  regiments,  rendered  their  first  field  service  in  Missouri. 
The  First  infantry  formed  a  part  of  the  little  army  with  which  General  Lyon 
moved  on  Springfield  and  fought  the  bloody  battle  of  Wilson's  Creek.  It  re- 
ceived unqualified  praise  for  its  gallant  bearing  on  the  field.  In  the  following 
month  (September)  the  Third  Iowa  with  very  slight  support  fought  with 
honor  the  sanguinary  engagement  of  Blue  Mills  landing;  and  in  November  the 
Seventh  Iowa,  as  a  part  of  a  force  commanded  by  General  Grant,  greatly  dis- 
tinguished itself  in  the  battle  of  Belmont,  where  it  poured  out  its  blood  Hke 
water — losing  more  than  half  of  the  men  it  took  into  action.  The  initial  opera- 
tions in  which  the  battles  referred  to  took  place  were  followed  by  the  more 
important  movements  led  by  General  Curtis  of  this  state  and  other  command- 
ers, which  resulted  in  defeating  the  armies  defending  the  chief  strategic  lines 
held  by  the  confederates  in  Kentucky,  Missouri,  Tennessee  and  Arkansas,  and 
compelling  their  withdrawal  from  much  of  the  territory  previously  controlled 
by  them  in  those  states.  In  these  and  many  other  movements  down  to  the 
grand  culminating  campaign  by  which  Vicksburg  was  captured  and  the  con- 
federacy permanently  severed  on  the  line  of  the  Mississippi  river,  Iowa  troops 
took  a  part  in  steadily  increasing  numbers.  In  the  investment  and  siege  of 
Vicksburg  the  state  was  represented  by  thirty  regiments  and  two  batteries,  in 
addition  to  which  eight  regiments  and  one  battery  were  employed  on  the  out- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  627 

posts  of  the  besieging  army.  The  brilliancy  of  their  exploits  on  the  many 
fields  where  they  served  won  for  them  the  highest  meed  of  praise  both  in  mili- 
tary and  civil  circles.  Multiplied  were  the  terms  in  which  expression  was  given 
to  this  sentiment,  but  these  words  of  one  of  the  journals  of  a  neighboring  state 
— 'The  Iowa  troops  have  been  heroes  among  heroes' — embodies  the  spirit  of 
all. 

IOWA  TROOPS  RE-ENLISTED. 

"In  the  veteran  re-enlistments  that  distinguished  the  closing  months  of  1863 
above  all  other  periods  of  re-enlistments  for  the  national  armies,  the  Iowa 
three  years'  men  who  were  relatively  more  ntunerous  than  those  of  any  other 
state,  were  prompt  to  set  the  example  of  volunteering  for  another  of  equal 
length,  thereby  adding  many  thousands  to  the  great  army  of  those  who  gave 
this  renewed  and  practical  assurance  that  the  cause  of  the  Union  should  not 
be  left  without  defenders.  In  all  the  important  movements  of  1864  and  1865 
by  which  the  confederacy  was  penetrated  in  every  quarter  and  its  military  power 
finally  overthrown,  the  Iowa  troops  took  part.  Their  drumbeat  was  heard  on 
the  banks  of  every  great  river  of  the  south,  from  the  Potomac  to  the  Rio 
Grande,  and  everywhere  they  rendered  the  same  faithful  and  devoted  service, 
maintaining  on  all  occasions  their  wonted  reputation  for  valor  in  the  field  and 
endurance  on  the  march. 

"Two  Iowa  three-year  cavalry  regiments  were  employed  during  their  whole 
term  of  service  in  the  operations  that  were  in  progress  from  1863  to  1866 
against  the  hostile  Indians  of  the  western  plains,  A  portion  of  these  men  were 
among  the  last  of  the  volunteer  troops  mustered  out  of  service.  The  state  also 
supplied  a  considerable  number  of  men  to  the  navy  who  took  part  in  most  of 
the  naval  operations  prosecuted  against  the  confederate  power  on  the  Atlantic 
and  Gulf  coasts  and  the  rivers  of  the  west. 

"The  people  of  Iowa  were  early  and  constant  workers  in  the  sanitary  field, 
and  by  their  liberal  gifts  and  personal  efforts  for  the  benefit  of  the  soldiery 
placed  their  state  in  the  front  rank  of  those  who  became  distinguished  for  their 
exhibitions  of  patriotic  benevolence  during  the  period  covered  by  the  war. 
Agents  appointed  by  the  governor  were  stationed  at  points  convenient  for  ren- 
dering assistance  to  the  sick  and  needy  soldiers  of  the  state,  while  others  were 
employed  in  visiting  from  time  to  time  hospitals,  camps  and  armies  in  the  field, 
and  doing  whatever  the  circumstances  rendered  possible  for  the  health  and 
comfort  of  such  of  the  Iowa  soldiery  as  might  be  found  there. 

"At  the  beginning  of  the  war  the  population  of  Iowa  included  about  150,000 
men,  presumably  liable  to  military  service.  The  state  raised  for  general  ser- 
vice thirty-nine  regiments  of  infantry,  nine  regiments  of  cavalry,  and  four  com- 
panies of  artillery,  composed  of  three  years'  men,  one  regiment  of  infantry 
composed  of  three  months'  men,  and  four  regiments  and  one  battalion  of  infan- 
try composed  of  100  days'  men.  The  original  enlistments  in  these  various 
organizations  including  1,727  men  raised  by  draft,  numbered  a  little  more  than 
69,000.  The  re-enlistments,  including  upward  of  7,000  veterans,  numbered  very 
nearly  8,000.  The  enlistments  in  the  regular  army  and  navy,  and  organizations 
of  other  states  will,  if  added,  raise  the  total  to  upward  of  80,000.    The  number 


628  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

of  men  who  under  special  enlistments  and  as  militia  took  part  at  different 
times  in  the  operations  on  the  exposed  borders  of  the  state  was  probably  as 
many  as  5,000. 

IOWA   PAID  NO   BOUNTY. 

"Iowa  paid  no  bounty  on  account  of  the  men  she  placed  in  the  field.  In 
some  instances  toward  the  close  of  the  war,  bounty  to  a  comparatively  small 
amount  was  paid  by  cities  and  towns.  On  only  one  occasion,  that  of  the  call 
of  July  18,  1864,  was  a  draft  made  in  Iowa.  This  did  not  occur  on  account 
of  her  proper  liability,  as  established  by  previous  ruling  of  the  war  department 
to  supply  men  under  that  call,  but  grew  out  of  the  great  necessity  that  there 
existed  for  raising  men.  The  government  insisted  on  temporarily  setting  aside 
in  part  the  former  rule  of  settlements  and  enforcing  a  draft  in  all  cases  where 
subdistricts  in  any  of  the  states  should  be  found  deficient  in  their  supply  of 
men.  In  no  instance  was  Iowa,  as  a  whole,  found  to  be  indebted  to  the  general 
government  for  men  on  a  settlement  of  her  quota  account." 

PUBLIC  MEETING  AND  RESOLUTIONS. 

The  news  of  the  surrender  of  Fort  Sumter  was  received  in  Davenport  on 
Monday,  April  16.  causing  the  most  intense  excitement.  The  Gazette  and  Democrat 
united  in  issuing  an  "extra"  giving  an  account  of  the  affair.  A  great  crowd  gath- 
ered in  front  of  the  Gazette  office  and  impatiently  awaited  the  publication,  while 
the  steamer,  "W.  L.  Ewing"  laid  nearly  two  hours  at  the  wharf  awaiting  the  issue 
before  proceeding  on  her  trip.  A  public  meeting  was  called  for  LeClaire  hall 
Tuesday  evening,  and  a  most  enthusiastic  crowd  assembled  in  pursuance  of  the 
call,  filling  the  hall  to  overflowing.  During  the  whole  meeting,  which  continued 
until  a  late  hour,  the  feeling  was  one  of  irrepressible  enthusiasm.  The  speakers 
were.  Attorney  General  Nourse,  of  Des  Moines  ;  Gov.  Kirkwood,  Hon.  William 
Vandever,  Hon.  James  J.  Lindley,  Hon.  Jacob  Butler.  Judge  Booth,  Judge  Dil- 
lon, Dr.  Keith  and  Rev.  Mr.  Collier.  Mayor  French  was  chairman  of  the  meeting 
and  Add.  H.  Sanders  and  D.  N.  Richardson,  secretaries.  Gov.  Kirkwood  said  that 
he  had  been  called  out  of  a  sick  bed  at  home  by  a  messenger,  who  said  that  dis- 
patches were  awaiting  him  from  the  president.  He  could  not  find  them  in  Iowa 
City,  and  thinking  that  they  might  have  been  received  in  Davenport  and  for- 
warded to  Des  Moines,  he  came  here  to  find  out  so  as  to  lose  no  time,  knowing 
that  the  people  were  eager  to  have  him  do  his  duty.  He  said  that  he  would  not 
call  together  the  legislature  as  it  would  involve  great  expense  and  considerable 
delay,  and  he  thought  he  could  get  along  without  them.  At  all  events  he  would 
take  the  responsibility  of  trying.  The  enlistment  and  starting  away  of  the  regi- 
ment would  probably  involve  about  $10,000  expense,  but  he  would  raise  this  sum, 
and  at  once,  if  he  had  to  pledge  every  dollar  of  his  own  property.  He  would  see 
that  the  expenses  were  paid  till  the  regiment  was  handed  over  to  the  government. 

John  Collins.  H.  Ramming,  D.  E.  True,  William  T.  Clark  and  John  N.  Rogers 
were  api)ointed  a  committee  on  resolutions  and  reported  the  following : 

"Resolved,  That  in  the  existing  state  of  things  in  our  country,  in  which  the 
citizens  of  a  section  have  arrayed  themselves  in  open  and  armed  rebellion  against 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  629 

the  federal  government,  every  true  lover  of  his  country  is  imperatively  called  upon 
to  rally  around  the  standard  of  the  Union,  and  to  do  all  that  in  him  lies  to  main- 
tain its  just  authority  against  the  assaults  of  treason  from  whatever  quarter. 

"Resolved,  That  we,  the  citizens  of  Davenport,  gratefully  acknowledging  our 
indebtedness  to  the  union  of  these  states  for  whatever  we,  in  common  with  our 
fellow  countrymen,  possess,  if  honor  abroad  is  prosperity  at  home,  do  hereby 
pledge  to  that  union  in  this  its  hour  of  peril  and  disaster,  our  steadfast  and  un- 
alterable loyalty  and  support. 

"Resolved,  That  as  the  maintenance  of  law  is  the  prime  object  and  first  duty 
of  every  government,  we  will  to  the  utmost  of  our  ability  sustain  the  efforts  of 
the  Federal  administration  to  enforce  the  laws  of  the  land,  and  to  put  down 
resistance  to  the  same;  and  that  we  will  indignantly  frown  upon  any  attempt  to 
throw  obstacles  in  its  path,  or  to  detract  from  its  just  authority  from  whatever 
source  arising." 

Scott  county  was  represented  in  almost  every  regiment  from  the  state  that  went 
into  the  service.  In  this  connection  is  compiled  from  the  adjutant-general's  report 
a  list  of  men  from  this  county,  and  when  possible  short  sketches  of  the  various 
regiments.    The  record  is  an  honorable  one. 

FIRST    INFANTRY. 

The  first  regiment  in  which  Scott  county  was  represented  was  the  First  Iowa 
infantry.  Company  G  was  composed  entirely  of  men  from  this  county.  The 
following  comprises  the  list  of  men  from  the  county :  quartermaster,  Theodore 
Guelich ;  Company  G,  captain,  August  Wentz ;  lieutenants,  Theodore  Guelich,  Jo- 
hannes Ahlefeldt;  sergeants,  Ernst  Claussen,  Louis  Schoen,  Frank  Ditman, 
Charles  H.  Stuehmer;  corporals,  William  S.  McKenzie,  Gustav  A.  Koch,  Qaus 
Rohwer,  John  F.  Doerscher;  musicians,  Theodore  Rutenbeck,  August  Anzorge; 
privates,  Ernst  Arp,  Heinrich  Averbeck,  Hans  Asbahr,  Charles  Altman,  Christian 
Benedix,  Heinrich  W.  Baasch,  Pete  Becker,  Hans  I.  Brammer,  Detlef  I.  Brammer, 
Christian  Barche,  James  B.  Caldwell,  Fritz  Dose,  William  V.  Dreskey,  Johannes 
Eggers,  Peter  Einfeldt,  Anton  I.  Enderle,  Joseph  I.  Enderle,  Andrew  Fellentreter, 
Friedrich  Friedholdt,  Charles  Feistkorn,  Christian  Fey,  Julius  F.  Fescher,  George 
Gradest,  August  Giescke,  Fritz  Hess,  Heinr  Heilmeulberg,  Johannes  Hansen, 
Seivert  Jurgensen,  Heinrich  Karstens,  William  Keil,  August  Kohlbry,  Christian 
Kortum,  Alexander  Kellmen,  Ferdinand  W.  Koch,  Fritz  Kreibaum,  Johann  Lu- 
then,  Marz  Lutze,  Heinrich  Massow,  Emil  Magnus,  Carl  Matthes,  Ormilius  Aleis- 
ner,  Johann  I.  Murbach,  Jens  Mattheisen,  Claus  H.  Moeller,  August  Neire,  Ed- 
ward Nissen,  Hans  Juazen  Nehm,  Heinrich  Niemann,  Claus  F.  Paulsen,  Jacob 
Plaff,  Fred  I.  Prien,  Henry  Pahl,  Johann  H.  Peters,  Johann  H.  Popp,  Chris  I. 
Petersen,  Fritz  I.  Petersen,  Johann  I.  Petersen,  Bernard  Rheinhardt,  Fried  Rod- 
dewig,  Henrich  Rosburg,  Hans  Rahn,  Hans  Reimers,  Henrich  Rohde,  August 
Rohlf,  Hans  Schlunz,  Henry  Selken,  Henrich  Seivers,  William  H.  Spohr,  Heinr 
Stoltenberg,  Yast  Schroepfer,  Carl  Sickle,  Louis  Schuepel,  Theodore  Sloanaker, 
August  Steffen,  Franz  Stitzzer,  Juergen  Tank,  August  Timm,  Conrad  Tadewald, 
Hans  I.  Voss,  Christian  I.  Voss,  Heinrich  Wright,  Friedriech  Wegner. 


630  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Company  H  of  the  First  regiment  also  contained  one  man  from  Scott  county, 
John  Hoffman. 

This  regiment  was  enHsted  for  three  months  and  was  mustered  in  under  the 
first  call  of  the  president.  It  participated  in  the  battle  of  Wilson's  Creek,  August 
lO,  1 86 1,  and  lost  a  number  of  killed  and  wounded.  It  was  mustered  out  of  ser- 
vice August  25,  1861,  at  St.  Louis,  having  served  from  May  14,  1861. 

SECOND  INFANTRY. 

Scott  county  was  well  represented  in  the  Second  Iowa  infantry,  which  was 
mustered  into  service  for  three  years,  or  during  the  war.  The  following  com- 
prise the  names  of  those  from  Scott  county;  sergeant  major,  William  Campbell; 
commissary  sergeant.  John  M.  Jones;  drum  major,  Jules  Meredith;  Company 
B,  captain,  Robert  M.  Littler ;  lieutenants,  John  G.  Huntington,  John  Flanagan ; 
sergeants,  Samuel  H.  Foster,  Frank  M.  Suiter,  Oliver  C.  Lewis,  Peter  H.  Riley, 
William  Morrow,  Bryan  Farrell,  William  Johnson,  Victor  M.   Bartell,  Austin 

F.  Stonebraker,  Robert  E.  Farr;  corporals,  Benjamin  F,  Franks,  William  Mor- 
row, Albert  Barnes,  Peter  Riley,  William  M.  Johnson,  Charles  W.  Hines,  Wil- 
liam M.  Dalzell,  Robert  M.  Lytle.  William  C.  Russell,  Peter  Heckett,  William 
Farnesworth,  Garfield  S.  Page,  George  Mennig,  Abraham  H.  Clark,  John  S. 
Patton,  Andrew  W.  Nichols,  Robert  E.  Farr,  Fred  Bartlet;  privates,  George  W. 
Atwood,  James  Burley,  Fredrick  Bartlett,  James  Buckwalter,  Albert  A.  Barnes, 
Jacob  Bertschie,  Milton  B.  Chase,  David  S.  Condron,  John  K.  Cooper,  James 
Cowgill,  John  Calvert,  Samuel  Clossin,  William  R.  Dodd,  Orris  E.  Dike,  Robert 
S.  Dodds,  Redford  Dennis,  Timothy  Foley,  Robert  H.  Flavell,  William  Guthrie, 
Frank  M.  Gray,  A.  D.  Huff,  James  B.  Hassler,  David  S.  Hammaker,  Morris  Ham- 
maker,  WilHam  Humphreysville,  Peter  Hecker,  David  L.  Hammond,  James  M. 
Jones,  William  M.  Johnson,  Benjamin  Patton  Kelley,  Frank  Kessler,  Edward 
Kennedy,  Robert  M.  Lytle,  John  Linden,  John  H.  Marple,  Dominie  Miclot,  George 
Minnig,  John  McCool,  Jeremiah  Murphy,  William  H.  Miller,  James  W.  Miller, 
Frank  McDuff,  Thomas  Morrow,  John  McCrellas,  William  McCrellas,  John  Mc- 
Cutcheon,  Samuel  L.  Niles,  George  Norris,  John  Pace,  S.  Garfield  Page,  James 
W.  Page,  A.  Jackson  Quinn,  Edward  Smith  Read,  George  Rosenberry,  George  K. 
Spencer,  A.  F.  Stonebraker,  Elijah  Stone,  John  P.  Scott,  Stephen  H.  Spencer, 
William  L.  Smith,  David  Scott,  A.  McCoy  Smith,  Martin  Smith,  George  W.  Scott, 
James  H.  Tracy,  Orlando  R.  Talmage,  Samuel  Todd,  Moses  Thomson,  Mark  L. 
Thomson,  Thomas  J.  Wallace,  Jacob  Weary,  George  R.  Whitman,  Lyman  Whit- 
ney, Levi  White,  Lionel  A.  Worth,  James  Williams,  WilHam  Sours. 

Additional  enlistments :  William  Babe,  Julius  Crummer,  Abner  Curry,  Jo- 
seph H.  Davis,  George  H.  Davis,  Arthur  Draucker.  Silas  Eckenroad,  Albert 
Hough,  William  H.  Greyon,  Z.  H.  Howe,  H.  Harden,  Joseph  Halcman,  Thomas 

G.  Kelley,  James  E.  Miller,  E.  P.  Morgan,  James  Pender,  Henry  H.  Post,  H.  B. 
Park,  George  Parkenson,  William  C.  Russell,  Joseph  W.  Razey,  John  Rools,  Al- 
bert W.  Scott,  William  H.  Stephens,  W.  G.  Stark,  Benjamin  F.  White,  John  W. 
Wilson,  A.  N.  Clark,  W.  H.  Forgner,  H.  Draucker,  Glaus  Klint,  Isaac  C.  Nichols, 
Clark,  J.  Luse,  Frederick  Pump. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  631 

Company  C,  captains,  J.  DeWitt  Brewster,  Jonathan  S.  Slaymaker,  William 
F.  Holmes;  lieutenants,  Jonathan  S.  Slaymaker,  William  F.  Holmes,  George  F 
Hall,  Henry  C.  McNeil;  sergeants,  Theodore  Maitheny,  George  F.  Hall, 
Loren  W.  Pierce,  Henry  C.  McNeil,  Jacob  Speed,  Jr.,  Henry  Doolittle,  Wil- 
liam G.  J.  Piepgrass,  William  M.  Campbell,  George  S.  Burchill,  N.  A. 
Haldeman;  corporals,  William  M.  Campbell,  William  G.  J.  Piepgrass,  George 
S.  Burchill,  James  C.  Urie,  William  P.  Wade,  Henry  B.  Doolittle,  Mar- 
tin L.  Minor,  Edward  Humphrey,  David  J.  Brown,  James  Perry,  John  T. 
Bell,  Charles  E.  Curran,  Garius  Pingrey,  Richard  Gear ;  musician,  Timothy  Can- 
non ;  wagoner,  Samuel  F.  Cowdrey ;  privates,  Edwin  C.  Ackerman,  James  H.  Ac- 
kerman,  Henry  M.  Austin,  Charles  F.  Beck,  John  W.  Blunt,  Thomas  Brattain, 
Cyrus  I.  Briggs,  Henry  C.  Bartleson,  John  W.  Blanchard,  A.  H.  Chapman, 
Henry  Dramer,  Charles  E.  Durran,  Orlando  Donaldson,  George  B.  Cayton,  John 
W.  Downs,  Hiram  P.  Earhart,  William  R.  Fisken,  Charles  Fleury,  John  G.  Green- 
await,  Richard  Gear,  William  S.  Gray,  George  H.  Hildreth,  Charles  W.  Hil- 
dreth,  T.  M.  D.  Harvey,  George  W.  Howell,  William  Hutchinson,  Newton  A. 
Haldeman,  Enos  Hottel,  Frederick  Herbert,  Adam  E.  Hooghkerk,  Bartus  Hinger, 
Thomas  L.  Johnson,  Chris  G.  Krummel,  Truman  Lamond,  John  W.  Matthews, 
John  T.  Miller,  James  W.  Morrison,  Charles  N.  Moulton,  Martin  L.  Minor, 
Edward  Knapp,  Henry  Smith,  William  H.  Mazill,  Alanson  Mills,  James  C.  Man- 
sell,  Joseph  G.  Orrill,  James  Perry,  Samuel  Piersol,  Edward  Peterson,  Charles  D. 
Rogers,  Andrew  J.  Ross,  Charles  G.  Rowan,  Edward  Schoonmaker,  George  A. 
Smith,  Samuel  Shaw,  Stephen  Spelletich.  George  H.  Tyler,  James  C.  Urie,  Jacob 
Vandusen,  William  P.  Wade,  John  H.  Watson,  Henry  C.  Wheeler. 

Company  A  contained  Arnold  J.  Sender  and  John  A.  Green. 

SECOND   VETERAN    INFANTRY. 

Adjutant,  Albert  A.  Barnes;  Company  B,  captain,  Albert  A.  Barnes;  lieuten- 
ant, Peter  H.  Heckert ;  sergeants,  Joseph  H.  Davis.  Adolph  Steinmitz.  Henry 
H.  Port,  John  McCool;  corporals,  Andrew  M.  Smith,  George  H.  Davis;  mus- 
cian,  William  Babe ;  privates,  Harlow  Ackerman,  Edwin  C.  Ackerman,  William 
Rufus  Ames,  Samuel  C.  Qossin,  Julius  Crummer,  Michael  Donehue,  Silas  Ech- 
enroad,  John  A.  Green,  S.  David  Hammond.  Hendman  Hardin,  Claus  Klendt,  Ar- 
nold J.  Luder,  Alexander  Lawther,  John  McCluchin,  James  E.  Miller,  Charles 
B.  Miller.  George  Norris.  George  Parkinson.  Frederick  Pump,  John  Rollo,  Jo- 
seph W.  Rozey.  Henry-  Rozey,  Albert  W.  Scott,  John  P.  Scott,  William  G. 
Stark,  Samuel  Todd,  George  Todd.  Henry  P.  Wilson,  Jacob  T.  Wall,  John 
Westly,  Elbert  F.  Willey. 

Company  C,  captain,  William  G.  J.  Piepgrass;  sergeant.  Charles  Fleury;  cor- 
porals, James  Cunningham,  Richard  Gear;  musician,  Charles  D.  Rogers;  pri- 
vates, Patrick  Burns,  John  P.  Cook,  William  Campbell,  Charles  E.  Curran,  Rob- 
ert Drummond,  James  R.  Donaldson,  George  H.  Durham,  William  Drummond, 
William  Hutchinson,  James  McCoy,  Henry  Smith,  Alanson  Mills. 

In  Company  H  were  privates  Upton  B.  Edw-ards,  Benjamin  Edwards  and 
Albert  Policy.  In  Company  K  were  privates  Finley  M.  Armstrong,  George  W 
Cornelius  and  Haviland  Stewart. 


632  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

The  following  promotions  were  made  of  men  from  this  county :  William  Camp- 
bell, from  sergeant  major  to  adjutant;  Robert  M.  Littler,  from  captain  to  major 
and  brevet  lieutenant  colonel ;  Frank  M.  Suiter,  from  sergeant  to  second  and 
first  lieutenant  and  captain;  Oliver  C.  Lewis,  from  sergeant  to  second  and  first 
lieutenant,  captain  and  major;  Peter  H.  Riley,  from  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant; 
John  S.  Slaymaker,  from  first  lieutenant  to  captain;  William  F.  Holmes,  from 
second  to  first  lieutenant  and  captain;  Alfred  Bing,  from  private  to  second  and 
first  lieutenant;  George  F,  Hall,  from  sergeant  to  second  and  first  lieutenant; 
Henry  C.  McNeil,  from  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant;  Albert  A.  Barnes,  from 
sergeant  to  first  lieutenant ;  Peter  Hickert,  from  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant  and 
captain ;  William  G.  J.  Piepgrass,  from  sergeant  to  captain. 

The  officers  and  men  of  this  regiment  that  did  not  reenlist  as  veterans  were 
mustered  out  in  April,  May  and  June,  1864.  The  regiment  was  in  many  of  the 
hard  fought  battles  of  the  war  and  reflected  honor  upon  officers  and  men  and  the 
state  which  they  represented. 

EIGHTH    INFANTRY. 

Scott  county  was  represented  in  this  regiment  by  men  in  several  of  its  com- 
panies as  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  following  names :  chaplains,  Cyrus  G. 
Vanderveer,  William  Paston ;  commissary  sergeant,  Francis  E.  Yearick ;  Com- 
pany A,  privates,  Delos  Alger,  William  P.  Ballard,  Charles  P.  Davison,  Elsbree 
M,  Goodwill,  Fletcher  C.  Boyd. 

Company  B,  captain,  Frank  A.  Cleveland ;  lieutenants,  Miles  P.  Benton,  Enos 
Tichenor,  Jr. ;  sergeants,  Edward  Young,  John  D.  Tichenor,  William  McMoth, 
James  Moore,  B.  Franklin  Craig;  corporals,  Francis  LeClaire,  Nelson  J.  Gard- 
ner, John  S.  Christian,  Thomas  H.  Holmes,  Fred  P.  Rellnering,  William  J. 
Chriswell,  Luther  J.  McCulloch,  John  Q.  Page,  William  Peasley,  William  Platts, 
John  Newton  Purcell,  Christopher  Quinn,  John  C.  Roger,  Charles  M.  Robinson, 
John  A.  Rowan,  Henry  Sauerman,  James  E.  Thompson,  Josephus  Wagoner, 
John  Whitsell. 

Recruits  to  Company  B,  Charles  Ackerman,  Boge  Boyenes,  Henrich  Claussen, 
Gabrel  Feldpausch,  George  Graver.  Fritz  Grimm,  Andrew  Jackson,  Blasins  Kauth, 
Wilhelm  Kester,  Bennett  Lewellen,  Joseph  Laycock,  Edward  Moeller,  Chris- 
tian Muhl,  Nicholas  Matzen,  John  Stetel,  Johans  Stuhr. 

VETERAN    INFANTRY. 

Veterans,  captain,  James  Moore ;  lieutenant,  Frederick  P.  Kettenring ;  ser- 
geant, James  N.  Gardner;  corporals,  Orlando  Fluke,  Amos  Merritt,  Thomas 
Harris;  privates,  John  P.  Adams,  Charles  Belenberg,  James  Donahue,  Richard 
L.  Gallatin,  William  Goulder,  Simon  Gutbrode,  Samuel  Heckman,  Mathew  Hen- 
der,  Ferdinand  Haak,  Alfred  Larue,  Christian  Lemberg,  Pierre  Manhoven,  Wil- 
liam Platts,  Walter  E.  Rust,  Henry  Sauerman,  Joseph  Steober,  John  Thede, 
Samuel  Taylor,  Charles  Witte,  John  Weir. 

Company  C — Privates,  Norman  Hulsiffer,  John  D.  Roberts;  veterans,  Henry 
Chaney,  Orville  S.  Fluke,  Griffin  Moore,  Richard  N.  Nicherson,  James  Spier, 
Joseph  S.  Kelley. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  633 

Company  F — A.  Linton,  John  Miller,  John  Kelley. 

Company  G — Frank  M.  Boyer,  Alonzo  McKinsey,  Thomas  Wilson,  John  K. 
Fisher,  John  A.  Kirkpatrick. 

Company  I — Walter  H.  Record,  Michael  J,  Kelly,  James  Mulligan,  James 
O'Riley,  Michael  Shee,  Harvey  Wallace,  George  Wilson. 

The  following  named  were  promoted :  Niles  P.  Benton  ,from  first  lieutenant 
to  captain ;  James  Moore,  from  sergeant  to  first  lieutenant  and  captain ;  Fred  P. 
Kettenring  from  sergeant  to  second  and  first  lieutenant,  captain  and  brevet  major, 
United  States  volunteers ;  James  N.  Gardner,  from  sergeant  to  first  lieutenant  and 
brevet  captain. 

THE  EIGHTH  AT  SHILOH. 

The  Eighth  Iowa  infantry  was  mustered  into  the  service  September  2t^,  i86i. 
It  was  soon  sent  to  the  front  and  took  part  in  several  engagements  during  its 
first  year  of  service.  From  the  report  of  Colonel  Geddes  of  the  part  of  the  regi- 
ment in  the  battle  of  Shiloh  the  following  is  taken : 

"About  8  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  6th,  I  ordered  the  regiment  under 
arms,  and  formed  line  of  battle  in  front.  At  this  time  the  firing  on  our  advance 
line  had  become  general  and  it  appeared  to  me  evident  that  we  were  being  attacked 
in  force  by  the  rebel  general.  After  remaining  under  arms  for  about  half  an 
hour,  during  which  time  I  had  ordered  the  baggage  belonging  to  the  regiment  to 
be  loaded  on  the  wagons,  and  an  extra  supply  of  ammunition  to  be  issued  to  the 
men,  I  was  ordered  by  Colonel  Sweeney,  Fifty-second  Illinois  brigade  com- 
mander, to  proceed  to  the  front. 

"On  arriving  at  our  advance  line,  I  was  ordered  by  Colonel  Sweeney  to  take 
my  position  on  the  left  of  the  brigade  to  which  I  was  attached,  for  the  purpose  of 
protecting  a  battery  immediately  in  front.  Here  the  regiment  remained  about 
one  hour,  exposed  to  a  severe  fire  from  artillery  of  shell  and  grape,  killing  and 
wounding  several  of  my  men.  About  ii  o'clock  I  was  ordered  by  Colonel  Sweeney, 
through  his  aid.  Lieutenant  McCullough,  of  the  Eighth  Iowa,  to  leave  my  position 
and  take  ground  on  my  left  and  front. 

"This  change  of  position  brought  my  regiment  on  the  extreme  right  of  Gen- 
eral Prentiss'  division,  and  left  of  General  Smith's,  the  latter  being  the  division 
to  which  my  regiment  belonged.  I  was  thus  entirely  detached  from  m.y  brigade, 
nor  did  I  receive  any  order  from  my  brigade  or  division  commander  during  the 
remainder  of  that  day.  On  arriving  at  the  point  I  was  ordered  to  defend,  I  found 
my  regiment  in  line  of  battle  with  my  center  resting  on  a  road  leading  from 
Corinth  to  Pittsburg  Landing,  and  at  right  angles  to  my  line.  Here  I  immedi- 
ately engaged  a  battalion  of  the  enemy,  and  after  a  severe  conflict  of  nearly  an 
hour's  duration,  in  which  I  lost  many  of  my  men,  the  enemy  was  driven  back  with 
heavy  loss.  At  this  time  Captain  Hogin,  Company  F,  was  shot  dead,  and  Cap- 
tain Palmer,  Company  H,  severely  wounded.  In  this  desperate  struggle  my  regi- 
ment lost  I  GO  men  in  killed  and  wounded. 

"The  conspicuous  gallantry  and  coolness  of  my  company  commanders.  Cap- 
tains Cleveland,  Stubbs  and  Benson  on  the  left.  Captains  McCormic  and  Bell 
in  the  center.  Captains  Kelsey,  Geddes  and  Lieutenant  Muhs  on  the  right,  by 
reserving  the  fire  of  their  respective  companies  until  the  proper  time  for  its 


634  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

delivery  with  effect,  and  the  determined  courage  of  my  men,  saved  the  battery 
from  capture,  and  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  sending  the  guns  in  safety  to  the 
rear.  In  this  attack  I  was  wounded  in  the  leg  and  Major  Andrews  severely  in 
the  head,  and  I  do  here  take  pleasure  in  acknowledging  the  courage  and  cool- 
ness displayed  by  my  field  ofHcers,  Lieutenant  Colonel  J.  C.  Ferguson  and  Major 
J.  Andrews,  and  the  able  assistance  rendered  by  them  on  that  occasion. 

TO   HOLD  THE  POSITION. 

"About  3:00  o'clock  p.  m.,  all  communication  with  the  river  ceased,  and  it 
became  evident  to  me  that  the  enemy  were  turning  the  right  and  left  flanks  of 
our  army  and  were  rapidly  closing  behind  us.  I  could  at  this  time  have  re- 
treated and  most  likely  would  have  saved  my  command  from  being  captured 
had  I,  at  this  time,  been  ordered  back,  but  I  received  no  such  order  and  I  con- 
sidered it  my  duty  to  hold  the  position  I  was  assigned  to  defend  at  all  hazards. 

"General  Prentiss'  division  having  been  thrown  back  from  the  original  line, 
I  changed  front  by  my  left  flank,  conforming  to  his  movement,  and  at  right 
angles  with  my  former  base,  which  was  immediately  occupied  and  retained  for 
some  time  by  the  Fourteenth  Iowa,  Colonel  Shaw.  In  this  position  I  ordered 
my  regiment  to  charge  a  battalion  of  the  enemy,  I  think  the  Fourth  Mississippi, 
which  was  done,  in  good  order,  completely  routing  them.  We  were  now  attacked 
on  three  sides  by  the  rebel  force,  which  was  closing  fast  around  us.  The  shells 
from  our  gunboats  in  their  transit  severing  the  limbs  of  the  trees  hurled  them  on 
our  ranks.  To  prevent  annihilation  it  became  absolutely  necessary  to  leave  a 
position  which  my  regiment  had  held  for  nearly  ten  consecutive  hours  of  severe 
fighting,  successfully  resisting  and  driving  back  the  enemy  in  every  attempt  to 
take  the  position  I  was  ordered  to  hold  and  defend,  with  a  loss  of  men  near  20G 
killed  and  wounded,  so  ordered  my  regiment  to  retire.  On  retiring  about  300 
yards  I  found  a  division  of  the  rebels  under  General  Polk,  thrown  completely 
acros':  my  line  of  retreat.  I  perceived  that  further  resistance  was  useless,  as 
we  were  now  completely  surrounded.  Myself  and  the  major  portion  of  my  com- 
mand were  captured  at  6  :oo  o'clock  p.  m.  and  I  claim  the  honor  for  my  regiment 
of  being  the  last  to  leave  the  advance  line  of  our  army  on  the  battlefield  of 
Shiloh,  on  Sunday,  April  6,  1862." 

THE   CAMPAIGN    IN    MISSISSIPPI. 

The  Eighth  took  part  in  the  campaign  in  Mississippi  in  1863,  the  following 
account  of  which  was  given  by  Colonel  Geddes : 

"On  the  2d  of  May,  1863,  my  regiment  was  ordered  to  leave  Duckport,  Louisi- 
ana, with  the  division  to  which  it  was  attached,  namely,  the  Third  division. 
Fifteenth  Army  corps,  under  the  command  of  Brigadier  General  J.  M.  Tuttle, 
and  march  to  Hard  Times  Landing,  opposite  Grand  Gulf.  Mississippi,  sixtv 
miles  distant. 

"On  the  /th  of  May  it  crossed  the  river  with  the  advance  of  the  army  and 
took  up  the  line  or  march  toward  Jackson,  Mississippi.  It  took  part  in  the  storm- 
ing of  that  place  on  the  14th  of  May.  and  assisted  in  the  destruction  of  railroads 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  635 

in  the  vicinity.  Ordered  from  Jackson  on  the  i6th  of  May,  by  forced  marches. 
it  followed  on  the  rebel  retreat  from  Champion's  Hill  to  their  entrenchments  at 
Vicksburg,  assisted  in  the  charge  made  on  the  rebel  works  on  the  22d  and  oper- 
ated with  the  army  of  investment  for  thirty-four  days,  during  which  time  it 
assisted  in  clearing  obstructions,  making  roads,  constructing  field  works,  mount- 
ing guns  and  projecting  approaches  to  within  twenty  yards  of  the  rebel  works, 
under  an  almost  incessant  fire. 

"On  the  226.  of  June  it  was  ordered  to  operate  on  our  line  of  circumvalla- 
tion  under  command  of  Major  General  W.  T.  Sherman,  where  it  remained  until 
the  surrender  of  \'icksburg.  It  was  ordered  on  the  4th  of  July  to  join  the  ex- 
peditionary army  under  Major  General  Sherman,  was  sent  in  pursuit  of  the 
rebel  force  commanded  by  General  Johnston  and  was  present  during  the  seven 
days'  siege  of  Jarkson,  and  final  occupation  of  that  city,  which  took  place  on  the 
17th  of  July,  1863. 

"After  the  evacuation  of  Jackson  by  the  rebels  the  regiment  composed  part 
of  a  force  under  Major  General  Frederick  Steel,  which  was  ordered  to  Brandon, 
Mississippi,  and  was  attached  to  a  brigade  under  my  command  that  engaged  the 
enemy  for  two  hours,  repulsing  them  with  loss  and  capturing  Brandon. 

"It  also  assisted  in  destroying  the  Meridian  railroad  fifteen  miles  east  of 
Jackson  and  finally  on  the  23d  of  July,  1863,  retired  with  the  expeditionary  army 
to  its  present  position  on  the  right  bank  of  Big  Black  river,  fifteen  miles  from 
Vicksburg. 

"From  the  2d  of  May  to  the  25th  of  July  the  regiment,  without  tents  or 
transportation,  marched  over  300  miles,  engaged  the  enemy  at  Vicksburg,  twice 
at  Jackson  and  at  Brandon,  and  although  during  the  operations  of  this  ever 
memorable  campaign  both  the  officers  and  men  of  the  regiment  suffered  much 
exposure  and  hardships  of  a  very  trying  character,  they  endured  all  without  a 
murmur  and  with  a  fortitude  which  elicited  on  several  occasions  the  unreserved 
commendation  of  the  commanding  general." 

The  regiments  participated  in  many  campaigns  and  battles,  including  a  fight 
with  Forrest  at  Memphis,  August  21,  1864.  The  last  ,irincipal  engagement  was 
the  capture  of  Spanish  Fort.  Alabama,  April  8,  1865.  It  was  mustered  out  at 
the  close  of  the  war  with  due  honors. 

ELEVENTH    INFANTRY. 

Company  E — privates.  William  Spencer.  John  R.  Buckman,  George  Creaks; 
lieutenants.  James  Martin.  Ebenezer  McCullough ;  veterans.  George  Cush,  James 
Martin. 

Company  H — privates,  Ithamar  L.  Cochran.  Edward  Fawcette.  Charles  H, 
Mock,  Charles  J.  Fitchner,  Frank  L.  Kerr.  Jasper  W.  Shoemaker. 

In  Company  F  were  privates  Joseph  C  Purvis  and  Robert  A.  Tedford.  In 
Company  G  was  private  James  W.  Smith.  In  Company  K  was  Sergeant  Andrew 
P.  Fitch.  Unassigned  were  Robert  Deming,  Silas  Webb.  Charles  Carey,  Syl- 
vester Willis.  Socrates  T.  Lafley  and  Jackson  Hyatt. 


636  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THIRTEENTH   INFANTRY. 

Lieutenant  colonel,  Milton  M.  Price;  major,  George  M.  Van  Hoesen;  adjutant, 
W.  T.  Clark ;  quartermaster,  Horatio  G.  Barnes.  Company  E — captain,  George 
M.  Van  Hoesen;  lieutenants,  Stephen  Purdy,  Andrew  J.  Finch,  Paul  Renshorf, 
Napoleon  W.  Pavey;  sergeants,  Thomas  J.  Graham,  James  Winans,  Napoleon 
W.  Pavey,  Thomas  Mounts,  Nelson  L.  Post,  John  Forsythe,  Andrew  J.  Finch; 
corporals,  John  Melton,  James  Rudd,  James  H.  Work,  Andrew  Finch,  Peter  B. 
Dobbins,  William  Stokes,  Eli  Melton;  musician,  James  Bryan;  wagoner,  James 
Gartland;  privates,  William  Ammond,  Frederick  Brog,  WilHam  Benshoof,  An- 
derson Burnett,  Henry  Bowman,  Otto  F.  Blunck,  Thomas  Barrett,  James  Brown, 
George  Bigelow,  Nelson  Brown,  Edwin  Clark,  Thomas  Dean,  Henry  Ernst, 
Charles  Emeigh,  John  Ellsworth,  Emery  Fish,  Jasper  Forsyth,  Edward  Flana- 
gan, John  Flanagan,  Andrew  J.  Finch,  Jonathan  Gallagher,  Solomon  Knapp, 
William  Klinefelter,  Thomas  Kelly,  William  Lewis,  George  IMcKinstry,  Thomas 
Moore,  George  Mooney,  George  Mema,  James  McGuire,  David  C.  Oliver,  Jesse 
R.  Pratt,  Francis  Pentith,  Henrj^  Price,  Noah  Peasly,  Thomas  B.  Piersol,  Na- 
poleon W.  Pavey,  George  C.  Rowe,  Nicholas  Rook,  William  Shirk,  James  Swin, 
Daniel  D.  Thompson,  James  A.  Thompson,  Jacob  Wisecarver,  Alexander  Work, 
James  H.  Work,  James  Winans,  James  S.  Warner,  James  Ward.  Additional  en- 
listments :  Nicholas  Garners,  Daniel  Shook,  Benjamin  Wells. 

Company  E,  veterans :  Capt.  'Andrew  J.  Finch,  Lieutenants  Napoleon  W. 
Pavey,  William  Shirk;  sergeants,  John  Forsyth,  Thomas  B.  Piersol;  corporals, 
William  Lewis,  William  Ammond,  Charles  Emeigh ;  privates,  George  Bigelow, 
Thomas  Barrett,  John  Flanagan,  Solmon  Knapp,  George  Mooney,  Jesse  R.  Pratt, 
Nelson  L.  Post,  Nicholas  Rusch,  William  Stokes,  Daniel  Shook,  James  Swin  and 
James  Ward. 

In  Company  F  were  William  Carleton  and  Daniel  C.  Dawley ;  in  Company 
H  was  John  F.  Dial,  and  in  Company  I,  Albert  Scott  and  James  Coates. 

In  the  line  of  promotions  were  George  M.  Van  Hoesen,  from  captain  to 
major;  William  T.  Clark,  from  lieutenant  to  captain,  major,  colonel  and  brevet 
brigadier-general ;  Andrew  J.  Finch,  from  sergeant  to  first  lieutenant  and  cap- 
tain ;  William  A.  Shirk,  from  sergeant  to  first  lieutenant  and  captain ;  Stephen 
Purdy,  from  first  lieutenant  to  quartermaster;  Thomas  J.  Graham,  from  ser- 
geant to  first  lieutenant;  Napoleon  W.  Pavey,  from  sergeant  to  second  and 
first  lieutenants ;    John  Forsyth,  from  sergeant  to  first  lieutenant. 

The  Thirteenth  regiment  of  Iowa  Veteran  volunteer  infantry  was  mus- 
tered out  of  service  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  July  21,  1865,  after  an  honorable 
career  in  which  they  distinguished  themselves  in  many  battles  and  campaigns. 

THE  THIRTEENTH    AT   SHILOH. 

The  Thirteenth  regiment  Iowa  infantry  was  mustered  into  the  United  States 
service  in  October,  1861,  for  three  years  or  during  the  war,  and  was  at  once 
ordered  to  the  front.  It  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh  as  will  be  seen  from  the 
following  report  of  Colonel  Crocker: 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  637 

"Early  on  the  morning  of  the  6th  the  alarm  was  given  and  heavy  firing  in 
the  distance  indicated  that  our  camp  was  attacked.  The  regiment  was  formed 
in  front  of  its  color  line,  its  full  force  consisting  of  717  men,  rank  and  file.  It 
was  at  once  ordered  to  form  on  the  left  of  the  Second  brigade  and  proceeded  to 
that  position  at  a  double  quick  and  was  then  formed  in  line  of  battle  in  a  skirt 
of  woods  bordering  on  an  open  field  to  the  left  of  a  battery.  Here  it  remained 
for  some  time  inactive  while  the  enemy's  guns  were  playing  on  our  battery.  In 
the  meantime  a  large  force  of  the  enemy's  infantry  were  filing  around  the  open 
field  in  front  of  our  line,  protected  by  the  woods  and  in  the  direction  of  our 
battery,  opening  a  heavy  fire  of  musketry  on  the  infantry  stationed  on  our 
right  and  charging  upon  the  battery,  the  infantry  and  battery  to  the  right  having 
given  away.  At  this  time  we,  as  indeed  all  of  our  troops  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  battery,  were  thrown  into  great  confusion  and  retired  in  disorder. 
Having  retreated  to  the  distance  of  100  or  200  yards  we  succeeded  in  ral- 
lying and  forming  a  good  line,  the  Eighth  and  Eighteenth  Illinois  volunteers 
on  our  left,  and  having  fronted  to  the  enemy  held  our  positions  there  under  a 
continual  fire  of  cannon  and  musketry  until  after  12:00  o'clock,  when  we 
were  ordered  to  retire  and  take  up  a  new  position.  This  we  did  in  good  order 
and  without  confusion.  Here  having  formed  a  new  line,  we  maintained  it  under 
incessant  fire  until  4:30  o'clock,  p.  m.,  the  men  conducting  themselves  with  great 
gallantry  and  coolness,  and  doing  great  execution  cm  the  enemy,  repelling  charge 
after  charge  and  driving  them  back  with  great  loss.  At  4:30  o'clock  we  were 
again  ordered  to  fall  back.  In  obeying  this  order  we  became  mixed  up  with  a 
great  number  of  regiments  falling  back  in  confusion,  so  that  our  line  was  broken 
and  the  regiment  separated,  rendering  it  very  difficult  to  collect  it ;  but  finally  hav- 
ing succeeded  in  forming  and  being  separated  from  the  brigade  we  attached 
ourselves  to  the  division  commanded  by  Colonel  Tuttle,  of  the  Second  Iowa 
volunteers,  and  formed  with  his  division  in  front  of  the  encampment  of  the 
Fourteenth,  Second  and  Seventh  Iowa  volunteers,  where  we  sustained  a  heavy 
fire  from  the  enemy's  battery  until  dark,  and  then  remained  during  the  night  on 
our  arms.  During  the  day  w^e  were  under  fire  of  the  enemy  for  ten  hours  and 
sustained  a  loss  of  twenty-three  killed  and  130  wounded. 

''On  the  morning  of  the  7th  we  were  ordered  to  continue  with  Colonel 
Tuttle's  division  and  to  follow  up  and  support  our  forces  that  were  attacking 
and  driving  back  the  enemy.  We  followed  them  up  closely,  moving  to  sup- 
port the  batteries  until  the  enemy  was  routed,  after  which  we  were  ordered  to 
return  to  the  encampment  that  we  had  left  on  Sunday  morning,  where  we  ar- 
rived at  8  :oo  o'clock  p.  m.  Our  total  loss  in  the  action  of  the  6th  and  7th  was : 
killed,  24;  wounded,  139;  missing,  9;  total,  172.  The  men  for  the  most  part 
behaved  with  great  gallantry.  All  the  officers  exhibited  the  greatest  bravery 
and  coolness,  and  I  call  especial  attention  to  the  gallant  conduct  of  my  field  offi- 
cers, Lieutenant-Colonel  Price  and  Major  Shane,  who  were  both  w'ounded  in  the 
action  of  the  6th,  and  acknowledge  my  great  obligations  to  my  adjutant,  Lieu- 
tenant Wilson,  who  during  the  entire  action  exhibited  the  highest  qualities  of 
a  soldier." 


638  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

ENGAGEMENT   BEFORE  ATLANTA. 

On  the  2 1  St  of  July,  1864,  an  engagement  was  had  before  Atlanta.  The  fol- 
lowing is  the  account-  of  the  afifair  given  by  Major  Walker: 

"At  8:00  o'clock  a.  m.,  the  regiment  was  in  position  in  front  of  the  brigade 
with  the  Fifteenth  Iowa  infantry  on  its  left,  and  supported  by  the  Sixteenth 
Iowa  infantry ;  its  front  was  protected  by  temporary  works  thrown  up  on  the 
night  of  the  20th. 

"About  8:00  o'clock,  a.  m.,  I  received  orders  from  Colonel  John  Shane,  com- 
manding brigade,  to  advance  at  once  on  the  double-quick  to  the  front,  to  assist 
Brigadier-General  Force,  commanding  a  brigade  in  the  Third  Division,  Seven- 
teenth army  corps,  who  was  fighting  for  the  possession  of  a  high  hill  in  his 
front  and  to  the  left  of  his  regiment.  The  men  seized  their  arms  and  sprang 
promptly  over  the  works,  advancing  in  good  order  to  the  crest  of  a  hill  less 
than  100  yards  from  the  enemy's  works,  in  the  face  of  a  heavy  fire.  Here  I* 
was  ordered  to  halt  and  held  the  position,  exposed  to  a  very  destructive  fire  of 
musketry,  grape  and  canister,  until  the  enemy  having  withdrawn  to  their  works, 
and  General  Force  having  gained  possession  of  the  hill,  I  was  ordered  to  re- 
tire to  the  position  I  originally  occupied,  which  was  done  steadily  and  without 
confusion. 

"Although  the  men  had  no  previous  notice  of  the  advance  there  was  no  dis- 
order :  being  made,  too,  over  an  open  field  with  no  protection.  I  regret  to  say 
that  though  the  engagement  lasted  but  thirty  minutes  the  loss  in  officers  and 
men  was  severe ;  seventeen  enlisted  men  killed  and  four  officers  and  seventy- 
seven  enlisted  men  wounded.  The  regiment  also  participated  in  actions  before 
Atlanta,  July  27th  and  28th." 

FOURTEENTH    INFANTRY. 

Company  A,  captain,  Isaac  \V.  Talmage  :  lieutenants,  Hugo  Hoft'bauer,  Wil- 
liam T.  Dittoe :  sergeants,  William  T.  Dittoe,  Waldo  Gardner,  Daniel  Remington, 
William  Guion,  Michael  McManus,  James  M.  \^anduzer.  Christian  Litscher. 
Samuel  Lecock.  David  Palmer,  K.  W.  Kinkaid,  Daniel  Russell,  Benjamin  P. 
Lancaster,  Jacob  Veit,  Leonard  Lavender ;  musicians,  Oliver  White,  John  Agans ; 
wagoner,  Horace  D.  Squyers  ;  privates.  Napoleon  Areundo,  James  Baldwin,  Hen- 
reich  Baughman,  Joseph  Clark,  Isaac  H.  Collins,  Antonio  Dapron,  Owen  Dough- 
erty, Peter  Drennon,  Conrad  Dorst,  William  A.  Davenport,  Patrick  Farrell,  Timo- 
thy Farrell,  William  I.  Frazier,  Richard  Fitzgerald,  Peter  Garity,  John  B. 
Goman,  Benjamin  Hamson,  Peter  Henry,  John  Hire,  William  Hyland,  Jefifer- 
son  W.  Knapp,  Leonard  Lavender,  Bernhard  Litscher,  John  Lynch,  William  M. 
Leslie,  Henry  S.  Moore,  John  C.  Miller,  David  Morrison,  John  Mclntyre,  Francis 
McKean.  Samuel  McCloud,  Evert  G.  Nesbitt.  Matthias  G.  Pinneo.  William  H. 
Pace,  Hans  Paustian,  William  F.  Ruick,  Hans  Reimas,  Alfred  Roseman,  Wil- 
liam Stewart,  David  Sloper,  John  Shaback,  John  E.  Sank,  Peter  D.  Schmidt, 
Hans  Sievers,  Fayette  Slaughter,  R.  B.  Shoemaker,  Charles  Sweeney,  John  Vogle- 
bach  ;  recruits,  Charles  Bergheim,  John  Bergheim,  Henry  Bergheim,  Lyman  Booth, 
John  Hoffman,  John  Harvey,  Daniel  Mowen,  Charles  A.  McLoskey,  John  Pin- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COL'XT\'  639 

neo.  Christian  Schleg-el,  George  Turner.  John  Voglebach,  Henry  Clay  Wolsey ; 
veterans,  William  Hershberger,  George  W.  Basley. 

Company  B  contained  Sergeant  J.  L.  Scott  and  privates  Thomas  S.  Curtt- 
right,  A.  J.  Barrett.  George  L.  Everstine.  Joseph  R.  Leyle.  John  Maywood  and 
George  Campbell.  Company  E  contained  Sewell  Butler  and  John  W.  Lay.  Com- 
pany G  contained  privates  Alexander  Cheney.  Leander  F.  Hastings,  Henry  Hass, 
Andrew  H.  Harcett,  Francis  Kline,  Robert  Taylor  and  William  S.  Bailey. 

The  promotions  among  Scott  county  men  were  Hugo  Hoffbauer.  from  first 
lieutenant  to  captain ;  William  T.  Dittoe,  from  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant ; 
George  Pemberton,  from  first  lieutenant  to  captain. 

The  Fourteenth  regiment  was  mustered  into  the  Ignited  States  service  in  No- 
vember. i86i.  and  mustered  out  of  service  at  Davenport,  November  i6.  1864.  The 
veterans  and  recruits  for  this  regiment  were  consolidated  into  two  companies 
and  called  the  "Residuary  Battalion  of  the  Fourteenth  Infantry."  which  com- 
panies were  mustered  out  at  Davenport.  May  13.  1865. 

SIXTEENTH     INFANTRY. 

Lieutenant-colonel,  Addison  H.  Sanders;  adjutant,  George  E.  McCosh ;  ser- 
geant-major. Henry  Lefeldt ;  Company  A.  privates.  Edward  Gassier,  George  W. 
Clayburg.  Thomas  Duggins,  William  S.  Franum.  Peter  Hughs,  Jacob  C.  Highly, 
Thomas  Millsap,  Franklin  Milton,  Jeremiah  Nolan.  Frederick  Osbom,  Oliver  P. 
Rogers,  Levi  Shadle.  William  Shields,  Samuel  C.  Stanley,  Denis  Sullivan,  Ed- 
ward Todd.  Royal  B.  Whitney,  Charles  L.  Whitnell ;  veterans — corporal.  George 
W.  Claybaugh;  privates,  Edward  Cassley,  Caleb  S.  Jordan.  Frederick  C.  Osbom. 
Lemuel  Stanley.  John  Franum.  Royal  B.  Whitney,  William  Crawford.  Jesse  Getty, 
Josiah  Osbom;  Company  B — captain,  David  Stuhr;  lieutenants,  Lewis  Bundc, 
Frederick  Wiedemann;  sergeants,  Henry  Lefeldt,  John  Claussen.  Joseph  Fisher, 
Fred  Schwerdtfeger.  John  Nelson;  corporals.  Johann  Witt.  Jochim  Arj).  Fritz 
Sanger.  Hans  F.  Hartman,  Adolph  Golbrecht.  Henry  ■\Ioller.  Sieverd  Jurgen- 
sen.  Ludwig  Lubbe ;  musicians.  Rudolph  Grinoner,  Otto  Mielok.  Henry  Rix ; 
privates,  Peter  Aye,  Jochim  Book,  Hans  Brammer,  John  Begun,  Theodore  Berg- 
man, Jochim  Bielefeldt.  John  Blooker,  John  Bahr.  Jurgen  Blooker.  Christian 
Begun,  Fritz  Capicas.  Claus  Dammann,  Christian  Dormann.  Nicholaus  Dose,- 
John  Dieckmann.  John  Eggers.  Wilhelm  Ehlers.  John  Frackman.  Johann  Fremke. 
Henry  Fullert,  Hinrich  Girkin.  August  Gottbrecht,  Carl  Beoble.  Phillipp  Har- 
berger.  Christian  Hartkop.  Frederich  Hartkop,  Erich  Henning,  Hans  Hoick.  Marx 
Henson,  Nich  Hildebrandt.  Hans  F.  Hamann.  Heinrich  Jacobs.  Jacob  Tacob.son, 
Claus  Jaussen.  Jochim  Kuhl.  Wilhelm  Kiel.  :^Iarx  Martz.  Ernst  IMuller.  Jurgen 
Norden.  John  Neben,  Carl  Ohrt.  Niss  Paulsen.  Eggert  Puck,  Frederick  Peterson. 
Jacob  Prussing.  Johann  Rickenberg.  Johann  Reimer.  Andreas  Sohmelyle,  Fritz 
Silvester.  Fritz  Schlosser.  Detlef  Scheel.  Johann  Schwartz.  Peter  Schluter. 
August  Schulz.  Henry  \'oss,  August  Wichmann,  George  Wendel.  L'rs  Weber,  Carl 
Wendt,  Frederick  Wilkin,  Asmus  Wolf.  Charles  Weissmann.  Theodore  West- 
phal,  Ludwig  Wriedt,  Henry  Wolter;  additional  enlistments.  Wilhelm  Hamdorf. 
Johann  Siems,  Hinrich  Weise ;  Company  B^veterans — captain.  Henry  Lee- 
feldt;  lieutenant.  Frederick  Weidemann ;  sergeants.  Jasper  A.   Fischer.  Johann 


640  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Witt ;  corporals,  Frederick  Schwerdtf eger,  Han.  F.  Hartmann,  Fritz  Sanger,  Siev- 
ered  Juergensen,  Ludwig  Lubbe,  Peter  Aye;  privates,  Juergen  Blocker,  Claus 
Dammann,  Ernst  Alueller,  Frederick  Peterson,  Johann  Rickenburg,  Andreas 
Schmelzle,  Conrad  Vogel,  Asmus  Wolf,  Paul  Schumaker;  Company  C — cor- 
porals, Peter  Blanchard,  George  B.  Boemer,  Alfred  B.  Cox,  Josiah  T.  Herbert, 
George  W.  Hickson,  Henry  L.  Sixbury,  R.  M.  J.  Tallman ;  additional  enlistments, 
George  A.  Averill,  Frederic  E.  Cheney,  Simon  Kughn,  William  McGinnis,  James 
G.  Moore,  William  H.  H.  Moore,  William  McLaughlin,  Thomas  E.  Price,  John 
Shadle,  William  Shook;  Company  D — sergeants,  James  W.  Willard,  William  G. 
Fearing,  Joseph  S.  McHarg,  Joseph  V.  West,  Gideon  Maple,  Harry  H.  Bowl- 
ing ;  privates,  Benjamin  Anderson,  William  A.  Bird,  Harry  H.  Bowling,  George 
W.  Chase,  FrankUn  Faring,  John  L.  Hager,  Ninin  Lindsey,  Abraham  Myers, 
Samuel  Newburn,  George  W.  Snively,  Henry  P.  Webster,  Joseph  V.  West ;  Com- 
pany D — veterans — sergeants,  James  W.  Willard,  William  G.  Fearing;  privates, 
Benjamin  Anderson,  Edward  D.  Langdon,  Daniel  Madden,  Abraham  Myers ; 
Company  F — captain,  Edward  S.  Eraser ;  corporal,  Samuel  Duffin  ;  privates,  James 
H.  Ackerman,  William  Patterson ;  veterans,  John  Drew,  Absalom  D.  Emes, 
David  Mossholder,  George  H.  dinger,  Wilham  Patterson,  Patrick  Rourk;  Com- 
pany G — sergeant,  August  Timm ;  corporals,  Henry  Hoffman,  George  B.  Quick ; 
privates,  Augustus  Hartman,  Edward  Arndt,  Anton  Bruesch,  Jacob  Egger,  Bene- 
dict Gradea,  Henry  Hoffmerener,  Francis  Hoppe,  Frederick  Koehle,  Jacob  Leh- 
mann,  Wilhelm  Otto,  Joseph  Schumacher,  Edward  Steinmann,  Henry  Timm; 
Company  G — veterans — lieutenant,  August  Timm;  sergeant,  Peter  Becker;  priv- 
ates, Jacob  Egger,  Henry  Timm,  August  Hartman,  Henry  Lorentz ;  Company 
I — corporal,  George  W.  Keith ;  privates,  Patrick  Dugan,  James  Carter,  John  Gil- 
ligan,  John  T.  Nass,  Frank  Rowen ;  veterans,  Patrick  Dugan,  James  Carter,  John 
Gilligan,  George  W.  Keith,  Herbert  A.  Shaw,  Thomas  Shuey ;  Company  K — 
lieutenants,  Eleck  Weingartner,  Samuel  Duffin ;  sergeant,  John  T.  Davis ;  cor- 
poral, Joseph  Enderle ;  privates,  Christ  Barden,  Karl  Graak,  Henry  Hilbert, 
Adolph  Kjiocke,  Charles  Nye,  John  Knocke,  Karl  Matthes,  Anton  NunHst,  Rich- 
ard Phelan,  Nicholas  T.  Sieh,  Claus  Struve,  Henry  Wilkard,  Christian  Barche ; 
Company  K — veterans — lieutenants,  Eleck  Weingartner,  Samuel  Duffin  ;  sergeant, 
John  T.  Davis ;  privates,  Joseph  Enderle,  John  Knocke.  John  Martin,  Henry 
Bulda,  Karl  Matthes,  Richard  Phelan,  August  Schneider. 

Company  E  contained  J.  A.  Davis,  Patrick  Moran  and  Orlando  Mattison,  priv- 
ates, and  the  following  unassigned  veterans:  William  Crawford,  Zachariah  C. 
McClury,  George  H.  Otinzer,  John  Sheser,  William  W.  Simons,  Frank  Thomp- 
son and  Christopher  Tiedman. 

The  promotions  were  Addison  H.  Sanders,  from  lieutenant-colonel  to  col- 
onel and  brevet  brigadier-general;  Henry  Leefeldt,  from  sergeant  major  to  second 
lieutenant  and  captain ;  John  Claussen,  from  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant  and 
captain ;  Frederick  Wiedemann,  from  second  to  first  lieutenant ;  Frederick 
Schwerdtf  eger,  from  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant ;  William  G.  Fearing,  from 
sergeant  to  captain ;  August  Timm,  from  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant  and  cap- 
tain ;  Eleck  Weingartner,  from  sergeant  to  first  lieutenant ;  John  T.  Davis,  from 
sergeant  to  first  lieutenant ;  Samuel  Duffin,  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant.  The 
Sixteenth  regiment  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  July  19,  1865. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  641 

SIXTEENTH    ALWAYS   ON   DUTY, 

The  Sixteenth  Regiment  Iowa  Infantry  Volunteers  left  Davenport  March  20, 
1862,  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  April  6th  and  7th,  meeting  with  heavy 
loss ;  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Corinth,  camped  at  Corinth  from  its  evacuation  till 
July  28th ;  marched  to  Bolivar,  Tennessee ;  made  a  reconnoissance  to  Summerville, 
August  23d,  returning  to  Bolivar  on  the  26th;  left  September  nth  for  Corinth, 
and  thence  was  sent  out  to  reconnoiter  the  position  and  forces  of  the  enemy  at 
luka,  September  17,  returning  to  Brownsville  ;  were  ordered  to  Jacinto,  Mississippi, 
where  they  joined  Rosecrans'  command.  The  regiment  again  marched  on  luka, 
was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  luka,  September  19,  1862.  The  regiment  again  ar- 
rived at  Corinth  October  2d ;  was  engaged  in  the  two  days'  battle  of  Corinth, 
October  3d  and  4th,  and  pursuit  of  the  enemy  to  Ripley ;  returned  to  Corinth  on 
the  nth;  was  in  camp  till  November  2d;  marched  to  Grand  Junction,  camped  till 
November  28th;  marched  to  Holly  Springs,  passing  through  the  town;  arrived 
in  front  of  the  enemy's  fortified  position  on  the  Tallahatchie  river  on  the  29th. 
The  enemy  was  forced  from  its  position  November  30th.  The  regiment  crossed 
the  river  December  2d  and  went  into  camp ;  was  engaged  in  guarding  and  build- 
ing the  railroad  bridge  across  the  river;  marched  to  the  south  of  Oxford,  Missis- 
sippi, on  the  19th;  returned  to  Holly  Springs  on  the  21st;  in  camp  till  Decem- 
ber 29th.  Marched  to  Lafayette,  Tennessee;  arrived  January  i,  1863;  camped 
till  the  I2th.  Marched  to  Memphis,  embarked  on  transports  for  Young's  Point; 
arrived  on  the  24th  and  remained  till  the  29th ;  moved  to  Lake  Providence,  Louis- 
iana, where  the  regiment  remained  till  April  21st.  Returning  to  Milliken's  Bend, 
marched  by  way  of  Richmond,  Louisiana,  to  Grand  Gulf,  thence  to  Vicksburg; 
was  engaged  in  the  operations  against  the  latter  place  May  22d.  The  regiment 
was  in  the  expedition  to  Mechanicsburg  under  General  Blair;  returned  to  Vicks- 
burg, June  ist;  engaged  in  the  siege  until  the  23d;  marched  to  Black  river; 
guarded  the  crossing  till  the  fall  of  Vicksburg;  had  a  sharp  engagement  with  the 
enemy  July  4,  1863 ;  part  of  the  regiment  having  crossed  the  river  and  driven  the 
enemy  from  his  position  on  the  opposite  bank.  July  12th  was  ordered  to  reinforce 
General  Sherman  at  Jackson  and  bring  up  an  ammunition  train. 

Jo.  Johnson  having  evacuated  Jackson,  the  army  returned  to  A'icksburg  July 
28th ;  camped  near  Vicksburg  till  the  6th  of  August.  The  regiment  was  engaged 
in  the  march  to  Monroe,  Louisiana.  Returning  to  Vicksburg,  remained  in  camp 
till  the  third  day  of  February,  1864,  when  they  started  on  the  Meridian  campaign. 
After  a  march  across  the  entire  state  of  Mississippi,  returned  to  Vicksburg  March 
4,  1864;  left  Vicksburg  March  17th  on  veteran  furlough.  The  regiment  again 
started  from  Davenport,  Iowa,  May  3d ;  arrived  at  Clifton,  Tennessee,  about  the 
middle  of  May;  marched  to  Huntsville,  Alabama,  arriving  at  the  latter  place 
May  22d ;  marched  to  Decatur,  Alabama ;  thence  across  the  mountains  to  Rome, 
Georgia,  where  they  arrived  on  the  5th  day  of  June.  Starting  again  the  next 
morning,  joined  the  main  army  under  Sherman,  near  Acworth,  on  the  lOth;  ar- 
rived in  front  of  Kenesaw  mountain  on  the  nth;  had  a  sharp  engagement  with 
the  enemy  June  1 5th ;  the  regiment  was  engaged  in  the  attack  on  Kenesaw  moun- 
tain June  27th,  meeting  with  heavy  loss.     The  regiment  was  under  the  enemy's 


642  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

fire  from  June  14th  to  July  2d;  moved  from  left  to  right  of  the  line,  meeting  the 
army  again  July  4th ;  had  another  sharp  engagement,  driving  the  enemy.  On  the 
5th  the  Sixteenth  again  had  the  advance,  driving  the  enemy  from  his  fortified 
position  and  across  Nick-a-jack  creek;  were  under  fire  of  the  enemy  until  the 
i6th  day  of  July,  when  the  rebels  were  compelled  to  cross  the  Chattahoochee;  the 
regiment  was  then  marched  to  Rossville,  where  it  crossed  the  Chattahoochee  river 
and  pushed  on  for  Atlanta;  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of  July  20th  and  21st,  rheet- 
ing  with  heavy  losses  in  killed  and  wounded  and  receiving  General  McPherson's 
especial  compHments.  July  22d,  when  Hood  made  his  famous  charge  that  opened 
the  battle  of  Atlanta,  the  Sixteenth  Iowa,  flanked  in  the  right  by  the  Eleventh,  on 
the  left  by  the  Fifteenth,  with  the  Thirteenth  Iowa  in  the  rear,  all  forming  "the 
old  Iowa  brigade,"  was  at  the  main  point  when  the  charge  was  made.  The  Six- 
teenth captured  more  of  the  enemy  than  it  had  men  in  its  ranks,  but  was  eventually 
surrounded  and  captured  in  turn  and  taken  to  Ahdersonville.  But  in  a  short  time, 
being  exchanged,  they  rejoined  the  army  under  Sherman.  The  regiment  was  in- 
creased by  recruits  and  started  from  Atlanta,  November  15th;  marched  to  Sa- 
vannah, before  which  place  it  arrived  December  loth ;  after  much  hard  marching, 
skirmishing,  etc.,  drove  the  enemy  behind  their  fortifications. 

At  Savannah  this  regiment  was  the  first  to  seize  the  Savannah  &  Charleston 
railroad,  and  under  directions  of  Brigadier-General  Belknap  commenced  destroy- 
ing the  same ;  was  engaged  in  the  siege  till  the  evacuation  of  the  city ;  marched  to 
the  suburbs  of  the  city  and  went  into  camp  on  the  21st,  where  it  remained  getting 
ready  for  the  next  campaign.  After  a  review  of  the  entire  army  by  General  Sher- 
man, the  Sixteenth  was  put  in  motion  January  6,  1865,  for  Beaufort,  South  Caro- 
Una;  marched  against  Pocataligo  January  15th,  the  Seventeenth  corps  (to  which 
the  Sixteenth  belonged)  driving  the  enemy  out  of  his  strongly  fortified  position; 
remained  here  at  Pocataligo  until  the  28th,  when  the  new  campaign  commenced. 

Marching  to  Rivers  bridge,  on  the  Salkahatchie,  met  the  enemy  strongly  forti- 
fied. At  this  point  the  Salkahatchie  forms  an  almost  impenetrable  swamp  about 
two  miles  wide,  which  was  waded  by  the  Fourth  division,  Seventeenth  army  corps, 
on  the  3d  of  February,  1865;  drove  the  enemy  from  their  position;  continued  the 
march,  driving  the  enemy  before  them,  capturing  every  place  which  they  attempted 
to  hold,  and  after  encountering  many  hardships,  privations  and  dangers,  arrived  at 
Goldsboro  on  the  22d  of  March,  1865.  Remaining  at  Goldsboro,  North  Carolina, 
until  the  loth  of  April,  the  regiment  was  again  on  the  march  in  search  of  the 
enemy.  Pushing  forward  the  command  entered  Raleigh  on  the  i6th;  camped  till 
the  2d  of  May. 

The  war  being  brought  to  a  close,  the  command  marched  for  Washington, 
where  it  took  part  in  the  grand  review.  May  24th ;  left  Washington  June  7th  and 
arrived  at  Louisville  June  12th. 

During  the  period  embraced  herein,  the  regiment  suffered  severely  in  killed, 
died  of  wounds  received,  or  of  disease  contracted  in  the  hne  of  duty.  It  may 
truly  be  said  of  the  Sixteenth,  it  was  always  at  the  front,  oftener,  perhaps,  under 
order  than  it  wanted  to  be,  but  never  in  battle  or  march  did  it  fail  in  the  per- 
formance of  its  whole  duty. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  643 

TWENTIETH  INFANTRY. 

Lieutenant-colonel,  Joseph  B.  Leake ;  quartermaster-sergeant,  Patrick  Gaffney ; 
hospital  steward,  Lockwood  J.  Center;  fife  major,  John  DeLong.  Company  C — 
captain,  Mark  L.  Tomson;  lieutenants,  Oliver  Harrison,  Robert  M.  Lytle;  ser- 
geants, John  P.  Conner,  William  Hewes,  Andrew  L.  Grace,  Thomas  Murry, 
Josephus  F.  Jacobs,  Warren  A.  Oliver;  corporals,  Charles  O.  Blanchard,  John 
V.  Walker,  William  Watson,  Thomas  B.  Winet,  James  H.  Hale,  Elisha  M. 
Hummell,  William  Murry,  Robert  LeMarinel;  musicians,  Henry  Woodford, 
Thomas  Preston ;  wagoner,  John  C.  Moore ;  privates,  James  L.  Armel,  Andrew 
J.  Blackman,  Williard  Baker,  Frederick  Berger,  James  F.  Barrett,  James  A. 
Bentley,  Edward  Brannock,  John  W.  Bell,  Robert  Chriswell,  James  Clapp, 
Thomas  Cooper,  WilHam  H.  Curtis,  Michael  Conner,  Nathan  Davies,  Joseph 
Davies,  William  R.  Dan  forth,  John  Desney,  Jasper  Dow,  Joseph  Elder,  Samuel 
French,  Frank  C.  Grace,  Leonard  A,  Greenleaf,  Joseph  Goerhch,  Adam  Hart- 
zell,  Gustave  Haekling,  Seneca  Hurd,  Andrew  M.  Hanlon,  Martin  Hanson, 
Rufus  Pinkerton,  Zebulon  M.  Pike,  John  Port,  Oliff  Peterson,  Judson  C.  Stacy, 
WilHam  H,  Stacy,  James  L.  Sharlow,  John  Shannon,  Edward  M.  Stanley, 
Stephen  Sanders,  A.  R.  Stringham,  Lewis  Underholt,  John  M.  Van  Duzen, 
Henry  C.  Wallace,  John  E.  White,  George  Whitsell,  John  Wyman,  James  H. 
Wilson,  Lyman  L.  Whitney ;  companies  unknown,  John  Appleton,  Daniel  R. 
Calder,  Samuel  Caldwell,  Christopher  Cook,  Sylvester  Huss,  Thomas  Leonard, 
Franklin  Lindley,  G.  C.  W.  Longworth,  Loren  L.  Mann,  Preston  Mann,  James 
McCormic.  William  H.  Osborn,  John  P.  Risley. 

TWENTIETH  INFANTRY  VETERANS. 

Company  C — privates,  Beecher  B.  Cochran,  Daniel  N.  Howell,  John  Hogan, 
John  B.  Hamann,  Frederick  Kock,  Ezra  Seamen.  Company  D — privates,  Thos. 
Leonard,  John  P.  Risley.  Jonathan  Carter,  William  Carter,  John  B.  Case,  Mich- 
ael T.  Carter,  Calvin  Craig,  John  S.  Congleton,  John  Delay,  Hans  Fohrmann, 
Robert  L.  Gooden,  William  Gray,  Abraham  Mulford,  Isaac  Morrison,  Samuel 
L.  Rodgers,  Charles  Sparks,  John  C.  Ulam.  Company  E — privates,  Daniel  R. 
Calder,  Christopher  Cook,  Egbert  Hill,  Franklin  Kindley,  Daniel  Moloy,  Wil- 
liam H.  Osborn,  Michael  Timothy,  Simpson  H.  Williams;  companies  unknown, 
Edwin  Blackman,  Edward  Cunningham,  Michael  Carter,  John  P.  Graw,  Wil- 
liam H,  Guion,  Henry  C.  Graham,  John  Hamilton,  William  H.  Jones,  David 
Little.  William  McCutcheon,  William  S.  Schemerhorn,  Andrew  Thompson.  Wil- 
liam H.  Wells. 

In  Company  H  was  James  McCormick,  and  in  Company  K  John  Voutine. 

Scott  county  was  well  represented  in  the  Twentieth  infantry,  as  will  be 
seen  by  reference  to  the  foregoing  names.  The  promotions  were  as  follows : 
Joseph  B.  Leake,  captain  to  lieutenant-colonel;  Robert  M.  Lytle,  second  to  first 
lieutenant;  William  M.  Johnson,  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant;  Charles  E. 
Squires,  second  to  first  lieutenant  and  captain;  George  W.  Thompson,  second 
to  first  lieutenant  and  captain;  Thomas  F,  Allen,  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant; 
Edward  E.  Davis,  second  to  first  lieutenant  and  captain;  Mendon  F.  Weller, 


644  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

sergeant  to  first  lieutenant;  Martin  Rhomberg,  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant; 
Charles  Altman,  first  lieutenant  to  captain;  Frederick  E.  Starck,  sergeant-major 
to  first  lieutenant;  George  A.  Bennett,  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant;  John  W. 
Moore,  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant;  Henry  B.  Doolittle,  sergeant  to  captain; 
William  J.  Steele,  sergeant  to  second  and  first  lieutenant;  Lyman  L.  Whitney, 
sergeant  to  second  and  first  lieutenant;  Joseph  D.  Barnes,  sergeant  to  first  lieu- 
tenant; Patrick  Gaffney,  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant.  The  Twentieth  Regi- 
ment of  Iowa  volunteer  infantry  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  of  the  United 
States  at  Mobile,  Alabama,  July  8,  1865. 

TWENTY-SIXTH    INFANTRY. 

Company  A — privates,  Alfred  Cousins,  Franklin  Cousins,  George  Wagoner. 
Company  H — privates,  George  W.  Collamer,  Samuel  Bouslot,  Alanson  Mc- 
Laughlin, Sydenham  Morgan.  Company  F — veterans — privates,  William  Black- 
man,  Frederick  Costan,  Samuel  P.  Driskell.  Company  G — veterans — privates, 
George  Cauthhorn,  Patrick  Dolan. 

THIRTY-SEVENTH    INFANTRY. 

Company  K — captain,  James  G.  Crane;  sergeant,  Linus  H.  Miller;  corporals, 
Philo  B.  Littlejohn,  John  S.  Dawson,  Sidney  M.  Eddy;  musicians,  Charles 
Pickens,  Stephen  H.  Hands;  wagoner,  Joseph  T.  Sibley;  privates,  Benjamin 
Bowers,  Adam  Booth,  Peter  D,  Bannigan,  Theodore  Bergamon,  William  Grouse, 
Henry  Gan,  John  Hart,  Henry  Highley,  Philip  Michael,  Patrick  Martin,  Walter 
Powell,  August  Piper,  John  Starkjohn,  Johann  Seigling,  Stephen  Vanfleet, 
George  Ware,  John  Saengling. 

FORTY-FOURTH    INFANTRY. 

Colonel,  Stephen  H.  Henderson;  lieutenant-colonel,  Henry  Egbert;  surgeon, 
James  Irwin;  com.  sergeant,  Louis  H.  Fluke.  Company  I — captain,  Alphonso 
H.  Brooks ;  lieutenants,  James  A.  Ryan,  Henry  W.  Bennett ;  sergeants,  William 
Hazleton.  William  Foster,  Solon  H.  Fidlar.  Charles  F.  Wineman,  Howard  M. 
Smith;  corporals,  Myron  C.  Pope,  Will  Blackman,  Henry  B.  Jamison,  Samuel 
R.  J,  Hoyt,  Charles  Bielenberg,  Alexander  Reid,  Hiram  Medley,  Joseph  P. 
Eagal,  Charles  A.  Atkinson;  musicians,  Peter  Karst,  Ivan  D.  Busch;  wagoner. 
Archer  Perry;  privates,  Frank  M.  Bradshaw,  Henry  Chaney,  Ludwig  Cabel, 
John  F.  Dial,  Arthur  O.  Dickinson,  William  W.  L.  Dubois,  Perkins  L.  Dow, 
E.  H.  Eddy,  John  Evans,  George  A.  French,  Theodore  W.  Fearing,  Peter 
Fiekert,  Levi  Fenno,  William  Ed.  Fowler,  John  C.  Grier,  Simon  B.  Grier,  C.  F. 
Hanemann,  Joseph  F.  Harris,  John  V.  Hoffman,  M.  V.  B.  Hogarty,  William 
T.  R.  Humphrey,  Nathaniel  G.  Hunter,  Henry  Haupt,  Charles  A.  Illion,  George 
W.  Jamison,  Andrew  Jackson,  William  N.  Johnson,  Absalom  B.  Kelley,  Kirk 
W.  Kingsley,  Adolph  Krein,  Joseph  Koch,  William  K.  Lindsay,  John  Lovell, 
Henderson  Manners,  William  D.  Middleton,  Henry  McDonald,  Lawes  Mc- 
Gregor, Lafayette   Mitchell,   Griffin  Moore,   Marion  Morgan,   Ed.  D.   Neidick, 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  645 

Richard  N.  Nickerson,  Carl  Peterson,  Albert  Read,  Alexander  Reid,  Deidrich 
Regennitter,  James  H.  Parks  Robison,  Joseph  H.  Royer,  Charles  T.  Ryan, 
James  Rown,  Jeremiah  Shuey,  Samuel  S.  Smith,  William  A.  Soderstrum, 
Franklin  W.  Stratman,  George  G.  Squires,  James  Spear,  John  W.  Tallman, 
William  Tompkin,  Nicholas  Vender  Fecht,  Luther  Van  Vliel,  Amos  Woeber, 
William  F.  White,  Andrew  J.  Woodside,  Benjamin  Phelps.  Company  K — cap- 
tain, Thomas  Wilson;  lieutenants,  John  Ackley,  James  H.  G.  Wilson;  sergeants, 
John  Collins,  Jacob  C.  Morgan,  William  Green,  Samuel  R.  Lemmon,  Lyman  S. 
Peck;  corporals,  John  H.  Wilson,  William  H.  Barbour,  John  H.  Dart,  Jr., 
James  F.  Shaff,  William  P.  Tiffany,  John  A.  Rowan,  Lorenzo  D.  Gary,  George 
W.  Foster,  Charles  P.  Beard,  Arthur  Twaddell,  Henry  Bode,  Robert  M.  Cooper ; 
musicians,  William  W.  Parker,  Fred  P.  Sackett;  wagoner,  Frederick  Cooper; 
privates,  John  Adamson,  William  H.  Anderson,  James  Augustine,  Henry  Bode, 
William  Beohmler,  John  E.  Barrett,  Thomas  Burns,  John  Broson,  Charles  P. 
Beard,  Samuel  Cartee,  Jonathan  R.  Cartee,  Timothy  F.  Cain,  William  Caldwell, 
Leonidas  Creamer,  Robert  M.  Cooper,  Aisel  Day,  Francis  W.  Denne,  Charles 
F.  Doolittle,  Oliver  M.  Evans,  Joseph  M.  Ford,  George  H.  Golding,  Charles  H. 
Groff,  Alfred  Gray,  Frederick  A.  Hein,  Henry  Hanks,  Lars  Isaacson,  John  E. 
Jones,  Meigs  Kibbey,  Alonzo  D.  Knapp,  Sylvester  Kinney,  Henry  Kreoger, 
Robert  F.  Love,  William  Litz,  Edward  G.  Medford,  Robert  H.  McLoskey,  Mace 
Morris,  John  McGuire,  James  McCan,  Perrie  H.  Mcintosh,  John  McClelland, 
John  McAffee,  Hermann  Mueller,  Sanford  Mott,  Robert  Myerhoff,  Stephen 
Messer,  John  I.  Nelson,  George  Odenhimer,  Johan  Peters,  Arthur  Quigley, 
Andrew  R.  Rambo,  David  Rohm,  Samuel  L,  C.  Rhodes,  Wakeman  Sanders, 
Stephen  H.  Sanders,  Joseph  Scherer,  Fred  A.  Small,  Rheinhold  Schwenke, 
Arthur  Twaddle,  Alexander  Tilton,  Theodore  Todd,  John  H.  Tucker,  James 
Williams,  Josiah  A.  Wilbur,  Daniel  Webster,  George  Ware,  Thomas  H.  B, 
Yates,  Mathias  Zabel. 

In  Company  D  was  Corporal  Frank  C.  Grace;  in  Company  F,  privates 
Seth  B.  Frisbie  and  Daniel  E.  Jones;  and  in  Company  G,  private  Alexander 
Haley. 

FIRST    CAVALRY. 

Company  B — Nichols  Adams.  Philip  H.  Bray.  David  S.  Nullock,  Samuel 
Barr,  John  M.  Chase,  Michael  Cunningham,  George  Rouse,  William  G.  Tate, 
Oscar  G.  Williams.  Company  F — Warren  H.  Clark,  Enoch  Goodwin,  Stephen 
Hook,  A.  Hollingsworth,  Benjamin  Hollingsworth,  James  L.  Mathews,  Bryan 
O'Connor.  Company  L — farriers,  George  L.  Richardson,  Thomas  Schadt;  pri- 
vates, Franklin  Burnett,  Martin  S.  Cisco,  James  A.  Cisco,  Milton  Lilie,  L.  B. 
Manwaring,  Daniel  W.  Mason,  Henry  C.  Potter.  Company  M — sergeant,  Geo. 
McDowall;  Milo  D.  Crawford,  John  Douglas,  Thomas  Gammill,  Charles  Hib- 
ber,  Samuel  A.  Johnson,  Jeremiah  Kilmer,  Abraham  Murry,  George  McClin- 
tock,  Henry  J.  Stoops,  George  W.  Stoops,  Joseph  Stamper;  recruits  unassigned, 
Moses  H.  Amend,  John  L.  Braden,  William  K.  Brottorff,  Philip  H.  Bray,  Silas 
D.  Crawford,  John  Cooper,  Warren  H.  Chase,  Ephraim  J.  Davis,  Oliver  H. 
Donnell,  Francis  A.  Dory,  William  D.  Earle,  Albert  Greeley,  Joseph  C.  Harris, 
Edward  Hite,  Levi  Hendricks,  Cornelius  S.  Johnson,  Joseph  Jackson,  Benjamin 


646  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

F.  Leach,  John  Leacy,  William  Lewis,  Benjamin  T.  Monroe,  John  Cook,  James 
M.  Calder,  Eugene  T,  Mullen,  James  H,  Phelps,  Jerod  C.  Palmer,  William  H. 
Reiley,  Robert  Rundell,  George  Remington,  William  E.  Street,  Americus  C. 
Smith,  Edmon  Seeves,  Walter  A.  Smith,  Ed.  C,  Tompson,  William  Williams, 
Thomas  Williams,  R.  A.  Williams,  Robert  B.  Baker,  John  A.  Wallace,  Charles 
E.  Moss,  William  O.  Burns,  H.  H.  Huchins,  Michael  Casey,  James  Williams. 
In  Company  A,  Scott  county  was  represented  by  private  Alexander  Osburn; 
in  Company  E,  by  privates  Chandler  W.  Ellsworth  and  William  D.  Earhart; 
in  Company  H  by  Sergeant  David  K,  Webster. 

SECOND  CAVALRY. 

Adjutants,  Gustavus  Schnitger,  Joseph  H.  Freeman ;  sergeants,  Henry  B. 
Ludlow.  Melville  B.  C.  True;  hospital  steward.  Arthur  H.  Needham;  bugler, 
John  E.  Williamson ;  surgeons,  Robert  J.  Hunter,  Thomas  H.  Jacobs,  Walter  H. 
Durand ;  band  leader.  Clement  Brennan ;  musician.  Nelson  Macomber ;  Com- 
pany C.  captain,  Henry  Egbert;  lieutenants.  Joseph  H.  Freeman.  Michael  Con- 
ner, Benjamin  F.  Stiles;  sergeants,  Benjamin  F.  Stiles,  Henry  Babcock,  John  N. 
Davis,  Henry  B.  Ludlow,  Nathan  J.  McKelvey,  Ezra  Cronkleton,  Samuel  Spen- 
cer, Isaac  Gilmore,  Seth  Hartzel,  George  R.  Wick,  Edwin  E.  Goddard ;  cor- 
porals, Moreau  Carroll,  Nelson  Lovel,  Dana  O.  Whitman,  Edwin  H.  Hobart.  Ru- 
dolph Snyder,  Michael  Trucks,  Wash  B.  Leamer ;  wagoner,  David  Thomas  ;  saddler 
Joseph  S.  Petts ;  buglers.  Nelson  Macomber,  William  Shaw,  Alfred  Wells,  Delos 
Phelps ;  farriers.  Walter  M.  Durand,  John  Parks,  Truman  B.  Kelley ;  privates, 
James  B.  Armstrong,  George  W.  Baker,  Henry  Babcock,  Hugh  Bates.  Isaac  D. 
Bard,  Charles  Becherer,  William  H.  Carey,  Marshal  H.  Dillon.  Franklin  Follett. 
Alexis  M.  Freeland.  Henry  Fuher,  Adolphus  E.  Farley,  John  Fanning.  James 
Gordon,  John  A.  M.  Hall,  William  R.  Hughes.  Robert  J.  Hewriter,  Joseph  H. 
Hilbert,  Thomas  H.  Jacobs.  James  Kizer.  Hugh  Kelsey,  Ernst  G.  Kline,  Ebenezer 
King,  Wash.  B.  Leamer,  Nelson  Lovel,  Sanford  E.  Lincoln.  Alfred  Linton.  John 
Loftis,  James  S.  Mason,  Edwin  D.  Mason,  Sidney  Melton,  Eugene  P.  Murray, 
Frederick  Myall,  Henry  Milken.  Daniel  K.  Mitchell,  Henry  McGee,  Nathan  J. 
McKelvey,  Alvin  McElvane.  Delos  Phelps,  William  Post,  Henry  Rea,  Joel  S. 
Stevens,  Charles  Schlagel,  Joseph  L.  Steel,  Fidel  Schlunt,  Daniel  Snyder,  Ru- 
dolph Snyder,  James  Scales,  William  Shaw,  Henry  B.  Ludlow.  Michael  Trucks. 
George  Tann,  John  A.  Wolfe,  Lucius  H.  Wolfe,  George  R.  Wicks.  Thomas  M. 
Wilds,  John  C.  Welch ;  additional  enlistments,  William  T.  Connor,  George  F. 
Dunn,  Joseph  Glover,  Samuel  Kewett.  Usher  M.  Kesley,  Ichabod  Kilpatrick. 
James  Livingston,  Isaac  Watson.  John  C.  Church.  James  W.  Davidson.  William 
Gordon,  James  Gordon,  Martin  Hogan.  William  A.  Jones,  James  Mann,  Henr\' 
Melchard.  James  Middlemus,  William  A.  Pope.  John  Parks,  Francis  Ross,  James 
W.  Safely.  Marvin  L.  Simmons,  John  I.  Wade,  William  Scarff,  John  Finley. 
James  Taylor,  Erastus  W.  Bennett,  Henry  Grace,  William  H.  Hickson,  James 
Porter,  Thompson  Murry,  Henry  Price,  Edward  Penry,  William  H.  Simmons, 
Parmelee  D.  Strong.  Daniel  W.  Ulam,  Levi  Wood,  Lucian  G.  Winey ;  Com- 
pany C,  veterans — captain,  Benjamin  F.  Stiles :  lieutenants.  Michael  Connor. 
Henry  L.  Babcock;  sergeants,  Isaac  Gilmore,  Dana  P.  Whitman;  corporals.  Ru- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  647 

dolph  Snyder,  Nelson  Lovel,  Michael  Trucks ;  saddler,  James  S.  Mason ;  privates, 
Isaac  D.  Bard,  Hugh  Bates,  Charles  Becherer,  Moreau  Carroll,  John  C.  Church, 
Henry  Fuhes,  Samuel  Hewit,  John  A.  M.  Hall,  Edwin  H.  Hobert,  Usher  M. 
Kelsey,  J.  G.  Kilpatrick,  James  Livingston,  Sanford  E.  Lincoln,  Edwin  D.  Mason, 
James  Mann,  James  Middlemus,  William  Post,  James  W.  Safely,  Marvin  L. 
Simmons,  Alfred  Wells,  Isaac  N.  Watson ;  Company  E — captains,  Frank  A.  Ken- 
drick,  Gustave  Schnitger ;  lieutenants.  Anton  Scherer,  James  P.  Metcalf ;  ser- 
geants, Hezekiah  G.  Dwire,  Augustus  Crone,  Hiram  H.  Gardner,  John  Ackley, 
Perry  L.  Reed,  Andrew  J.  Pierce,  Augustus  Crone,  John  Borchex,  John  W. 
Jennings,  Nicholas  Musfeldt,  William  Alrich;  corporals,  John  Stouffer,  William 
H.  Alrich,  Theodore  Philloud,  Arthur  H.  Needham,  Frederich  Potman,  George 
Harbison,  Warner  Behrens,  Augustus  Sharp,  Nicholas  Musfeldt,  John  Branch, 
John  Ackley,  Louis  W.  Coleman,  Ferdinand  Doflar,  Frank  Pilloud,  John  F. 
Fletcher,  Jonathan  Melvin,  Charles  Reese,  Anderson  S.  Robinson ;  buglers,  Her- 
man F.  Bonorden,  Lorenz  Miller,  John  E.  Williamson,  William  Dunderdale; 
farriers,  Frederick  Potman,  John  Stouffer,  Michael  Schmidt,  James  Tarncrow ; 
saddlers,  George  Stellar,  Ezekiel  L.  Roberts,  George  Ruge ;  wagoner,  Alexander 

C.  Best;  privates,  John  W.  Arnold,  Hiram  Blackman,  Henry  Boerk,  William 
Budde,  Jacob  Brockman,  John  Branch,  John  Bald,  Alexander  C.  Best,  William 
Bahl,  Joseph  Beilke,  Paul  Champenois,  Christian  Clodt,  William  Dunderdale, 
Albert  Downey,  Thomas  H.  Davis,  Charles  Deadrick,  Charles  Eckhart,  G.  Wil- 
liam Foster,  Gustave  Frederick,  Elwood  Finley,  Daniel  B.  Ferguson,  Thomas 
Faxon,  Hiram  Gardner,  Truman  Gilbert,  Samuel  A.  Grant,  George  Hayward, 
Charles  Hass,  Isaiah  Harman,  John  Hendrick,  Henry  Klughen,  Henry  Kirk, 
Daedlif  L.  Lamberge,  George  Little,  John  Libbig,  George  Loring,  Thomas  Leg- 
gett,  Hans  Lillinthal,  Lorenz  Miller,  Nicholas  Musfeldt,  Peter  Mumm,  John  P. 

D.  Patterson,  Peter  Peters,  Theodore  Pilloud,  Frank  Pilloud,  James  A.  Paden, 
Anderson  F.  Robinson,  Adolph  Ritz,  John  Ruckenberge,  George  Ruge,  L.  Rob- 
erts, Henry  Schuning,  Hans  Stoltenberg.  Andreas  Seno,  George  Stellar,  Charles 
Swein,  Adolph  Schroeder,  August  Schroeder,  Thomas  Smith,  C.  Scherchel,  John 
Walker,  Martin  Wood ;  additional  enlistments,  Frank  Bahl,  Arthur  Bogue,  Henry 
Buck,  Louis  W.  Colemann,  John  F.  Felchner,  Urias  Harmann,  James  Dougherty, 
Henry  Hener,  Adam  Hellman,  Christopher  Kulbert,  George  Luders,  Peter  Mumm, 
William  C.  Mordan,  James  McDonald,  Asa  Strubel,  Peter  Steffen,  David  L.  Up- 
son, John  Ward,  Christian  Cruse.  Emil  Huckstaedt.  Abner  Hendrickson,  An- 
drew Lineham,  Joseph  Linderman,  William  L.  Livingston,  Earnest  F.  Pruss, 
William  Ruge,  Michael  Schmidt,  John  E.  Williamson,  William  J.  A.  Fey,  Peter 
Brekner,  James  Ruby,  Lewis  Gebhart,  John  Hassler,  Lewis  Drewing,  Henry 
Dressen,  Henry  Lowe,  Joseph  I.  McAlarney,  Hans  H.  Moeller,  Sebastian  Scherer, 
Louis  Haslar,  James  Riley,  Henry  Bahl,  Young  Dougherty.  John  Fedick,  Fred- 
erick Mohlman,  John  Schluntz,  John  Priess,  John  Schroeder,  Charles  Schluter, 
Claus  Tiedman,  John  W.  Jennings ;  Company  E.  veterans — captain.  Gustave 
Schnitger ;  lieutenants,  James  F.  Metcalf,  Augustus  Crone ;  sergeants,  John  Broch- 
ers.  John  W.  Jennings ;  corporals.  Claus  Hass.  John  F.  Felchner,  William  Ruge, 
John  Rechenberger ;  bugler,  Henry  Kluglein ;  privates.  Peter  Brehner,  Henry 
Boerk,  William  Budde,  Christian  Clodt.  Young  Dougherty,  Ferdinand  Doflar, 
William  H.  A.  Fey,  Gustave  Fredericks.  Elwood  Finley,  John  Hendricks,  John 


648  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Lubbe,  Peter  Peters,  John  Schlunts,  Henry  Schuening,  George  Stellar,  Charles 
Schlueter,  Claus  Tiedemann,  Edmora  P.  Foster,  Henry  E.  Gilbert,  Christopher 
Gilbert,  Leonard  L.  Heberling,  Thomas  Johnson,  Nehemiah  Zeigler,  Dan  C. 
Edkerman,  Cyrus  N.  Earl,  John  W.  Freeland,  James  W.  Glass,  Edward  C. 
Grant,  Samuel  M.  Gibson,  Isaac  H.  Watson,  William  H.  Shaw,  Tompson  F. 
Murry,  James  W.  Morrison,  John  D.  McAlarny,  Jos.  S.  Petts,  George  P.  Rus- 
sell, Adolph  Reitz,  John  Williams,  Thomas  Walker,  Jacob  Hawk,  Josiah  Hawk, 
Samuel  Hewett,  Ichabod  Kilpatrick,  Usher  M.  Kelsey,  James  Livingston,  Ed- 
ward Penry,  John  Schlaus,  William  H.  Yeerin,  William  M.  Barr;  Company  G — 
privates,  James  M.  Brady,  John  C.  Bridge,  Thaddeus  O.  Chase,  Miles  Ferry,  John 
Hall,  Sylvester  Kresner,  John  Hancock;  unassigned  recruits,  Charles  H.  Budd, 
Erastus  Bennett,  Josias  Japp,  John  D.  Bingford,  Leander  L.  Chapman,  William 
Ryan,  John  W.  Conley. 

In  Company  A  were  Captain  William  B.  Brunton,  Sergeant  Amasa  Kinnan 
and  privates  Thomas  Stewart  and  James  C.  McNeil.  Company  B — privates, 
John  Connor,  W.  L.  Tireman,  Church  Meigs,  and  David  Hicks ;  in  Company  F, 
Sergeant  H.  G.  Dwire  and  privates  James  W.  English  and  Peter  C.  Frame;  in 
Company  H,  privates  David  F.  Louper  and  Nicholas  Fabricus ;  in  Company  I, 
privates  William  H.  Record,  William  J.  Dale  and  Thomas  Kenley ;  in  Company 
K,  Lieutenant  Perry  L.  Reed  and  privates  Adam  Frimwood  and  James  Telfair ; 
in  Company  L,  Corporal  Thomas  Dulin  and  privates  Orrin  Brown,  Frank  B.  By- 
land  and  Urban  Chapman ;  and  in  Company  M,  privates  John  A.  Smith,  Melvin 
McMurry,  Thomas  H.  Jacobs  and  William  Oscar  Hunter. 

The  Second  cavalry  had  a  large  number  of  representatives  from  Scott  county 
and  the  promotions  made  were  as  follows:  Frank  A.  Kendrick,  captain  to  major; 
Gustavus  Schnitger,  second  lieutenant,  captain  and  major;  Henry  B.  Ludlow, 
quartermaster-sergeant  to  quartermaster;  William  B.  Brunton,  sergeant  to  sec- 
ond and  first  lieutenant  and  captain ;  Benjamin  F.  Stiles,  sergeant  to  second  lieu- 
tenant and  captain ;  Henry  C.  Babcock,  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant  and  captain ; 
Michael  Connor,  second  to  first  lieutenant;  Isaac  Gilmore,  sergeant  to  first  lieu- 
tenant ;  Michael  Trucks,  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant ;  Augustus  Crone,  sergeant 
to  second  lieutenant ;  Hezekiah  G.  Dwire,  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant ;  Perry 
L.  Reed,  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant. 

THIRD  CAVALRY. 

Company  I — second  lieutenant,  Frazier  W.  Arnim;  privates,  Qark  Brant, 
John  C.  Boldt,  John  Bald,  Christian  Barebe,  John  Courtney,  William  E.  Cook, 
William  M.  Edwards,  Joachim  Fahrenking,  Paul  Frederick,  Ambrose  Fralech, 
Joseph  Florine,  Frank  Hibler,  Casper  Hellmuth,  Gottfield  Hanson,  George  Hill, 
William  Kelso,  John  C.  Mersh,  Lewis  Mein,  John  J.  Nett,  Earnest  F.  A.  Pruss, 
Jacob  Pracher,  Joachim  Rolls,  William   Schuritz,   Amos  A.  Whitney,  William 

Clampet,  Patrick  Murphy.     John  C.  Crumrin  and  Patterson  enlisted  in 

Company  E. 

SIXTH  CAVALRY. 

Company  A — captain,  John  Gallegan ;  sergeant,  Henry  Soedt ;  corporals, 
Scott    Stevens,    Gerhard   Kleinhessling ;     teamster,  Perry  Moss;    farrier,    Fred- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  649 

erick  Wendt;  saddler,  Edward  Callendine;  privates,  William  P.  Ballard,  Henry 
Blunk,  Patrick  Bain,  Philip  F.  Boyd,  Thomas  W.  Baughman,  Francis  Butler, 
Jesse  Davis,  Niss  Ingerson,  Nathaniel  Johnson,  Hiram  Jenks,  Henry  Kochler, 
Ludwic  Lorenzen,  John  Moll,  John  Meyer,  William  S.  McKenzie,  Frederick  Phil- 
lips, Andrew  Seno;  veterans,  Henry  A.  Hopson,  Thomas  L.  Reese.  Company 
E — Joseph  T.  Bren,  William  E.  Cullers,  Henry  W.  Finch,  James  M.  Frank, 
Orin  Dake,  John  Stephens,  George  Bachelor,  Isaiah  Pinkerton,  William  Peterson, 
John  Wallace;  company  unknown,  William  Brown,  Myron  Bryson,  Albert  R. 
Bay,  Wilham  Conway,  Charles  Edwards,  Frederick  Fellman,  William  McGinnis, 
Walter  E.  Truax,  William  J.  Teagne,  Thomas  R.  Wamby. 

In  Company  C  was  private  Frank  Howard ;  in  Company  D,  William  Coatney ; 
in  Company  G,  Thomas  Carlington ;  in  Company  H,  John  H.  Fisher  and  Frank 
Gottslie ;  in  Company  I,  Laurence  Cassidy,  Michael  Dedy,  James  Call,  Peter  G. 
Henningson,  James  Miller  and  Lemuel  Miller;  in  Company  L,  Clinton  Clark, 
Michael  O'Donnell  and  John  Wilson ;  and  in  Company  M,  Corporal  James  Mc- 
Guire,  George  C.  Wright  and  Thomas  Carlington. 

EIGHTH    CAVALRY. 

Company  C — trumpeter,  George  C.  Hamlin;  privates,  Robert  Alexander,  Eli 
John  Lancaster,  Taber  C.  Hart.  Company  E — lieutenant,  Charles  F.  Anderson ; 
privates,  Herman  Allen,  Thomas  A.  D.  Costillo,  William  England,  Henry  Hen- 
ning,  William  C.  Myers,  William  C.  Johnson.  Company  L — sergeant,  Francis 
A.  Nitsky ;  privates,  William  M.  Lucas,  Philip  Coop,  Walter  Delano.  Company 
M — trumpeter,  William  W.  Scott ;  privates,  William  Blood,  Charles  Rosenf eldt, 
Henry  C.  Wharton,  Augustine  Kremer,  George  Rook.  In  Company  D  was  Henry 
Hammann;  F,  James  M.  Gray;  K,  Thomas  Mead  and  Henry  Wincell. 

NINTH    CAVALRY. 

Surgeon,  Edwin  Kirkup;  quartermaster,  Jesse  J.  Grant.  Company  B — lieu- 
tenant, Hugh  T.  Holmes ;  corporal,  Greenlee  Wilson ;  privates,  Thomas  Brophy, 
Oren  Dickinson,  John  Davis.  William  C.  Greenlee,  Charles  Hale,  William 
Kelly,  John  Luther,  Phillip  Parte,  Mitchel  H.  Russell.  Samuel  Schmenkey,  Wil- 
liam H.  Shaw,  James  Syms,  Andy  Smith.  Josiah  Stratten,  William  B.  Williams. 

In  Company  A  were  John  Blake  and  Eben  B.  Wellman ;  C,  John  Hagerty ; 
D,  Israel  Crouse  and  John  P.  Stevenson ;  E.  David  Potts ;  G.  Thomas  Shropshire 
and  John  Spalley ;  H,  Nathan  J.  Lamer;  I,  Charles  W.  Hagen;  K.  David  Pelton 
and  Ernest  L.  Kraemer;  and  in  Company  M,  George  Alton,  Milven  E.  McMurry, 
Jeremiah  Payne,  Michael  Higgins,  James  A.  Reynolds  and  George  W.  Stennett. 

The  promotions  were  Hugh  Thomas  Holmes,  corporal  to  second  lieutenant 
and  captain ;  John  Hagerty,  quartermaster-sergeant  to  second  lieutenant. 

FIRST   AFRICAN    CAVALRY. 

Company  A — sergeants,  Joseph  A.  Scott,  Henry  Stuard ;  corporals,  Augustus 
Bradley,  Noah  Lawson ;  drummer,  Charles  L.  Gifford ;  privates,   Solomon  K. 


650  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Banks,  Samuel  Daniels,  Henry  Davenport,  James  Judson,  Thomas  Henderdon, 
Henry  Henning,  John  Jackson,  Jefferson  McKnight,  David  Mosley,  Thomas 
Riddle;  additional  enlistments,  Peter  Anderson,  Moses  Bush,  Jacob  Green,  John 
Harris,  Nat  Henry;  James  Kinslow,  William  Walker,  William  White,  Philip 
'Woods,  Henry  Wakfield,  Henry  Walker. 

Company  C  contained  privates  Henry  Green  and  James  Parker;  Company 
D,  Sergeant  William  Hamilton  and  Alfred  Johnson. 

TWELFTH    MISSOURI   INFANTRY. 

Company  1 — captain,  Johannes  Ahelfeldt ;  lieutenants,  Robert  Henne,  An- 
thony Steffen;  sergeants,  Ernst  Arp,  John  Kaufmann,  Adolphus  Lotz,  Peter 
Luebking,  Glaus  Rohwer;  corporals,  Augustave  Giesecke,  Karl  Haagen,  John 
Seiverse;  privates,  Eugene  Ausborn,  Glaus  Behrens,  John  Behrens,  Henry  Bant, 
George  L.  Beyer,  William  Gatle,  Philip  Dott,  Ludwig  Glien,  John  Gosch,  William 
Groenwald,  Hans  Harder,  Charles  Hoffbaur,  Hans  Jaeger,  Andreas  Karste,  Theo- 
dore Krause,  Ernst  Kruse,  Charles  Kuntze,  John  Luethen,  Augustus  ^lartens, 
Edward  Meyers,  Hans  Niemann,  Charles  Pestel,  Casper  Peterson,  John  Ramm, 
Frederick  Schlapkohl,  Henry  Schlapkohl,  Philip  Schlapp,  Benedict  Schluenz, 
John  Schlueter,  Peter  Schmidt,  Ernst  Siebold,  Charles  Siekel,  Frank  Stisser, 
John  Stulhr,  Christian  Voss,  Henry  Weise.  Hans  Wulf,  Henry  Wunder. 

SECOND    MISSOURI    ARTILLERY. 

Company  F — sergeants,  Henry  Hempel,  Hermann  Rohde,  Lorenz  Fischer; 
corporals,  Henry  Clausen,  Herman  Witte;  privates,  John  Bauer,  Edward  Bosch, 
Frederick  Bock,  Joachim  Bolt,  Henry  Behrens,  Eggert  Berlin,  John  Boyer, 
Henry  Dickermann,  Otto  Detlef,  Johannes  Eggers,  Glaus  Ehlers,  Henry  Gerds, 
Frederick  Grimm,  Jeus  Haulsen,  Christian  Jupp,  G.  Kochler,  Henry  Kundt, 
Mark  Kroeger,  Frederick  Kruse,  Claus  Pahl,  Henry  Pahl,  Christian  Peterson, 
Henry  Pries,  F.  Raabe,  Martin  Rupp,  Frederick  Schroeder,  Otto  Schulte,  Charles 
Theoming,  Henry  Warrensold. 

THIRD   AND  OTHER   REGIMENTS. 

In  many  regiments  not  included  in  the  preceding  there  were  representatives 
from  Scott  county.     These  are  given  in  the  following  list : 

Third  infantry:  In  this  regiment  were  privates  Robert  Clarke,  George  Har- 
ris, August  Mauser,  Joseph  F.  Parkhurst,  companies  unknown. 

Fourth  infantry:  This  included  John  Galligan,  lieutenant-colonel;  and  pri- 
vates Jacob  Geddes,  Wirt  Kempton,  W.  O.  McCord,  Eli  Robinson,  George  A. 
Tubble,  Beattee  E.  Johnson,  John  Laughlin,  William  A.  Phifer  and  Leopold 
Sanders,  companies  unknown.  Among  the  additional  enlistments  were  James  M. 
Moore,  John  I.  Webb  and  James  M.  Wilson. 

Seventh  infantry:  This  included  Augustus  Wentz,  lieutenant  colonel;  and 
privates  Joseph  M.  Randolph,  of  Company  E;  Eli  H.  Harlan,  of  Company  K; 
and  Peter  A.  Esmole  and  John  A.  Smith,  companies  unknown. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  651 

Ninth  infantry :  In  this  was  private  Charles  Vivion,  company  unknown. 

Tenth  infantry:  Nicholas  Perczel,  colonel;  privates  Oliver  Huntley,  William 
H.  Stinson  and  Albert  Tomlinson,  of  Company  E,  and  Sergeant  T.  A.  Sloan- 
aker  and  Corporal  Torris  T.  Scott. 

Twelfth  infantry:  This  included  Wilham  McManus,  of  Company  A;  Jacob 
Graham  and  Ira  Swain  of  Company  E,  and  James  B.  McGill,  of  Company  H. 

Fifteenth  infantry:  Company  A  contained  privates  William  Hershberger, 
James  H.  King,  John  ]\Iiller  and  George  Knight.  Company  F  contained  Byron 
Rumsey. 

Eighteenth  infantry:  This  contained  privates  Otis  T.  Stewart,  of  Company  E; 
Edward  Bulfin.  of  Company  K;  and  veterans  Ammon  H.  Damon.  John  C.  Hil- 
bert  and  Frederick  Hesse,  of  Company  A. 

Nineteenth  infantry :  This  contained  Eugene  F.  Clewell,  of  Company  E,  and 
George  W.  Orr.  company  unknown. 

Twenty-second  infantry:  This  contained  privates  Alfred  P.  King,  of  Com- 
pany B ;  Jonas  Denney  and  Thomas  R.  Loyd,  of  Company  G.  and  Peter  S.  Berry, 
James  Conley  and  Philip  Pitt,  companies  unknown. 

Twenty-fourth  infantry:  In  this  was  John  Witherwax.  assistant  surgeon, 
and  George  S.  Kizer,  private  of  Company  C. 

Twenty-fifth  infantry:  In  Company  D,  veterans,  of  this  regiment  were  Geo. 
P.  Conrad,  William  W.  Dudley,  Ely  Denny,  Jacob  Hecker,  John  Luxemberger, 
Henry  Riss  and  John  Wilkin. 

Thirty-first  infantry:  Company  A  contained  Franklin  Herron ;  Company  B, 
W,  W.  Harter;  Company  C,  James  H.  Ackerman;  Company  G,  veterans,  Har- 
vey Emerson  and  Charles  L.  Kinniston. 

Thirty-third  infantry:  This  contained  veterans  George  W.  Shee,  Company 
C.  and  William  J.  Bowers.  Company  E. 

Thirty-fourth  infantry:   Company  G  contained  Philip  Roseman. 

Thirty-fifth  infantry:  Private  J.  O.  Valarnghan,  Company  E;  Captain  John 
Flanagan,  Company  H ;  veteran  Alpheus  W.  Clough,  Company  A,  and  veterans 
August  Falk,  Robert  Hawk  and  William  Hertzog,  company  unknown,  were  in 
this  regiment. 

Thirty-ninth  infantry:  In  Company  I  were  Dennis  Shea  and  James  J.  Thorp. 
In  Company  K  was  Curtis  J.  Bales. 

Fortieth  infantry:  In  this  were  private  Henry  Whitcomb,  Company  I;  vet- 
eran Samuel  Smith,  Company  K,  and  veterans  Daniel  Gorman  and  Francis 
Hardy,  company  unknown. 

Forty-sixth  infantry:  In  this  regiment  Scott  county  was  represented  by 
William  R.  Dodd. 

Forty-eighth  infantry:  In  this  were  William  T.  Hayes,  adjutant;  Sergeant 
B.  Webster,  Company  B ;  Private  John  H.  Clark,  Company  C,  and  Corporal 
John  Wilkins,  Company  D. 

Fourth  cavalry :  In  Company  A  was  Monroe  J\I.  Childs ;  in  Company  B,  John 
Ireland;  in  Company  E,  John  Spencer;  in  Company  F.  Edward  Jones  and  An- 
drew Y.  Thompson;  in  Company  G,  Alfred  D.  Bullard,  John  H.  Qark,  James  B. 
Kenyon,  William  Moore  and  James  M.  Moss;  in  Company  L,  Jonathan  Cran- 
shaw ;  in  Company  M,  John  McRoberts. 


652  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Fifth  cavalry:  Company  F  of  this  regiment  contained  Christian  Fischer, 
Henry  Franke,  Charles  Franke,  John  Thomas,  Christian  Litscher,  John  T.  Neht, 
Florian  Seidel  and  Sidney  Gipson. 

Seventh  cavalry:  This  regiment  contained  John  A.  Grey,  saddler  sergeant; 
Second  Lieutenant  Benjamin  K.  Roberts,  and  Privates  George  Gardner,  Au- 
gustus Herkert,  John  A.  Grey  and  James  Stevens  of  Company  A;  Privates 
James  Maher,  William  H.  Ward  and  Patrick  Winn  of  Company  B;  Privates 
Jerome  B.  Ingle  and  Alexander  Thomas  of  Company  D;  Privates  Daniel  H. 
Clark  and  George  Hamilton  of  Company  E;  Sergeant  John  H.  Wellman,  Cor- 
poral Wallace  R.  Turner,  and  Privates  Thomas  Adamson,  Hiram  D.  Barney, 
Robert  S.  Hazen,  Daniel  Keeth,  Ira  L.  Hammer  and  Henry  Vankirk  of  Com- 
pany G;  Corporal  William  L.  Dodge,  Farrier  Ezekiel  Weihrich,  and  Privates 
Jesse  W.  Duvall,  William  Stine  and  Charles  G.  Woodward  of  Company  H; 
Private  Thomas  Amery  of  Company  F,  Privates  Q.  H.  Brown  and  James 
Dugan  of  Company  M,  and  Privates  John  Bolton,  Alexander  Conaway,  Wil- 
liam B.  McCready,  Silas  W.  Stewart,  James  W.  Smith  and  Edward  Thompson 
of  companies  unknown. 

Light  artillery:  In  the  First  battery  was  P.  W.  Starkweather;  second, 
Thomas  J.  Clark;  fourth,  Henry  Snyder,  William  H.  Forney,  Cornelius  Peter- 
son, William  H.  Smith  and  Joseph  Page. 

Thirteenth  Illinois  infantry:  Company  B  contained  Charles  L.  Fessler,  John 
Henry,  Henry  Hansen,  James  Moore,  Arthur  Patterson  and  Thomas  Randall; 
Company  D,  Oliver  J.  Cook,  Orville  B.  Hazen  and  Mathew  McCullough;  and 
Company  H,  Albert  H.  Sidney;  all  privates. 

Sixteenth  Illinois  infantry:  Company  H,  private,  Henry  Ranzow. 

Seventeenth  Illinois  infantry:  Company  E,  private,  John  P.  Stibold;  and 
Company  H,  private,  George  Collins. 

Thirty-seventh  Illinois  infantry:  Company  A,  privates,  Joseph  C.  Atkinson, 
Lemon  G.  Chilis,  Charles  Doyle,  Cyrus  Earhart,  Samuel  D.  Hedges,  Lewis  F. 
Meyers  and  John  Baglan;  and  Company  H,  privates,  Peter  Harrison  and  Wil- 
liam McGinnis. 

Forty-second  Illinois  infantry' :  Company  G,  private,  George  E.  Wilson. 

Forty-third  Illinois  infantry:  Company  E,  Sergeant  Heinrich  Rhode  and 
Privates  Nicholas  Bornholdt,  Heinrich  Kohberg,  Henry  Otto,  Hans  Rohwer, 
Tim  Rohweder  and  Andreas  Lima. 

Forty- fourth  Illinois  infantry:  Company  K,  Pliodore  Howe,  Henry  Howe, 
Gustavus  Howe,  Charles  Leppy,  Samuel  Moore,  Jacob  Strasser,  John  Schultz 
and  John  Schippeld;  Company  D,  Franz  Stimer,  and  Company  K,  Benjamin 
Green — all  privates. 

Sixty-fifth  Illinois  infantry:  Company  B,  Thomas  Houghton  and  Ira  M. 
Dayton,  privates. 

Sixty-sixth  Illinois  infantry:  Company  C,  John  P.  Draper;  and  Company  I, 
Alexander  Campbell,  Reuben  G.  Foster,  William  Sibolt,  Otis  E.  Mason,  Isaac 
P.  Schooley  and  Ellis  V.  Van  Epas,  privates. 

Eighty-third  Illinois  infantry:  Company  C,  private,  John  W.  Green. 

One  Hundred  and  Twenty-seventh  Illinois  infantry:   Company  A,  private, 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  653 

William  C.  McManney;  and  Company  B,  James  H.  Fish,  William  H.  Stevens 
and  Joseph  L.  Heywood,  privates. 

Fourth  Illinois  cavalry:  Company  M,  George  S.  Franks  and  Andrew  John- 
son, privates. 

Seventh  Illinois  cavalry:  Band,  Henry  G.  Smith. 

Ninth  Illinois  cavalry:  Company  D,  Joseph  Hickson,  private. 

Twelfth  Illinois  cavalry:  Company  E,  private,  L.  C.  Logue. 

Fifty-ninth   Illinois  Veteran  infantry:  Company  K,  private,  Joseph  Hines. 

First  Nebraska  cavalry:  Company  G,  Joseph  Blanch,  private. 

ROLL   OF    HONOR. 

We  subjoin  a  list  of  those  from  Scott  county  who  perished  in  defense  of 
the  Union :  Lieutenant-Colonel  Augustus  Wentz,  killed  in  battle  at  Belmont, 
Missouri,  November  7,  1861 ;  Major  William  A.  Walker,  killed  in  battle  near 
Atlanta,  Georgia,  July  22,  1864;  Quartermaster  Jesse  J.  Grant,  died  at  Benton 
Barracks,  Missouri,  April  19,  1864;  Captain  Miles  P.  Benton,  died  at  home 
April  8,  1863 ;  Captain  Jonathan  Slaymaker,  killed  in  battle  at  Fort  Donelson, 
February  15,  1862;  Lieutenant  Enos  Tichenor,  killed  in  battle  at  Corinth,  Mis- 
sissippi, October  3,  1862;  Lieutenant  Elia  Taylor,  died  at  Cassville,  Missouri, 
October  25,  1862;  Lieutenant  William  J.  Steel,  died  at  Carrollton,  Louisiana, 
August  19,  1863;  Lieutenant  Harrison  Oliver,  killed  in  battle  at  Prairie  Grove; 
Lieutenant  Samuel  Diffin,  wounded  at  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Georgia,  and  died 
at  Rome,  Georgia,  August  22,  1864;  Lieutenant  John  G.  Huntington,  killed  in 
battle  at  Corinth,  Mississippi,  October  3,  1862;  Lieutenant  Hezekiah  G.  Dwire, 
killed  in  action  near  West  Point,  Mississippi,  February  20,  1864;  James  B. 
Armstrong,  died  May  loth  of  wounds  received  at  battle  of  Farmington 
May  9,  1862;  Delos  Alger,  killed  April  8,  1865,  at  Spanish  Fort,  Alabama, 
while  in  action;  Francis  M.  Bo3^er,  killed  April  8,  1865,  at  Spanish 
Fort,  in  action;  Hiram  Blackman,  died  at  St.  Louis,  January  12,  1862; 
Warner  Berherns,  died  at  Davenport,  October  18 ,  1861  ;  Orren  R.  Brown, 
died  January  5,  1864,  at  Colliersville,  Tennessee;  John  Boyer,  died  at 
Jackson,  July  i8th;  Franklin  Byland,  killed  November  3,  1863,  at  Col- 
liersville, Tennessee;  Philip  F.  Boyd,  died  May  24,  1863,  at  Fort  Cook,  Dakota; 
Peter  Berry,  died  February  13,  1864,  at  Helena,  Arkansas;  Solomon  K.  Banks, 
died  June  13,  1864,  at  Helena,  Arkansas;  Augustus  Bradley,  died  December  17, 
1863,  at  Benton  Barracks,  Missouri ;  Joseph  T.  Bren,  died  April  19,  1865,  at 
Sioux  City;  John  Baner,  killed  at  Fourteen  Mile  Creek,  May  12,  1862;  Henry 
Brock,  died  September  9,  1863,  at  Carrollton,  Louisiana;  Charles  E.  Benedict, 
died  November  2,  1862,  at  Ford's  Farm,  Arkansas;  Matthew  Brophy,  killed 
July  8,  1863,  at  Vicksburg,  Mississipi^;  James  F.  Barrett,  died  July  10,  1863, 
at  Vicksburg,  Mississippi;  John  L.  Bell,  died  February  21,  1864,  at  New  Or- 
leans, Louisiana ;  Harry  H.  Bowling,  killed  at  Millen.  Georgia,  December  3, 
1864;  Heinrich  Bauchman,  died  June  9,  1863,  at  Cairo,  Illinois;  Henry  Bow- 
man, died  September  11,  1863,  at  Vicksburg,  Mississippi;  James  Burley,  died 
at  Keokuk,  April  23,  1862 ;  Victor  N.  Bartell,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  De- 
cember 4,    1861 ;  J.   W.    Blanchard,   died  in   regimental   hospital  at  St.   Louis, 


654  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

September  26.  1861 ;  Charles  F.  Beck,  died  in  Jefferson  Barracks,  Missouri, 
March  2,  1862;  John  R.  Buckman,  killed  April  6,  1862,  in  battle  at  Shiloh; 
Thomas  Brattain,  died  in  general  hospital  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  January  21, 
1862;  George  Croad,  killed  April  6,  1862,  at  Shiloh,  Tennessee,  in  battle;  John 

5.  Christian,  died  at  St.  Louis,  April  29,  1862,  of  wounds  received  at  Shiloh; 
John  Calvert,  died  at  LeClaire,  April  10,  1862 ;  James  A.  Cisco,  died  November 
I,  1863,  at  Little  Rock,  Arkansas;  Orville  P.  Carpenter,  died  at  Springfield, 
Missouri,  November  22,  1862;  Clinton  Clark,  died  January  2,  1863,  at  Daven- 
port; Eugene  F.  Clewell,  died  September  5,  1865,  at  New  Orleans;  Frederick 
Costan,  died  August  15,  1864,  at  Rome,  Georgia;  William  F.  Culbertson,  died 
February  28,  1863,  at  Fayetteville,  Arkansas,  of  wounds;  Richard  Carnes,  killed 
December  7,  1862,  at  Prairie  Grove,  Arkansas,  in  battle;  James  E.  Clapp,  died 
July  23,  1863,  at  Vicksburg,  Mississippi;  Alexander  Cheny,  died  July  10,  1862, 
of  wounds  received  at  Shiloh;  Edwin  Clark,  died  June,  1862,  at  Monterey, 
Mississippi ;  William  Dunderdale,  died  at  St,  Louis,  June  19,  1862,  from  wounds 
received  at  Farmington  May  9th;  Henry  Davenport,  died  April  13,  1864,  at 
Helena,  Arkansas;  Samuel  P.  Driskell,  died  August  25,  1864,  at  Andersonville, 
Georgia;  William  Richard  Dilworth,  died  February  28,  1863,  at  Camp  Bliss, 
Missouri;  James  A.  Davis,  died  February  i,  1863,  at  Jackson,  Tennessee;  Wil- 
liam R.  Danford,  died  at  Elkhorn  Tavern,  Arkansas,  November  24,  1862; 
Nicholas  Dose,  died  September  10,  1863,  at  Vicksburg,  Mississippi ;  WilHam  A. 
Davenport,  died  August  5,  1864,  at  Memphis,  Tennessee;  Thomas  P.  Dean, 
died  January  11,  1862,  at  Jeft'erson  City,  Missouri;  James  G.  Dow,  died  at 
Memphis,  Tennessee,  October  25,  1863;  John  W.  Downs,  killed  in  battle  at 
Corinth,  Mississippi,  October  4,  1862;  Robert  S.  Dodds,  died  at  Pleasant  Val- 
ley, July  8,  1862;  William  F.  Earhart,  died  January  7,  1865,  at  Little  Rock, 
Arkansas;  Benjamin  Edwards,  died  September  18,  1864,  at  Marietta,  Georgia; 
Henry  Ernst,  died  October  4,  1862,  at  Jackson,  Mississippi;  Peter  C.  Frame, 
died  March  11,  1863,  at  Davenport;  Nicholas  Fabricus,  died  August  6,  1865, 
at  Huntsville,  Alabama;  John  Flanagan,  died  March  10,  1864,  at  Memphis, 
Tennessee;  Charles  L  Fitchner.  died  February  11,  1862,  at  Cahfornia,  Missouri; 
Edwin  E.  Goddard,  died  March  28,  1864,  at  Memphis,  Tennessee;  Frederick 
Grimm,  died  November  23,  1862 ;  James  A.  Gray,  killed  June  20,  1864,  at  Pow- 
der Springs,  Georgia;  Henry  Green,  died  April  2,  1865;  William  Graham,  died 
August  28,  1862,  at  New  Orleans,  Louisiana;  Joseph  Goerlick,  died  June  15, 
1864,  at  Aransas  Pass,  Texas;  William  Guthrie,  killed  February  15,  1862,  at 
Fort  Donelson,  Tennessee;  August  Gottbeoht,  died  September  5,  1864,  at  Rome, 
Georgia,  of  wounds;  Richard  Gear,  killed  July  28,  1864,  at  Atlanta,  Georgia; 
Karl  Graak,  killed  at  Shiloh;  Fritz  Grimm,  killed  April  8,  1865,  at  Spanish 
Fort,  Alabama,  in  battle;  Joseph  J.  Hilburt,  died  at  St.  Louis,  January  12,  1862; 
J.  Howard,  died  at  Memphis,  Tennessee,  March  20,  1863;  Godfrey  Hansey, 
died  May  22,  1864,  at  Little  Rock,  Arkansas;  Casper  Hellmuth,  died  January 

6,  1864,  at  Devall's  Bluffs,  Arkansas;  William  Oscar  Hunter,  died  October  2, 
1862,  at  Davenport;  William  Hamilton,  died  July  24,  1865,  at  Little  Rock, 
Arkansas;  John  Hancock,  died  July  11,  1864,  at  Memphis,  Tennessee;  Alex- 
ander M.  Henderson,  died  August  17,  1862,  at  Springfield,  Missouri;  Walter 
J.   L.   Hunt,   died  December   14,    1862,   at  Fayetteville,  Arkansas,  of   wounds; 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  655 

Joseph  F.  Heath,  died  September  12,  1863,  on  steamer  "Metropolitan";  Marx 
Henson,  died  August  14,  1864,  at  Andersonville  prison;  Hans  F.  Hamann, 
killed  July  20.  1864,  at  Nick-a-jack  Creek,  Georgia,  in  battle ;  Enos  Hottel,  died 
October  20,  1863,  at  Memphis,  Tennessee;  Newton  A.  Halderman,  died  May  15, 
1862,  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri ;  Bartus  Hinger,  died  in  general  hospital  at  Cairo, 
October  25,  1861 ;  John  W.  Hoge,  killed  at  Shiloh;  John  P.  Hale,  died  at  Se- 
dalia,  Mississippi,  November  20,  1861 ;  George  W.  Howell,  killed  at  battle  of 
Fort  Donelson,  February  15,  1862;  John  Ireland,  killed  October  16,  1863,  at 
Brownsville,  Mississippi;  John  Jackson,  died  November  19,  1864,  at  Helena, 
Arkansas;  James  G.  Jack,  died  on  steamer  "City  of  Memphis"  July  10,  1863; 
Josephus  Jacobs,  died  September  4,  1863,  at  Carrollton,  Louisiana;  Heinrich 
Jacobs,  died  September  10,  1863,  at  Vicksburg,  Mississippi;  James  Kizer,  died 
at  St.  Louis,  January  3,  1862;  Earnest  F.  Kramer,  drowned  in  White  river, 
Arkansas,  August  12,  1864;  Gerhard  Kleinhesslinz,  drowned  near  Fort  Ran- 
dall, Dakota,  in  the  Missouri  river,  June  15,  1863;  Ebenezer  King,  died  August 
22,  1864,  at  Andersonville,  Georgia;  Andreas  Karste,  died  in  Samaritan  hospi- 
tal, St.  Louis,  October  13,  1863;  Kimes,  died  November  20,  1862.  at  Prairie 
Grove,  Arkansas;  John  Knoche,  killed  June  27,  1864,  at  Kenesaw  Mountain, 
Georgia;  Glaus  Kuhl,  died  at  St.  Louis,  June  6,  1862,  of  wounds  received  at 
Shiloh;  Joseph  S.  Kelley,  died  February  19,  1865,  at  Rock  Island,  Illinois; 
Edwin  Kelly,  died  July  12,  1863,  at  Corinth,  Mississippi;  Chris.  G.  Krummel, 
died  May  11,  1862;  Hans  LilHenthall,  died  May  30,  1864,  at  Memphis,  Ten- 
nessee; George  Luders,  died  October  24,  1864,  at  Memphis,  Tennessee;  Aaron 
P.  Lambert,  died  October  27.  1863,  at  Springfield,  Missouri;  Jacob  Lehman, 
died  March  20,  1865,  at  Goldsboro,  North  Carolina;  Joseph  R.  Leyle,  killed 
April  9,  1864,  at  Pleasant  Hill,  Louisiana,  in  battle;  Leonard  Lavender,  died 
September  11,  1863,  at  Columbus,  Kentucky;  David  Mosely,  died  August  22, 
1864,  at  Helena,  Arkansas ;  Sydenham  W.  Morgan,  killed  in  battle  of  Arkansas 
Post,  January  11,  1863;  Frederick  G.  Myall,  killed  in  battle  of  Okolona,  Mis- 
sissippi, February  22,  1864;  James  Martin,  killed  at  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Geor- 
gia, June  15,  1864,  in  battle;  Jeflferson  McKight,  died  March  11,  1864,  at  Helena, 
Arkansas;  Thomas  B.  Miles,  killed  December  7.  1862,  in  battle  at  Prairie 
Grove,  Arkansas;  Charles  McCormick,  died  August  23,  1863,  on  hospital 
steamer;  WilHam  H.  McMahan,  died  March  3,  1863,  at  Ozark.  Missouri; 
Thomas  Murry,  died  August  3,  1863.  at  Memphis,  Tennessee;  Richard  Mc- 
Kenney,  died  March  13,  1863,  at  Springfield,  Missouri;  John  Magill.  drowned 
on  the  passage  to  St.  Louis;  John  Meenig,  killed  December  7,  1862.  at  Prairie 
Grove,  Arkansas,  in  battle;  William  Murray,  died  December  29,  at  Fayette- 
ville,  Arkansas,  of  wounds;  James  W.  Miller,  died  December  25,  1861,  at  St. 
Louis,  Missouri;  Otto  Mielok,  died  near  Corinth,  July  10,  1862;  Henry  R. 
Moore,  died  February  11,  1863,  at  Davenport;  Donald  McDonald,  died  Novem- 
ber 8,  1861,  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri;  John  Melton,  killed  in  the  battle  at  Shiloh; 
James  C.  Mansell,  died  at  Corinth,  Mississippi,  October  5,  1862;  Martin  L. 
Minor,  died  January  i,  1863,  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  Ebenezer  McCullough,  died 
August  3,  1862,  at  Corinth,  Mississippi;  John  F.  Nass,  died  May  21,  1862,  at 
Corinth,  Mississippi ;  James  Nilson,  died  October  2.(i,  1861 ;  John  Neben,  died 
at  Corinth,  November  26,  1862 ;  Hans  Juery  Nehm,  killed  in  battle  August  loth 


656  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

at  Wilson  Creek,  Missouri;  David  C.  Oliver,  wounded  at  Shiloh  and  died  at 
Monterey,  June  i,  1862;  Joseph  Pollock,  died  at  Cassville,  Missouri,  Novem- 
ber 4,  1862;  Eggert  Puck,  died  near  Corinth,  June  11,  1862;  Dlos  Phelps, 
died  March  16,  1863,  at  Germantown,  Tennessee;  Johan  Peters,  died  at  Mem- 
phis, Tennessee,  July  7,  1864;  Walter  Powell,  died  September  23,  1863,  at 
Alton,  Illinois;  Thomas  Preston,  drowned  in  the  Mississippi  river,  Septem- 
ber 7,  1864,  accidentally;  Mathias  D.  Pines,  died  May  19,  1864,  at  Memphis, 
Tennessee;  Hans  Paustain,  died  October  2,  1863,  at  Columbus,  Ohio;  Francis 
Pentith,  died  June  14,  1862,  at  Corinth,  Mississippi;  Francis  Peasley,  died  De- 
cember 12,  1861,  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri;  David  D.  Palmer,  died  at  Memphis, 
Tennessee,  July  23,  1864;  Garfield  S.  Page,  killed  at  Fort  Donelson,  February 
15,  1862;  Henry  Pries,  died  October  10,  1862;  James  Perry,  killed  October, 
1863,  while  on  an  expedition  with  First  Alabama  cavalry;  Edward  Peterson, 
killed  in  battle  at  Fort  Donelson,  February,  1862 ;  Christopher  Quinn,  died  April, 

1862,  of  wounds;  Lewis  Reeps,  died  at  Oswego  Springs,  Arkansas,  October  31, 
1862;  Robert  S.  Ralston,  died  November  28,  1862;  Hiram  Reynolds,  reported 
dead  November  25,  1862,  Springfield,  Missouri;  Johann  Reimers,  died  near 
Corinth,  June  16,  1862;  James  Rudd,  died  at  Memphis,  Tennessee;  William  C. 
Russell,  killed  in  battle  at  Chickamauga,  Tennessee,  September  20,  1863;  Chas. 
M.  Robinson,  died  March  8,  1862,  at  Sedalia,  Missouri;  John  D.  Roberts,  died 
September  11,  1865,  at  Tuskegee,  Alabama;  Augustus  Sharp,  died  at  St.  Louis, 
February  3,  1862;  Francis  M.  Steel,  killed  in  battle  at  Prairie  Grove,  December 
7,  1862;  Hans  Stoltenberg,  died  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  July  2^,  1862;  Adolph 
Schroeder,  died  at  Corinth,  October  20,  1862;  Charles  Schlegel,  died  August 
25,  1864,  at  Colliersville,  Tennessee;  James  Syms,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
April  15,  1864;  Joseph  A.  Scott,  died  April  12,  1864,  at  Helena,  Arkansas; 
Stephen  Steffen,  died  October  24,  1864,  at  Memphis,  Tennessee;  George  W. 
Snively,  died  November  7,  1864,  at  Millen,  Georgia,  of  starvation  while  a  pris- 
oner of  war;  Levi  Statton,  died  at  Springfield,  Missouri,  December  23,  1862; 
Christian  Shuman,  died  August  18,  1863,  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri;  Joseph  A. 
Scott,  died  April  12,  1864,  at  Helena,  Arkansas;  Ezra  Seaman,  died  August  28, 

1863,  at  Carrollton,  Louisiana;  Daniel  M.  Sullivan,  killed  at  battle  of  Prairie 
Grove;  John  J.  Sissell,  died  at  Springfield,  Missouri,  December  3,  1862;  Otis  T. 
Stewart,  died  November  22,  1862,  at  Springfield,  Missouri;  Ben.  H.  Sturde- 
vant,  died  at  Rolla,  Missouri,  September  16,  1862;  Johann  Schwartz,  died  at 
Camp  No.  2,  near  Shiloh,  April  22,  1862;  August  Schulz,  died  at  Davenport, 
Iowa,  May  25,  1862;  Denis  Sullivan,  died  at  Davenport  in  Camp  McClel- 
lan;  William  Shield,  died  in  hospital  at  Jackson.  Tennessee,  October  3, 
1862;  Fritz  Schlosser,  died  July  18,  1862,  near  Corinth,  Mississippi;  John 
Shadle,  died  August  16,  1864,  at  Andersonville  prison;  Peter  D.  Schmidt,  died 
May  13,  1864,  of  wounds  at  Memphis,  Tennessee;  Basil  Seymour,  killed  Oc- 
tober 4,  1862,  at  Corinth,  Mississippi;  Jonathan  R.  Shook,  died  June  21,  1862, 
at  Keokuk;  Jacob  Speed,  died  October  25,  1862,  at  Cairo,  Illinois;  Frederick 
Sick,  drowned  March  26,  1864,  at  Pulaski,  Tennessee;  Stephen  Tompson,  died 
July  28,  1863,  at  Port  Hudson,  Louisiana ;  John  A.  Tisdale,  died  June  20,  1864, 
at  New  Orleans,  Louisiana;  Robert  Taylor,  died  at  Cincinnati,  July  11,  1862, 
of  wounds  received  at  Shiloh;  James  A.  Tompson,  died  in  February,  1863,  at 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  657 

Jackson,  Tennessee;  Robert  A.  Tedford,  died  August  i,  1864,  at  Atlanta,  Geor- 
gia; Moses  Thompson,  died  at  home,  August,  1861 ;  Oscar  G.  Williams,  killed 
September  27,  1868,  at  Centralia,  Missouri,  murdered  by  guerrillas;  John  A. 
Wolf,  died  August  6,  1864,  at  Andersonville,  Georgia;  Henry  Wunder,  died  at 
Rolla,  Missouri,  March  13,  1863;  Henry  Weise,  died  at  Milliken's  Bend,  Louis- 
iana, July  2,  1863;  Lucian  H.  Wolf,  died  April  14,  1864,  at  Memphis,  Tennes- 
see; Hans  Wulf,  killed  in  action  before  Vicksburg;  George  R.  Wicks,  died  at 
Corinth,  October  28,  1862 ;  Martin  Wood,  died  at  New  Madrid,  April  10,  1862 ; 
Silas  Williams,  died  October  5,  1863,  at  New  Orleans,  Louisiana;  Joseph  V. 
West,  killed  September  19,  1862,  at  luka,  Mississippi,  in  battle ;  Frederick  Wil- 
kin, died  near  Corinth,  June  13,  1862;  Charles  L.  Whitnell,  killed  at  Shiloh; 
Christian  D.  Wulf,  died  July  18,  1864,  at  Rome,  Georgia;  Alexander  Work, 
died  July  22,  1864,  at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  of  wounds;  August  Wichman,  died 
August  28,  1863,  at  Vicksburg,  Mississippi ;  James  Work,  died  at  Camp  Deni- 
son,  Ohio,  April  26,  1862;  James  H.  Ward,  died  April  28,  1862,  at  Savannah, 
Tennessee,  of  wounds;  Heinrich  Wright,  died  of  wounds;  Henry  C.  Wheeler, 
drowned  in  Mississippi  river,  August  16,  1861. 

A  HUNGRY  AUDIENCE. 

The  following  amusing  account  of  the  return  of  the  24th  Iowa  Volunteess 
from  the  front  to  Davenport  to  be  mustered  out,  appeared  in  the  "Annals  of 
Iowa"  in  April,  1895 :  "It  appears  that  the  regiment  had  reached  Chicago  at 
II  :oo  o'clock  at  night,  supperless,  but  when  it  became  a  question  between  goingi 
after  something  to  eat  or  stealing  a  train  then  in  waiting  for  the  Twenty-second 
Iowa  and  getting  off  at  once,  supper  was  not  considered  for  a  moment.  But  it 
did  seem  a  little  trying,  upon  arriving  in  Davenport  about  9  :oo  o'clock  next  fore- 
noon, without  breakfast,  as  a  matter  of  course,  to  be  drawn  up  the  first  thing  to 
listen  to  speeches  of  welcome  from  two  or  three  of  the  warm-hearted  lowans, 
residents  there.  The  occasion  was  somewhat  inspiring.  Here  stood  the  sur- 
vivors of  the  1,000  men  who  in  answer  to  their  country's  call  had  left  their  state 
three  years  before  and  now  returned  in  triumph  with  'glory  and  scars,'  holding 
aloft  the  banner  under  which  their  comrades  died  and  which  had  by  them  been 
borne  with  honor  on  many  bloody  fields.  Little  wonder  that  Davenport  orators 
wished  to  'improve  the  opportunity.'  But  never,  methinks,  was  eloquence  so 
sadly  handicapped.  Colonel  Wright  made  a  response,  the  brevity  of  which  testi- 
fied to  his  appreciation  of  the  situation,  and  then  away  we  went  to  Camp  Mc- 
Clellan — only  to  find  that  not  only  was  there  no  breakfast  there  but  no  rations. 
Then  the  colonel  made  another  speech,  brief  but  emphatic,  when  he  started  to 
the  city  to  stir  someone  up,  in  virtue  of  which  we  managed  to  break  our  long 
fast,  somxctime  in  the  afternoon." 

ASTONISHED    KEOKUKIAN. 

The  following  appeared  in  the  Keokuk  Journal  in  ]May,  1861 :  "A  crowd  gath- 
ered along  Main  street  yesterday  evening  to  witness  some  extraordinar}'  perform- 
ances of  Capt.  Bob  Littler's  State  Guards.  Company  B,  of  the  Second  Regiment. 


658  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Up  and  down  Alain  and  down  other  streets,  around  squares  and  back  again 
for  three  miles,  without  halt  or  slack,  this  company  ran  in  double  quick  time  last 
evening,  and  this,  too,  after  a  squad  drill  of  four  hours  during  the  day,  besides 
a  long  company  parade.  Toward  the  last  of  the  double  quick  one  of  the  men 
picked  up  the  drummer,  put  him  on  his  shoulder,  and  so  marched  along,  appar- 
ently without  incumbrance.  After  all  this  drilling  the  company  halted  on  Main 
s:reet  and  built  a  pyramid,  three  men  high  and  consisting  of  twenty  men  in  all. 
Then  six  men  formed  a  lock  step,  three  abreast,  with  two  men  laid  across  their 
shoulders.  One  man  stood  on  top  of  them  and  so  they  marched  for  a  square  or 
so,  and  after  this,  executed  a  double  quick  drill,  the  whole  performance  being 
entirely  voluntary.  The  members  of  this  company  in  age  average  twenty-five 
years;  in  height,  five  feet  and  seven  and  a  half  inches;  in  weight,  one  hundred 
and  sixty  pounds,  and  composed  mostly  of  raftsmen  and  firemen.  In  muscular 
exercise  tliey  challange  the  worst.  They  may  almost  be  called  a  company  of 
gymnasts  and  athletes.  Some  of  their  performances  are  actually  astonishing. 
Captain  Littler  was  himself  chief  engineer  of  the  fire  department  and  local  editor 
of  the  Daily  Gazette  of  Davenport  for  six  years,  and  perhaps  a  part  of  his 
present  power  of  muscle  came  from  so  much  of  that  needless  running  after  items 
which  must  be  tried  to  be  appreciated.  If  their  pluck  be  equal  to  their  muscle 
(and  no  one  who  sees  them  can  doubt  it)  this  company  will  make  mighty  men 
of  war  and  we  wish  them  and  their  gallant  captain  every  success  in  the  world." 
When  Captain  Wentz's  company  was  organized  in  1861  at  the  first  call  for 
a  regiment  by  Governor  Kirkwood,  there  were  no  uniforms  for  the  newly  made 
soldiers.  The  ladies  of  Davenport  came  to  the  rescue  and  made  for  the  members 
of  Captain  Wentz's  company  the  uniforms  they  wore  when  they  left  the  city  for 
the  front.  They  probably  were  not  so  w^ell  fitting  and  so  natty  looking  as  those 
now  in  vogue  in  the  United  States  army,  and  for  that  reason  the  members  of  a 
Dubuque  mihtary  organization  poked  fun  at  Captain  Wentz's  boys  and  their 
home-made  blouses.  Subsequently  the  good  ladies  of  Dubuque  made  for  their 
soldier  boys  new  uniforms  and  Franc  B.  Wilkie  wrote  for  his  home  paper  the 
following  intensely  humorous  description  of  the  Dubuque  Grays'  military  togs. 

THE  LADIES   MADE  THEM. 

"The  uniforms  are  all  on.  They  are  admirable  fits,  all  of  them,  except  say 
eighty  or  100  of  them.  I  now  speak  of  the  Grays.  The  majority  of  the  boys  are 
able  to  get  their  pantaloons  from  the  floor  by  buttoning  the  waist-bands  around 
their  necks.  Others  accomplish  this  desirable  result  by  bringing  the  waist-bands 
tight  up  under  the  arms  and  rolling  them  up  six  or  eight  inches  at  the  bottom. 
To  be  sure,  this  is  a  little  inconvenient  in  some  respects.  A  fellow  has  to  take 
off  his  belt,  then  his  coat,  and  then  ascend  one  story  before  he  can  reach  his  pockets, 
and  after  reaching  them  they  are  so  deep  that  one  has  to  take  the  pants  off  en- 
tirely before  he  can  reach  the  bottom.  Each  pocket  will  hold  a  shirt,  blanket  and 
even  the  wearer  himself,  if  at  any  time  he  finds  such  a  retreat  necessary.  And 
the  coats  fit  beautifully — almost,  in  fact,  as  well  as  the  pants.  To  be  sure,  half 
of  them  are  two  feet  too  large  around  the  waist  and  almost  as  much  too  small 
around  the  chest,  but  then  these  two  drawbacks  admirably  offset  each  other. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  659 

In  the  case  of  fifteen  or  twenty  of  them,  the  tip  of  the  collar  is  but  a  trifle  above 
the  small  of  the  wearer's  back,  and  in  the  case  of  about  as  many  more  the  same 
article  is  a  few  inches  above  the  head  of  its  owner.  The  same  collar,  also,  in 
some  cases  terminates  beneath  each  ear  of  the  wearer  and  in  many  others  it 
sweeps  way  around  in  magnificent  curves,  forming  a  vast  basin  whose  rim  is 
yards  distant  from  the  neck  of  the  possessor,  and  the  sleeves,  too,  have  here  and 
there  a  fault.  Some  are  so  tight  under  the  arms  that  they  lift  one  up  as  if  he 
were  swinging  upon  a  couple  of  ropes  that  passed  under  his  armpits.  Others 
strike  boldly  out  and  do  not  terminate  their  voluminous  course  till  at  a  distance 
of  several  inches  beyond  the  tips  of  his  fingers,  while  others  conclude  their  jour- 
ney after  marching  an  inch  or  two  below  the  elbows.  With  these  few  exceptions 
the  coats  and  pantaloons  fit  magnificently,  and  are  adimired  as  being  the  finest  in 
the  regiment." 

ORATION   AT  THE  DEDICATION. 

At  the  time  of  the  dedication  of  the  Soldiers'  monument  which  is  located  on 
Main  street  between  Trinity  cathedral  and  the  high  school  July  4,  1881,  Daven- 
port in  company  with  all  the  United  States  was  in  the  shadow  of  sorrow  caused 
by  the  assassination  of  President  Garfield.  In  the  column  which  marched  to 
the  scene  of  dedication  were  military  and  civic  orders.  The  Scott  County  Vet- 
erans' association  had  ninety-seven  men  in  line,  representing  fifty-seven  regi- 
ments and  ten  states.  There  were  military  companies  from  Davenport,  Rock 
Island  and  Muscatine,  also  detachments  from  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Turn- 
gemeinde. 

The  statue  surmounting  the  column  was  unveiled  by  Mrs.  Foster,  widow  of 
the  lamented  Major  Foster  of  the  Eleventh  Iowa,  and  her  two  daughters.  The 
oration  was  by  Gen.  J.  B.  Leake,  United  States  district  attorney,  of  Chicago, 
formerly  a  citizen  of  Davenport. 

In  this  oration,  a  most  eloquent  one,  Scott  county's  part  in  the  war  for  the 
Union  was  most  fittingly  and  feelingly  dwelt  upon.  Said  General  Leake:  "Un- 
der the  call  for  75,000  men  Iowa's  share  of  three  months'  men  w^as  one  regiment. 
In  this  county  three  companies  contended  for  the  honor  of  entering  that  regiment. 
Our  German  fellow  citizens  obtained  that  distinction  and  Capt.  August  Wentz 
marched  the  first  company  out  of  our  county  to  the  theater  of  war.  He  after- 
ward as  lieutenant  colonel  of  the  Seventh  regiment  of  infantry  laid  down  his 
life  at  the  battle  of  Belmont.  The  other  two  companies  under  the  command  of 
Robert  M.  Littler  and  J.  DeWitt  Brewster  w^ent  into  the  Second  regiment  of  in- 
fantry, followed  soon  by  Capt.  Egbert's  company  in  the  Second  regiment  of  cav- 
alry, and  then  by  many  others. 

"The  number  of  men  liable  to  military  duty  in  the  county  was  ascertained  by 
reports  of  the  assessors  of  the  various  townships  making  a  canvass  as  directed 
by  a  law  passed  at  the  extra  session  of  the  general  assembly  held  May  1861, 
to  be  4,117.  Of  that  entire  number  there  voluntarily  enhsted  during  the  war  about 
two-thirds  of  the  entire  number  liable  to  duty  in  the  county.  Almost  every  fam- 
ily made  sacrifices  at  the  altar  of  country.  During  the  whole  war  there  was  not 
a  battle  of  importance  in  which  men   from   Scott  county  did  not  have  a  part. 


660  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

They  participated  in  the  long  march,  the  wearing  siege;  they  pined  away  in 
suffering  in  every  southern  prison;  they  left  their  dead  in  every  soldiers'  ceme- 
tery. And  now  after  so  many  years,  we,  their  fellow  citizens,  and  many  of  us 
their  companions-in-arms,  have  the  precious  privilege  of  bearing  testimony  to 
their  virtues  and  leaving  in  enduring  form  for  future  generations  a  record  of 
their  patriotic  sacrifice." 

veterans'  association  antedating  g.  a.  r. 

The  association  of  veterans  mentioned  above  was  organized  in  1865  ante- 
dating the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  by  a  year  and  was  created  for  much  the 
same  purposes,  and  was  administered  in  the  same  spirit.  Unlike  the  Grand  Army 
there  was  neither  ritual  nor  secret  work.  At  a  meeting  of  Scott  county  soldiers 
held  June  29,  1865,  at  the  court  house,  Dr.  J.  M.  Witherwax  and  Lieut.  H.  M. 
McNeil,  secretary,  a  committee  appointed  at  a  previous  meeting  reported :  "Hav- 
ing in  view  the  good  of  the  soldier,  and  believing  there  are  no  ties  beyond  the 
ties  of  blood  so  strong  as  those  that  are  formed  amid  the  hardships  and  dangers 
of  a  soldier's  life,  and  for  the  purpose  of  strengthening  those  ties  and  keeping 
our  memories  refreshed  we  would  recommend  that  the  soldiers  of  Scott  county 
enter  into  an  organization  with  that  view,  the  first  principles  of  which  should  be 
to  extend  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  to  all  soldiers  who  have  battled  for  their 
country,  universal  rights  and  the  freedom  of  all  mankind. 

"That  our  wounded  and  disabled  brothers  shall  be  the  objects  of  our  special 
care  and  consideration,  and  show  them  their  sacrifices  have  not  been  made  in 
vain,  nor  that  we  are  ungrateful   for  their  valuable  services. 

"And  while  we  remember  the  living  we  should  not  forget  the  dead,  and  in 
no  way  can  we  better  cherish  their  memories  than  by  endeavoring  to  heal  the 
heart  wounds  of  their  families  and  friends  left  behind,  some  of  whom  are  desti- 
tute and  needing  the  aid  and  sympathy  of  all  patriots  as  well  as  soldiers. 

"Such  being  our  views,  we  believe  that  this  society  can  be  made  the  instrument 
of  much  good  by  endeavoring  to  restrain  the  wayward,  holding  up  the  hands  of 
the  weak,  and  satisfied  only  when  we  know  the  wounded  and  disabled  are  cared 
for  and  the  widow  and  orphan  of  the  fallen  have  received  at  our  hands  what  is 
justly  their  due. 

"We  would  also  recommend  that  the  matter  of  politics  be  kept  entirely  aloof 
from  this  organization  and  that  all  members  shall  have  full  privilege  to  exercise 
the  elective  franchise  in  accordance  with  their  best  convictions." 

The  report  was  signed  by  the  committee,  Messrs.  Henry  Egbert,  C.  Barney, 
J.  G.  G.  Cavendish.  N.  N.  Tyner,  and  George  E.  McCosh. 

Adjournment  was  taken  to  July  ist  when  a  constitution  was  adopted  and  the 
name  of  the  organization  decided  upon — "The  Old  Soldiers'  Association  of  Scott 
County,  Iowa."  The  officers  elected  were :  General  Add.  H.  Sanders,  president ; 
Dr.  J.  M.  Witherwax,  vice  president;  Lieut.  N.  N.  Tyner,  secretary;  Lieut. 
J.  G.  G.  Cavendish,  treasurer;  E.  R.  Ames,  sergeant  at  arms.  The  executive 
committee  comprised  Lieut.  Col.  Henry  Egbert,  Lieut.  H.  S.  McNeil,  and  Lieut. 
H.  W.  Bennett. 


:\IAIX  BUILDIXG— IOWA  SOLDTERS'  OUl'flAN'-'   llo^IK 


CLARISSA  C.  COOK'S  HOME  FOR  THE  FRIENDLESS 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  663 

THE    IOWA    soldiers'    ORPHANS^    HOME. 

Any  mention  of  the  Iowa  Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home,  brief  or  extended,  must 
begin  with  reference  to  Mrs.  Annie  Wittenmeyer,  the  Keokuk  woman  whom 
Governor  Kirkwood  commissioned  state  sanitary  agent  and  who  during  the  long 
years  of  the  Civil  war  was  constantly  engaged  in  works  of  mercy  in  the  hospi- 
tals at  the  front.  In  a  personal  letter  under  date  of  1888  she  speaks  of  the  move- 
ment for  the  care  of  soldiers'  orphans :  "I  matured  the  plan  during  the  Mississippi 
river  campaign  which  culminated  in  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg  in  July,  1863. 
It  was  in  the  hospital  where  I  was  surrounded  by  men  facing  death,  whose  one 
anxiety  was  for  their  children,  that  the  thought  came  to  me,  and  many  a  dying 
soldier  was  comforted  by  the  assurance  that  I  would  undertake  the  enterprise." 

The  actual  founding  of  the  homes  for  the  care  of  the  children  of  the  brave 
men  of  Iowa  who  had  laid  down  their  lives  for  their  country  came  about  through 
the  state  sanitary  organization  which  worked  through  local  aid  societies  in  collect- 
ing and  distributing  supplies  for  the  soldiers,  supplies  which  exceeded  a  half 
million  dollars  in  value. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Soldiers'  Aid  society  held  at  Iowa  City,  September  23, 
1863,  attended  by  Mrs.  Wittenmeyer,  the  care  of  children  orphaned  by  the  war 
was  discussed,  and  a  call  published  for  a  meeting  of  the  people  of  Iowa  at  Mus- 
catine, October  5,  1863.  Among  the  signatures  appended  to  this  call  were 
those  of  Mesdames  D.  T.  Newcomb  and  O.  W.  Leslie  of  Davenport.  At  this 
Muscatine  convention  there  was  a  good  and  representative  attendance  from  all 
portions  of  the  state.  Resolutions  were  passed  that  an  asylum  for  children  made 
fatherless  by  the  war  be  established,  and  an  organization  effected  to  carry  out 
the  resolution.  The  following  officers  were  elected  for  the  society  thus  founded : 
Governor  W.  M.  Stone,  president;  Miss  Mary  Kibben,  Alt.  Pleasant,  recording 
secretary;  Miss  Mary  Shelton,  later  Mrs.  C.  L.  Poor,  Burlington,  corresponding 
secretary;  Mrs.  N.  H.  Brainard,  Iowa  City,  treasurer;  the  board  of  trustees  in- 
cluded: Mrs.  Annie  Wittenmeyer,  of  Keokuk;  Mrs.  C.  Ben  Darwin,  Davenport, 
Mrs.  D.  T.  Newcomb,  Davenport;  Mrs.  L.  B.  Stevens,  and  Messrs.  O.  Faville, 
E.  H.  Williams,  T.  S.  Parvin,  M.  Shields,  Caleb  Baldwin,  C.  C.  Cole,  Isaac 
Pemberton  and  C.  Henderson. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  trustees  was  held  in  Des  Moines,  February  14,  1864, 
at  which  time  and  place  arrangements  were  made  for  raising  the  necessary  funds 
for  the  enterprise,  although  the  impetuous  Mrs.  "^Vittenmeyer  had  anticipated  this 
action  by  several  months  having  issued  an  appeai  for  the  orphans  to  the  people 
of  the  state  on  Thanksgiving  day  of  1863.  At  the  March  meeting  of  the  trustees 
Mr.  Howell  of  Keokuk  was  authorized  to  lease  a  building,  procure  furnishings 
and  solicit  funds.  In  June  Davenport  contributed  $600  to  the  expense  fund.  The 
same  month  at  another  trustees'  meeting  a  committee  was  appointed  to  open  a 
home.    The  movement  gained  in  popularity  throughout  the  state. 

The  special  committee  of  the  trustees  reported  July  13,  1864,  that  a  large 
brick  building  had  been  secured  at  Lawrence,  Van  Buren  county,  and  that  it 
was  in  condition  to  receive  the  children  who  were  in  need  of  shelter  and  in  three 
weeks  from  that  time  twenty-one  children  were  there  domiciled.  The  first  ma- 
tron was  Mrs.  E.  M.  Elliott  of  Washington. 


664  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

The  movement  for  the  care  of  soldiers'  orphans  gathered  enthusiasm  as  the 
months  went  by.  Ingersoll,  the  war  historian,  says :  "There  has  never  been  any 
one  work  in  the  state  that  has  convened  so  many  people  in  large  and  enthusiastic 
assemblies,  filled  so  many  churches  and  halls,  thrilled  so  many  hearts,  awakened 
so  much  emotion,  suffused  with  tears  so  many  eyes,  commanded  such  great  lib- 
erality, or  enlisted  so  many  great  minds  as  the  Soldiers'  Orphans'  home."  The 
soldiers  in  the  field  deeply  touched  by  these  efl:orts  for  the  children  of  their 
brothers  in  arms  contributed  more  than  $45,000. 

In  addition  to- the  home  near  Farmington  another  was  opened  at  Cedar  Falls 
where  the  soldiers'  orphans  living  in  the  northern  portion  of  the  state  were 
cared  for  to  the  number  of  more  than  100  the  first  year.  Early  in  1865  there 
was  suggestion  made  that  the  orphans'  home  at  Lawrence  could  with  advantage 
be  moved  to  Davenport.  In  May  there  was  a  pubhc  meeting  at  the  Presbyterian- 
church  in  which  the  interests  of  the  orphans  were  considered  with  liberal  sub- 
scriptions. In  October  of  1865  another  meeting  vv^as  held  in  LeClaire's  hall  and 
subscriptions  to  the  fund  amounting  to  $5,200  were  made. 

THE    ORPHANS    REACH    DAVENPORT. 

The  steamer  Keithsburg  arrived  from  Keokuk,  November  16,  1865,  having 
on  board  150  orphans  of  Iowa  soldiers.  Previous  to  their  arrival  the  compara- 
tively new  barracks  of  Camp  Kinsman  on  the  present  site  of  the  home  had  been 
made  ready  for  their  reception.  The  barracks  contained  beds,  bedding  and 
much  other  equipment  that  could  ':e  u-ilized  and  the  home  was  furnished  by 
the  liberal  contribution  of  patriotic  citizens  of  Davenport,  the  amount  running 
into  the  thousands  of  dollars.  Upon  the  arrival  of  the  boat  breakfast  was  served 
in  the  Christian  chapel,  now  Hibernian  hall,  on  Brady  street  near  Fifth  street  by 
the  sympathetic  ladies  of  the  city.  Afterward  the  party  went  to  Camp  Kinsman 
and  the  Davenport  branch  of  the  institution  was  established.  Mrs.  Wittenmeyer 
consented  to  remain  at  the  home  as  matron  and  this  insured  the  perfect  success 
of  the  enterprise.     M.  B.  Cochran  of  Iowa  City  was  made  superintendent. 

The  first  superintendent  of  the  home  while  it  was  at  Farmington  was  named 
Parvin.  This  was  a  temporary  arrangement  and  he  was  soon  succeeded  by  Rufus 
Hubbard  who  was  superintendent  until  the  removal  of  the  home  to  Davenport 
in  1865. 

In  1867  Superintendent  Cochran  and  Matron  Wittenmeyer  resigned  and  were 
succeeded  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  W.  Pierce  of  Fairfield  as  superintendent  and  ma- 
tron. Mr.  Pierce  resigned  in  1886  and  was  succeeded  by  Gen.  E.  C.  Litchfield 
who  served  less  than  eleven  months.  Mr.  Pierce  was  recalled  and  managed  the 
homic  for  eleven  months.  Principal  John  R.  Bowman  was  called  from  School 
No.  I  to  the  superintendency  and  served  two  years.  He  was  followed  by  Dr. 
W.  E.  Whitney  who  resigned  in  1893  and  was  followed  by  J.  H.  Lukens  of 
Aluscatine  who  served  two  years  relinquishing  the  position  to  M.  T.  Gass  who 
held  it  until  his  death  in  May,  1904.  H.  W.  Kellogg  was  acting  superintendent 
until  Tune  8th  of  that  year  when  Frank  J.  Sessions  took  charge  of  the  largest 
family  in  Iowa. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  665 

UNDER    STATE    CONTROL. 

The  eleventh  general  assembly  in  1866  acted  favorably  upon  the  petitions 
presented  looking  to  a  change  in  management  of  the  Soldiers'  Orphans'  home. 
First  established  by  what  was  virtually  a  private  corporation  and  later  splendidly 
maintained  as  a  benevolent  institution  the  time  seemed  ripe  for  the  home  to  be 
numbered  among  the  recognized  state  institutions  supported  by  taxation.  This 
was  done,  and  an  act  passed  by  which  it  came  under  the  support  and  control  of 
the  state.  The  legislature  named  a  board  of  trustees  consisting  of  one  member 
from  the  state  at  large,  and  one  from  each  congressional  district.  An  appropria- 
tion of  $25,000  was  voted  and  provision  made  for  a  tax  levy.  The  main  institu- 
tion was  located  at  Davenport  with  branches  at  Cedar  Falls  and  Glenwood. 
At  this  time  the  number  of  children  in  these  three  homes  numbered  864.  In 
1875  the  homes  were  consolidated  into  one  institution  at  Davenport. 

From  the  time  when  the  care  of  soldiers'  orphans  was  assumed  by  the  state 
the  Davenport  institution  grew  and  prospered.  Better  buildings  replaced  the 
whitewashed  barracks,  and  all  features  of  the  army  camp  were  obliterated. 
Handsome  structures  of  pressed  brick  came  into  existence,  administration  build- 
ing, cottages,  hospital,  laundry,  machine  shop,  tailor  shop,  schools.  The  state 
gave  loving  care  and  guardianship  to  the  children  of  those  who  proved  themselves 
"the  bravest  of  the  brave"  and  trusted  their  little  ones  to  the  keeping  of  those 
who  survived  the  struggle. 

The  home  has  been  visited  by  disastrous  fires — one  in  July,  1886,  and  again 
the  next  year  when  lightning  consumed  the  main  building  with  a  loss  of  $50,000. 
The  present  administration  building  was  finished  and  dedicated  June  5,  1891. 
The  handsome  chapel  which  serves  as  an  assembly  hall  when  it  is  desired  to  call 
all  the  children  together  was  finished  and  dedicated  in  April,  1901.  In  this 
chapel  is  located  the  handsome  $3,000  pipe  organ,  gift  of  Governor  Larrabee, 
a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Control  at  the  time  this  body  was  established  to 
manage  and  conduct  all  state  institutions  of  a  benevolent  and  corrective  character. 

CARES  FOR  CHILDREN   OF  BROKEN    HOMES. 

As  the  orphans  of  the  soldiers  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion  grew  to  manhood  and 
womanhood  with  the  flight  of  time  this  institution  was  utilized  for  the  care  of  the 
poor  children  of  the  state,  the  little  people  who  have  poor  homes  or  none  at  all, 
the  children  who  would  otherwise  have  no  place  of  refuge  other  than  the  county 
poor  farms,  children  in  danger  from  evil  surroundings  and  influence.  Here  they 
are  gathered  from  broken  homes — the  number  in  1910  exceeding  500,  fed,  warmed 
and  clothed,  given  instruction  in  a  school  unsurpassed  anywhere  for  curriculum 
or  instruction,  given  healthful  work  on  a  farm  of  many  acres,  trained  in  habits 
of  industry,  thrift  and  all  that  makes  for  good  citizenship,  and  w^hen  old  enough 
are  placed  in  good  homes  where  they  will  have  the  level  American  chance  to 
which  all  children  of  Iowa  are  entitled. 

Life  at  the  home  is  regular  and  well  ordered.  The  children  are  well  treated, 
happy  and  fond  of  those  who  have  them  in  charge.  There  is  a  library  of  well 
selected  juvenile  literature  and  there  is  a  systematic  effort  to  provide  for  them 


666  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

as  much  amusement  as  possible.  Back  in  war  days  Muscatine  inaugurated  the 
custom  of  providing  Christmas  cheer  in  the  shape  of  presents,  a  tree,  a  Santa 
Claus,  etc.  This  good  example  was  followed  by  other  communities.  The  small 
people  of  the  home  are  never  far  out  of  the  minds  of  the  people  of  Davenport  and 
many  treats  have  been  arranged  for  them  by  the  citizens. 

The  name  of  the  institution  has  not  been  changed  since  post-bellum  days  and 
it  is  still  the  Iowa  Soldiers'  Orphans'  home,  although  the  title  is  hardly  appro- 
priate these  days,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  it  will  never  be.  The  state  collects  from 
the  county  whence  a  child  comes  for  its  support,  and  no  better  investment  do 
the  ninety-nine  counties  of  Iowa  make  than  this  investment  in  humanity. 

The  institution  is  officered  by  a  selected  corps  of  efficient  and  devoted  em- 
ployes, and  is  under  the  charge  of  Frank  J.  Sessions,  superintendent  for  the 
State  Board  of  Control. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
PATRIOTIC  DAVENPORT. 

MILITARY    HEADQUARTERS CAMPS    WHERE    SOLDIERS    WERE    TRAINED MINNESOTA 

SIOUX MANY  CONFEDERATE  PRISONERS  AT  ROCK  ISLAND  PRISON THE  ROUTINE 

OF  PRISON  LIFE THE  SOLDIERS'  MONUMENT ORATION  OF  GENERAL  J.  B.  LEAKE 

IOWA  soldiers'   orphans'    home FIRST  EXERCISES  AT  OAKDALE — COMPANY 

B  GOES  TO  FIGHT  SPAIN THE  ROLL  OF  HONOR COMPANY  ROSTER   IN  DAYS  OF 

SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR. 

At  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  between  the  north  and  south  the  telegraph  lines 
terminated  at  Davenport.  To  be  in  close  touch  with  affairs  at  Washington  and 
to  secure  ready  communication  concerning  military  affairs  Governor  Kirkwood 
estabhshed  his  headquarters  at  Davenport,  and  before  the  close  of  the  war  there 
were  located  here  various  military  organizations  of  the  state  and  of  the  Union 
army.  Among  the  state  officers  stationed  here  at  one  period  of  the  war  were 
N.  B.  Baker,  adjutant  general,  and  M.  M.  Trumbull,  assistant  adjutant  general, 
with  offices  in  the  Griggs  block,  between  Second  and  Third  streets ;  also  of  the 
United  States  army  Brigadier  General  B.  S.  Roberts,  commanding  the  district 
of  Iowa,  whose  headquarters  were  in  the  Metropolitan  block,  southeast  comer  of 
Second  and  Brady.  On  his  staff  were  Captains  J.  M.  Bell  and  T.  P.  Hunt, 
Lieutenant  S.  Prentiss,  B.  H.  Roberts  and  Richard  Skinner,  Lieutenant  Colonel 
William  M.  Grier,  mustering  and  dispatching  officer,  had  his  headquarters  in 
the  Griggs  block.  The  provost  marshal  for  the  second  district  of  Iowa,  Gen- 
eral Philo  E.  Hall,  had  his  headquarters  in  the  Aletropolitan  block,  and  in  the 
same  building  was  stationed  Major  Thomas  Duncan,  Third  United  States  cav- 
alry, acting  assistant  provost  marshal  for  Iowa.  Captain  Charles  Bennett  was 
superintendent  of  barracks  on  the  island  and  Major  C.  P.  Kingsbury  was  super- 
intendent of  the  arsenal  buildings  on  the  island. 

DAVENPORT   MILITARY  ORGANIZATIONS. 

There  were  some  attempts  at  the  organization  of  companies  of  the  citizen 
soldiery  prior  to  1857,  but  nothing  of  permanent  character.  In  that  year,  Febru- 
ary 3d,  a  number  of  German-born  citizens  who  had  seen  service  in  the  fatherland, 
organized  the  Davenport  Rifle  Corps.     On  July  4th  of  that  year  they  made  their 


670  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

first  appearance  in  parade  under  command  of  Captain  A.  Iten.  They  had  their 
armory  at  Second  and  Ripley  streets.     Captain  H.  Haupt  was  later  in  command. 

The  Davenport  City  artillery  was  organized  July  9,  1857,  and  served  a  double 
purpose  in  the  community.  It  had  civil  officers,  John  Johns,  Jr.,  president ;  F.  B. 
Wilkie,  vice  president ;  C.  C.  Harris,  secretary ;  and  D.  W.  Van  Evera,  treasurer ; 
also  a  full  complement  of  military  officers  headed  by  C.  N.  Schuyler.  R.  M.  Lit- 
tler was  orderly  sergeant.  The  rank  and  file  numbered  forty  and  they  possessed 
two  six-pounders.  Their  armory  was  at  Second  and  Brady  streets.  The  artiller- 
ists were  notable  both  upon  the  drill  ground  and  also  in  the  ball  room.  They  gave 
public  assemblies  through  the  winter  that  still  linger  in  the  memories  of  many 
citizens  of  Davenport. 

The  veterans  of  the  Schleswig-Holstein  uprising  formed  the  nucleus  and 
furnished  the  officers  for  the  Davenport  City  Guards,  organized  in  March,  1858. 
July  4,  1858,  they  made  their  first  appearance  in  uniform.  Their  captain  was 
F.  Unrow.  Later  they  were  commanded  by  Captain  D.  H.  Stuhr.  Their  armory 
was  on  Second  near  Ripley. 

The  Davenport  Sarsfield  Guards  was  another  company  organized  at  a  date 
slightly  previous  to  that  on  which  the  City  Guards  were  organized,  but  they  did 
not  make  their  first  appearance  in  parade  in  uniform  until  March  17,  1859.  From 
that  date  and  the  name  chosen  to  designate  this  body  of  militia  it  is  not  difficult 
to  tell  the  nationality  of  a  large  part  of  its  membership.  Edward  Jennings  was 
the  first  captain.  He  resigned  later  and  R.  M.  Littler  was  given  the  command. 
A  hall  on  Brady  street  near  Fourth  was  utilized  as  an  armory. 

In  Barrows'  history,  written  in  1859,  there  is  this  paragraph :  "There  is  no 
young  city  in  the  west  that  can  equal  Davenport  in  her  display  of  military.  The 
companies  are  all  excellently  uniformed  and  officered  and  should  their  services 
be  ever  needed  by  their  country  they  will  not  be  found  in  the  background." 

That  prophecy  was  amply  fulfilled  a  few  months  after  when  Davenport  was 
the  scene,  April  17,  1861,  of  a  public  meeting  that  immediately  followed  the  re- 
ceipt of  the  news  of  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter.  The  war  spirit  there  kindled  found 
expression  in  the  enlistment  of  Scott  county  men  in  every  regiment  that  Iowa 
sent  to  the  front.  Company  G  of  the  First  regiment,  commanded  by  August 
Wentz  was  composed  entirely  of  men  from  this  county. 

MILITARY    CAMPS    IN    DAVENPORT. 

During  the  war  there  were  at  one  time  in  Davenport  five  military  camps : 
Camp  McClellan  was  established  August  8,  1861,  and  was  the  rendezvous  of 
the  Eighth,  Eleventh,  Thirteenth,  Fourteenth  and  Sixteenth  regiments  of  infantry, 
and  also  of  recruits  for  old  regiments.  This  camp  was  located  east  of  the  city 
limits,  near  the  river,  and  was  in  command  of  Lieutenant  Peckenpaugh. 

Camp  Joe  Holt  was  established  September  23,  1861,  on  the  fair  grounds,  be- 
tween Thirteenth  and  Northern  avenue  (Kirkwood  boulevard),  Perry  and  Rock 
Island  streets.     It  was  the  rendezvous  of  the  Second  and  Sixteenth  cavalry. 

Camp  Herron  was  established  August  25,  1862,  in  LeClaire's  addition,  between 
Farnam  street  and  Churchill's  addition.  The  Thirty-first  and  Thirty-second  regi- 
ments of  infantry  were  stationed  here. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  671 

Camp  Hendershott  was  the  rendezvous  of  the  Sixth  and  Seventh  cavalry.  It 
•  was  established  October  lo,  1862,  between  Thirteenth  and  Locust  and  Ripley 
and  Scott.    This  camp  and  Camp  Joe  Holt  were  soon  vacated. 

Camp  Roberts  was  the  headquarters  of  the  Eighth  and  Ninth  cavalry.  It  was 
established  July  14,  1863,  on  Duck  creek  near  Oakdale.  It  was  afterward  called 
Camp  Kinsman,  and  the  buildings  were  still  later  turned  over  to  the  orphans  of 
soldiers  and  became  the  Davenport  Orphans'  home. 

GEN.  B.  S.  ROBERTS. 

General  B.  S.  Roberts,  after  whom  Camp  Roberts  at  Davenport  was  named, 
graduated  from  West  Point  in  1835  and  resigned  from  the  service  in  1839.  He 
was  appointed  principal  engineer  of  the  Ogdensburg  &  Champlain  railroad  and 
later  assistant  geologist  of  the  state  of  New  York.  He  studied  law  and  estab- 
lished himself  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Fort  Madison,  Iowa,  in  1844. 
In  1846  he  was  appointed  first  lieutenant  of  a  regiment  of  mounted  riflemen  and 
took  part  in  many  heroic  incidents  in  the  Mexican  war.  He  led  the  advance  of 
Quitman's  army  into  the  City  of  Mexico  and  raised  the  United  States  flag  over 
the  ancient  palaces  of  the  Montezumas.  For  service  in  General  Scott's  campaign 
he  was  breveted  major  and  a  colonel  in  the  regular  army  by  President  Polk. 
He  was  thanked  by  the  legislature  of  Iowa  and  a  sword  was  presented  to  him. 
At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  war  he  was  given  charge  of  the  southern  depart- 
ment of  New  Mexico,  was  made  a  brigadier  general  of  volunteers  by  President 
Lincoln  and  served  as  chief  of  cavalry  and  inspector  general  of  the  army  under 
General  Polk  and  later  commanded  a  brigade  in  western  Virginia.  He  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  the  department  of  Iowa  on  June  11,  1863,  with  head- 
quarters at  Davenport.  He  was  relieved  from  this  department  the  following 
December  2,  1863. 

INDIAN   MURDERERS  AT  CAMP   MCCLELLAN. 

In  1862  the  Sioux  Indians,  in  Minnesota,  committed  many  depredations  and 
massacres  of  the  whites.  For  these  murders  they  were  rounded  up  by  the  govern- 
ment, about  forty  hanged  at  Mankato,  Minnesota,  and  a  large  number  brought 
to  Camp  McClellan  in  April  of  that  year.  Speaking  of  their  arrival  here  the 
Democrat  and  News  in  its  issue  of  April  27,  1863,  had  the  following  to  say: 

"On  the  night  of  the  21st  inst.,  the  condemned  Minnesota  Indians,  number- 
ing 278  Sioux  braves,  including  one  Winnebago,  were  quietly  removed  from 
their  log  prison  where  they  had  been  confined  and  strictly  guarded  since  last 
December,  and  marched  on  board  the  steamer  Favorite,  Captain  Hutchins,  and 
started  down  the  river  for  this  point.  The  night  time  was  taken  for  this  move- 
ment and  great  secrecy  was  observed  in  order  to  elude  any  demonstration  the  en- 
raged Minnesotans  might  make — they  having  threatened  so  savagely  that  the 
murderers  of  their  wives,  their  children,  brothers  and  sisters  should  never  leave 
the  state  alive.  In  addition  to  the  Sioux  warriors  there  were  sixteen  squaws 
and  two  papooses  that  embarked  and  came  here  also.     The  prisoners  while  at 


672  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Mankato  were  guarded  by  the  Seventh  Minnesota  volunteers,  Colonel  S.  Miller. 
The  guard  under  which  they  came  was  Company  C,  seventy-four  men,  Captain 
Burt,  First  Lieutenant  Winslow,  second  Lieutenant  Pratt  and  a  detachment  of 
the  Seventh  Minnesota.  Major  Brown  of  the  same  regiment,  who  for  the 
last  forty-five  years  has  resided  with  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  northwest,  was  with 
the  party.  The  other  officers  were  Quartermaster  Redfield  and  Dr.  Signeurete, 
surgeon  of  the  regiment.  With  the  Indians  came  three  interpreters :  David 
Faribault,  a  half-breed  Sioux,  who  speaks  English  fluently  and  writes  a  hand- 
some hand,  having  received  some  education  at  school  at  Prairie  du  Chien ;  Antoine 
Provocilli,  another  French  and  Indian  half-breed ;  and  George  Godfrey,  a  half- 
breed  Indian  negro,  the  same  who  escaped  hanging  with  the  thirty-nine  who 
were  executed  last  winter,  by  turning  state's  evidence,  and  who  is  under  sentence 
of  imprisonment  for  ten  years.  It  is  said  that  he  alone  murdered  eighteen  men, 
women  and  children  in  that  awful  massacre. 

"The  Favorite  arrived  here  on  Saturday  morning.  It  landed  above  East 
Davenport  in  front  of  Post  McClellan.  Captain  Littler  was  ready  with  his  com- 
mand and  in  thirty  minutes  after  the  landing  the  prisoners  were  all  in  quarters 
at  camp.  The  pen  made  for  their  reception  is  200  feet  square  and  encloses  four 
buildings,  formerly  barracks.  Most  of  these  Indians  were  taken  by  General  Sib- 
ley, who  led  the  attack  against  them,  though  a  considerable  number  came  in 
and  gave  themselves  up,  that  being  their  best  chance  for  life." 

THE    ISLAND    BECOMES   A    MILITARY    PRISON. 

By  order  of  the  war  department  in  July,  1863,  Rock  island  was  made  a 
military  prison  for  the  confinement  of  Confederate  prisoners.  During  the  same 
month  Captain  Charles  A.  Reynolds,  assistant  quartermaster  United  States  army, 
arrived  and  commenced  building  a  prison  and  barracks.  The  first  soldiers  for 
guard  duty  arrived  November  2,  1863.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Schaffner  arrived 
on  the  19th  of  November  and  took  command.  On  the  22d  Colonel  Richard 
Henry  Rush  arrived  and  took  command  of  the  post  and  Colonel  A.  J.  Johnson 
was  appointed  in  charge  of  the  prisoners.  The  first  installment  of  prisoners, 
taken  at  the  battle  of  Lookout  Mountain,  arrived  from  Chattanooga,  December 
3,  1863 ;  and  from  that  time  until  the  close  of  the  war  a  large  number  of  pris- 
oners were  kept  under  a  strong  guard  upon  the  island.  The  whole  number  of 
prisoners  confined  here  was  12,215;  the  number  of  deaths  was  1,960.  About 
500  died  of  smallpox,  many  of  scurvy  and  others  of  various  diseases,  chiefly 
pneumonia.  They  were  put  into  rough  boxes  and  buried  in  trenches.  The  cor- 
ner-posts of  the  cemetery  where  their  ashes  repose  are  composed  of  cannon 
taken  from  the  Confederates,  planted  with  their  muzzles  in  the  ground  and 
strung  around  with  chains.  Within  this  enclosure  sleep  nearly  2.000  Confeder- 
ate dead.  At  a  few  of  the  graves  friends  of  the  deceased  have  erected  plain 
headstones  and  placed  on  them  a  few  simple  inscriptions.  There  is  also  near 
the  head  of  the  island  a  Union  soldiers'  cemetery  where  310  graves  are  enclosed 
by  a  neat  fence.  Here  exercises  are  conducted  each  Memorial  Day  by  the  Grand 
Army  posts  of  Davenport,  Rock  Island  and  Moline. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  673 

REMINISCENCES  OF   AN   EX-CONFEDERATE  PRISONER  ON  THE  ISLAND. 

In  the  Louisville  Age  some  years  after  the  war,  the  following  very  inter- 
esting reminiscent  article,  written  by  an  ex-Confederate  prisoner,  was  published. 
After  describing  the  island  and  barracks,  which  embraced  twenty  acres  of  streets, 
and  buildings,  he  had  the  following  to  say: 

"The  outbuildings  were  about  forty  feet  from  the  plank  fence  or  parapet 
on  which  walked  sentinels  stationed  about  fifteen  feet  apart.  Between  the  para- 
pet and  a  certain  limit  significantly  known  as  the  dead  line,  was  a  ditch  vary- 
ing in  depth  according  to  the  amount  of  soil  on  the  uniform  rock  foundation  of 
the  island,  and  the  fact  that  it  was  a  rock  island  made  attempts  to  dig  out  of  it 
very  uncertain,  although  the  activity  displayed  in  the  way  of  sapping  and  min- 
ing by  the  involuntary  inhabitants  of  the  place  was  astonishing.  It  was  not  an 
uncommon  thing  for  a  government  wagon  in  making  its  rounds  to  drop  through 
the  molelike  channels  dug  by  the  prisoners.  A  few  escapes  were  made  by  tun- 
neling out  but  in  no  proportion  to  the  amount  of  dirt  dug  or  the  sleepless  nights 
of  the  toilers  spent  in  these  human  rat-holes.  In  fact,  with  all  the  methods  of 
escape  devised  perhaps  fewer  prisoners  gained  their  freedom  surreptitiously 
from  the  Rock  island  prison  than  from  any  prison,  north  or  south,  during  the 
war.  Yet  much  daring  was  exercised.  All  manner  of  schemes  were  devised  for 
escape — rope  ladders,  a  sudden  dash  on  the  guards ;  climbing  the  wall  unseen ; 
crossing  the  dead  line  and  ditch  and  digging  out  beneath  the  parapet  and  sen- 
tinel ;  a  combined  uprising  bribing  the  sergeants  and  guards,  etc.,  In  dark  nights, 
amid  thunder,  rain  and  storms,  there  were  frequent  epidemics  of  individual  at- 
tempts. There  were  shots  heard  from  the  wall,  and  the  quieter  captives  would 
murmur  to  each  other  their  sympathy  for  some  poor  soul — some  poor  fellow 
killed  in  an  insane  attempt  at  climbing  the  parapet  or  digging  out.  These  at- 
tempts became  so  frequent  that  the  distance  between  the  guards  was  decreased 
and  headlights  were  placed  at  shorter  intervals  along  the  wall.  A  youth  from 
Florida  who  messed  with  the  writer  quietly  communicated  to  me  one  evening 
that  he  did  not  propose  to  die  of  disease  which  was  then  prevalent  in  prison, 
and  that  he  intended  to  get  out  or  die.  He  seized  a  large,  sharp  case  knife  im- 
mediately after  roll  was  called,  crept  along  the  shadow  of  the  barracks,  crossed 
the  dead  line  (it  was  death  to  be  seen  after  roll  call  even  in  the  rear  of  the 
outer  barracks),  slid  down  into  the  ditch  and  was  lost  to  sight.  He  had  attached 
to  himself  a  communicating  string  with  the  agreement  to  make  certain  signals 
in  case  he  succeeded  in  getting  an  outlet  under  the  plank  wall.  But  the  com- 
munication by  way  of  the  string  was  lost  and  nothing  was  heard  from  him  again 
that  night.  The  next  morning  we  could  see  where  he  had  dug  his  way  to  open  air 
and  free  daylight.  A  few  Federals  looked  gloomily  at  the  impudent  hole,  which 
was  at  once  filled  up  again  and  a  closer  watch  ordered.  Such  attempts  were 
generally  unsuccessful.  It  was  not  uncommon,  after  a  very  dark  night,  to  see 
the  bodies  of  three  or  four  unfortunates,  some  of  them  half  way  through  the 
hole,  shot  either  from  above,  having  attracted  the  attention  of  the  guard  by 
scraping  against  him  in  passing  through,  or  being  discovered  on  the  outside  by 
a  passing  sentinel.     The  largest  batch  of  prisoners  escaped  during  the  building 


674  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

of  the  large  government  tunnel,  the  opening  of  which  was  protected  by  an  iron 
gateway.    Ten  or  twelve  escaped  by  that  road  in  one  night. 

PRISON  LIFE. 

"Each  barrack  was  capable  of  accommodating  150  men.  One's  peculiar  quar- 
ters was  a  bunk  usually  shared  with  a  comrade,  and  in  winter,  for  the  animal 
heat,  the  bunk  was  occupied  by  a  company  of  three,  but  the  designs  of  the  Federal 
government  were  liberal.  We  were  well  supplied  with  coal  and  two  stoves  were 
continuously  kept  glowingly  hot  at  all  hours  of  severe  weather,  around  which 
would  cluster  the  half  clad  prisoners.  Each  barrack  governed  itself.  In  the  fall 
and  winter  of  1863  there  were  about  10,000  prisoners  on  the  island,  so  that  about 
100  barracks  were  occupied.  There  was  quite  a  difference  in  the  efficiency  of  gov- 
ernment in  each  barrack.  In  some  the  laws  were  numerous  and  stringent.  In 
others  much  freedom  and  hilarity  prevailed,  and  in  others  were  factions  and 
consequent  discontent.  The  buildings  were  frame  and  the  long  seams  in  the 
wall  were  uncovered ;  but  some  occupants  were  negligent  and  others  provident, 
so  that  in  one  barrack  could  be  found  the  crevices  all  filled  with  a  cement  of 
mud  and  another  quite  cheerless.  Some  of  the  bunks  were  cosy;  the  walls  were 
decorated  with  illustrated  prints  and  many  little  tokens  from  home  would  be 
found,  and  not  unfrequently  a  Bible  under  the  pillow.  Comfort  or  discomfort 
was  more  a  personal  matter  than  something  for  which  the  government  was  re- 
sponsible. The  kitchen  was  formed  from  a  portion  of  the  rear  of  the  barrack. 
Boiling  was  the  only  preparation  required  for  the  food  furnished,  and  the  only 
cooking  was  done  in  an  immense  kettle  attached  to  a  small  stove.  In  the  better 
days  of  life  there  the  bill  of  fare  was  generous — coffee,  sugar,  rice,  molasses, 
boiled  meats  and  bread  in  the  loaf.  After  the  Andersonville  excitement  ra- 
tions were  reduced  and  the  state  of  affairs  began  to  be  painful.  A  wicked  com- 
missary tried  a  little  private  retaliation  and  corn  beef  got  to  be  abominable. 
Considerable  talent  was  required  in  the  management  of  the  kitchen — that  im- 
portant department  of  state.  To  be  chief  cook  and  butler  was  a  crown  of  glory. 
The  position  of  bottle  washer  and  scavenger  was  dignified  and  no  city  election 
ever  witnessed  more  intriguing.  Men  who  had  won  their  spurs  in  civil  life  and 
noted  lawyers  now  on  the  bench  canvassed  in  vain  for  office  and  sued  for  the 
honor  of  ladling  out  beef  soup.  Classic  gentlemen  who  were  familiar  with  the 
mode  of  cooking  beef  according  to  the  best  epicurean  description  fruitlessly  pre- 
sented their  claims.  The  cook's  was  a  fat  office,  with  perquisites  of  bits  of  liver 
and  scraps  of  choice  bits.  Thus  the  government  was  democratic  but  subject  to 
central  power  on  the  outside.  The  representative  of  that  power  was  as  a  rule  a 
dilapidated  veteran  of  the  Federal  army  whose  duties  were  simply  to  muster 
his  barrack  twice  a  day  to  hear  complaints  and  see  to  the  wants  of  its  occupants. 
Some  of  those  sergeants  were  sympathetic  and  acted  as  mediums  of  communi- 
cation with  the  outer  world — carrying  letters,  bringing  newspapers  and  other 
forbidden  articles. 

WORD  FROM   HOME. 

"The  arrival  of  the  letter  carriers  was  the  occasion  of  immense  excitement. 
The  regulation  permitted  but  one  letter  a  month,  limited  to  a  page.    Many  gave 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  675 

the  use  of  their  names  to  others,  and  thus  a  very  comfortable  correspondence 
could  be  carried  on.  By  this  system  signatures  became  an  article  of  commerce. 
When  there  were  none  on  the  market  or  they  had  run  up  in  price  beyond  the 
means  of  some  anxious  purchaser,  I  had  recourse  to  borrowing  a  friend's  name 
until  next  week.  The  letter  carrier  was  besieged  at  the  door  by  the  curious  and 
the  names  of  the  fortunate  winners  in  this  lottery  were  echoed  by  many  sym- 
pathizing voices. 

"The  prison  on  Rock  island  gradually  grew  to  self-reliance  and  became  an 
independent  city.  Intellectual  life  was  possible.  A  library  on  a  large  scale  was 
contemplated.  Anything  of  a  purely  literary  nature  was  admitted  by  the  au- 
thorities. French  and  German  teachers  announced  themselves.  Such  old  scholars 
there  were — antique  pedagogues,  inaptly  caught  up  by  the  chances  of  war,  who 
knew  more  of  the  Punic  or  Peleponesian  affairs  than  they  did  of  the  civil  struggle 
which  had  landed  them  in  prison.  Barracks  were  transformed  into  shops.  A 
lottery  was  established  with  a  capital  prize  of  several  thousand  dollars,  and 
tales  were  told  of  immense  amounts  of  money  in  the  possession  of  some  of  the 
prisoners,  smuggled  in  under  buttons  and  in  the  heels  and  soles  of  boots  or  bow 
knots.  Bread  was  temptingly  displayed  in  windows — also  cakes  and  pies.  The 
making  of  rings  and  ornaments  of  cannel  coal,  gutta  percha  and  silver  de- 
veloped much  ingenuity.  A  theater  was  established  in  one  of  the  barracks. 
'Hell's  Half  Acre'  was  in  the  main  avenue  and  all  manner  of  games  were  con- 
ducted there — keno  was  the  most  popular,  as  the  conditions  of  the  betting  admitted 
of  a  larger  number  of  chance  takers.  The  pot  was  made  up  of  money  or  a  cer- 
tain quantity  of  tobacco,  a  loaf  of  bread  or  whatever  the  specialty  of  the  cloth 
called   for. 

"In  the  autumn  of  1863  the  offer  was  made  by  the  Federal  authorities  to  ad- 
minister the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  prisoners  and  to  receive  them  into  the 
Federal  army  to  serve  on  the  frontier.  A  number  of  conscripted  men,  particu- 
larly those  conscripted  by  General  Price  on  his  last  raid  in  Missouri,  accepted  the 
conditions  and  were  placed  in  barracks  within  the  grounds,  a  new  parapet  be- 
ing erected  around  them.  To  this  quarter  was  given  the  name  of  'calf  pen' 
by  the  prisoners.  There  was  at  once  noticed  a  great  difference  in  the  fare  of 
the  'bull  pen'  and  the  'calf  pen.'  Those  were  the  evil  days  and  humiliation  and 
hunger  were  among  the  sufferings  of  the  obdurate.  Various  punishments  were 
devised  against  those  caught  in  rebellious  ways — riding  a  rail,  hanging  by  the 
thumbs,  wearing  a  ball  and  chain,  etc.,  but  on  the  whole  the  Federal  government 
was  liberal." 

AUGUST    WENTZ    POST    NO.    I,    GRAND   ARMY    OF   THE    REPUBLIC. 

The  first  post  in  Iowa  was  named  J.  B.  Leake  Post,  No.  i.  In  1881,  when  the 
order  was  re-organized,  it  was  named  August  Wentz  Post,  No.  i,  in  honor  of 
the  gallant  Lieutenant  Colonel  August  Wentz,  who  fell  at  Belmont  while  fighting 
in  defense  of  his  country.  In  June,  1902,  the  following  article  was  published  in 
the  Democrat  and  is  self  explanatory : 


676  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

"Several  days  ago  you  republished  from  the  Des  Moines  Capital  an  article 
written  in  view  of  the  G.  A.  R,  encampment  to  be  held  in  that  city,  which  was 
headed  'First  G.  A.  R.  Meeting.  Call  for  meeting  was  issued  in  1870,  but  1874 
virtually  first  reunion.'  In  the  body  of  the  article  are  these  words:  Tn  1874  at 
Keokuk  the  provisional  department  was  organized  to  perpetuate  patriotic  senti- 
ments of  the  war  period.  Hon.  J.  C.  Parrott,  of  Keokuk,  was  elected  first  com- 
mander of  the  department.' 

"Now  in  this  there  is,  and  no  doubt  unintentionally,  an  inversion  of  facts, 
both  as  to  the  time  and  place  where  the  first  provisional  organization  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  association  occurred,  and  also  as  to  who  was  its  first  commander.  These 
honors  belong  to  Davenport  and  the  time  is  1866.  General  Stephenson  in  Illinois 
was  that  year  the  originator  and  promoter  of  the  organization  known  as  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  and  in  his  memory  and  to  his  honor  as  such  a  monument 
will  be  (was  later  on)  soon  erected  at  Washington.  The  first  organization  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  in  the  United  States  was  consummated  in  Illinois, 
and  the  second  was  in  Wisconsin.  At  this  time  (1866)  there  was  a  large  society 
or  association  of  'old  soldiers'  in  Davenport,  and  at  one  of  their  meetings  or 
banquets,  held  in  the  old  Turner  hall,  the  question  came  up  of  estabHshing  a 
G.  A.  R.  department  in  Iowa,  and  the  president  of  the  meeting  was  invited  to 
visit  Illinois  and  confer  with  General  Stephenson  on  the  project.  He  did  this  at 
his  own  expense  and  after  some  days  made  his  report  at  home.  He  brought 
with  him  the  appointment  and  authority  as  first  commander  of  the  first  pro- 
jected G.  A.  R.  department  of  Iowa,  and  as  such  was  authorized  to  start  and 
charter  posts,  and  was  also  supplied  with  all  the  application  blanks,  etc.  The 
report  was  accepted  and  the  society's  president.  General  Add.  H.  Sanders,  elected 
department  commander  with  proper  formality.  He  appointed  his  adjutant  gen- 
eral and  quartermaster,  with  headquarters  at  Davenport,  and  all  went  actively 
to  work.  This  work  was  laborious  with  a  great  deal  of  traveling  to  do,  especially 
by  the  adjutants.  The  commander  bore  all  these  expenses  and  after  post  fees 
began  to  come  in  he  even  then  refused  to  accept  a  dollar  in  recompense. 

"When  nearly  seventy  posts  were  organized  the  commander  called  a  meet- 
ing at  Davenport  of  two  or  three  delegates  from  each  for  business,  and  also 
for  the  purpose  of  tendering  his  resignation  because  of  outside  demands  upon 
his  time  and  labor.  Then  everything  seemed  prospering  in  the  Iowa  department. 
Iowa  was  the  third  state  naming  and  organizing  a  G.  A.  R.  department.  General 
J.  B.  Leake,  of  Davenport,  was  elected  the  next  commander  of  the  state  depart- 
ment, and  it  was  from  no  fault  of  his,  in  work  or  ability,  that  not  very  long  after 
the  veteran  organization  commenced  its  decline,  until  in  1870  there  were  but  few 
posts  left  in  the  state.  In  1874,  at  Keokuk,  a  provisional  reorganization  took 
place  with  General  Parrott  as  commander,  and  in  1881  finally  merging  into  a  per- 
manent state  department.  In  fact,  the  original  G.  A.  R.  organization  became  too 
political,  for  almost  every  member  of  it  was  a  republican  and  the  organization 
voted  republican.  Why,  as  an  illustration,  at  the  time  of  the  delegate  meeting  here, 
by  the  earnest  request  of  the  delegates  and  against  his  mild  protest  for  such  po- 
litical action,  the  commander  that  afternoon  marched,  or  had  ferried  over  the 
river  into  Illinois,  the  whole  unanimous  body  to  hear  General  Logan  make  a  po- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  677 

litical  speech  in  Rock  Island.  They  were  received  with  great  applause  and  the 
commander  was  invited  to  preside  at  the  big  meeting.  But  this  honor  he  de- 
cHned." 

Add.  H.  Sanders, 
soldiers'  monument. 

On  May  25,  1865,  the  Lincoln  Monument  Association  of  Scott  County,  Iowa, 
was  duly  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  state.  The  association  had  'for  its 
object  the  erection  of  a  monument  to  the  martyred  president,  Abraham  Lincoln, 
and  Scott  county  soldiers  who  died  in  the  service  of  their  country.  Subscription 
papers  were  at  once  distributed  but  donations  were  not  very  generous.  On  the 
i8th  of  May,  1871,  six  years  after  the  movement  had  been  started,  the  secretary 
of  the  association  reported  donations  to  the  amount  of  $529.25,  with  accumulated 
interest  of  $148.50,  which  totaled  $707.40.  At  this  May  meeting  Secretary  Ed- 
ward Russell  informed  the  members  present  that  Nicholas  Fejervary  was  ready 
to  give  to  the  association  the  sum  of  $1,300  upon  the  condition  that  the  name  and 
object  of  the  association  would  be  so  changed  that  its  sole  aim  would  be  the 
building  of  a  county  soldiers'  monument.  After  a  full  discussion  on  the  merits  of 
this  patriotic  citizen's  proposition  the  name  of  the  association  was  changed  to 
the  Scott  County  Soldiers'  Monument  Association.  After  this  donations  began 
to  increase  and  with  the  accumulation  of  interest  it  became  apparent  that  provi- 
sions would  soon  have  to  be  made  for  the  actual  building  of  a  soldiers'  monu- 
ment. Pursuant  to  this  idea  a  call  was  issued  for  a  meeting  of  the  association 
to  be  held  on  January  5,  1880,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  a  board  of  directors. 
At  this  meeting  the  following  gentlemen  were  selected  as  members  of  that  board : 
Nicholas  Fejervary,  Edward  Russell,  J.  G.  G.  Cavendish,  W.  C.  Warriner,  George 
P.  McClelland,  J.  G.  Crane,  James  Gildenburg,  Henry  Egbert  and  Joseph  An- 
drews. Plans  for  the  new  monument  as  it  now  appears  to  the  public  were  adopted 
by  the  board  on  the  5th  of  June,  1880,  and  the  contract  was  entered  into  with 
R.  F.  Carter,  of  South  Rydate,  Vermont,  the  designer  for  its  construction.  The 
price  agreed  upon,  exclusive  of  the  foundation,  was  $8,000.  Much  trouble  was 
experienced  as  to  a  proper  site  for  the  shaft,  but  the  place  where  it  now  stands 
was  finally  selected.  It  is  located  on  the  brow  of  the  bluff  in  the  center  of  Main 
street,  between  the  high  school  and  Trinity  cathedral. 

The  monument  is  of  English  granite,  rising  from  the  base  to  a  height  of 
fifty  feet.  The  work  of  the  monument  is  most  admirable  in  every  part.  It  is 
of  solid  granite,  no  piecing  in  any  of  its  parts.  The  foundation  sinks  at  least  seven 
feet  in  the  earth  and  is  of  the  best  Nauvoo  stone,  resting  on  a  cement  floor.  The 
base  is  seventeen  feet,  sixteen  inches  square,  with  buttress  extensions  at  the 
corners.  The  lower  base  has  a  depth  of  one  foot,  three  inches  and  two  sub  bases 
of  two  feet,  six  inches.  The  third  section  is  one  foot,  six  inches  deep  with  bas 
relief — wreaths — on  one  side.  On  the  south  panel  of  the  shaft  is  the  following 
inscription : 

Erected  by  Grateful  Citizens  of  Scott  County 

In  Memory 

of  the  Fellow  Citizens  who  Died  in  Defense  of  the  Union  1861-5. 


678  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

West  panel : 

Proved  themselves  the  Bravest  of  the  Brave — General  H.  W.  Halleck. 
North  panel : 

They  died  "That  Government  of  the  People  by  the  People  and  for  the  People 
Might  not  Perish  from  the  Earth. — A.  Lincoln.    . 
East  panel : 

"An  Honor  to  their  Friends  at  Home,  to  their  State  and  their  Country 
*     *     *     a  Terror  to  their  Foes." — Inspector  General  W.  E.  Strong. 

On  a  lower  section  of  the  shaft  in  has  relief  panels  the  following  emblems 
appear:  south  panel,  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  United  States;  east  panel,  anchor 
and  shot,  representing  the  navy;  north  side,  crossed  cannon  representing  the 
artillery ;  west  panel,  heavy  crossed,  sabers,  belt,  cartridges  and  revolvers,  repre- 
senting the  cavalry.  On  the  first  plinth,  immediately  above  the  lower  section 
of  the  column,  are  emblematic  wreaths  on  the  respective  sides,  thus :  over  the 
coat  of  arms,  the  laurel — joy;  over  the  navy,  the  olive — peace;  over  the  artillery, 
the  oak — strength ;  over  the  cavalry,  the  ivy — lasting  remembrance.  The  re- 
maining plinths  above  the  second  and  third  sections  of  the  columns  respectively 
bear  the  record  of  those  battles  participated  in  by  Scott  county  soldiers,  as 
principal  ones  among  many  others:  Wilson's  Creek,  Donelson,  Shiloh,  luka, 
Prairie  Grove,  Corinth,  Vicksburg,  Fort  Blakeley. 

This  very  graceful  column  is  mounted  by  a  capstone  bearing  on  each  side 
a  shield  and  carving.  Upon  this  rests  the  pedestal  which  is  the  support  for  the 
piece  de  resistance  of  the  whole  design — the  figure  of  a  soldier  representing  the 
infantry.  This  figure  of  the  soldier  of  1861  measures  exactly  eight  feet  in  height 
from  the  sole  of  the  boot  to  the  crown  of  the  cap.  The  base  of  the  monument 
is  protected  by  a  neat  iron  fence  that  encircles  it. 

January  15,  1909,  the  Scott  County  Alonument  association  gave  the  shaft  and 
grounds  to  the  city  of  Davenport,  and  by  so  doing  practically  terminated  the  life 
of  this  organization. 

At  this  monument  patriotic  exercises  are  held  on  each  recurring  ^^lemorial 
day  under  auspices  of  the  Grand  Army  post.  With  them  unite  the  Loyal  Legion, 
the  Sons  of  Veterans,  the  Woman's  Relief  Corps  and  other  patriotic  organiza- 
tions. 

COMPANY    B   OF   DAVENPORT    IN    THE    SPANISH-AMERICAN    WAR. 

The  first  military  company  to  be  organized  in  Davenport  after  the  Civil  war 
was  composed  mainly  of  veterans  of  that  bloody  conflict  and  was  brought  to- 
gether by  J.  A.  Andrews,  who  had  attained  the  rank  of  major  in  the  federal 
army.  This  took  place  in  1878  and  the  organization,  as  Company  B,  was  mus- 
tered into  the  state  militia,  as  a  component  part  of  the  Ninth  infantry.  Iowa 
National  Guards.  The  first  officers  elected  were :  captain,  J.  A.  Andrews ;  first 
Heutenant,  E.  L.  Cook ;  second  Heutenant,  J.  L.  Alason.  This  company  maintamed 
its  organization  and  attended  the  various  rendezvous  in  camps  selected  by  the  au- 
thorities and  at  the  target,  and  as  a  well-drilled  and  disciplined  entity  of  the 
regiment  to  which  it  had  been  assigned  gained  distinction  and  became  the  pride 
of  all  well-minded  Davenporters. 


COMPANY   B   STARTING  FOR  THE   SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR 


THE  AU.MOUY.  DAVENPORT 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  681 

When  the  difficulties  arose  between  the  United  States  and  Spain  on  account 
of  the  latter's  atrocities  toward  the  people  of  Cuba,  Company  B  was  high  on  the 
pedestal  of  expectancy,  looking  eagerly  for  a  call  to  arms  and  ready  to  respond. 
When  President  McKinley  called  for  125,000  troops  the  "boys"  could  scarce  re- 
strain the  '"war  fever"  that  possessed  them  and  when,  in  the  afternoon  of  April 
23,  1898,  Captain  Dalzell  sent  the  word  over  the  telephone  to  Sergeant  Roe  to 
mobilize  the  company,  every  member,  on  being  notified,  dropped  whatever  he  had 
in  hand  and  that  evening  had  gathered  at  the  armory  to  answer  roll  call  and  make 
ready  for  departure  to  camp  and  the  field  of  battle,  if  need  be. 

MUSTERED  INTO  SERVICE. 

Davenport — its  people — was  equally  excited  by  the  declaration  of  war  against 
the  Dons.  The  Shriners  donated  $100  toward  a  company  sick  fund;  the  August 
Wentz  post  treated  the  company  to  a  "mess"  of  hardtack,  bacon  and  beans 
and  the  ladies  vied  with  one  another  in  efiforts  to  give  the  soldier  laddies  a  fitting 
"send  off."  Tuesday  the  company,  with  Company  L  of  Maquoketa  and  the  Sec- 
ond regiment  band,  boarded  the  train  for  Des  Moines  and  arrived  there  at  3 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  train  had  picked  up  on  the  way  Company  C,  of 
Muscatine,  and  Company  I,  at  Iowa  City.  At  Grinnell  Company  K  was  taken  on 
board  and  a  part  of  Company  L,  at  Newton. 

While  in  camp  at  Des  Moines  the  company  was  thoroughly  drilled  and  equipped 
with  all  the  paraphernalia  that  comprises  the  accoutrements  of  the  modern  sol- 
dier and  on  the  17th  of  May,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  rejected  at  the  time  of 
the  physical  examination,  the  boys  were  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United 
States  as  Company  B,  Fiftieth  Iowa  Infantry,  for  three  years  or  until  the  end  of 
the  war. 

On  the  20th  of  May  the  regiment  left  Camp  IMcKinley  for  Tampa.  Florida, 
there  to  go  into  camp  and  to  acclimate  for  service  in  the  West  Indies.  But  Jack- 
sonville was  on  the  way  and  there  the  boys  were  ordered  from  the  cars  and  into 
camp,  which  was  named  Camp  Cuba  Libre,  and  remained  there  until  the  articles 
of  peace  were  signed  and  on  the  13th  of  September  the  regiment  broke  camp  and 
were  entrained  for  Camp  McKinley  at  Des  Moines,  which  w^as  reached  on  the  17th. 
On  the  20th  the  company  returned  to  Davenport  on  thirty  days'  furlough  and  was 
given  a  magnificent  reception  by  the  city,  whose  citizens  were  proud  of  the  splendid 
record  the  boys  had  made,  even  though  they  had  not  been  able  to  meet  the  enemy 
face  to  face. 

Company  B  returned  to  Camp  McKinley  on  November  ist,  was  re-examined, 
paid  and  honorably  discharged,  having  served  seven  months  and  one  week  from  the 
time  the  organization  answered  the  president's  call  for  troops  the  preceding  April. 
It  still  maintains  its  identity  as  Company  B,  Fiftieth  Regiment,  Iowa  National 
Guards. 

ROLL   OF    HONOR. 

The  following  members  of  Company  B  died  at  Camp  Cuba  Libre,  Jackson- 
ville, Florida:  Walter  G.  Nagel,  August  19.  1898;  John  Schroeder.  September  10, 
1898;  Olin  G.  Hoover,  September  19,  1898;  Gustav  B.  LeGrande,  September  25, 


682  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

PERSONNEL  OF  COMPANY  B. 

The  roster  of  the  company  in  1898:  Company  officers,  Captain,  Thomas  C. 
Dalzell;  first  lieutenant,  Alfred  B.  Hender;  second  Heutenant,  James  M.  Mc- 
Manus.  Sergeants,  first,  Albert  A.  Roe;  quarter  master,  JuHus  E.  Burmeister; 
Edward  D.  Middleton,  Henry  G.  McBurney,  John  P.  Leonardy,  Emil  Schmidt. 
Corporals,  Frank  S.  Fidlar,  DeForrest  C.  McCollister,  James  A.  Taylor,  George 
H.  Greene,  Francis  J.  Parker,  John  A.  Miner  (transferred  United  States  Signal 
Corps),  Charles  W.  Hoover,  Olin  G.  Hoover  (died  September  19,  1898),  Louis 
G.  Lasher,  WilHam  J.  Carson,  George  C.  Cook  (discharged  September  10,  1898), 
Victor  H.  Plath,  Louis  Peterson,  William  F.  Weiss,  James  D.  Mason,  Hamilton 
F.  Gronen.  Musicians,  Robert  R.  Sindt,  Phillip  A.  Sonntag.  Artificer,  Layton 
R.  Ackley.  Wagoner,  Emil  A.  Speth.  Privates,  Frank  H.  Alford,  Frank  Att- 
water,  David  S.  Baker,  Hedley  Beesley,  Fred  L.  Bowman,  Ernest  E.  Bruhn, 
Claude  J.  Bullock,  August  Busch,  James  Y.  Cantwell  (transferred  to  hospital 
corps),  John  D.  Chambers  (discharged  August  20,  1898),  Philo  C.  Colony,  Wil- 
liam H.  Corry,  Alexander  L.  Craik  (transferred  to  hospital  corps),  Jesse  L. 
Doty,  Daniel  F.  Evers,  Carl  F.  Finger,  William  F.  Fisher,  William  H.  Gosch, 
Arthur  C.  Grilk,  Henry  Groenwaldt,  Albert  Hass,  Edward  Haney,  Harry  N. 
Hoag,  Henry  Hoeft,  Jr.,  Rudolph  Huss,  August  Johannsen,  Adolph  Kahles,  Jr., 
Hugo  V.  Koch,  Oliver  W.  Kulp,  Edgar  M.  Kurtz,  Ole  A.  Landy,  Frank  Lane, 
Charles  B.  Lantry,  Joseph  Lawson,  Gustav  B.  LeGrande  (died  September  25, 
1898),  Charles  D.  E.  Lepper,  George  H.  Martin,  Harry  T.  McKown,  Henry 
Meier,  Herman  H.  Miller,  Marshall  Miller,  William  Muhs,  Walter  G.  Nagel, 
(died  August  19,  1898),  Edward  L.  Nebergall,  Robert  P.  Osborne,  Thomas  F. 
Owens,  Max  Pahl,  Albert  M.  Parker,  Peter  Paulsen,  Harry  Pfabe,  Obed  K. 
Price,  Alfred  Proctor,  Edward  Reavy,  Charles  Reynolds,  Robert  Risley,  John 
Rhoades,  Carl  A.  Rhode,  Theodore  H.  Rosche,  Fred  Schick,  Herman  T.  Schmidt, 
Andy  W.  Schmidt,  Paul  Schmidt,  John  A.  Schmidt,  John  Schroeder  (died  Sep- 
tember 10,  1898),  Eddie  Schroeder,  William  Schwartz,  Walter  L  Sharpe,  Mar- 
tin Siegrist,  Peter  L.  Smith,  Ernest  Sparbel,  Felix  Spelletich,  Charles  Stebens, 
Fred  Traeger,  Alfred  S.  Van  Patten  (discharged  August  20,  1898),  Edward  H. 
Villian,  Fred  Vollmer,  Henry  Wohnrade.  Edwin  C.  Weingartner,  Fred  O.  Wil- 
ley,  John  Witt,  Henry  Wohlert. 


CITY  HALL.  DAVEXPORT 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 
CITY  OF  DAVENPORT. 

ALWAYS    NOTED   FOR   STRIKING   BEAUTY   OF   SITUATION ^THE    MAYORS    OF   THE    CITY 

FROM  THE  BEGINNING  TO  THE  I9IO  ELECTION THE  POLICE  AND  FIRE  DEPART- 
MENTS  A    SPLENDID    STREET    CAR    SERVICE WATER   SERVICE    OF    EQUAL    MERIT 

THE   PARKS  OF  THE  CITY WHAT   THE   CITY  OWES   AND  OWNS — A   FEW   DOL- 
LARS EACH   WAY   FOR  EACH   MAN   WOMAN  AND  CHILD. 

The  early  history  of  Davenport  has  been  already  gone  over  in  these  pages, 
and  a  repetition  here  would  only  tend  to  tire  the  reader  and  consume  unnecessary 
space.  Since  the  beginning  of  things  in  Davenport  great  changes  have  taken 
place,  however,  and  in  order  to  keep  in  mind  the  trend  of  events  since  1863, 
when  Mr.  Barrows  ended  his  recital  of  the  salient  features  pertaining  to  the  in- 
fancy of  the  seat  of  government  of  Scott  county,  it  may  be  well  to  recapitulate 
here  and  there.  It  will  be  remembered  that  at  the  close  of  the  Black  Hawk  war 
General  Winfield  Scott  conferred  with  representatives  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
upon  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Davenport,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
treaty  \vith  them.  By  that  treaty  a  section  of  land  was  reserved  and  by  the  In- 
dians given  to  their  friend  and  interpreter,  Antoine  LeClaire.  Part  of  the  city 
of  Davenport  now  stands  upon  that  reserve.  Long  before  this  section  was  set- 
tled the  beauty  of  its  scenery,  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  its  pure,  sparkling  water, 
salubriousness  of  climate  and  natural  advantages  for  habitation  and  the  building 
of  a  city  gave  rise  to  enthusiastic  comment  on  the  part  of  the  traveler.  Note 
the  following: 

"At  the  foot  of  the  Upper  rapids  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  scenes  that 
we  recollect  to  have  beheld.  On  the  western  side  a  series  of  slopes  are  seen 
rising  one  above  another  for  a  considerable  distance,  until  the  background  is 
terminated  by  a  chain  of  beautifully  rounded  hills,  over  the  whole  of  which 
trees  are  thinly  scattered.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river  is  a  broad,  flat  plain 
of  rich  alluvion,  several  miles  in  length,  and  more  than  a  mile  in  breadth,  and 
terminated  by  a  range  of  wooded  hills.  On  this  prairie  is  a  small  village  of  the 
Sac  and  Fox  Indians,  composed  of  rude  lodges,  scattered  carelessly  about.  In 
the  front  of  the  landscape,  and  presenting  its  most  prominent  feature,  is  Rock 


686  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

island,  the  western  shore  of  which  is  washed  by  the  main  current  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, while  the  eastern  side  is  separated  from  the  main  land  by  a  narrow  chan- 
nel, which  is  fordable  at  low  water.  The  southern  point  of  the  island  is  elevated 
about  forty  feet  above  the  ordinary  level  of  the  river,  and  is  supported  by  a  per- 
pendicular parapet  of  rock.  Here  stands  Fort  Armstrong,  a  strong  and  very 
neat  work,  garrisoned  by  two  companies  of  United  States  troops ;  and  here  will 
be  one  of  the  most  desirable  sites  for  a  town  on  the  upper  Mississippi.  Rock 
river,  which  enters  the  Mississippi  a  few  miles  below  the  island,  is  a  rapid  stream, 
which  may  be  easily  rendered  navigable,  and  which  affords  abundant  water- 
power  for  the  propulsion  of  any  kind  of  machinery.  The  whole  of  this  region 
is  fruitful,  healthful  and  agreeable  to  the  eye." 

civilization's  added  beauty. 

George  B.  Sargent,  at  one  time  mayor  of  Davenport,  in  a  little  work  entitled 
"Notes  on  Iowa,"  published  in  1848,  in  copying  the  foregoing  adds:  'Tt  is  inter- 
esting to  mark  the  changes  that  have  taken  place  since  the  above  description  was 
written.  On  the  western  side,  with  the  beautifully  rounded  hills  in  the  back- 
ground, now  stands  Davenport.  On  the  other  side,  which  was  then  occupied 
by  the  Sac  and  Fox  village,  is  now  the  flourishing  town  of  Rock  Island,  in  Illi- 
nois. Fort  Armstrong  is  abandoned  and  in  ruins.  All  along  the  banks  of  the 
river  are  seen  the  marks  of  civilization  and  improvement.  But  though  the  scen- 
ery has  lost  some  of  its  wildness,  it  retains  its  original  characteristic,  and  has 
gained  many  pleasant  features.  The  towns  of  Rock  Island  and  Davenport,  the 
old  fort  with  its  deserted  blockhouses,  the  Mississippi,  winding  gracefully  above 
and  below.  Rock  river  branching  off  through  the  woods,  the  forest-covered  is- 
land, the  high,  wooded  bluffs,  and  the  rich,  green  prairies  of  Illinois,  form  a  pic- 
ture which,  for  beauty,  variety  and  extent,  can  hardly  be  surpassed. 

"The  healthfulness  and  beauty  of  the  situation,  together  with  the  facilities 
for  hunting  and  fishing  in  its  neighborhood,  have  made  the  place  the  fashionable 
resort  during  the  summer  months  of  large  numbers  of  people  from  St.  Louis  and 
other  southern  cities.  It  has  hitherto  been  more  noted  on  this  account  than  as 
a  place  of  trade;  but  the  business  of  the  town  is  now  rapidly  on  the  increase. 
There  are  several  flourishing  stores  and  two  large  flouring  mills  have  been 
erected  during  the  past  year,  one  of  which  is  already  in  operation.  Most  of  the 
houses  are  substantially  built  of  brick.  The  hotel  and  courthouse  are  large  and 
handsome  buildings." 

newhall's  description. 

Newhall,  in  1841,  thus  writes  in  regard  to  Davenport: 

"This  town  was  laid  out  in  1835-6,  on  a  reserve  belonging  to  Antoine  Le- 
Qaire,  Esq.  It  is  the  seat  of  justice  for  Scott  county,  and  is  situated  nearly  op- 
posite to  the  lower  end  of  Rock  island,  on  a  handsome  elevation,  with  a  beautiful 
range  of  sloping  hills  in  its  rear.  It  is  about  350  miles  above  St.  Louis,  by  water, 
eighty  miles  above  Burlington,  and  ninety-five  below  Dubuque.  The  town  of  Steph- 
enson, on  the  opposite  shore,  with  the  glittering  dome  of  its  courthouse,  the 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  689 

mouth  of  Rock  river  a  few  miles  below,  the  picturesque  and  antiquated  fortifica- 
tions on  Rock  island,  with  its  beautiful  villa,  the  charming  residence  of  LeClaire, 
the  magnificent  hotel  overlooking  the  white  cottages  of  Davenport,  and  the  adjacent 
village  of  Rockingham — all  form  a  combination  of  picturesque  beauty  seldom  if 
ever  surpassed.  I  have  aproached  this  point  from  all  its  bearings,  and  whether 
viewed  from  river  or  bluff,  it  is  like  a  beauteous  picture  varied  in  all  its  lights 
and  shades.  I  well  remember  the  first  and  lasting  impression  it  produced  upon 
my  feehngs;  it  was  on  a  bright,  sunny  morning  in  August,  in  the  year  1836;  the 
sun  was  fast  dispelling  the  glittering  dews,  and  every  drooping  flower  was  lifting 
its  smiling  crest;  on  the  Iowa  shore  might  be  seen  occasionally  a  gaily  painted 
warrior  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  riding  along  the  heights,  his  painted  form  par- 
tially exposed  to  view  as  his  scarlet  blanket  waved  to  the  breeze,  his  light  feathers 
and  gaudy  trappings  being  in  admirable  contrast  with  the  verdure-clad  hills; 
then  did  I  feel  the  utter  incompetency  to  describe  so  beautiful  a  scene;  then 
could  I  have  invoked  the  pencil  of  the  painter,  or  the  pen  of  the  poet. 

"The  distant  reader  may  be  skeptical  concerning  this  high-wrought  descrip- 
tion. At  this  I  marvel  not.  The  author  is  aware  of  the  difficulty  of  conveying 
entirely  correct  ideas  of  a  region  to  those  who  have  never  traveled  beyond  the 
threshold  of  home;  especially,  in  delineating  this  (in  common  parlance)  land  of 
the  'squatters ;'  as  if,  forsooth,  the  land  of  song,  of  Arcadian  groves  and  shady 
bowers,  must  needs  be  in  sunny  Italy,  or  classic  Greece.  I  will,  however,  add  the 
corroborating  testimony  of  one  or  two  graphic  writers,  to  convince  the  reader 
that  nature  here  has  been  lavish  of  her  beauties  as  well  as  her  bounties. 


THE  MOST  CHARMING. 

"  'The  country  around  Davenport  is,  in  our  opinion,  the  most  charming  that 
the  eye  ever  beheld.  Davenport  is,  of  itself,  one  of  the  greatest  natural  beauties 
on  the  Mississippi.  The  "old  fort,"  not  to  speak  of  its  military  association,  is.  in 
truth,  an  object  on  which  the  eye  delights  to  dwell.  The  flourishing  town  of 
Stephenson  upon  the  Illinois  shore,  adds  greatly  to  the  attractions  of  the  scene; 
and  Davenport,  with  its  extended  plains,  its  sloping  lawns,  and  wooded  bluffs, 
completes  one  of  the  most  perfect  pictures  that  ever  delighted  the  eyes  of  man. 
The  interior  of  the  territory  is  rich,  beautiful  and  productive  from  end  to  end. 
Enterprising  and  industrious  farmers  may  flock  in  from  all  quarters,  and  find  a 
rich  reward  for  moderate  toil.  The  interior  is  healthy  and  every  section  of  land 
admits  of  easy  cultivation.'  " 

The  claim  upon  which  the  city  of  Davenport  was  first  laid  out  was  made  in 
1833,  and  was  contended  for  by  a  Dr.  Spencer  and  Mr.  McCloud.  The  matter 
was  finally  settled  by  Antoine  LeClaire  buying  them  both  out,  giving  them  for 
the  quarter  section  $150.  In  1835  Mr.  LeClaire  sold  his  holding  to  a  company 
which  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  and  laying  out  a  town  site.  The 
company  thus  formed  was  composed  of  Major  William  Gordon,  Antoine  Le- 
Claire, George  Davenport,  Major  Thomas  Smith,  Alexander  McGregor,  Levi  S. 
Colton,  Philip  Hambaugh,  and  Captain  James  May.  In  the  spring  of  1836  the 
site  was  surveyed  and  laid  out  by  Major  Gordon,  United  States  surveyor,  and  one 
of  the  stockholders.     The  spot  selected  included  the  area  bounded  on  the  east 


690  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

by  Harrison  street,  on  the  north  by  Seventh,  west  by  Warren,  and  south  by  the 
river.  It  included  thirty-six  blocks  and  six  half-blocks,  the  latter  being  the  por- 
tions lying  adjacent  to  Warren,  on  the  west. 

The  cost  of  the  entire  site  was  $2,000,  or  $250  per  share, — a  price  which  now 
would  purchase  but  a  very  indifferent  building  lot  in  the  least  valued  part  of  it. 
In  May  the  lots  were  offered  at  auction.  A  steamboat  came  up  from  St.  Louis 
laden  with  passengers  to  attend  the  sale,  and  remained  at  the  levee  during  its 
continuance,  in  order  to  afford  the  conveniences  of  lodging,  edibles,  and  the  not 
less  essential  item  of  drinkables.  The  sale  continued  two  days,  but  owing  to  the 
fact  that  the  titles  were  simply  such  as  were  included  in  a  squatter's  claim,  and 
purchasers  fearful  that  such  were  not  particularly  good,  only  some  fifty  or  sixty 
lots  were  sold,  and  these  mostly  to  St.  Louis  speculators.  The  lots  brought  from 
$300  to  $600  each,  a  smaller  sum  than  the  proprietors  calculated  upon.  The  re- 
maining portion  of  the  site  was  then  divided  among  the  proprietors. 

IN    THE  BEGINNING. 

The  immigration  this  year  was  but  small,  only  some  half-dozen  families  coming 
in.  The  first,  hotel  or  tavern  was  put  up  this  year,  and  opened  by  Edward  Powers. 
It  was  located  on  the  corner  of  Front  street  and  Ripley.  It  was  put  up  by  Messrs. 
Davenport  and  LeClaire,  and  was  called  "Davenport  Hotel" — in  honor  of  the 
"city."  The  first  saloon  was  also  started  this  year  by  an  old  sea  captain,  John 
Litch.  It  was  a  log  house,  and  stood  on  Front  street.  It  was  long  a  favorite 
resort  for  the  politician  and  those  who  felt  the  necessity  of  using  a  "Httle  wine 
for  the  stomach's  sake  and  their  often  infirmities."  The  captain  did  not  always 
live  up  to  the  letter  of  the  law  and  the  matter  of  license  was  probably  contrary 
to  his  convictions  of  right,  as  he  was  on  more  than  one  occasion  taken  in  hand 
by  the  board  of  county  commissioners. 

In  October,  1836,  James  Mcintosh  opened  a  small  stock  of  goods  in  a  log  house, 
built  by  A.  LeClaire,  on  the  corner  of  Ripley  and  Third  streets.  In  December 
following  D.  C.  Eldridge  also  opened  a  large  stock  of  goods,  and  claims  to  be 
the  first  to  keep  a  general  assortment,  with  the  intention  of  making  it  a  business. 

In  the  fall  of  1836  a  son  was  born  unto  Levi  S.  Colton,  the  first  birth  in  the 
new  village.  The  first  female  child  born  was  a  daughter  of  D.  C.  Eldridge,  in 
the  spring  of  1837. 

The  town  of  Davenport  was  incorporated  by  the  legislature  in  the  winter  of 
1838-9,  and  the  first  election  for  township  officers  was  held  April  i,  1839.  Ro- 
dolphus  Bennett  was  elected  mayor;  Frazer  Wilson,  recorder;  and  Dr.  A.  C. 
Donaldson,  D.  C.  Eldridge,  John  Forrest,  Thomas  Dillon  and  John  Litch,  trus- 
tees. The  town  council  held  its  first  meeting  April  20.  James  M.  Bowling  was 
appointed  treasurer;  William  Nichols,  street  commissioner;  and  W.  H.  Patten, 
marshal. 

MAYORS  OF  THE  CITY. 

In  1843  3.  new  charter  was  granted  the  town,  which  was  used  without  amend- 
ment until  1850,  when  it  was  amended  and  in  1851  repealed  by  the  passage  and 
adoption  of  a  new  city  charter.    This  charter  has  been  amended  from  time  to  time 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  693 

to  suit  the  convenience  of  the  inhabitants  or  to  grant  or  take  from  it  some  privi- 
lege. From  1839  to  1910  the  following  named  have  served  as  mayors  of  Dav- 
enport : 

1839,  Rodolphus  Bennett;  1840,  John  H.  Thorington ;  1841.  Jonathan  W. 
Parker;  1842,  Harvey  Leonard;  1843,  James  Thorington;  1844,  James  Thoring- 
ton; 1845,  James  Thorington;  1846,  James  Thorington;  1847,  James  M.  Bowling; 
1848,  James  M.  Bowling;  1849,  Jonathan  Parker;  1850,  James  Hall;  1851,  Charles 
Weston;  1852,  John  Jordan;  1853,  John  A.  Boyd;  1854,  James  Grant;  1855, 
Enos  Tichenor;  1856,  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell;  1857,  George  B.  Sargent;  1858,  Eben- 
ezer  Cook;  1859,  Ebenezer  Cook;  i860,  James  B.  Caldwell;  1861,  George  H. 
French;  1862,  George  H.  French;  1863,  John  E.  Henry;  1864,  Robert  Lowry; 
1865,  John  L.  Davies;  1866,  John  L.  Davies;  1867,  M.  Donahue;  1868,  M.  Don- 
ahue;  1869,  James  Renwick;  1870,  J.  M.  Lyter;  1871,  John  C.  Bills;  1872,  A.  H. 
Bennett;  1873,  J-  H.  Murphy;  1874,  J.  W.  Stewart;  1875,  Roderick  Rose;  1876, 
Roderick  Rose;  1877,  T.  T.  Dun;  1878,  John  W.  Thompson;  1879,  J.  H.  Mur- 
phy; 1880,  Roderick  Rose;  1881,  John  E.  Henry;  1882,  John  C.  Bills;  1883,  John 
W.  Thompson  (died  in  office);  1883-9,  Ernst  Claussen;  1890-1,  C.  A.  Ficke; 
1892,  John  C.  Bills;  1893-6,  Henry  Vollmer;  1897,  S.  F.  Smith;  1898-9,  George 
T.  Baker;  1900-1,  Fred  Heinz;  1902-3,  Waldo  Becker;  1904-5,  Harry  W.  Phil- 
lips; 1906-7,  Waldo  Becker;  1908-10,  George  W.  Scott.  In  the  April  election  of 
1910  Alfred  C.  Mueller  was  elected  to  succeed  Mayor  Scott. 

THE   CITY   HALL. 

The  city  hall,  which  is  located  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Fourth  and  Harrison 
streets,  was  built  in  1895  and  cost  $100,000.  It  is  a  beautiful  building  architec- 
turally, is  built  of  Bedford  stone  and  is  absolutely  fireproof.  On  the  ground  floor 
is  the  police  department,  including  the  general  offices  and  that  of  the  chief ;  also 
assembly  room,  the  desk  sergeant's  office,  cell  rooms  and  the  office  of  the  police 
judge.  The  offices  of  the  city  clerk,  treasurer,  board  of  public  works  and  health 
department  are  on  the  second  floor.  A  magnificent  council  chamber,  the  office 
of  the  city  attorney  and  the  engineering  department  occupy  the  third  floor. 
There  is  probably  no  other  city  in  the  state  of  Iowa  that  has  a  city  building 
that  will  surpass  this  one. 

THE  POLICE  DEPARTMENT. 

Davenport,  like  all  cities  of  push  and  progress  and  good  order,  has  its  mod- 
ern, systematized,  metropolitan  police  force.  At  this  time  the  number  of  uni- 
formed policemen  number  forty-five,  including  the  chief.  Of  this  body  of  men 
twenty-seven  are  patrolmen.  The  police  are  chosen  not  only  for  their  physical 
make-up,  but  they  are  also  required  to  meet  a  certain  standard — which  is  a  high 
one — of  morality  and  intelligence.  Davenport  was  one  of  the  first  western  cities 
of  its  size  to  employ  a  police  matron  who  has  charge  of  the  house  of  detention 
for  females  and  juvenile  offenders. 


694  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

FIRE    DEPARTMENT. 

Davenport  traces  its  first  fire  department  to  the  year  1838,  when,  on  July 
27th,  the  proper  official  ordered  each  citizen  to  keep  constantly  in  his  house  two 
buckets  for  fire  protection,  and  to  use  them  when  needed.  On  July  26,  1856, 
the  fire  department  of  Davenport  was  actually  organized  at  a  meeting  held  in 
the  office  of  R.  G.  Congdon,  Colonel  Robert  M.  Littler  being  chairman  of  the 
meeting.  At  that  time  a  volunteer  fire  company  was  formed  and  two  days  later 
the  constitution  was  adopted.  The  name  given  to  the  company  was  The  In- 
dependent Fire  Engine  &  Hose  Company.  Two  hand  engines  and  1,500  feet 
of  hose  were  purchased  and  about  100  members  enrolled.  In  1857  a  lot  was 
bought  by  the  city  on  Brady  street,  just  above  Fifth,  and  thereon  a  building  was 
erected  and  used  for  the  fire  apparatus,  and  also  for  meetings  of  the  city  fathers. 
It  was  called  the  city  hall.  This  same  year,  1857,  the  Fire  King  Engine  Com- 
pany and  the  Pioneer  Hook  &  Ladder  Company  were  organized.  In  April,  1858, 
the  Rescue  Engine  Company,  No.  3,  was  organized.  When  the  Davenport 
Water  Company  began  to  furnish  water,  the  city  took  over  the  fire  department, 
reorganized  it  and  installed  a  paid  department  and  enlarged  the  equipment  to 
meet  the  needs  of  a  growing  city.  At  this  time  the  fire  department  of  Davenport 
has  assumed  quite  large  proportions.  With  its  fire  chief  it  has  a  force  of  forty- 
five  men  that  is  distributed  among  seven  hose  companies  and  two  hook  and  lad- 
der companies.  There  are  twenty-four  horses,  the  best  for  the  purpose  that 
money  can  buy,  a  splendid  electric  fire  alarm  system,  14,000  feet  of  hose,  eighty- 
one  miles  of  water  mains,  with  669  hydrants,  and  the  expense  for  the  past  fiscal 
year,  ending  March,  1909,  of  maintaining  this  department  was  $56,318.55.  The 
following  is  the  valuation  of  the  property   : 

Real   estate    $86,000.00 

Apparatus  and  equipments   24,000.00 

Furniture  and  supplies   2,500.00 

Fire  alarm  telegraph   18,000.00 

Horses    4,000.00 

Davenport's  park  system. 

Davenport  has  a  system  of  parks  and  drives  that  are  very  gratifying  to  the 
senses.  In  1890  a  board  of  park  commissioners  was  established.  The  members 
of  this  board  are  elected  by  the  people  and  ever  since  its  existence  have  been  men 
adapted  to  the  work  of  beautifying  the  city  and  have  given  it  their  unstinted 
services. 

CENTRAL  PARK. 

The  main  feature  of  this  system,  Central  park,  has  been  beautifully  laid  out 
with  lakes  and  drives,  and  makes  for  the  children  a  playground  and  a  place  of  en- 
joyment for  everyone.  The  park  is  ornamented  with  rustic  bridges,  fountains,  a 
large  and  spacious  greenhouse  and  floral  gardens.  It  also  has  a  small  space  set 
aside  for  animals  and  birds.  A  very  pretty  pavilion  for  musicians  sits  upon  a 
prominence  near  the  southern  extremity  where  concerts  are  given  at  frequent 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  697 

intervals  during  the  summer  months.  A  refectory  has  also  been  established 
there.  Under  the  plan  adopted  by  the  city  a  boulevard  system  has  been  laid  out, 
and  is  given  the  same  care  and  attention  as  the  parks.  The  portion  completed  is 
known  as  Kirkwood  boulevard.  It  will  eventually  connect  AlcCiellan  Heights  on 
the  east  with  Fejervary  park  on  the  west,  with  drives  reaching  to  the  other  breath- 
ing spots.  These  boulevards  are  laid  out  with  flower  beds  and  shrubbery,  and 
please  the  eye  of  the  beholder  exceedingly. 

FEJERVARY    PARK. 

The  grounds  for  Fejervary  park  were  presented  by  Miss  Celestine  Fejervary, 
a  daughter  of  Nicholas  Fejervary,  a  Hungarian  refugee,  who  came  to  Davenport 
in  the  '40s,  following  the  collapse  of  the  insurrection  in  his  native  country.  This 
park  site  was  formerly  the  homestead  of  Mr.  Fejervary.  The  house  is  still  re- 
tained upon  the  grounds  and  the  main  features  of  the  interior  have  been  pre- 
served. To  the  exterior  have  been  added  porticos  and  here  those  who  desire  may 
be  served  with  lunches  and  other  refreshments.  The  landscape  gardener  has 
done  his  very  best  here.  The  hills  have  been  preserved  and  the  ravines  have  been 
spanned  with  rustic  bridges.  At  the  northern  part  of  the  park  is  a  zoo  wherein 
is  a  herd  of  buffaloes,  which  add  greatly  to  the  attractions  of  this  resort.  There 
are  also  elk,  deer,  bears,  leopards  and  other  animals  confined  within  concrete  dens 
fenced  around  with  steel. 

PROSPECT   AND   RIVERVIEW   TERR:\CES. 

In  the  eastern  portion  of  the  city  is  Prospect  Terrace  and  in  the  western 
Riverview  Terrace,  both  of  which  occupy  commanding  sites  which  overlook  large 
portions  of  the  city  and  great  expanses  of  the  Mississippi  river. 

LAFAYETTE  AND  WASHINGTON  SQUARES 

Are  located  in  the  business  heart  of  the  city.  They  are  maintained  by  the 
park  commissioners  for  the  benefit  of  the  public  and  are  filled  with  beautiful 
shade  trees.     There  are  also  benches  and  fountains. 

In  addition  to  these  beauty  spots  may  be  mentioned  McClellan  Heights,  where 
Camp  McClellan  was  established  during  the  Civil  war;  also  Walling  court. 
Arlington  court,  Dover  court,  Grand  court  and  Riverview  place.  There  are  also 
a  number  of  private  parks,  such  as  Schuetzen  park  and  Surburban  island  park, 
situated  on  Credit  island,  the  scene  of  the  battle  between  General  Taylor  and  his 
American  troops  and  the  British  and  Indians  under  command  of  Lieutenant  Gra- 
ham, of  the  British  army. 

In  their  last  annual  report  the  park  commissioners  reported  the  following 
expenditures,  which  give  the  reader  a  pretty  clear  idea  as  to  the  amounts  of  money 
and  care  expended  upon  these  breathing  spots  in  the  city:  For  the  fiscal  year 
ending  April  i,  1909,  there  was  expended  on  Central  park  $9,111.24;  on  Fejervary 
park,  $8,086.87 ;  on  Washington  and  Lafayette  squares,  $2,290.01 ;  on  Prospect 
Terrace,  $294.44;  Riverview  Terrace,   $291.98;   Kirkwood  boulevard,  $309.95; 


698  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

on  gardener's  grounds,  $6,523.33 ;  other  expenses,  including  superintendent's  sal- 
ary, commissioners'  salary,  etc.,  brought  the  total  of  expenses  for  the  year  to 
$28,798.88. 

city's  assets  and  liabilities  in  1909. 

Capital  Assets. 

City  hall — land  and  building  $    125,000.00 

City  hall — furniture  and  fixtures   5,000.00 

Parks      500,000.00 

Police  headquarters — land  and  buildings  including  armory 30,000.00 

Police    headquarters — equipment    5,950.00 

Fire  department — land  and  buildings 100,000.00 

Fire  department — equipment 48,500.00 

Library — land  and  buildings  100,000.00 

Library — furniture,  fixtures  and  books    25,000.00 

Building  corner  Front  and  Brady  streets 3,000.00 

Levee  and  City  island   5,000.00 

Street  commissioners  department 16,525.00 

Board  of  health  department 7,000.00 

Paved  streets  and  alleys 2,134,934.00 

Sewers       571,366.00 

Total    $3,677,275.00 

summaries. 

Assets  April  1,  1909. 

Unremunerative  but  realizable — buildings,  land,  etc.  $   970,975.00 

Unremunerative  and  unrealizable  paved  streets  and 

alleys     $2,134,934.00 

Sewers  571,366.00       2,706,300.00 

$3,677,275.00 

Cash  on  hand  in  office 1,682.37 

Cash  in  bank     242,347.96 

Cash  in  banks  (sinking  fund)   103,970.52 

Total  cash  on  hand , $    348,000.85  348,000.85 

Total  April  i,  1909   . ." $4,025,:       S5 

LIABILITIES. 

Bonds  outstanding  (4>4  per  cent  due  August  i,  1909)    $275,000.00 

Floating  indebtedness    (borrowed  from  banks)    175,000.00 

$450,000.00 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  701 


Four  per  cent  bonds  are  to  be  issued  to  retire  the  4^  per  cent  bonds 
maturing-  August  i,  1909,  and  the  floating-  indebtedness,  for  the 
amount   of    


450,000.00 


The  sinking  fund  of  $100,000.00  will  be  used  to  retire  part  of  issue.  .    100,000.00 


$350,000.00 


FIRE  DEPARTMENT. 


Valuation  of  Property. 

Real  estate   $100,000.00 

Apparatus  and  equipment  24,000.00 

Furniture  and  supplies 2,500.00 

Fire  alarm  teleg^raph 18,000.00 

Horses      4,000.00 


Total      $148,500.00 


Central   Park    

Washington  and  Lafayette  Squares 

Prospect  Terrace   

Rivervievv   Terrace    , 

Kirkwood  Boulevard 1  $500,000.00 

Gardeners'  Grounds 

Walling  and  Arlington  Courts 

Fejervary   Park    

STREET   COMMISSIONER  DEPARTMENTS. 

I  Tool  house  on  Front  street   (storage) $  1,000.00 

I  Tool  house  on   Fifth  and   Main   streets    2,000.00 

I  Electric  sprinkler   4,000.00 

1 1  Wagon  sprinklers   3,500.00 

4  Sweepers    2,000.00 

1  Steam   roller    2,000.00 

5  Horses      500.00 

2  One-horse  wagons    150.00 

1  Buggy       125.00 

2  Road   graders    200.00 

6  Wheel  scrapers       300.00 

Tools  and  supplies   l 500.00 


Total $16,275.00 


702  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

BOARD  OF  HEALTH. 

I     Garbag-e  scow $4,500.00 

7     Garbage  wagons 2,500.00 

Total      $7,000.00 

CITY  ENGINEER''S  REPORT. 

Brick   paving    43-00  miles 

Asphalt  paving 9.58  miles 

52.58  miles     $2,242,372.52 
Deduct  for  repaving  on  Second  and  Third  street.  ...    1.50  miles  107,437.56 

51.08  miles     $2,134,934.96 

Sewers     71-57  miles  571,377.11 

From  1889  to  1909. 

INCOME  FROM  USE  OF  LEVEE. 

Annual  Rentals. 

C.  M.  &  St.  P.  railway $  600.00 

Rock  Island,  Southern  Ry.  Co.  &  Iowa  &  Illinois  Ry.  Co 200.00 

Rock  Island  &  Davenport  Ferry  Co 100.00 

Chr.  Mueller  Lumber  Co 390.00 

Hugh   Mullen      10.00 

Total      $1,300.00 

STREET  RAILWAYS. 

The  first  street  railway  to  be  operated  in  Davenport  was  the  Third  street  line, 
which  was  built  by  the  Davenport  Central  Railway  Company.  The  larger  part 
of  the  utility  was  built  in  1868  and  the  first  car  started  March  2,  1869.  A.  C. 
Fulton  was  the  first  president.  Next  came  the  Brady  street  line,  from  Second 
street  to  Central  park,  and  Judge  James  Grant  was  its  president.  This  road  had 
two  branches,  one  running-  east  to  Oakdale  cemetery,  and  the  westward  branch 
from  Brady  to  Washington  Garden.  These  branches  were  subsequently  aban- 
doned and  then  a  line  was  built  by  way  of  Second,  Fourth  and  Sixteenth  to 
Northwest  Davenport.  In  1888  the  Brady  street  was  equipped  with  electric 
motive  power.  A  Chicago  syndicate  bought  the  other  lines  and  operated  them 
after  making-  general  improvements  to  their  betterment  and  additions  to  the 
services  by  building  the  Harrison  and  Locust  street  belt  line  and  another  on 
Sixth,  Tremont  avenue,  Kirkwood  boulevard,  Perry  and  Main,  which  were  after- 
ward taken  up.     Subsequently  all  the  lines  were  merged  into  one  system. 

In  its  system  of  street  railways  Davenport  is  very  fortunate  indeed,  and  there 
is  no  other  city  in  the  country  that  surpasses  her  in  that  regard.  The  service  and 
equipment  is  excellent  and  fully  meets  the  present  wants  of  the  community.    The 


XlCHOr.AS  FE.IEU\AUV 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  705 

lighting  system  is  equally  good,  both  in  the  business  and  residential  sections.  In 
the  fall  of  1909  boulevard  lamps  were  placed  on  the  lower  portion  of  Brady 
street,  making  the  illumination  of  that  locality  a  beautiful  feature,  and  gave  rise 
to  flattering  encomiums  by  strangers  on  first  beholding  the  novel  sight.  Of  these 
things,  Sherman  W.  Searle,  at  one  time  editor  of  the  Davenport  Leader,  has 
written  interestingly  and  with  the  data  at  hand  that  makes  the  following  au- 
thentic : 

THE  MERGING  OF  UTILITIES. 

"The  merging  of  the  street  railways,  electric  power,  electric  light  and  gas 
companies  of  the  cities  of  Davenport,  Rock  Island  and  Moline,  in  1906,  has  re- 
sulted in  great  benefit  to  this  community.  It  has  given  to  the  manufacturing 
interests  cheap  gas  and  power  and  has  brought  the  power  generated  by  the 
rapids  of  the  Mississippi  river  to  the  door  of  every  factory.  In  addition  to  this 
it  has  made  Davenport  one  of  the  best  lighted  cities  in  the  country  and  has  given 
to  her  sister  cities  a  system  of  street  railways  unequaled  in  any  community  of  their 
population. 

"In  the  spring  of  1906  three  New  York  banking  firms,  N.  W.  Halsey  &  Com- 
pany ;  Mackay  &  Company ;  and  J.  G.  White  &  Company,  purchased  all  the 
lines  in  the  three  cities.  They  included  the  lines  of  the  Tri-City  Railway  Com- 
pany, the  Davenport  &  Surburban  Railway  Company,  the  Davenport  Gas  & 
Electric  Company  and  the  Peoples  Light  Company  of  the  city  of  Davenport, 
the  Moline  &  Watertown  Railway  Company  and  the  Peoples  Power  Company 
of  Rock  Island  and  Moline.  The  reorganization  of  these  companies  was  ef- 
fected with  the  Tri-City  Railway  &  Light  Company  as  the  holding  company  of 
the  different  properties.  These  properties  were  consolidated  into  four  companies, 
each  with  its  own  officers  and  executive  board.  J.  F.  Porter  is  president  and  H. 
E.  Weeks  is  secretary  of  each  of  the  four  companies,  while  the  Tri-City  Rail- 
way and  the  Moline,  East  Moline  and  Watertown  Railway  have  J.  G.  Huntoon, 
the  Peoples  Light  Company  has  H.  G.  Blackwell  and  the  Peoples  Power  Company 
has  F.  W.  Reimers  as  their  superintendents. 

"The  purpose  of  this  amalgamation  was  the  introduction  of  economies  in 
the  production  of  power  and  gas  and  in  the  operation  of  its  plants.  It  was  be- 
lieved by  the  purchasers  that  the  economies  introduced  would  warrant  in  sav- 
ings sufficient  to  justify  the  expenditure  of  large  sums  of  money  to  put  the 
properties  in  first  class  condition,  and  their  judgment  has  proven  to  be  correct. 
Already  this  company  has  expended  $1,800,000  in  cash  in  the  improvement  of 
its  different  plants,  and  it  will  require  another  million  to  place  the  properties 
in  the  high  state  of  efficiency  that  is  contemplated.  All  of  its  improvements 
are  in  charge  of  J.  G.  White  &  Company  which,  in  addition  to  being  a  banking 
firm,  is  one  of  the  leading  engineering  companies  in  the  United  States.  All 
the  work  of  reconstruction  is  of  the  highest  class.  W^herever  new  track  is  laid 
or  old  track  replaced  eighty-pound  rail,  laid  upon  concrete  sub-structure,  is 
used.  The  equipment  of  the  street  railway  system  is  being  constantly  improved 
and  the  rolling  stock  is  kept  in  the  best  possible  state  of  efficiency. 


706  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

ELECTRICITY  FROM    WATER  POWER. 

"The  electricity  used  in  the  operation  of  the  cars  of  the  street  railway  com- 
panies, and  used  also  for  lighting  and  commercial  power  purposes,  is  generated 
by  water  power  secured  by  utilizing  the  rapids  of  the  Mississippi  river.  This 
water  power  furnishes  electricity  not  only  sufficient  for  all  of  these  purposes,  but 
for  an  overload  capacity  of  12,000  kilowatts,  or  15,000  horse  power.  The  sys- 
tem is  provided  with  sub-stations  and  storage  stations  from  which  extra  power 
is  drawn  in  case  of  emergency.  It  has,  in  addition  to  this,  an  auxiliary  steam  power 
plant  sufficient  to  carry  the  entire  load  of  the  different  properties  in  the  event 
of  accident,  high  water  or  other  casualty  to  the  water  power  plant. 

"The  people  of  Davenport  received  immediate  and  direct  benefit  by  this 
amalgamation  in  the  reduction  of  prices  of  both  gas  and  electricity.  The  com- 
pany, upon  assuming  control  of  the  properties,  authorized  a  reduction  of  thirty 
per  cent  in  the  price  of  electricity  and  twenty  per  cent  in  that  of  gas,  the  con- 
sumers being  the  beneficiaries. 

"Another  feature  of  the  economies  in  this  consolidation  was  the  reduction 
of  electricity  to  large  consumers.  So  great  was  the  reduction  that  many  large 
manufacturing  plants  have  abandoned  the  generation  of  power  by  steam  and 
are  buying  their  power  from  this  company.  Indeed,  this  fact  is  becoming  gen- 
erally known  throughout  the  west  and  is  attracting  manufacturers  to  the  lo- 
cality. The  same  may  be  said  of  such  concerns  as  use  gas  in  their  manufactur- 
ing enterprises.  Gas  is  delivered  at  as  low  a  rate  as  can  be  found  anywhere  in 
the  west.  The  reliability  of  the  power  furnished  by  the  amalgamated  com- 
panies, and  the  excellence  of  the  gas,  are  matters  of  favorable  comment  among 
all  its  consumers. 

"When  the  merging  of  the  different  properties  took  place,  the  Tri-City  Rail- 
way &  Light  Company  became  the  possessors  of  the  City  Steam  &  Heating  plant 
of  the  Davenport  Gas  &  Electric  Company.  This  plant  had  been  run  down  so 
that  the  service  was  not  considered  of  the  best.  The  new  owners,  however, 
installed  a  new  heating  plant  at  the  corner  of  Third  and  Rock  Island  streets. 
Immense  water  tube  boilers  are  being  placed  which  will  furnish  an  abundance 
of  steam  for  the  heating  of  the  entire  business  section  of  the  city.  The  steam 
mains  have  been  relaid  and  re-inforced,  and  with  the  extensions  made,  the  busi- 
ness houses  find  it  more  economical  and  more  satisfactory  to  heat  their  office 
buildings,  stores  and  shops  in  this  manner." 

DAVENPORT  WATER  COMPANY. 

One  of  the  public  utilities  of  which  the  citizens  of  Davenport  are  justly  proud 
is  their  waterworks  system  and  filter  plant,  operated  by  the  Davenport  Water 
Company.  In  the  early  '70s,  the  citizens  of  Davenport  began  to  plan  a  water- 
works system,  but  the  city  being  in  debt  to  the  constitutional  limit,  it  was  im- 
possible to  undertake  the  work.  Hon.  Michael  Donahue,  a  former  mayor  of  the 
city,  stepped  to  the  front  and  offered  to  install  a  water  system  provided  the  city 
would  give  him  a  resonable  franchise  under  which  to  work.     The  conditions  of 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  707 

the  franchise  were  agreed  upon,  passed  and  approved  on  December  4,  1872,  and 
accepted  by  Mr.  Donahue  December  5,  1872. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1873  ground  was  broken  for  the  erection  of  a  suitable 
pump  house  and  system  of  pipes.  The  system  laid  at  that  time  consisted  of  twenty 
miles  of  main  pipes  and  245  fire  hydrants,  and  provided  fire  protection  not  only 
for  the  business  section  but  for  the  bluffs  and  residence  portions.  While  this 
plan  was  successful  in  providing  fire  protection,  to  do  this  work  endangered  both 
the  pumps  and  the  main  pipe  system.  For  that  reason  a  reservoir,  with  a  capacity 
of  5.000,000  gallons,  was  built,  and  a  pumping  station  erected  on  Ripley  street 
between  Fourteenth  and  Fifteenth  streets.  The  system  of  mains  was  then 
divided  into  high  and  low  pressure  service,  the  reservoir  supplying  the  bluff 
district  and  the  river  station  supplying  the  downtown  district  of  the  city.  By 
this  system  fire  service  is  given  under  lower  pressure  with  better  results  and 
the  danger  of  the  pumps  and  mains  is  minimized. 

For  the  first  few  years  after  the  installation  of  this  system  the  company 
did  not  receive  the  patronage  expected  on  account  of  the  turbidity  of  the  water 
and  it  was  to  provide  pure,  clean  water  that  eighteen  years  ago,  investigations 
were  made  by  Colonel  James  P.  Donahue,  son  of  the  late  Michael  Donahue,  with 
the  view  of  filtering  the  water  for  the  entire  city.  Careful  search  was  made  for 
a  source  of  supply  other  than  the  river,  but  quality  and  quantity  were  not  to  be 
found.  Colonel  Donahue  then  visited  a  number  of  cities  where  mechanical 
filtration  had  been  installed  but  not  successfully  operated.  Notwithstanding  the 
defects  in  other  companies,  the  Davenport  Water  Company  had  the  courage  to 
invest  a  large  amount  of  money  in  installing  the  filtering  plant  which  has  proven 
so  very  satisfactory. 

In  February,  1908,  they  again  started  to  enlarge  their  plant,  adding  more 
filters  and  remodeling  the  old  ones.  They  also  put  in  a  new  independent  system 
for  washing  the  filters  and  erected  a  large  air  compressor  for  aerating  the  sand 
beds.  This  is  done  every  night,  to  keep  the  sand  beds  in  sanitary  condition.  In 
fact,  the  filters  are  the  most  spectacular  pressure  filters  in  the  United  States, 
and  are  daily  delivering  millions  of  gallons  of  pure,  sparkling  water  to  the  citi- 
zens of  Davenport. 

No  description  can  give  an  adequate  account  of  the  magnitude  of  the  plant 
at  Station  No.  i,  and  only  by  a  visit  to  this  institution  can  a  full  idea  be  ob- 
tained. The  company  is  always  willing  and  pleased  to  show  visitors  about  its 
plant. 


STREET  SCENES 
Second  Street  looking-  ^vpst  iv>m\  15rady:  Main  Street  looking  south  from  Fifth: 
Third  Street  looking  east  from  Harrison;  Brady  Street  looking  north  from 
Second;  Main  Street  looking  north  from  Front;  Second  Street  looking  east 
from  Harrison.  Davenport  has  over  140  miles  of  streets.  50  miles  of  which 
are  well  paved  Mith  brick  or  asphalt 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
A  GOOD  PLACE  TO  LIVE. 

EVERY  OPPORTUNITY  TO  GROW   IN   CULTURE  AND  USEFULNESS  IN  DAVENPORT — PUB- 
LIC BUILDINGS  PROVIDED  FOR  ALL  LINES  OF  INTEREST A  FINE  LINE  OF  HELPFUL 

INSTITUTIONS — PLACES  OF  INSTRUCTION  AND  AMUSEMENT HOTELS,  HOSPITALS 

SOMEWHERE   FOR   EVERYBODY   TO    STAY A    GREAT   ARRAY    OF    ORGANIZATIONS 

FOR  THOSE  WHO  BELIEVE  IN  BANDING  TOGETHER. 

A  GOOD  PLACE  TO  LIVE. 

For  the  social  side  of  its  citizens  and  also  for  the  higher  plane  of  intellectual 
life  Davenport  makes  adequate  provision  for  its  citizens.  The  parks  with  their 
fine  refectories  and  dining  halls  supplement  the  accommodations  offered  by  the 
Outing  Club,  the  Commercial  Club,  the  Turner  Hall,  hotels  and  private  homes 
for  entertainments.  There  are  social  organizations  by  the  hundred.  The  clubs 
for  study  are  numbered  by  the  score.  One  organization  of  men,  the  Contempo- 
rary club,  has  a  long  and  useful  history.  A  similar  one  among  the  German- 
American  men  is  the  Tafel  Runde.  One  community  only  antedates  Davenport 
in  maintaining  University  Extension  lecture  courses.  These  lectures  are  annu- 
ally given  in  the  spacious  auditorium  of  the  High  school  and  are  generously  main- 
tained. Among  the  societies  for  philanthropic  work  are  the  Ladies'  Industrial 
Relief  society,  the  People's  Union  Mission,  the  Rummelpott  club,  the  Visiting 
Nurse's  association,  the  Babies'  Friendly  society  and  the  many  organizations 
connected  with  the  various  churches. 

One  of  the  newer  organizations  which  holds  regular  meetings  in  its  handsome 
home  on  Western  avenue  is  the  Ethical  society.  The  Public  library  offers  ac- 
commodations in  handsomely  appointed  club  rooms  and  here  a  number  of  literary 
and  scientific  organizations  hold  regular  sessions. 

This  chapter  will  be  devoted  to  mention  of  public  buildings  and  organizations 
of  various  kinds. 


712  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


THE   ACADEMY   OF   SCIENCES. 


The  Academy  of  Sciences  was  organized  in  1867,  on  the  evening  of  December 
14th,  by  four  men  who  met  in  a  business  office  to  consider  plans  for  the  institut- 
ing of  a  scientific  society,  and  within  a  year  from  that  time  the  society  had  fifty 
members  on  its  roll.  As  soon  as  possible  a  cabinet  of  natural  history  specimens 
was  begun  and  placed  in  the  rooms  of  the  library.  In  1873  a  small  back  room 
was  rented,  in  which  three  or  four  cases  of  relics  were  displayed  and  the  follow- 
ing year  saw  the  society  installed  in  better  quarters  in  the  Odd  Fellows'  build- 
ing, where  weekly  meetings  of  the  members  kept  alive  an  active  interest  in  the 
academy's  work.  In  1877  a  building  lot  was  donated  by  Mrs.  Patience  V.  New- 
comb  and  the  desire  to  erect  a  home  for  the  academy  took  possession  of  its  en- 
thusiastic members.  The  building  soon  assumed  proportions  and  in  1878  was 
finished,  giving  the  devotees  to  scientific  research  meeting  and  library  rooms  and 
an  apartment  for  the  collection  of  relics.  Prior  to  this,  or  in  1873,  the  academy 
had  become  interested  in  the  exploration  of  mounds  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Davenport  and  many  valuable  relics  were  secured  by  their  eflforts  in  the  way  of 
carved  stone  pipes,  skulls,  copper  axes,  objects  made  of  skulls  and  bones,  pieces 
of  pottery  and  stone  arrow-heads,  spear-heads  and  the  like.  Later  valuable 
pieces  of  pottery  were  secured  from  mounds  in  Arkansas,  Tennessee  and  states 
contiguous,  most  of  which  were  collected  by  Captain  W.  P.  Hall,  who  had  made 
long  voyages  in  his  skifif  on  the  Mississippi  and  many  of  its  tributaries.  To  give 
to  the  world  a  description  of  these  valuable  "finds"  the  "Academy's  Proceed- 
ings" appeared  in  book  form  in  1875,  the  money  for  its  publications  having  been 
raised  by  the  Women's  Centennial  Association  in  subscriptions  and  home  enter- 
tainments. This  volume  was  one  of  the  exhibits  at  the  Centennial  Exposition 
held  in  Philadelphia  in  1876.  Since  then  many  volumes  have  gone  to  press  and 
today  the  academy  has  at  its  command  a  permanent  publication  fund,  the  foun- 
dation of  which  was  established  by  a  bequest  of  Mrs.  Mary  P.  Bull,  of  $10,000, 
and  which  was  given  as  a  memorial  to  her  brother,  Charles  E.  Bull,  and  a  nephew, 
J.  Duncan  Putnam.  This  fund  was  increased  in  1903  by  Mrs.  M.  L.  D.  Putnam, 
who  left  to  the  academy  $24,000.  This  makes  it  possible  to  keep  up  the  publica- 
tion of  the  "Proceedings"  which  are  sent  to  leading  libraries,  learned  societies 
and  similar  institutions  in  various  parts  of  the  world.  As  a  result  the  academy 
in  turn  receives  similar  publications,  which  assures  to  the  building  up  of  a  sci- 
entific reference  library  that  is  now  one  of  the  most  complete  west  of  Chicago. 
The  library  is  classified  and  catalogued,  making  any  subject  readily  obtainable. 
Twelve  large  rooms  are  now  devoted  to  the  display  of  the  academy's  collection  of 
anthropological  and  natural  historic  relics. 

In  1899  the  academy  came  into  possession,  by  purchase,  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  building,  adjoining  its  property  on  the  south,  which  is  now  known  as 
Science  Hall.  It  is  located  on  the  corner  of  Seventh  and  Brady  streets.  In 
1902  a  curator  was  employed,  whose  duties  are  continuous  and  the  academy  is 
today  quite  frequently  visited  by  teachers  and  their  classes  of  the  various  schools 
of  the  city.  In  1904  the  Davenport  school  board  gave  official  recognition  of  the 
academy's  work  by  appointing  its  curator  as  special  instructor  in  science  in  the 
schools. 


BURTIS  OPERA  HOUSE  IX  LATE  'fiOs 


YOUXG  MEN'S  CHRISTIAX  ASSOCIATIOX  Bl  ILDIXG 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  715 

The  first  president  of  the  academy  was  David  S.  Sheldon,  who  was  professor 
of  natural  science  in  Griswold  college,  and  Dr.  C.  C.  Parry,  an  eminent  botanist, 
became  his  successor,  with  a  number  of  others  of  prominence  to  follow  him  in 
that  ofifice. 

The  Putnam  family  have  for  many  years  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  Academy 
of  Sciences.  The  will  of  W.  C.  Putnam  who  died  in  1896  provided  for  an  en- 
dowment of  property  approaching  a  quarter  million  dollars  in  value,  the  income 
to  become  available  for  the  Academy's  enlargement  when  the  property  has  been 
put  into  its  most  productive  condition.  In  accordance  with  this  provision  the 
trustees  commenced  in  the  spring  of  1910  the  erection  of  an  eight-story  office 
building  on  the  historic  site  of  the  famous  hoted  of  1839,  LeClaire  House,  the  old 
structure  being  razed  to  make  room  for  the  new  one.  The  many  friends  of  the 
academy  are  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  the  institution  may  benefit  greatly 
by  the  bequest. 

YOUNG    MEN''S   CHRISTIAN    ASSOCIATION. 

In  1867  the  birth  of  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  took  place  in  Dav- 
enport and  from  a  small  and  humble  beginning  the  city  has  the  splendid  society 
of  Christian  men  and  its  magnificent  home,  built  from  funds  donated  by  broad- 
minded  and  liberally  disposed  citizens.  The  association's  home  at  one  time  was 
in  the  Metropolitan  block,  then  in  Moore's  hall,  later  in  the  old  postoffice  block 
and  afterwards  in  the  Forrest  building.  The  expenses  were  maintained  (?) 
by  voluntary  subscriptions  and  a  useful  and  beneficent  work  was  carried  on  by 
the  members.  The  association  had  many  ups  and  downs  and  from  time  to  time 
almost  ceased  to  exist.  This  was  the  condition  of  its  affairs  when,  in  1908, 
new  courage  was  aroused  by  a  movement  for  a  re-organization  on  different 
lines  and  the  oiler  of  $50,000  toward  the  erection  of  a  building  by  Davenport's 
lumber  king,  E.  S.  Crossett.  This  gave  impetus  to  other  subscriptions  and  after 
the  committee  selected  for  that  purpose  had  made  a  canvass  of  the  city,  the 
total  amount  subscribed  for  a  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  building 
amounted  to  $102,000,  and  it  may  be  here  related  that  within  ten  days  after 
the  subscriptions  were  closed  $100,000  was  placed  in  the  bank  to  the  credit  of 
the  association,  a  record  for  prompt  payment  probably  never  surpassed  or 
equalled  in  any  other  city  in  the  country.  A  further  gratifying  fact  to  be 
noticed  is  that  of  the  $102,000  subscribed  and  the  $100,000  paid  in,  the  dif- 
ference has  been  more  than  made  up  in  accrued  interest  and  special  subscrip- 
tions by  individuals  and  church  societies  since  the  erection  of  the  building,  which 
has  been  placed  in  the  fund  for  furnishings.  Another  fact,  which  is  still  more 
gratifying  and  substantial,  is  that  the  association  is  absolutely  free  of  debt. 

Of  the  large  subscriptions  to  the  building  fund  Mr.  Crossett's  stands  out  pre- 
eminently— $50,000.  J.  E.  Lindsay  subscribed  $10,000;  Major  E.  B.  Hayward, 
$2,500,  and  several  subscriptions  of  $1,000  and  less  made  up  the  g^and  total. 

The  new  building  which  is  on  the  corner  of  Harrison  and  Fourth  streets, 
was  started  in  1908  and  on  the  ist  of  July  of  1909,  the  dormitories  were  fur- 
nished and  occupied.  The  building  proper  was  completed  on  the  6th  of  Septem- 
ber following,  and  October  21st  was  formally  dedicated,  the  principal  address 


716  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

being  delivered  by  Dr.  E.  B.  Rogers,  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  church  of  Cham- 
paign, IlHnois.  The  program  was  an  elaborate  one  and  extended  from  Mon- 
day, October  i8th,  to  Saturday,  the  23d.  The  structure  architecturally  is  mod- 
est, though  very  pleasing  to  the  eye  and  is  constructed  of  dark  gray  brick  and 
stone  trimmings,  and  cost,  with  the  lot  and  furnishings  $110,000.  The  base- 
ment is  occupied  by  the  junior  department  where  they  have  their  club  rooms  and 
so  forth,  and  swimming  pool,  and  the  first  floor,  gives  way  to  the  main  social 
parlors  and  gymnasium.  The  second  and  third  floors  are  devoted  to  dormitories. 
There  are  now  over  600  members  and  the  association  has  a  bright  future  before 
it.  The  officers  are  as  follows:  Board  of  directors,  president,  George  S.  Johnson; 
vice  president,  A.  G.  Bush;  recording  secretary,  J.  E.  Hardman;  treasurer, 
George  M.  Bechtel;  general  secretary,  C.  B.  Turner;  assistant  secretary,  S.  A. 
Randall;  physical  director,  H.  L.  Reinhardt. 

COMMERCIAL   CLUB. 

The  Board  of  Trade  was  organized  in  1867,  with  the  object  of  collecting  and 
recording  statistical  data  relating  to  commerce  and  manufacturers  to  the  end 
that  Davenport  might  be  benefited  and  to  promote  the  commercial  and  manu- 
facturing interests  of  the  city.  The  association  continued  as  such  for  some 
time,  when  interest  in  it  lapsed  until  in  1882  a  reorganization  was  accomplished, 
but  later  abandoned  the  Board  of  Trade's  features  of  buying  and  selling  stocks 
and  furnishing  market  reports,  and  in  January,  1882,  the  Produce  Exchange  took 
its  place.  Finally  this  concern  reached  its  end  and  the  Davenport  Business  Men's 
Association  was  formed  and  did  much  good,  while  it  lasted,  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  the  city  until  the  early  part  of  1906,  when  steps  were  taken  to  or- 
ganize the  Davenport  Commercial  Club.  The  committees  selected  to  start  the 
movement  for  the  new  organization  were  not  long  in  reaching  the  conclusion 
that  their  efforts  were  to  meet  with  success  and  with  but  little  difficulty  the  money 
was  raised  for  the  magnificent  seventy-five  thousand  dollar  building  which  was 
soon  thereafter  built  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Main  and  Fourth  streets.  This 
building  is  a  modern  club  house  in  all  its  appurtenances.  The  main  floor  has 
the  parlors,  secretary's  office,  reading  room  and  director's  room.  The  next  floor 
is  devoted  to  the  cafe,  and  contiguous  thereto  are  the  dining  room  and  kitchen. 
On  the  floor  below  the  sidewalk  those  of  the  members  so  disposed  can  find  a 
rathskeller  and  billiard  and  pool  rooms.  The  club  itself  meets  the  needs  of  a 
city  like  Davenport,  which  is  ever  ambitious  to  grow  and  shine  with  its  competing 
cities  of  the  state,  and  the  organization  is  accomplishing  this  in  a  way  that  calls 
for  the  commendation  of  every  real  friend  of  Davenport.  Manufacturers  and 
jobbers  have  been  brought  together,  freight  rates  have  come  under  the  club's 
special  attention,  with  gratifying  results  to  the  shipping  and  receiving  merchant. 
In  many  things  through  its  efforts  the  railroads  have  been  induced  to  meet  re- 
quests of  the  club  on  the  part  of  citizens  at  least  half  way,  to  the  end  that  Daven- 
port has  become  a  convention  city  of  no  mean  order,  and  in  that  one  item  the 
city  is  largely  advertised  and  the  hotels'  and  merchants'  receipts  largely  increased. 

The  club  has  its  committees  on  commerce,  manufacturing,  jobbing,  trans- 
portation, finance  and  other  business  interests  and  their  endeavor  and  determina- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  717 

tion  is  to  talk  unremittingly  of  the  advantages  of  Davenport  as  a  manufacturing 
and  business  center  and  to  do  everything  legitimately  within  their  power  to  ad- 
vance the  interests  of  the  city. 

The  Commercial  Club  is  incorporated  v^ith  a  paid  up  capital  of  $10,000. 

THE  OUTING  CLUB. 

It  was  in  1890  or  1891  that  some  indefinite  plans  Rev.  A.  M.  Judy,  pastor  of 
the  First  Unitarian  church,  was  making  which  looked  to  the  establishing  of  a 
center  for  out-door  recreation  began  to  take  more  specific  shape.  He  had  long 
seen  the  need  for  some  place  where  the  young  people  of  his  congregation  and 
their  friends  could  gather  for  games  and  field  sports.  The  members  of  the  Unity 
Club  agreed  with  him  and  promised  to  help  him  in  a  substantial  way.  Near 
Central  park  was  found  the  ideal  location,  the  residence  and  grounds  formerly 
occupied  by  J.  D.  Brewster.  The  home  would  serve  the  modest  requirements  of 
the  original  plans  for  a  club  house.  There  were  acres  enough  for  tennis,  ball 
and  field  sports.  The  plan  widened  as  citizens  outside  Mr.  Judy's  congregation 
asked  to  be  allowed  to  join.  In  June,  1891,  the  stock  subscription  lists  were 
opened.  In  July  the  required  300  shares  were  placed.  The  property  was  pur- 
chased and  the  Outing  Club  took  its  place  among  the  city's  good  features. 

This  was  but  the  beginning.  As  the  desires  of  the  young  people  were  mani- 
fested for  additional  facilities  they  were  furnished.  There  were  summer  band 
concerts  and  dances ;  a  bowling  alley  and  shooting  gallery  was  installed  and  when 
the  idea  of  a  club  house  for  larger  social  occasions  appeared  a  sumptuous  struc- 
ture arose  with  dining  rooms,  large  enough  to  seat  some  hundreds  of  guests, 
smoking  and  billiard  rooms,  reading  room,  a  splendid  ball  room  which  has  a  stage 
and  scenery  for  private  theatricals, — almost  everything  that  anyone  could  con- 
sider worth  while.  All  this  the  club  house  furnishes.  In  April,  1905,  a  disas- 
trous fire  almost  ruined  the  club  house  or  Inn,  as  it  is  called.  In  July  of  the  same 
year  it  was  reopened,  rebuilt  and  handsomer  than  ever.  In  August,  1907,  the 
stockholders  voted  to  sell  the  grounds  to  a  holding  company  who  has  since  paid 
all  indebtedness,  and  furnish  the  property  to  the  Club  free  of  rental.  The  Inn 
has  become  a  great  feature  in  the  social  life  of  Davenport.  Many  people  enter- 
tain there  rather  than  at  their  own  homes  and  the  Inn  is  brightly  lighted  and 
filled  with  flowers  and  music  many  times  during  the  social  season.  A  great  part 
of  the  social  pleasure  of  the  city  has  the  Outing  Club  for  its  center. 

DAVENPORT    HOTEL. 

The  Davenport  hotel  was  the  first  public  caravansary  to  be  erected  in  Daven- 
port. It  was  built  in  1836  by  Antoine  LeClaire  and  Colonel  George  Davenport 
and  was  situated  on  the  corner  of  Front  and  Ripley  streets. 

THE   BURTIS    HOUSE. 

This  famous  hostelry  was  thrown  open  to  the  public  in  1857  and  the  first 
banquet  to  be  held  in  the  house  was  the  first  given  by  the  Scott  County  Old 


718  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Settlers'  association.  The  hotel  was  the  rendezvous  for  everybody  of  impor- 
tance during  war  times,  and  many  army  officers  made  it  their  headquarters.  The 
building  was  erected  by  Dr.  Burtis  at  a  cost  of  $75,000,  and  for  many 
years  he  was  the  boniface  of  this  widely  known  place  of  entertain- 
ment for  the  inner  man  and  the  traveler  of  fastidious  tastes.  When  the 
Rock  Island  road  changed  its  through  line  over  the  newly  constructed  bridge 
the  Burtis  was  left  in  the  switch  yard  and  its  usefulness  as  a  hotel  ended. 
It  is  now  occupied  by  the  Crescent  Macaroni  Company.  A  new  Burtis  hotel 
was  built  at  Perry  and  Fourth  streets,  on  the  new  line.  Shortly  after  the  name 
was  changed  to  the  Kimball  in  honor  of  Superintendent  A.  Kimball  of  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  and  Pacific. 

THE   KIMBALL. 

This  hotel  was  built  in  1878  and  was  for  its  day  all  that  could  have  been 
desired.  But  the  demands  of  the  traveling  public  and  new  methods  and  con- 
veniences coming  into  vogue  made  a  change  imperative,  and  in  1880  at  least 
$80,000  was  expended  upon  the  interior  of  the  building,  making  the  hotel,  as  it 
was  then  considered,  without  a  fault.  But  in  1908  the  building  was  completely 
remodeled,  at  an  expense  of  $150,000,  and  today  it  is  par  excellence  in  beauty 
and  equipment  and  has  few  equals  in  this  section  of  the  country.  The  office  on 
the  ground  floor  is  finished  in  marble,  with  large  luxurious  leathern  chairs  and 
settees,  writing  tables,  and  the  whole  lobby  magnificently  lighted  by  large  plate- 
glass  windows.  The  dining  rooms  and  bedrooms  are  beautifully  furnished  and 
the  corridors  are  marvels  in  spaciousness.  The  Dutch  style  of  decoration  ob- 
tains and  the  lobbies'  ceilings  are  supported  by  massive  pillars  of  Flemish  oak. 

LE  CLAIRE   HOUSE. 

The  next  hotel  of  importance  was  the  LeClaire  House,  built  by  Antoine 
LeClaire  in  the  later  '30s  at  a  cost  of  thirty  thousand  dollars,  and  at  the  time 
it  was  the  finest  and  most  noted  hostelry  west  of  the  Mississippi.  It  was  located 
on  the  northeast  corner  of  Main  and  Second  streets  and  became  a  landmark  for 
travelers,  many  of  them  of  great  distinction,  and  also  was  the  social  and  political 
center  for  the  city  and  surrounding  country.  The  LeClaire  was  finally  called 
the  Newcomb  House,  and  in  1895  W.  C.  Putnam  secured  control  of  the  prop- 
erty and  additions  built  thereto  by  LeClaire  in  the  early  '50s.  Since  then  the 
buildings  have  been  known  as  the  North  Putnam  block.  In  the  spring  of  1910 
that  part  of  the  block  originally  devoted  to  hotel  purposes  was  torn  down  to 
give  way  to  a  modern  eight-story  business  building,  and  at  this  writing  is  in 
course  of  construction  by  the  Putnam  estate.  The  manager  of  the  estate  intends 
eventually  to  extend  the  improvement  so  that  the  whole  block  will  be  uniform  in 
design  and  architecture.  This  will  be  one  of  the  greatest  and  most  ambitious 
improvements  in  Davenport  since  its  intense  spirit  of  progressiveness  began  to 
show  results  in  the  many  public  and  private  structures  which  have  been  put  up 
and  which  now  can  be  seen  on  every  side  of  the  business  section  of  the  city. 


i:)A  YEN  PORT  HOTEL 


DA^•EXPORT  HOTEL.  LATER  U.  P. 

HOTEL 

Built    in    is;!(i.   Now    Uu/cl 


SCOTT  iiorsE 


M-;\\    KIMI'.AI.i,   H<  I 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


721 


THE  NEW  DAVENPORT. 

The  New  Davenport  opened  for  business  in  1908.  a  short  time  before  the 
New  Kimball,  and  presented  to  the  public  one  of  the  finest  and  costliest  hotels 
in  the  Mississippi  valley.  It  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Main  streets, 
is  a  fireproof  structure  and  modern  in  every  detail.  There  are  250  rooms,  of 
which  150  are  provided  with  baths,  and  each  room  has  hot  and  cold  running 
water,  as  has  also  the  New  Kimball. 

Davenport  is  well  supplied  with  good  hotels,  and  the  accommodations  given 
by  them  make  the  city  a  most  desirable  place  for  conventions,  of  which  there 
are  many  here  gathered  in  the  course  of  each  succeeding  year,  especially  in  the 
summer.  Of  these  mention  may  be  made  of  the  St.  James;  Kemper  Hall,  a 
select  private  hotel  presided  over  for  a  number  of  years  by  Mrs.  Louis  LeClaire ; 
The  Saratoga ;  The  Arlington  ;  The  Palestine ;  The  Windsor,  and  a  number  of 
others. 

PUBLIC   SCHOOL   BUILDINGS. 


High  school,  between  Main  and  Harrison  and  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  streets. 
No.     I.     Washington,  Fulton  and  Mississippi  avenues. 
Adams,  Seventh  and  Perry  streets. 

3.  Jefferson,  Sixth  and  Warren  streets 

4.  Madison,  Locust  and  Main  streets 

5.  Monroe,  1607  West  Third  street. 

6.  Jackson,  Union  street,  near  Mitchell  street. 

7.  Van  Buren,  Lincoln  and  Hancock  avenues. 
Harrison,  Fourth  and  Ripley  streets. 
Tyler,  1921  Grand  avenue. 
Polk,  Eighth  and  Marquette  streets. 
Taylor.  Fifteenth  and  Warren  streets. 
Fillmore,  Fourth  and  Warren  streets. 

13.  Pierce,  Fulton  avenue  and  Christie  street. 

14.  Buchanan,  Sixth  and  Oak  streets. 

15.  Lincoln,  Eighth  and  Rock  Island  streets. 

16.  Johnson.  Locust  and  Howell  streets. 


PLACES  OF  AMUSEMENT. 


Davenport  has  the  reputation  in  the  theatrical  world  of  being  a  "good  town" 
for  the  business  and  from  that  fact  the  best  talent  in  the  country  makes  dates  for 
this  place.  The  city  has  two  modern  opera  houses,  the  Burtis  and  the  Grand, 
and  then  there  also  is  the  Princess,  which  now  is  devoted  to  performances  by  a 
stock  company,  at  popular  prices.  There  are  two  vaudeville  places,  the  Ameri- 
can and  the  Family  theatre,  which  entertain  large  audiences  daily  and  nightly,  at 
a  small  price,  and  since  the  advent  of  the  "moving  pictures"  Davenport  has  been 
well  supplied  with  place's,  whose  seats  are  generously  patronized  both  day  and 
night,  where  for  five  cents  a  half  hour's  entertainment  can  be  obtained. 


722  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  POST  OFFICE. 

On  April  19,  1836,  Antoine  LeClaire  became  the  first  postmaster  of  Daven- 
port, having  received  his  commission  on  that  day  from  Washington.  He  haa 
no  deputy,  nor  had  he  any  other  means  of  carrying  the  mail  but  on  his  own  proper 
person,  and  his  mail  bags  were  the  capacious  pockets  in  the  tail  of  his  coat.  Semi- 
occasionally  letters  would  arrive  in  Stephenson,  now  Rock  Island,  to  which  place 
he  would  go  and  receive  them.  His  first  quarter's  stipend  was  said  to  have  been 
the  munificent  sum  of  seventy-five  cents.  But  this  was  not  the  first  postoffice 
established  in  this  vicinity.  The  island  of  Rock  Island  is  given  that  distinction 
and  Colonel  George  Davenport  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  mails  there  in  1824. 
Previous  to  this,  during  the  occupancy  of  the  island  by  government  troops,  the 
mails  came  in  at  very  irregular  intervals,  by  military  manipulation,  once  a  year 
or  oftener,  as  supplies  or  reinforcements  were  sent  in.  When  Colonel  Daven- 
port was  appointed  the  nearest  office  was  at  the  little  town  of  Atlas,  on  the  Illi- 
nois river,  about  three  miles  from  its  mouth.  It  was  between  this  point  and  the 
island,  about  three  hundred  miles  distant,  that  the  mail  carriers,  either  on  foot 
or  on  horseback,  made  trips  once  a  month.  A  few  years  later  the  nearest  post- 
office  was  at  Clarksville,  Missouri,  245  miles  away ;  then  the  service  got  up  as  far 
as  Hannibal,  208  miles,  and  a  little  later  to  Quincy,  183  miles.  Between  the  island 
and  Quincy  the  mail  service  was  performed  by  Rev.  Peter  Williams,  a  Methodist 
minister.  A  local  writer  says  of  him:  "Meager  as  to  education,  but  chuck  full 
of  zeal,  he  faithfully  served  Uncle  Sam  and  his  Divine  Master  contemporane- 
ously delivering  his  mail  and  his  rousing  old  backwoods  Methodist  sermons  at  the 
same  time.  Despite  the  well-known  text  upon  the  subject,  he  did  serve  two  mas- 
*-^,rs,  and  did  it  well.  Parson  Peter's  loftiest  efforts  were  reserved  for  the  sinful 
<nen  of  sanguinary  war  who  peopled  Fort  Armstrong.  At  that  point,  of  a  Sun- 
day, in  his  plain,  ungrammatical  style,  did  the  venerable  old  man  thunder  forth 
the  gospel  with  most  earnest  vehemence.  He  was  a  Methodist,  with  the  bark  on, 
and  he  took  no  pains  to  conceal  it.  He  was  the  pioneer  Methodist  of  these  parts, 
probably  the  first  preacher  of  any  denomination  among  the  white  men  in  this 
vicinity." 

LATEST  YEARLY  STiVTEMENT. 

Yearly  statement,  ending  March  31,  1910:  Stamp  sales,  $175,430.75;  box 
rent,  $692.40;  newspaper  postage,  $9,491.51;  waste  paper,  $44.96;  total,  $185,- 
659.62;  year  1909.  $169,114.96;  gain  for  year,  $16,544.66. 

MAIL  FROM  THE  EAST. 

The  route  from  Quincy  to  the  island  was  suspended  in  1829  or  1830,  and  the 
island  mail  came  in  by  way  of  Chicago  and  Galena,  by  horseback  from  the  latter 
place  until  about  1835,  when  it  commenced  coming  by  vehicle  by  way  of  Dixon, 
and  it  kept  coming  by  that  route  until  the  advent  of  the  steam  horse.  In  1838 
there  were  several  mail  routes  into  this  vicinity,  bringing  mail  about  half  the 
days  of  the  week. 

Colonel  Davenport  was  in  possession  of  the  office  several  years  before  he 
was  properly  sworn  in.     Judge  Irwin,  of  the  United  States  supreme  court,  by 


COM]\IERCIAL  CLUB 


ELKS'  BUILDIXG.  DAVEXPOET 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  725 

chance  visited  the  island  and  administered  the  long-neglected  oath  of  office.  Mr. 
Davenport  was  postmaster  on  the  island  until  Novemher  25,  1834,  when  his 
charge  was  turned  over  to  Miles  Conway,  at  Farnhamsburg,  now  Rock  Island, 

In  December,  1836,  D.  C.  Eldridge  opened  a  store  in  a  little  log  house  down 
on  the  corner  of  Front  and  Ripley  streets,  and  Mr.  LeClaire  made  him  his  dep- 
uty, and  gave  him  charge  of  the  office.  The  duties  of  this  office  were  not  yet 
burdensome,  though  provisions  were  made  for  bringing  the  mail  over  in  a  mail 
bag.  Mr.  Eldridge  closed  out  his  store  in  a  year  or  two,  and  in  the  summer  of 
1838  built  a  little  one-story  brick  house  on  the  corner  of  Third  and  Main  streets, 
for  his  future  residence,  and  just  east  of  it,  upon  the  same  lot,  erected  the  little 
brick  office  for  a  postoffice.  It  was  not  much  of  a  building,  and  would  but 
poorly  accommodate  the  business  of  today.  But  it  was  quite  a  neat  little  affair, 
and  really  a  great  improvement  in  its  day.  There  was  plenty  of  room  for  the 
neat  little  array  of  boxes,  and  for  two  or  three  city  magnates  to  sit  and  talk 
awhile  with  the  agreeable  and  chatty  postmaster.  It  was  the  first  expressly  built 
postoffice  building  in  Davenport.  From  a  well-written  article  by  D.  N.  Richard- 
son, the  following  extract  is  taken :  "Mr.  Eldridge  ended  his  service  as  deputy 
in  February,  1838,  and  was  now  commander-in-chief  of  the  department,  receiv- 
ing his  commission  through  the  influence  of  General  George  W.  Jones,  of  Du- 
buque, then  delegate  in  congress  for  Wisconsin  territory.  Mr.  Eldridge  had 
formed  the  acquaintance  of  the  general  in  1835,  while  moving  into  this  country, 
and  afterward  met  him  at  Burlington,  in  1837,  while  the  Wisconsin  territorial 
legislature  was  there  in  session,  before  w^hich  body  he  was  a  candidate  for  fur- 
ther congressional  honors.  Mr.  Eldridge  was  a  whig  and  the  general  a  demo- 
crat, but  politics  didn't  amount  to  much  on  the  border  in  those  days,  and  if  it 
did  it  didn't  make  any  difference  in  this  case.  The  general  took  a  liking  to  Mr. 
Eldridge  and  got  him  the  position,  which  he  held,  with  but  a  single  recess,  for 
more  than  a  dozen  years.  The  postoffice  remained  in  the  little  brick  office  for 
nearly  two  years,  but  in  1840  was  removed  to  the  White  Hall  tavern,  but  then 
newly  erected  upon  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Democrat  building,  Mr.  Eldridge 
being  its  host.  The  postoffice  was  kept  in  the  bar-room  of  the  White  Hall  for 
a  little  more  than  a  year,  when  Mr.  Eldridge  retired  from  hotel-keeping  and 
established  a  handsome  and  spacious  reading  room  in  the  basement  of  the  Le- 
Claire House.  The  postoffice  was  removed  into  the  reading-room  and  there 
remained  until  1843,  when  a  little  frame  bakery  down  on  Main  street  was  fitted 
up  for  its  occupancy  and  the  reading-room  abandoned  to  other  less  literary  uses. 
Here  Mr.  Eldridge  kept  his  office  until  the  inauguration  of  James  K.  Polk  as 
president,  in  March,  1845,  soon  after  which  the  office  was  handed  over  to  John 
Forrest,  the  village  justice.  In  the  same  building  did  Squire  Forrest  hold  his 
court  and  handle  the  mail  during  the  entire  Polk  administration.  He  informs 
us  that  he  was  unfortunate  in  his  official  career,  in  that  about  the  time  he  entered 
upon  his  duty  the  rate  of  postage  was  reduced  from  twenty-five,  eighteen  and 
three-quarters,  and  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  letter  to  ten  and  five  cents,  which 
interference  on  the  part  of  the  government  in  favor  of  the  letter-writing  masses 
for  a  while  very  seriously  curtailed  his  percentage,  which  was  no  higher  under 
the  new  arrangement  than  under  the  old.  This  trouble  was  but  temporary,  how- 
ever, for  under  the  reduced  postage  system  the  mail  bags  became  much  more 


726  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

weighty  after  awhile,  and  the  receipts  got  to  be  quite  satisfactory  before  his 
office  term  had  expired.  He  remained  postmaster  until  the  summer  of  1849, 
when  General  Taylor,  having  assumed  the  presidential  chair,  executed  a  com- 
mission to  the  former  incumbent,  and  D.  C.  Eklridge  again  became  postmaster. 
Upon  taking  hold  of  the  ofifice  that  gentleman  removed  it  to  Second  street,  into 
a  new  brick  store  building.  He  had  bought  out  two  drug  stores  just  before,  one 
of  Dr.  John  F.,  now  Judge  Dillon,  and  another  of  Alfred  Sanders,  editor  of  the 
Gazette,  and  consolidated  the  pills  and  pestles  in  the  aforesaid  new  two-story 
brick.     So  the  drugs  and  mail  matter  were  both  dealt  out  over  the  same  counter. 

OUT   IN   THE   COUNTRY. 

"This  new  postoffice  location  made  trouble.  It  was  away  out  in  the  country, 
the  bulk  of  the  city  being  between  Main  and  Ripley  streets.  The  people  wanted 
very  much  to  know  what  the  mischief  he  was  carting  the  postoffice  away  up  to 
Princeton  for?  They  wanted  their  mail,  and  they  didn't  want  to  hunt  all  over 
the  prairies  for  it.  either !  Petitions  were  circulated,  numerously  signed,  and 
forwarded  to  Washington,  where  the  grievances  of  the  people  were  taken  under 
advisement.  The  department  called  on  Mr.  Eldridge  for  an  explanation  of  his 
sudden  movement  toward  the  lead  mines.  The  worthy  official  responded  by 
saying  that  he  had  sought  to  serve  the  interests  of  the  department  by  removing 
the  office  from  a  rickety  old  frame  to  a  substantial  brick,  and  the  entire  distance 
between  the  old  postoffice  and  the  new  was  but  about  500  feet  by  actual  tape-line 
measure,  and  he  believed  it  to  be  his  duty  to  keep  it  there.  So  the  government 
thought,  and  so  the  difficulty  ended. 

"The  office  remained  there.  In  November.  1852,  was  General  Frank  Pierce 
chosen  president.  Mr.  Eldridge  wanted  to  spend  the  winter  in  Cincinnati,  and 
concluded  to  give  up  the  office,  knowing  that  a  change  would  probably  be  made 
in  the  spring,  so  he  forwarded  his  resignation  in  favor  of  William  Van  Tuyl,  a 
well  known  democrat.  Mr.  Van  Tuyl  was  duly  appointed  postmaster  and  con- 
tinued the  office  in  the  same  place  until  the  following  spring,  when  the  Pierce  ad- 
ministration came  into  power,  and  assumed  the  reins  of  government.  While 
the  people  of  Davenport  had  no  reason  to  find  fault  with  the  manner  in  which 
Postmaster  Van  Tuyl  had  conducted  the  afifairs  of  his  office,  the  democrats  did 
object  to  the  manner  of  his  appointment.  There  were  other  aspirants  to  the 
position  in  the  field,  among  whom  were  A.  F.  Mast,  T.  D.  Eagal,  editor  of  the 
Democratic  Banner,  Richard  Shields  and  Gilbert  McKown,  who  with  their  back- 
ers vigorously  disputed  the  right  of  Mr.  Eldridge,  the  former  incumbent  and  a 
whig,  to  dictate  as  to  which  of  the  expectant  democracy  should  enjoy  the  spoils 
of  the  glorious  democratic  victory\  The  general  disquiet  culminated  in  an  ap- 
peal to  General  George  W.  Jones,  who,  not  wishing  to  take  the  postal  bull  by  the 
horns,  directed,  as  there  were  several  candidates  in  the  field,  the  choice  of  the 
democracy  be  indicated  by  ballot.  So  they  met  at  the  court-house  one  quiet 
spring  morning  and  voted — as  usual.  After  a  ballot  or  two  Mr.  Eagal  withdrew 
his  name  in  favor  of  Mr.  Mast,  who  was  the  fortunate  candidate.  His  name 
was  sent  forward  and  in  due  time  his  commission  arrived.     Mr.  Van  Tuyl,  be- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  727 

ing  of  the  opinion  that  his  position  would  be  sustained,  did  not  go  into  caucus, 
and  so  lost  his  office. 

A  BUILDING  PROVIDED. 

"Mr.  Mast  assumed  control  of  the  office  and  held  it  for  eight  years.  Its 
location  remained  on  Second  street,  near  Brady,  about  three  months,  during 
which  time  he  put  up  a  new  postoffice  building  on  the  corner  of  the  alley  on  Brady, 
below  Second  street,  which  room  becoming  too  small,  was  deserted  in  1855  ^^^ 
more  commodious  quarters  further  up  Brady  street.  When  Mr.  Mast  entered 
the  office,  Davenport  was  just  becoming  a  point  of  importance.  The  Chicago  & 
Rock  Island  railroad  was  approaching  completion;  seven  four-horse  mail  coach- 
es of  Frink  &  Walker's  line  left  this  place  daily  for  various  western  points.  The 
western  mail  arrived  by  way  of  Muscatine,  at  midnight,  and  about  the  office  on 
arrival  and  departure  of  the  mails  there  was  that  noise  and  bustle,  rattling  of 
coach  wheels,  prancing  of  horses,  cracking  of  whips,  and  slinging  of  mail  bags 
that  will  never  be  seen  again.  In  those  days,  and  until  1861,  the  postoffice  boxes, 
now  the  property  of  the  department,  belonged  to  the  postmaster,  together  with  all 
their  proceeds.  This  income,  together  with  the  usual  percentage  of  40  per  cent 
on  mail  matter,  amounted  to  about  $800  the  first  year;  increased  to  $3,300  in  1856 
and  1857,  and  then  under  pressure  of  the  panic  subsided  to  $2,000  a  year,  in  the 
later  part  of  his  official  term.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  months  at  the  be- 
ginning, Richard  Smetham  was  with  him  the  entire  term;  and  during  the  flush 
times  spoken  of,  three  clerks  were  employed.  The  opening  of  the  mails  on  Sun- 
day mornings  in  those  times  afforded  a  rare  sight,  the  'general  delivery'  patrons 
being  numerous  and  anxious.  Taking  place  in  line  as  they  arrived,  the  'rear 
sergeant'  generally  found  himself  well  nigh  out  of  sight  of  the  postoffice.  At 
that  time  the  Davenport  postoffice  was  only  one  of  three  postoffices  in  the  United 
States  that  had  a  surplus  over  expenses.  The  room,  which  was  originally  about 
fifty  feet  deep,  was  extended  some  thirty  feet  farther  back  by  tearing  away  the 
partition  and  taking  in  what  was  then  the  city  marshal's  office. 

TO  THIRD  AND  PERRY. 

'Tn  the  spring  of  1861,  President  Lincoln  having  been  inaugurated,  Charles 
H.  Eldridge,  having  distanced  all  competitors,  who  were  neither  few  nor  far 
between,  was  commissioned  to  take  the  office.  The  city  had  grown  during  Mr. 
Mast's  term  to  a  place  of  15.000  when  Mr.  Eldridge  went  into  the  office. 
The  war  broke  out  about  that  time  and  postal  matters  became  very  important. 
The  business  of  the  office  swelled  rapidly  again.  Mr.  Eldridge  remained  in  charge 
until  April  i,  1864,  when  his  recignation  was  accepted  and  Edward  Russell,  head 
clerk  in  the  office,  was  appointed  in  his  stead.  Again  the  office  was  found  to  be 
too  small  and  was  removed  to  its  present  location  (Third  and  Perry  streets), 
in  the  fall  of  1864. 

"President  Lincoln  was  assassinated  in  1865  and  Andrew  Johnson  reigned 
in  his  stead,  and  many  were  the  official  heads  that  tumbled  into  the  gutter  in 
those  days.  On  the  ist  of  December  in  that  year  General  Add.  H.  Sanders,  the 
eighth  postmaster  of  Davenport,  took  Mr.  Russell's  place.    Mr.  Russell  had  really 


728  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

been  removed  on  the  5th  of  October  preceding,  but  by  reason  of  a  sturdy  fight 
carried  on  by  Mr.  Price,  then  in  congress,  the  'taking  off'  was  delayed  until  De- 
cember. Mr.  Russell  retired  in  good  order  to  the  editorial  room  of  the  Gazette, 
of  which  paper  he  had  been  for  some  time  editor-in-chief,  and  among  quills,  ink, 
paste-pot  and  scissors^  bided  his  time  until  he  should  be  able  to  wring  the  official 
neck  of  his  official  enemy.  General  Grant  was  elected  president  in  1868,  and  in 
May,  1869,  the  coveted  hour  came  and  Mr.  Russell  assumed  control." 

Great  changes  have  taken  place  since  Antoine  LeClaire  and  his  successor, 
D.  C.  Eldridge,  brought  the  Davenport  mails  over  from  Stephenson  in  their  hats 
or  coat-tail  pockets.  Then  the  first  quarter's  salary  amounted  to  less  than  a  dol- 
lar; probably  less  than  fifty  letters  were  handled.  Now  they  come  in  daily  by 
the  thousand.  The  position  is  a  lucrative  one.  Then  for  several  years  the  post- 
master was  wont  to  deliver  letters  to  his  patrons  as  he  met  them  on  the  street; 
now  he  sends  forth  squads  of  men  in  uniform  to  scatter  the  heavy  mails  through- 
out the  city,  and  the  rural  delivery  wagons  go  out  each  morning  loaded  with  let- 
ters, the  daily  papers,  magazines,  and  other  mailable  matter  and  deposit  them 
at  the  farmers'  doors.  But  recently  the  crowd  assembled  at  mail  openings,  and 
the  people  who  called  at  the  postoffice  during  each  day  numbered  in  the  thou- 
sands. Now  under  the  free  delivery  system  it  has  dwindled  down  to  a  mere 
shadow  of  its  former  self.  Time  was  when  the  principal  number  of  letters  were 
mailed  at  twenty-five  cents,  prepayment  optional.  Now  you  may  write  four 
pages  and  send  it  for  two  cents,  or  order  $10,000  worth  of  goods  on 
a  postal  card.  But  a  few  years  ago  sending  money  by  mail  was  extra  hazardous ; 
now  by  systems  of  registration  and  postal  orders  you  may  transmit  all  you  are 
worth  in  a  short  time  and  with  perfect  safety.  Mail  coming  is  no  longer  anxiously 
looked  for;  it  is  coming  all  the  time,  morning,  noon  and  night.  We  are  told 
that  time  was  when  it  was  a  great  financial  question  how  to  take  out  a  twenty- 
five  cent  letter.  Money  was  painfully  scarce,  and  often  the  postmaster  delivered 
them  on  credit,  taking  pay  in  farm  and  garden  produce,  day's  work  and  barter 
generally. 

THE  PRESENT   POSTOFFICE. 

The  present  postoffice  building  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Perry  and  Fourth 
streets,  and  is  constructed  of  red  sandstone  and  the  architectural  design  is  quite 
pleasing.  At  present  the  basement  and  first  floor  are  devoted  to  the  handling  of 
mail  matter  and  is  the  post  office  proper,  while  the  second  story  is  used  by  the 
government  for  its  various  offices  here.  The  business  of  the  office  has  increased 
to  that  extent  that  the  building  has  been  found  altogether  inadequate  and  not 
properly  arranged  to  facilitate  the  receiving  and  distributing  of  the  mails,  and 
the  other  uses  for  which  it  is  required.  To  obviate  this  difficulty  an  appropria- 
tion was  made  by  congress  of  $70,000  for  the  enlargement  of  the  building  and  as 
this  work  goes  to  press  the  addition  to  the  main  building  and  the  alterations  neces- 
sary to  harmonize  with  the  general  plan  are  well  under  way.  The  original  cost 
of  the  post  office  was  $135,000. 

Davenport  has  been  a  postal  point  seventy-three  years,  and  has  had  but  thir- 
teen postmasters  in  all  that  time :  Antoine  LeClaire,  D.  C.  Eldridge,  John  For- 


ST.  LUKE'S  HOSPITAL.  DAVKM'ni; 


MERCY  HOSPITAL 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  731 

rest,  William  Van  Tuyl,  A.  F.  Mast,  C.  H.  Eldridge,  Add.  H.  Sanders,  and  Edward 
Russell;  also  J.  M.  DeArmand,  who  served  from  1884  until  1888;  Colonel  H. 
Egbert,  1888-92;  Fred  Lischer,  1892-97;  George  Metzger,  1897-1903;  and  Cap- 
tain Lon  Bryson,  the  present  incumbent  of  the  office,  who  was  appointed  in  1903. 

MERCY   HOSPITAL. 

Mercy  hospital  was  opened  December  8,  1868,  under  an  agreement  between 
the  Sisters  of  Mercy  and  the  county,  whereby  the  county  obligated  itself  to  fur- 
nish the  hospital  $2,000  for  five  years,  without  interest,  this  money  to  be  used 
toward  fitting  up  a  building  then  owned  by  the  Sisters.  ■  Ten  insane  paupers 
then  devolved  upon  the  incipient  institution  for  its  care,  and  a  general  hospital 
ward  was  prepared  for  other  patients.  Since  that  time  the  hospital  has  grown 
until  today  it  has  a  main  building  devoted  to  its  uses  probably  larger  than  any 
other  in  the  state  conducted  under  semi-private  auspices.  St.  John's  asylum,  a 
monument  to  Bishop  McMullen,  who  was  one  of  the  chief  supporters  of  the  in- 
situation  in  its  infancy,  is  four  stories  in  height  and  can  easily  shelter  over  200 
patients.  Here  most  of  Scott  county's  insane  are  taken  care  of,  the  expense  of 
which  is  borne  by  the  public.  The  main  hospital  building  is  four  stories  in 
height  and  is  60  by  150  feet. 

ST.  Luke's  hospital. 

St.  Luke's  hospital  was  established  in  1894  and  occupies  a  commanding  posi- 
tion on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Eighth  streets.  It  was  founded  through  the 
efforts  of  Davenport  physicians  and  officials  of  the  Episcopal  diocese,  and  was 
first  established  in  the  old  Newcomb  home.  It  has  since  been  enlarged  and  faces 
on  Eighth  street.  It  has  prospered  in  every  way  and  is  now  one  of  the  impor- 
tant institutions  of  the  city. 

the   CLARISSA   C.   COOK   HOME   FOR  THE   FRIENDLESS. 

This  institution  is  located  on  the  corner  of  Pine  and  Bowditch  streets  and 
was  established  under  the  will  of  Mrs.  Clarissa  C.  Cook,  of  Davenport,  who  died 
in  February,  1879.  In  her  will  Mrs.  Cook  left  $50,000  for  the  purpose  of  found- 
ing a  home  for  the  friendless  where  destitute  and  indigent  women  might  find  a 
safe  refuge.  Under  the  will  Mrs.  Cook  gave  the  above  sum  of  money  to  John 
F.  Dillon,  Edward  E.  Cook,  Daniel  B.  Shelley  and  Ira  Cook  as  trustees  of  the 
fund,  and  providing  that  they  reside  in  the  city  of  Davenport  and  county  of  Scott, 
and  become  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  state  of  Iowa,  the  object  and 
purpose  of  said  corporation  being  to  provide  a  home  for  destitute  and  indigent 
females  under  the  name  and  style  of  Clarissa  C.  Cook  Home  for  the  Friendless. 
With  this  sum  of  money  was  also  bequeathed  fifteen  acres  of  land  lying  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  city,  which  was  devised  for  the  same  purpose  and  upon  which 
the  home  was  directed  to  be  built.  Under  another  provision  of  the  will  $65,000 
more  were  added  to  the  resources  of  the  proposed  home.  The  provisions  of  the 
bequest  were  carried  out  to  the  letter  by  the  trustees,  who  had  accepted  the  trust 


732  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

imposed.  On  June  14,  1880,  the  trustees  and  Mrs.  Agnes  French.  Miss  Harriet 
Rogers,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Wing  and  Mrs.  Clara  B.  Bills,  selected  by  the  trustees, 
formed  a  corporation  as  directed.  These  with  F.  H.  Griggs  as  treasurer  and 
ex-officio  manager,  formed  the  board  of  managers.  The  first  officers  were  Mrs. 
Mary  E.  Wing,  president ;  Miss  Harriet  Rogers,  vice  president ;  D.  B.  Shelley, 
secretary  and  F.  H.  Griggs,  treasurer. 

THE   N.    FEJERVARY    HOME    FOR   AGED   AND    HOMELESS    MEN. 

In  1892  this  retreat  for  aged  and  homeless  men  was  opened  for  the  worthy 
who  might  seek  its  protection.  It  was  the  gift  of  Nicholas  Fejervary,  a  Hunga- 
rian by  birth,  who  had  been  connected  with  the  Cook  Home  as  trustee  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  Mr.  Fejervary  was  a  man  of  large  wealth  and  was  imbued  with 
the  spirit  of  the  liberal  giver.  The  home  is  located  in  the  northeast  part  of  the 
city  on  Grand  avenue. 

THE   INDUSTRIAL   HOME. 

It  was  October  i,  1892.  that  the  commodious  and  well  located  home  of  the 
Ladies'  Industrial  Relief  society  was  opened,  although  the  society  had  been  in 
existence  for  six  years  previously.  The  building  of  this  attractive  two-story 
brick  building  was  made  possible  by  the  liberality  of  Davenport  citizens,  notably 
the  philanthropic  Nicholas  Kuhnen  whose  bequest  formed  a  large  part  of  the 
fund.  The  Ladies'  Industrial  Relief  society  was  the  successor  of  similar  organ- 
izations maintained  in  the  spirit  of  relief  to  the  deserving  poor,  enabling  them  to 
help  themselves  through  the  help  extended.  The  first  organization  of  the  sort 
was  the  Ladies'  Benevolent  society  of  1849.  During  the  war  of  the  Rebellion 
this  work  was  done  under  the  name  of  the  Soldiers'  Relief  association  whose 
work  was  also  local.  In  1869  the  Ladies'  Christian  association  formed  the  next 
link  in  the  chain.  It  was  an  auxiliary  to  the  work  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
association.  This  was  succeeded  by  the  present  organization.  While  the  names 
have  been  different  the  spirit  and  work  of  the  societies  have  been  the  same,  not 
only  the  relief  afforded  by  gifts  but  a  training  in  thrift  and  an  influence  to  self- 
support.  To  name  those  who  have  given  years  of  thought  and  work  to  this  line 
of  sisterly  helpfulness  would  be  to  fill  pages  of  this  book  with  names  of  hun- 
dreds of  the  finest  women  that  Davenport  has  boasted  for  sixty  years.  In  this 
home  of  the  Ladies'  Industrial  Relief  the  poor  woman  can  do  her  washing  with 
appliances,  soap,  hot  water,  everything  necessary,  free  of  cost.  Here  her  chil- 
dren will  be  cared  for  out  of  school  hours,  and  those  too  young  to  go  to  school, 
all  day,  while  she  goes  out  to  work.  Here  relief  in  the  way  of  clothing  is  con- 
stantly ready.  The  sending  out  of  hundreds  of  Christmas  dinners  collected  by 
the  children  of  the  city  schools  is  an  annual  feature.  Until  sewing  was  intro- 
duced into  the  public  schools  a  sewing  school  was  maintained  during  the  winter 
where  girls  were  taught  to  make  their  own  clothing,  retaining  the  garments  they 
fabricated. 

At  present  there  is  an  evening  class  in  cooking  to  which  are  admitted  young 
married  women  and  younger  girls  upon  whom  have  devolved  the  mother's  duties 


FEJERVARY  HOME  FOR  OLD  MEN 


BISHOP  DAVIS'  RESIDENCE.  KIRKWOOD    BOULEVARD    AXD    BRADY    STREET 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  735 

in  the  household.  An  employment  branch  to  supply  housekeepers  with  helpers  has 
grown  into  great  popularity  and  is  steadily  diminishing  the  number  of  applications 
for  aid. 

In  the  years  of  its  life  this  society  has  done  a  vast  amount  of  good ;  all  honor 
to  those  generous  people  who  have  given  to  it  so  freely  of  their  means,  their  time 
and  their  sympathies. 

THE    people's    union    MISSION. 

In  1895  Rev.  Edward  D.  Lee,  or  as  Davenport  people  seem  to  prefer  to  call 
him  Ned  Lee,  came  to  this  city  and  opened  a  mission  at  207  West  Second  street. 
The  name  which  sticks  to  a  man  usually  indicates  his  character  and  Ned  Lee  is 
like  his  name,  plain,  unostentatious,  useful.  His  work  in  rented  rooms  attracted 
attention  and  support  and  April  24,  1903,  a  two-story  building,  313  East  Second 
street,  was  opened.  Here  are  all  facilities  for  mission  work,  an  auditorium  for 
meetings  and  entertainments,  a  large  upper  room  for  gymnasium,  Sunday  school, 
sewing  school,  suppers,  a  smaller  upper  room  for  the  kindergarten  and  a  meet- 
ing place  for  the  Mothers'  Mutual  Benefit  association.  Here  are  held  great  sup- 
pers and  dinners  for  the  poorer  people  of  the  city.  From  here  start  summer  picnics 
and  outings.  Here  relief  in  clothing,  lodgings  and  meals  is  dispensed.  The  Mis- 
sion is  generously  maintained  by  the  citizens  and  for  its  welfare  they  work 
shoulder  to  shoulder,  people  of  all  shades  of  religious  belief  and  those  of  none. 
The  Mission  deserves  well  of  generous  people  and  its  claims  are  cheerfully  rec- 
ognized.    An  endowment  fund  is  growing  slowly  through  bequests. 

ST.  Vincent's  orphans'  home. 

The  above  is  a  Catholic  strong  arm  of  help,  support  and  training  for  orphan 
children  of  this  diocese,  and  is  conducted  under  the  auspices  of  the  Sisters  of 
Humility  of  Mary.  The  home  is  located  on  North  Gaines  street  and  just  within 
the  city  limits,  upon  a  large  and  valuable  tract  of  land. 

fraternal  orders  and  other  societies  of  davenport. 

Owing  to  the  difficulty  of  collecting  the  data  of  the  various  fraternities  and 
societies  of  Davenport,  and  the  large  number  of  them  that  are  in  the  city,  no 
attempt  has  been  made  to  write  an  extended  chapter  for  this  work.  However,  a 
list  of  them  is  given  below : 

Masonic  (these  bodies  all  meet  in  the  Masonic  temple)  :  Davenport  Chap- 
ter, No.  16,  R.  A.  M. ;  Davenport  Chapter,  No.  178,  O.  E.  S. ;  Davenport  Lodge, 
No.  37;  Fraternal  Lodge,  No.  221 ;  Mohassan  Grotto;  Kaaba  Temple;  St.  Simon 
of  Gyrene  Commandery,  No.  9,  K.  T. ;  Trinity  Lodge,  No.  208. 

Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite:  Adoniram  Lodge  of  Perfection; 
St.  John's  Chapter  of  Rose  Croix,  No.  4;  Coeur  De  Leon  Council  of  Kadosh 
Zarepath  Consistory ;  Masonic  Boar'd  of  Relief. 

Ancient  Order  of  Hibernians,  Division  No.  i. 


736  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen:  Evening  Star  Lodge,  No.  231; 
Germania  Lodge,  No.  5 ;  Lessing  Lodge,  No.  74 ;  Teutonia  Lodge,  No.  294. 

Druids:  Teutonia  Grove,  No.  9.     (This  is  a  German  organization.) 

Fraternal  Aid  Association  :  Davenport  Council,  No.  703. 

Fraternal  Bankers'  Reserves,  No.  96. 

Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles:  Davenport  Aerie,  No.  235. 

Harugari  :  Herman  Lodge,  No.  489 ;  Treue  Brueder  Lodge,  No.  663 ;  Treue 
Sch wester  Lodge,  No.  130. 

Hebrew:  Davenport  Lodge,  No.   174. 

Highland  Nobles:  Castle,  No.  92. 

Home  Guards  of  the  World:  Davenport  Lodge,  No.  i. 

Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows:  Davenport  Lodge,  No.  7;  Canton 
Davenport,  No.  40;  Scott  Zedoka  Lodge  of  Rebecca,  No.  281;  Scott  Lodge, 
No.  37  (German)  ;  Herman  Encampment,  No.  82  (German)  ;  State  Encampment, 
No.  3;  Prosperity  Lodge,  No.  704. 

Iowa  Workmen  of  Iowa:  Lessing  Lodge,  No.  74. 

Knights  of  Pythias:  Coeur  De  Leon  Lodge,  No.  80;  Columbian  Lodge, 
No.  333 ;  Davenport  Lodge,  No.  50 ;  Damon  Lodge,  No.  10 ;  Garfield  Company, 
No.  2;  Uniformed  Rank;  Pythian  Sisters,  Phoenix  Temple,  No.  21. 

Knights  and  Ladies  of  Golden  Precept:  Davenport  Lodge,  No.  44; 
Ladies'  Working  Society. 

Knights  and  Ladies  of  Honor:  Eureka  Lodge,  No.  751   (German). 

Knights  of  Columbus:  Loras  Council,  No.  532. 

Knights  of  Father  Matthew  :  St,  Mary's  Council,  No.  80. 

Royal  Neighbors:  Alberta  Camp,  No.  505;  Cedar  Branch  Camp,  No.  122; 
Forrest  Camp,  No.  2149;  Golden  Rod  Social  Club. 

Modern  Brotherhood  of  America:  Davenport  Lodge,  No.  219;  Lafayette 
Lodge,  No.  102 1. 

Mystic  Toilers:  Davenport  Council,  No.  70. 

Order  of  Sons  of  Herman  :  Davenport  Lodge,  No.  i ;  Eintracht  Lodge, 
No.  3. 

Schleswig-Holstein  Veterans  of  1848-9-50. 

United  Spanish  War  Veterans. 

Royal  Reserves  Society:  Davenport  Lodge,  No.  8;  Royal  Aid,  No.  i. 

Supreme  Court  of  Honor  :  Supernal  Court,  No.  359. 

Tribe  of  Ben  Hur:  Frank  L.  Snyder  Tribe,  No.  71;  Terza  Society,  No.  i. 

Union  Veterans  Union. 

United  Travelers,  No.  310. 

Woodmen  of  the  World:  Carnival  Camp,  No.  i,  of  Iowa;  Carnival  Grove 
Camp,  No.  12;  Fidelity  Camp,  No.  347;  Riverside  Camp,  No.  150;  Olive  Branch, 
No.  86. 

Women's  Order  of  Catholic  Foresters:  Sacred  Heart  Court,  No.  315. 

American  Patriots,  Council  No.  42;  Council  No.  42;  Council  No.  44,  Ladies' 
Working  Society. 

Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  Davenport  Lodge,  No.  238. 

Fraternal  Union  of  America,  Davenport  Lodge,  No.  428. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  737 

Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  August  Wentz  Post,  No.  i ;  General  Geddes 
Circle,  No.  24  (Ladies)  Woman's  Relief  Corps,  No.  34. 

Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  Multnomah  Tribe,  No.  134;  Tecumseh  Tribe, 
No.  32. 

Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  Catholic  Order  of  Foresters,  No.  1350;  Tri- 
City  Court,  No.  1609. 

Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security. 

Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  Davenport  Hive,  No.  8 ;  Hennepin  Hive,  No.  7 ; 
Hennepin  Tent,  No.  ']2i ',  Success  Hive,  No.  720. 

Legion  of  Honor. 

Loyal  Order  of  Moose,  Davenport  Lodge,  No.  28. 

Order  of  Owls,  Nest  No.  52. 

Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Cedar  Camp,  No.  o.'j ;  Mapledale  Camp,  No. 

393- 

Mystic  Workers  of  the  World. 

Royal  Arcanum,  Windom  Council,  No.  80. 

colored  fraternal  orders. 

Masonic:  Hiram  Lodge,  No.  19;  Naomi  Chapter,  No.  2^,  O.  E.  S.,  St. 
Mary's  Court,  No.  11. 

Order  of  Odd  Fellows:  Eureka  Lodge,  No.  3899;  Morning  Glory  Lodge, 
Household  of  Ruth,  No.  1016. 

other  societies. 

Deutscher  Krieger  Verein;  Davenport  Rummelpott  Club;  Germania  Sick 
Relief  Association;  German  Beneficial  Union;  East  Davenport  Sick  Relief  So- 
ciety; Einigkeits  Club;  Harmony  Sick  Relief  Society;  Ladies'  Industrial  Relief 
Society;  Knights  of  Thor  (Skandinavian)  ;  Teutonia  Sick  Relief  Society;  North- 
west Davenport  Relief  Society;  Davenport  Lodge,  No.  i,  O.  D.  H.  S. ;  Claus 
Groth  Gilde;  Benevolent  Association  of  the  Paid  Fire  Department  of  Daven- 
port; Arbeiter  Kranken  Und  Sterbekasse;  Black  Hawk  Sick  Relief  Society; 
Danish  Sister  Lodge,  No.  3 ;  Columbia  Sick  Relief  Society. 

Babies'  Friendly  Society,  Davenport  Knights'  and  Ladies'  Sick  Relief  So- 
ciety. Industrial  Home  Association. 

LABOR  organizations. 

Davenport  Trades  &  Labor  Assembly;  Davenport  Association  of  Stationary 
Engineers,  No.  7 ;  International  Association  of  Machinists,  Tri-City  Lodge,  No. 
388;  Iron  Molders  Union  of  North  America,  No.  118;  Electrical  Workers 
Local,  No.  109;  International  Alliance  of  Theatrical  Stage  Employes,  Tri-City 
Local,  No.  85 ;  Journeymen  Plasterers  Union,  No.  28 ;  Journeymen  Tailors  Un- 
ion, No.  300 ;  Lathers  Union,  No.  146 ;  National  Horseshoers  Protective  Associa- 
tion of  Davenport,  Iowa,  No.  40;  Journeymen  Barbers  International  Union  of 
America,  No.  116;  Sheet  Metal  Workers  Union,  No.  299;  Painters  &  Decorators' 


738  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Union,  No.  199;  Stonemasons  Union;  Plumbers  Local,  No.  387;  Tri-City  Labor 
Congress ;  Teamsters'  Union,  No.  563 ;  Retail  Clerks  Association ;  Tri-City  Brick- 
layers International  Union  of  Illinois  and  Iowa,  No.  7;  United  Brotherhood 
of  Leather  Workers  in  Horse  Goods  Branch,  No.  11;  Tri-City  Typographical 
Union,  No.  107;  Women's  Union  Label  League  Local,  No.  205;  Tri-City  Musi- 
cal Society  Local,  No.  67,  A.  F.  of  M. ;  Association  of  Master  Plumbers. 

Amalgamated  Association  of  Street  Railway  Employees  of  America,  No. 
312;  Amalgamated  Glass  Workers,  International  Association  of  America,  No.  2"^ ; 
Bakers'  Union,  Local  No.  36;  Bakers'  Union;  Beer  Bottlers  and  General  Laborers, 
No.  365 ;  Boilermakers'  Union ;  Brewers'  Union,  No.  98 ;  Brotherhood  of  Boiler- 
makers' Helpers,  Division  No.  214;  Brotherhood  of  Railway  Carmen,  Davenport 
Lodge,  No.  273;  Butchers'  Union ;  Carpenters'  Union,  No.  1664;  Carpenters' 
Union,  No.  1272;  Carpenters'  and  Joiners'  Union  of  America,  No.  554;  Cigar- 
makers'  Union.  No.  172;  Coopers'  Union,  No.  130;  Grocery  Clerks'  Union;  Inter- 
national Association  of  Machinists;  Women's  Trades  Union  Council. 

CLUBS,    debating   SOCIETIES,   AND  OTHERS. 

Cumberland  Gun  Club;  Danish  Brotherhood  Socijety;  Davenport  Commer- 
cial Club;  Davenport  Academy  of  Sciences;  Davenport  Visiting  Nurses'  Asso- 
ciation ;  Davenport  Shooting  Association ;  Davenport  Cremation  Society ;  Daven- 
port Maennerchor;  Davenport  Turngemeinde ;  East  Davenport  Turner  Society; 
Freie  Brueder  Gemeinde;  Excelsior  Rifle  Club;  Germania  Chor  A.  O.  U.  W. 
of  Iowa ;  Germania  Kranken  Unterstuetzungs  Club ;  Hibernia  Hall  Association ; 
Irrawadi  Canoe  Club ;  Gesang  Verein  Vorwaerts ;  Grocers  Retail  Protective  As- 
sociation; Ideal  Club;  Iowa  &  Illinois  District  Medical  Association;  Ladies' 
Auxiliary  of  the  Davenport  Turner  Society;  Lend-a-Hand  Club;  Ladies'  Har- 
monic Society  ;  Master  Butchers  Association ;  Master  Builders  Association ;  Mas- 
ter Horseshoers  Association;  Masonic  Temple  Association;  National  Associa- 
tion of  Letter  Carriers,  Branch  No.  506;  Northwest  Davenport  Turner  Society; 
Peerless  Club;  Robert  Burns  Club;  Piatt  Deutcher  Unnerhohlungs  Club;  Scott 
County  Humane  Society;  Women's  Catholic  Mutual  Protective  Society;  St. 
Ambrose  Literary  &  Debating  Society;  Scott  County  Medical  Society;  Teutonia 
Singing  Society;  Thalia  Verein;  The  Old  Veteran  Kampfgenossen  of  1870-71; 
Travelers  Protective  Association;  United  Commercial  Travelers;  Triangle  Clini- 
cal Club;  Turner  Singing  Section;  Tri-City  Musical  Society,  Local  No.  dj; 
Veteran  Volunteer  Firemen's  Association ;  West  Davenport  Gesselichkeits  Club ; 
The  Vorwaerts  Singing  Society;  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union;  West 
Davenport  Maenerchor, 

Alumnae  Association  of  St.  Luke's  Hospital;  Association  of  Master 
Plumbers ;  Davenport  Boat  Club ;  Davenport  Dairymen's  Protective  Association ; 
Fairmount  Cemetery  Association ;  Germania  Frauenbund ;  Harugari  Frauenbund  ; 
Home  Builders'  Loan  and  Savings  Association  of  Davenport ;  Mercy  Hospital  Med- 
ical Board ;  Roman  Catholic  Mutual  Protective  Society ;  Scott  County  Soldiers' 
Monument  Association  ;  Skat  Club  ;  Socialist  Party,  German  Branch  ;  Outing  Club ; 
LTnited  National  Association  of  Post  Office  Clerks. 


:\rAsoxic  TE:^nM.E.  davexport 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  739 

WOMEX  OF  DAVENPORT  AND  THEIR  CLUBS. 

Sunday.  November  25,  1905,  the  Daily  Times  issued  a  souvenir  number  of  its 
paper,  in  which  a  large  part  of  the  history  of  Davenport  was  given  its  readers, 
together  with  many  illustrations  that  added  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  pub- 
lisher's most  laudable  undertaking,  which  was  uniquely  named  "Watch  the  Tri- 
Cities  Grow."  In  this  well  and  carefully  prepared  issue  of  the  Times  a  list  of 
clubs  organized  and  controlled  by  the  women  of  Davenport  was  published  and 
the  same  Hst  is  here  reproduced : 

DAVENPORT  D.  A.  R. 

In  the  matter  of  prestige  and  numbers  the  local  chapters  of  the  Daughters 
of  the  American  Revolution  take  the  lead  of  women's  organizations  of  the  three 
cities.  The  Davenport  society,  known  as  the  Hannah  Caldwell  chapter,  was 
named  for  Hannah  Ogden  Caldwell,  one  of  the  two  women  martyrs  to  British 
bullets  during  the  revolution  and  of  whom  the  late  Mrs.  Mary  Louise  Duncan 
Putnam,  of  Davenport,  a  charter  member  of  the  national  society  of  the  D.  A.  R.. 
was  a  lineal  descendant.  The  Davenport  chapter  was  organized  in  1896  and  is 
composed  of  many  of  the  city's  representative  women.  Mrs.  Maria  Purdy  Peck 
of  Davenport,  one  of  its  charter  members,  served  for  two  years  as  state  regent 
for  Iowa  of  the  D.  A.  R.  and  refused  to  consider  the  office  of  vice  president  gen- 
eral when  her  name  was  brought  up  before  the  national  conference.  Meetings 
are  held  once  each  month  at  the  homes  of  the  members  from  October  to  June 
inclusive.  The  early  history  of  our  country  is  studied  faithfully  and  the  chapter 
works  continually  for  the  preservation  and  promotion  of  the  general  spirit  of 
patriotism. 

IOWA   SOCIETY  OF   COLONIAL  DAMES. 

The  origin  of  the  Iowa  Society  of  Colonial  Dames  belongs  to  Davenport  for 
it  was  here  on  April  18,  1896,  that  a  coterie  of  prominent  w^omen  eligible  to  the 
order  met  at  the  calj  of  Mrs.  William  S.  Perry,  the  wife  of  Bishop  Perry,  and 
organized  the  Iowa  Dames.  The  first  meeting,  when  the  society  was  formally 
launched,  was  held  with  Mrs.  Perr>^  at  the  Episcopal  residence  on  Eleventh 
and  Brady  streets  and  it  was  attended  by  about  fifteen  or  sixteen  prominent 
women  of  the  city.  ]\Irs.  Perry  was  chosen  first  president  of  the  new  organiza- 
tion. On  July  I.  1896.  the  society  was  incorporated.  Today  there  are  about 
seventy  members  of  the  Colonial  Dames  scattered  all  over  the  state.  Eligibility 
to  the  society  is  only  by  direct  lineal  descent  from  some  person  of  high  official 
rank  (above  captain)  in  the  colonial  army  or  of  the  government  prior  to  1776. 
This  limits  the  membership  of  the  national  society  to  a  comparatively  small  num- 
ber in  which  the  Iowa  branch  makes  a  good  showing.  Miss  Alice  French  of 
Davenport,  known  in  the  world  of  letters  as  Octave  Thanet.  was  president  of  the 
Iowa  order  for  several  years.  The  Colonial  Dames  of  Iowa  meet  about  three 
or  four  times  a  year,  the  annual  session  being  held  in  May.  Its  chief  work  has 
been  promoting  the  study  of  state  history  by  the  offer  each  year  of  a  fifty  dollar 
prize  Tor  the  best  essays  on  Iowa  historical  events.  These  essay  contests  which 
are  open  to  pupils  of  the  high  schools  and  some  of  the  colleges  are  each  year  en- 


740  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

tered  into  with  spirit  and  have  proved  themselves  incentives  to  the  young  people 
for  much  historical  study  and  research.  The  Iowa  society  has  also  contributed 
much  in  the  way  of  funds  to  the  philanthropic  work  of  the  national  order,  among 
which  was  the  fitting  up  of  a  hospital  ship  during  the  Spanish  American  war. 
The  work  of  general  preservation  of  historical  spots  of  the  country  is  also  a  fea- 
ture of  its  work.  By  special  permission  from  the  Illinois  society  several  Rock 
Island  women  are  members  of  the  Iowa  society  of  Colonial  Dames. 

THE   CLIONIAN    CLUB. 

Davenport  enjoys  the  distinction  of  having  had  the  first  formally  organized 
woman's  club  in  the  state  of  Iowa.  This  was  the  Clionian  club,  founded  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1874,  and  from  which  sprung  the  Clionian  club  of  today.  The  old  Clionian 
club,  named  for  Clio,  the  muse  of  history,  was  founded  by  Mrs.  Maria  Purdy 
Peck,  assisted  by  Mrs.  H.  M.  Martin,  the  latter  now  deceased,  who  invited  a 
coterie  of  ladies  to  meet  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  study  club,  and  thus  was 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  present  day  club  system  here.  The  old  Clionian  club 
flourished  for  ten  years  and  finally  adjourned.  In  1899  it  was  formally  reorgan- 
ized by  charter  members  of  the  old  club  and  a  sister  organization  of  about  the 
same  time,  knowm  as  the  Bric-a-Brac  club.  Mrs.  Peck  was  chosen  to  be  the  first 
president  of  the  Clionian.  The  Clionian  club  is  original  in  its  line  of  study, 
following  no  set  program  and  issuing  no  year  book.  The  general  study,  independent 
of  fixed  outline,  is  determined  by  world  events  of  interest  that  call  forth  re- 
search along  historical  lines.  A  few  general  topics  are  chosen  at  the  beginning  of  a 
season  and  current  events  relied  upon  to  furnish  live  ideas  for  study  and  discussion. 
The  Clionian  is  foremost  among  the  study  clubs  of  the  tri-cities  by  its  earnest,  in- 
telligent study  of  vital  topics  of  the  hour. 

THE    PARLIAMENTARY    CLUB. 

The  origin  of  the  Parliamentary  Law  club  of  Davenport  dates  back  eight 
years  when  an  impetus  was  given  students  of  the  subject  by  Madame  Urquhart 
Lee,  lately  of  Leland  Stanford  university  of  California,  who  came  here  to  de- 
liver a  series  of  lectures  on  the  topic  before  a  circle  of  local  club  women.  It  was 
not,  however,  until  three  years  later  that  a  group  of  the  women  interested  formed 
a  morning  club  and  resolved  to  meet  fortnightly  to  continue  their  studies  in  that  line. 
Earnestly  and  thoroughly  has  the  study  been  pursued  until  its  members  today  are 
considered  splendid  parliamentarians.  The  meetings  have  been  resumed  with 
vigor  and  practical  work  in  parliamentary  science  is  done  at  each  session. 

THE    LEND-A-HAND    CLUB. 

The  Lend-a-Hand  club  of  Davenport,  organized  by  the  King's  Daughters  in 
1887,  incorporated  in  1888,  has  done  excellent  service  in  behalf  of  the  working 
girls  and  women  of  the  city  during  these  eighteen  years.  Its  purpose  is  to 
be  helpful  in  whatever  direction  girls  need  friendly  counsel  and  protection.  It 
provides  social  recreation  and  instruction  privately  or  in  classes  and  by  an  an- 


IXX  AT  FEJERVARY  PARK 


OUTIXG  CLUB  iMs 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  743 

nual  course  of  lectures.  It  encourages  among  girls  a  high  standard  of  service  and 
character  and  helps  its  members  to  attain  skill  and  ability  in  whatever  line  of 
work  they  may  be  engaged.  It  stimulates  an  interest  in  every  kind  of  woman's 
work  and  a  spirit  of  mutual  helpfulness  among  all  women  workers.  It  has  no 
class  distinctions,  no  religious  test  of  membership,  all  meet  on  common  ground 
for  the  common  good.  The  club  occupies  the  entire  second  and  third  floors  of  the 
brick  block  at  323  West  Second  street,  where  the  Noon  Rest  serves  dinner  from 
II  130  a.  m.  to  2  :oo  p.  m.  The  business  affairs  of  the  club  are  under  the  management 
of  a  board  of  directors,  in  which  the  seven  circles  of  the  King's  Daughters  in  the 
city  are  represented  by  their  leaders.  A  loan  fund,  without  interest,  guards 
members  against  financial  difficulties  and  an  educational  fund  helps  girls  strug- 
gling for  an  education.  Ten  nationalities,  twenty  churches.  Catholic  and  Protes- 
tant, and  twenty-five  occupations  are  represented  in  the  membership. 

THE   TUESDAY    CLUB. 

The  Tuesday  club  is  one  of  the  leading  and  influential  women's  clubs  of  the 
three  cities.  Its  organization  dates  from  1892  when  thirty  of  Davenport's  promi- 
nent women,  realizing  the  value  of  a  purely  study  club,  became  its  founders.  In 
its  quest  for  knowledge  the  organization  has  come  to  base  its  researches  along 
systematic  lines.  From  topics  of  minor  importance  it  has  gradually  broadened 
its  work  to  that  of  higher  thought,  sociological  questions  and  even  municipal 
problems.  Several  years  have  been  spent  in  the  study  of  "Arts  and  Crafts,"  but 
later  the  Tuesday  club  took  up  a  new  departure,  that  of  "The  Economic  Ener- 
gies of  Our  Government."  This  includes  a  study  of  the  scope  of  the  national 
departments  of  agriculture  and  that  of  commerce  and  labor,  model  tenement  houses, 
the  Panama  canal,  corporation  ownership  vs.  government  control  of  railways, 
river  and  harbor  commission,  our  colonies,  department  of  the  interior  with  the 
educational  bureau  and  of  the  work  of  the  commission  of  Indian  affairs. 

DAVENPORT    KINDERGARTEN    ASSOCIATION. 

This  is  the  sixth  year  of  the  existence  of  the  study  department  of  the  Davenport 
Kindergarten  association  and  all  interested  are  always  welcome  at  the  fornightly 
meeings  held  at  the  homes  of  the  members.  The  work  of  this  club  has  been  to 
keep  in  touch  with  the  progressive  thought  along  educational  Hnes  as  they  effect 
the  home,  the  school  and  the  industrial  world ;  to  strive  for  the  understanding 
of  the  kindergarten  principles  in  their  application  and  the  discussion  of  practical 
problems  concerning  the  growth  of  the  child  mentally,  morally  and  physically. 

WEST    END    mothers'    CLUB. 

The  organization  of  the  West  End  Mothers'  club  dates  from  1902  and  its 
years  though  few  have  been  broadening  and  full  of  helpful  work  for  its  mem- 
bers. It  was  formed  by  a  few  earnest  women  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  a 
study  of  domestic  life  and  the  problems  of  the  home  and  child  life  among  the 
mothers  of  that  part  of  the  city.    At  first  papers  and  talks  were  given  by  the  mem- 


744  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

bers  informally  at  each  meeting,  but  in  1905  the  work  became  more  sys- 
tematic with  a  lecture  at  every  session  by  some  person  of  prominence  in 
a  particular  line  of  study,  such  as  "The  Library  and  the  Home"  by  the  city 
librarian,  Miss  Seybold;  "The  Visiting  Nurse,"  by  the  city  nurse,  Miss  Craine. 
or  "Child  Labor"  by  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  movement  in  the  state.  Dr.  Jen- 
nie McCowen.  These  have  proven  of  inestimable  value  and  especially  the  dis- 
cussions of  the  general  thought  of  the  meeting  which  are  made  informal  at  the 
close  of  the  lecture.  The  membership  now  numbers  about  forty-five  and  the 
club  is  enthusiastic  in  its  study.  The  social  side  of  the  club  life  is  not  overlooked 
and  every  meeting  closes  with  an  hour  of  sociability  when  tea  is  served.  The  ses- 
sions are  held  once  each  month  and  the  attendance  and  assistance  of  all  women 
interested  are  invited. 

THE  S.  L.  A.  CLUB. 

The  S.  L.  A.  club  is  the  outgrowth  of  an  informal  organization  of  1894. 
when  a  circle  of  six  ladies  met  every  Tuesday  for  the  purpose  of  reading  and 
studying  Shakespeare.  The  club  was  formally  organized  in  1896.  since  when 
it  has  flourished  in  a  quiet  unassuming  manner,  working  always  for  a  broader 
culture  of  its  women.  The  S.  L.  A'.'s  have  studied  English  literature,  delved 
into  the  history  of  their  own  as  well  as  many  of  the  foreign  countries.  The  social 
element  figures  delightfully  in  this  club's  work  for  its  members  are  most  con- 
genial. Many  novel  social  gatherings  are  held  each  season  at  which  the  hus- 
bands are  guests  (for  all  the  S.  L.  A.'s  are  married)  and  the  husbands  always 
reciprocate  by  entertaining  the  club  ladies,  usually  at  banquets. 

ARLINGTON  CLUB. 

A  number  of  bright  and  progressive  women  residing  in  close  proximity  on 
Arlington  avenue  some  five  years  ago  launched  the  Arlington  club  and  an  ener- 
getic and  ambitious  organization  it  has  been  from  the  beginning.  To  Mrs.  F: 
Rainbow  belongs  the  credit  of  being  its  founder,  for  she  it  was  who  invited  a 
coterie  of  ladies  of  the  neighborhood  to  meet  at  her  home  to  form  a  study 
class.  A  reading  club  was  thus  begun.  The  members  met  at  intervals,  bringing 
their  fancy  work  and  one  of  their  number  was  chosen  to  read  aloud.  A  study 
of  early  American  history  was  the  first  work.  In  September.  1901,  the  society 
was  formally  organized,  taking  up  a  line  of  regular  club  study.  Current  events 
at  each  session  gave  pleasant  variety  to  historical  research.  A  study  of  some 
of  Dickens'  works  was  taken  up  later  and  this  has  included  "David  Copperfield," 
"Pickwick  Papers"  and  "Dombey  and  Son."  This  season  the  club  has  changed 
its  usual  plan  and  there  is  no  general  topic  for  the  year,  but  each  member 
furnishes  a  paper  on  some  subject  of  general  interest,  one  paper  to  be  read  and 
the  topic  discussed  at  each  fortnightly  session. 

UNITED   STATES    HISTORY    CLUB. 

The  United  States  History  club  has  already  accomplished  considerable  in 
its  study  of  the  history  of  our  country.     It  was  organized  in   January  of   1902 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  745 

by  a  few  earnest  women  intent  upon  a  more  thorough  study  of  the  early  history 
of  the  United  States.  Beginning  with  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims  they  have 
taken  up  the  colonies  and  early  history  of  the  states  in  most  interesting  form. 
The  club  has  broadened  out  and  is  pursuing  the  study  of  Alaska  and  the  island 
possessions  of  our  country,  including  the  Sandwich  islands,  Cuba,  the  Philip- 
pines, together  with  some  of  the  western  states.  Meetings  are  held  fortnightly  at 
the  homes  of  the  members. 

DICKENS   READING   CIRCLE. 

It  was  some  three  years  ago  that  a  little  circle  of  enthusiastic  lovers  of 
Dickens  met  informally  for  the  reading  and  study  of  the  works  of  the  famous 
English  author  as  a  summer's  diversion.  The  reading  club  was  an  outgrowth 
or  branch  of  the  S.  L.  A.  club  and  included  a  number  of  its  members.  The 
circle  has  never  been  formally  organized,  but  meets  alternate  Monday  afternoons 
and  after  an  hour's  reading  and  discussion  of  the  book  in  hand  the  hostess 
serves  English  tea  which  promotes  congenial  sociability  among  the  members. 
It  is  a  delightful  organization  and  both  profit  and  pleasure  is  derived  from  this 
informal  study  of  Dickens.  They  began  with  "Little  Dorrit"  and  have  taken  up 
"Martin  Chuzzlewit,"  "Hard  Times"  and  "Barnaby  Rudge."  The  study  and 
discussion  of  "Dombey  and  Son"  has  been  completed  and  later  "Pickwick  Papers" 
was  taken  up  by  the  club.  There  is  no  official  board  as  no  formal  organization 
exists. 

CLUB  OF  EIGHTY-NINE. 

For  sixteen  years  has  the  Club  of  Eighty-Nine  flourished  and  the  enthusiasm 
that  marked  its  early  years  has  only  increased  as  time  rolled  on.  Aliss  Phoebe 
Sudlow  is  founder  of  the  organization  which  evolved  from  a  reading  circle  of 
congenial  women,  a  history  class  as  it  was  styled  in  the  beginning,  into  a  full 
fledged  study  club  that  has  some  good  meritorious  work  to  show  on  its  balance 
sheet  for  the  years.  Its  members  have  through  its  medium  delved  into  Roman  and 
Italian  history,  Latin  literature,  one  year  took  a  trip  through  Mexico,  last  year 
reviewed  English  literature  and  this  year  are  enjoying  a  delightful  study  journey 
entitled  "A  Trip  to  Europe."  The  various  countries  of  the  world  and  their  lit- 
erature have  furnished  them  interesting  topics  for  research  and  discussion.  Meet- 
ings are  held  bi-weekly  at  the  homes  of  the  members. 

CUISINE  CLUB. 

While  other  clubs  searched  literature,  art,  history  and  sociology'  for  topics 
of  study,  twelve  young  society  girls  of  Davenport  decided  to  band  themselves 
together  for  the  study  of  the  art  of  cooking,  the  preparing  and  serving  of  dainty 
dishes.  It  was  in  1901  that  the  Cuisine  club  was  formally  organized  and  today 
all  but  a  small  number  of  the  club  members  are  happily  married  and  presiding 
over  cuisine  departments  of  their  own.  The  Cuisine  club  differed  from  the 
usual  domestic  science  organization  in  its  mode  of  study.     At  every  meeting  a 


746  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

course  dinner  was  served,  each  dish  being  prepared  by  a  member  of  the  club. 
On  these  occasions  the  hostess  at  whose  home  the  spread  took  place,  made  out 
the  menu  and  assigned  each  member  a  certain  dish  to  prepare  and  bring.  Then 
during  the  progress  of  the  dinner  there  were  free  and  unbiased  criticisms  of  every- 
thing and  the  members  assert  that  in  those  early  days  of  the  club  none  were 
spared.  They  learned,  however,  by  mistakes  and  gradually  became  perfect  in 
certain  dishes  while  friends  who  were  invited  guests  at  the  club  dinners  consid- 
ered themselves  most  fortunate.  In  the  past  two  seasons  the  members  have  been 
married  off  so  rapidly,  many  removing  from  the  city,  that  it  was  found  necessary 
to  discontinue  the  former  method  of  preparing  club  dinners  and  the  few  remain- 
ing members  still  meet  fortnightly  but  have  taken  up  an  informal  study  of  topics 
of  the  day.  This  was  first  accomplished  by  the  means  of  prepared  answers  to 
questions,  but  lately  the  members  discuss  current  events  in  world  history  and 
the  hostess  provides  the  luncheon.  Occasionally  they  resort  to  the  old  custom 
of  a  general  club  dinner  and  these  occasions  are  always  happy  ones.  It  was  the 
Cuisine  club  girls  who  recently  furnished  entirely  and  in  a  most  artistic  manner 
the  ladies'  dressing  room  at  Outing  club  after  its  recent  destruction  by  fire. 

'.  CHEMAUN  CLUB. 

The  youngest  in  Davenport's  galaxy  of  study  clubs  is  the  Chemaun  club.  It 
was  organized  in  the  spring  of  1904  by  a  party  of  fifteen  young  ladies  who  de- 
cided to  meet  fortnightly  for  an  evening  of  study.  The  initial  plan  was  to  take 
up  American  history  and  its  study  proved  so  absorbing  that  it  was  decided  to 
continue  on  this  line.  The  members  began  with  prehistoric  times  in  America, 
following  the  current  of  events  through  the  Revolutionary  period  until  now  they 
have  reached  the  interesting  time  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase.  The  early  settlement 
of  the  various  colonies  furnished  good  topics  for  general  discussion  in  a  series 
of  meetings.  The  plan  followed  is  that  of  one  member  preparing  a  paper  on 
the  topic  of  the  evening  which  is  read,  and  is  then  followed  by  a  list  of  questions 
propounded  by  the  leader  of  the  discussion  that  follows.  A  pleasant  feature 
of  the  organization  is  the  social  hour  after  every  study  session.  Its  name,  Che- 
maun, is  of  Indian  origin. 

TRI-CITY    KINDERGARTEN    CLUl!. 

To  promote  the  welfare  of  the  kindergartens,  the  kindergartners  and  directors 
of  the  various  schools  for  little  folks,  both  public  and  private,  in  the  three  cities, 
organized  themselves  into  a  study  club  in  1901.  The  Tri-City  Kindergarten 
club  has  done  excellent  work  along  its  lines  and  each  member  has  found  benefit 
from  the  meetings  and  discussions.  The  first  year  was  chiefly  theoretical,  the 
work  being  along  the  line  of  child  study.  For  the  past  two  years  more  practical 
matter  has  been  taken  up  including  the  every  day  experiences  with  the  children 
in  the  schools.  This  season  the  study  has  grown  more  specific,  taking  the  form 
of  stories,  games  and  songs  in  which  the  kindergarten  children  are  instructed. 
Constructive  work  and  clay  modeling  are  among  the  topics  to  be  considered  dur- 
ing the  winter  when  practical  illustration  of  the  work  done  by  the  children  will 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  747 

be  given.  An  interesting  ruling  of  the  season  is  that  each  member  of  the  club  is  a 
committee  of  one  obliged  to  assist  in  the  program  of  each  session.  Members  are 
requested  to  bring  any  new  or  unusual  suggestions  they  may  have  found  in  their 
practical  work  with  the  children. 

DAVENPORT  MUSIC  CLUBS. 

The  music  clubs  of  the  tri-cities  center  in  Davenport,  which  has  always  prided 
itself  on  being  a  musical  city.  However,  many  prominent  musicians  of  both  Rock 
Island  and  Moline  are  affiliated  with  the  Davenport  clubs,  and  sessions  and  reci- 
tals are  often  held  in  homes  of  the  sister  cities.  The  clubs  given  herewith  comprise 
the  large  music  study  clubs.  There  are  also  a  considerable  number  of  teacher's 
music  classes,  organized  into  clubs,  which  had  to  be  omitted  on  account  of  lack 
of  space.  Yet  many  of  these,  though  their  members  are  of  tender  years,  are 
doing  as  earnest  and  conscientious  work  in  pursuing  the  study  of  music  and 
hamiony  as  are  the  older  established  clubs. 

MUSIC  STUDENTS  CLUB. 

The  Music  Students  club,  the  leading  music  club  of  the  three  cities,  dates  its 
existence  from  1883,  when  four  women,  well  known  then  in  music  circles,  Mrs. 
D.  C.  Garrett,  Mrs.  Robert  Smith,  Miss  Celestine  Fejervary  and  Mrs.  Marcus 
Curtius  Smith  met  informally  during  one  whole  season  for  short  recital  programs. 
Formal  organization  was  effected  in  the  winter  of  1884  and  the  Music  Students 
has  since  then  done  much  for  the  music  loving  people  of  the  city  by  bringing 
artists  here  annually  for  concerts  and  recitals.  Many  talented  musicians  are 
numbered  among  its  members  whose  bi-weekly  recitals  are  always  of  high  merit. 
The  Music  Students  has  thirty  active  members  and  its  year  book  this  season  out- 
lines a  fine  list  of  recitals.  Its  work  is  always  of  the  highest  order.  The  club  is 
a  member  of  the  National  Federation  of  Music  Clubs. 

HARMONIE  SOCIETY. 

Many  years  have  elapsed  since  the  Harmonie  Society  of  Davenport  was 
launched  in  the  music  world  of  the  city  and  well  and  wisely  has  it  paved  the  -vvay 
for  the  many  musical  clubs  that  followed.  It  was  in  the  year  1875  that  the  ladies' 
chorus,  with  men  as  associate  members,  was  formally  organized  and  the  late 
lamented  Professor  Theodore  Cramer  assumed  charge  as  director.  The  chorus 
did  good  work  from  the  first  and  became  the  pride  of  the  musical  people  of  the 
city.  After  the  death  of  Prof.  Cramer  the  chorus  was  conducted  by  Prof.  Toen- 
niges  for  two  years,  and  then  Prof.  Jacob  Strasser  was  in  charge.  The  most  im- 
portant public  work  that  the  chorus  had  done  up  to  this  time  was  its  participation 
in  the  great  northwest  Saengerfest  held  in  Davenport  in  1898.  The  Harmonie 
chorus  then  sang  several  numbers  accompanied  by  an  orchestra  of  sixty  pieces 
and  called  forth  most  favorable  comment  from  critics  both  at  home  and  abroad. 
In  former  years  fine  concerts  were  frequently  given  by  the  Harmonie  in  Turner 
hall  with  a  full  orchestra,  when  the  choral  work  was  a  feature.    Later  there  was 


748  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

an  interim  of  two  years  when  the  interest  in  the  singing  waned  and  no  meetings 
were  held.  In  1903,  however,  prominent  musical  people  of  the  city  who  had  real- 
ized the  value  of  the  Harmonie  choral  work,  effected  its  reorganization  and  Miss 
Louise  St.  John  Westervelt  was  made  director.  Miss  Westervelt  has  done  most 
effective  work  with  the  chorus  for  years  and  this  season  has  opened  most  auspici- 
ously. The  chorus  now  numbers  seventy  members.  The  Harmonie  society  holds 
monthly  recitals  entirely  distinct  from  the  work  of  the  chorus,  which  is  a  branch 
of  the  main  society. 

MUSIC  LOVERS   CLUB. 

Much  good  work  has  been  done  by  the  Music  Lovers  club  of  Davenport  since 
its  beginning  some  few  years  ago  among  a  coterie  of  music  lovers  of  the  city. 
This  club  differs  in  its  plan  of  study  from  any  other  musical  organization  in  the 
city  in  that  it  works  under  no  set  constitution  nor  by  the  direction  of  any  official 
board.  There  are  a  number  of  rules  governing  the  club,  but  beyond  these,  there 
is  no  formal  organization  nor  any  list  of  officers.  The  membership  is  in  three 
divisions,  viz.,  active,  associate  and  student  auxiliary.  Twenty-two  well  known 
musicians  of  the  three  cities  comprise  the  active  membership,  eleven  the  associate 
and  there  are  fifteen  in  the  student  auxiliary,  making  a  total  of  forty-eight  in  all. 
One  recital  is  given  each  month  during  the  season  at  the  home  of  the  leader  of  the 
club,  Mrs.  W.  D.  Middleton,  Thirteenth  and  Ripley  streets,  and  the  programs 
include  a  study  of  world  composers  and  their  music  in  every  phase.  The  Music 
Lovers  study  music  on  the  broadest  lines  and  its  work  is  done  thoroughly.  One 
gratuitious  recital  is  given  annually  to  which  friends  or  other  music  clubs  are 
invited  guests,  but  the  remainder  of  its  time  is  devoted  to  furthering  the  study 
of  its  own  members  in  music  and  musical  lore. 

THE   ETUDE    CLUB. 

It  was  in  the  autumn  of  1896  on  the  return  of  Miss  Selma  Bruning  from  her 
musical  studies  in  Boston,  that  a  circle  of  her  friends  met  with  her  informally 
once  each  week  for  the  purpose  of  a  mutual  study  of  music.  These  meetings, 
held  every  Thursday  afternoon,  continued  for  some  months  until  in  January, 
1897,  organization  was  perfected  and  the  Etude  club  was  launched.  There  were 
fourteen  charter  members  for,  at  the  initial  session  each  young  lady  had  been 
asked  to  bring  a  friend.  The  first  year  the  "Music  of  Nations"  was  taken  up,  at 
each  meeting  the  music  of  another  people  being  played  and  illustrated.  The 
Etude  club  has  flourished  well  since  its  organization  and  today  has  a  membership 
of  thirty-five.  Its  musical  study  has  been  on  the  broadest  of  lines  and  has  in- 
cluded a  year  of  grand  opera  when  both  music  and  singers  of  prominence  in  the 
grand  opera  world  were  discussed.  "Form  in  Music"  was  the  interesting  topic 
that  occupied  one  whole  season.  Last  year  the  study  was  divided  between  Russian 
and  American  composers.  This  year  the  program  committee  has  arranged  a  mis- 
cellaneous course,  various  composers  of  note  being  taken  up  at  each  meeting.  A 
leader  is  appointed  for  each  session  who  is  responsible  for  the  recital  program. 
Meetings  are  held  on  the  second  and  fourth  Thursdays  of  each  month  at  the  homes 
of  the  members. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  749 

CHAMINADE   MUSIC   CLUB. 

Excellent  work  has  been  done  in  a  quiet,  unassuming  manner  by  the  Cham- 
inade  Music  club,  which  is  one  of  the  most  earnest  and  studious  organizations  of 
its  kind  in  the  city.  The  Chaminade  dates  its  beginning  from  1899  when  Mrs. 
Rudolph  loll  and  Miss  Cora  Hetzel  assembled  a  circle  of  music  students  and 
formally  organized  this  club  for  mutual  study  and  benefit.  For  the  first  few 
years  the  recital  programs,  which  are  given  monthly,  were  of  a  miscellaneous 
character  but  later  a  more  definite  course  of  study  was  begun.  Today  the  club 
is  taking  up  systematically  the  music  of  nations  of  the  world.  At  one  meeting 
there  will  be  a  program  of  music  by  German  composers,  again  it  is  that  of  the 
French,  and  then  again  the  Russian  music.  Thus  its  members  become  familiar 
with  the  best  in  music  of  composers  of  all  the  world.  These  monthly  recitals, 
which  are  held  in  the  evening,  always  close  with  a  social  hour  during  which  the 
hostess  serves  luncheon.  This  gives  a  delightful  air  of  informality  to  the  club's 
work.  Two  miscellaneous  meetings  are  held  each  year  at  which  the  members  are 
privileged  to  bring  a  limited  number  of  guests  and  these  are  always  the  occasion 
for  most  artistic  recitals. 

THE  AMATEUR   MUSICAL  CLUB. 

The  Amateur  Musical  club  of  Davenport  is  a  small  organization  just  entering 
upon  its  third  year.  The  club's  work  has  been  along  musical  lines,  having  studied 
the  music  of  the  principal  American  cities,  their  corriposers.  best  known  perform- 
ers, music  halls,  clubs,  societies  and  musical  atmosphere  generally.  The  first 
meeting  was  devoted  to  the  recent  musical  celebration  at  Oberammergau,  wit- 
nessed by  Mrs.  N.  S.  Stephens,  one  of  the  members  who  sent  to  the  club  books 
of  the  play  and  pictures,  the  full  music  score  and  an  account  of  her  personal  im- 
pression of  the  performance  of  this  "David  and  Christus." 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
THE  COMAIERCIAL  SIDE. 

CHEAP  FUEL,  TRANSMISSIBILITY  OF  ELECTRICAL  POWER  AND  FINE  SHIPPING  FACIL- 
ITIES HAVE  MADE  DAVENPORT  A  GREAT  MANUFACTURING  CENTER — THE  THRIFT 
OF  THE   PEOPLE   OF   SCOTT   COUNTY   HAVE    MADE   IT   A   GREAT    BANKING   CENTER 

THE   GROWTH    OF    MANUFACTURING   INTERESTS   AND   THE    WIDENING   OF   THE 

FIELD  SUPPLIED COUNTRY  BANKS  SPRINGING  UP,  EVERYWHERE. 

These  are  the  days  of  big  things,  Davenport  has  come  in  for  at  least  a  part 
of  her  share  of  them,  and  is  reaching  out  steadily  and  persistently  for  more. 
This  thriving,  enterprising  and  ambitious  city  is  possessed  of  manufacturing  in- 
dustries, the  products  of  which  reach  many  parts  of  the  world,  and  the  unceasing 
aim  of  the  men  interested  in  this  branch  of  the  city's  multifarious  activities  is  to 
extend  her  manufactures  whenever  possible.  The  growth  of  Davenport's  fac- 
tories has  been  slow  in  comparison  to  some  other  cities  that  might  be  mentioned, 
but  that  growth  has  been  substantial  and  dependable.  It  is  probable,  however, 
that  this  place  will  compare  very  favorably  in  that  regard  to  any  city  in  the 
state  and  it  may  not  be  going  too  far  in  saying  that  as  a  manufacturing  city  her 
superior  can  not  be  found  within  the  borders  of  Iowa. 

BEGINS   WITH    THE    MILLS. 

The  beginning  of  manufacturing  in  Davenport  is  marked  by  the  saw  mill  and 
the  flour  mill,  which  were  the  prime  necessities  of  the  early  settlers  and  were  put 
up  as  soon  as  possible,  the  details  of  which  are  given  by  j\Ir.  Barrows.  Other 
industries  followed  as  the  settlement  grew  and  today  Davenport  has  a  place  in 
the  manufacturing  world  of  which  her  citizens  are  proud.  Transportation  facili- 
ties here,  in  a  measure,  meet  the  demands  of  the  manufacturing  trade,  as  three 
great  trunk  lines,  the  Rock  Island,  Burlington  and  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  enter  the  city,  and  the  Mississippi  comes  in  for  a  share  of  the  traffic  sup- 
plied by  the  factories. 

In  the  early  hisory  of  Davenport  its  lumber  industry  was  of  large  proportions 
and  several  mills  for  years  were  busily  engaged  in  turning  out  the  manufactured 
article,  giving  employment  to  a  small  army  of  men.     Local  saw  mills  are  a  thing 


754  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

of  the  past,  but  the  lumber  business  in  Davenport  has  been  brought  to  great 
dimensions  by  certain  of  her  merchants  engaged  in  the  trade.  The  flouring  mills 
also  took  an  important  place  in  the  industries  of  the  town  and  then  came  the 
plow  factory  of  Bechtel  &  Krum,  the  first  of  its  kind  in  this  section,  and  also 
the  Eagle  Manufacturing  Company.  The  Crescent  Mill's  product  became  known 
far  and  wide,  but  competition  became  too  strong  in  the  northwest,  where  the  bulk 
of  the  hard  winter  wheat  was  raised  and  big  mills  established,  so  that  this  industry 
in  this  section  has  become  of  less  importance. 

SUGAR    FROM    CORX. 

As  in  many  other  cities  Davenport's  industries  have  grown  from  small  affairs 
and  some  of  them  are  still  diminutive,  but  not  all.  The  Com  Products  Refining 
Company  has  one  of  the  largest  concerns  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  and  its  start 
in  life  in  Davenport  was  on  a  very  modest  and  economical  scale.  In  the  fall 
of  1872  H.  G.  Weinert,  by  experiment,  succeeded  in  producing  sugar  from  corn- 
starch— a  species  of  grape  sugar — and  seeking  assistance  in  his  endeavor  to  go 
into  the  business  of  making  the  article,  he  submitted  samples  of  his  product  to 
the  Board  of  Trade.  R.  Krause.  Nicholas  Kuhnen  and  Thomas  Scott  being  the 
committee  of  examination.  After  this  committee  had  submitted  the  samples  to 
brewers  and  noted  chemists  of  the  country,  and  obtained  from  them  a  gratifying 
analysis,  a  company  was  formed  with  a  capital  of  $20,000  by  H.  G.  Weinert. 
F.  H.  Griggs,  H.  H.  Andersen,  R.  Krause.  Otto  Albrecht,  H.  O.  Seifert.  N. 
Kuhnen,  John  S.  Davies,  George  L  Davenport,  J.  H.  Murphy  and  G.  Schlegel. 
and  buildings  were  erected  for  the  manufacture  of  glucose,  with  Mr.  Weinert 
as  superintendent,  but  after  the  concern  had  been  operated  something  less  than 
two  years  at  a  considerable  loss  of  money,  the  works  closed  down.  In  the  fall 
of  1874  they  were  again  opened  under  the  superintendency  of  L.  P.  Best,  having 
interested  capital  into  the  concern  to  the  exent  of  $30,000.  of  which  amount  he 
himself  contributed  $3,000,  and  with  new  machinery  the  business  continued 
about  two  years  with  indifferent  headway,  although  success  only  meant  a  matter 
of  money  and  requisite  machinery.  This  was  forthcoming  in  1876  and  the  capital 
was  doubled  to  $60,000,  and  from  this  on  the  plant  grew  in  importance  until  a 
short  time  ago  the  company  above  named  secured  control  and  now  with  a  capacity 
of  20.000  bushels  of  corn  daily,  over  500  people  find  employment. 

VARIED    MANUFACTURES. 

Products  such  as  glucose  must  be  placed  in  a  receptacle  for  shipment  and  tin 
cans  seemed  best  to  serve  the  purpose.  Hence  the  manufacture  of  tin  cans  be- 
came one  of  the  industries  of  Davenport  and  today  one  of  the  largest  can  fac- 
tories in  the  west  is  in  operation  here.  The  manufacture  of  washing  machines 
in  Davenport  has  reached  large  proportions  and  four  factories  are  devoted  to  the 
business.  Brooms,  a  very  necessary  and  constantly  used  article,  are  made  in 
Davenport  and  the  first  factory  was  started  in  a  couple  of  small  rooms  on  Front 
street.  Today  the  largest  broom  factory  in  the  country  is  within  the  confines  of 
this  city,  with  branch  factories  in  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  and  Boston.  Massachusetts. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  755 

The  brooms  turned  out  by  this  concern  are  of  the  best  marketed  and  probably 
no  state  in  the  union  but  what  handles  these  products.  This  factory  and  its 
blanches  were  the  conception  and  creation  of  local  brains,  capital  and  industry, 
and  the  business  has  a  prominent  place  in  the  markets  of  the  country.  Daven- 
port also  has  its  steel  car  works,  which  makes  steel  freight  cars  and  from  its 
large  plant  is  constantly  turning  out  its  product  to  the  railway  companies  of  this 
country  and  those  of  other  localities.  The  Davenport  Wagon  Works  is  another 
manufacturing  concern  placing  its  products  not  only  locally  but  over  a  wide 
territory.  Probably  the  largest  and  most  important  line  of  manufacture,  how- 
ever, is  that  of  metal  wheels,  the  product  of  the  Bettendorf  Metal  Wheel  Com- 
pany. A  description  of  the  Bettendorf  Axle  Company  and  the  Bettendorf  Metal 
Wheel  Company  is  given  on  another  page.  The  Davenport  Woolen  Mills  con- 
tribute to  the  list  of  important  industries  here  and  the  manufacture  of  maccaroni 
has  been  increased  to  that  extent  that  Davenport  lays  claim  to  having  one  of  the 
largest  plants  devoted  to  making  this  delicacy  now  in  existence.  There  are  also 
two  large  cracker  factories,  giving  employment  to  many  hands,  and  the  manu- 
facture of  cigars  here  has,  in  the  past  few  years,  grown  to  vast  proportions  and 
demand  the  services  of  a  host  of  men,  women  and  children.  Another  flourishing 
Industry  is  that  of  the  Davenport  Machine  and  Foundry  Company,  dealers  in 
engines,  machines  and  all  kinds  of  metal,  steel,  iron  and  foundry  work.  Mention 
should  also  be  made  of  the  overall,  pearl  button,  pump,  sash  and  door,  soap, 
syrup,  trunks  and  valises,  vinegar,  wooden  shoes  and  other  factories,  but  no 
detail  of  them  can  be  here  given.  Davenport  has  her  packing  houses  and  is  in 
the  trade  to  no  inconsiderable  extent,  and  as  a  grain  center  it  takes  an  important 
rank,  which  also  may  be  said  of  its  wholesale  mercantile  business,  as  it  has  a 
number  of  wholesale  houses  and  many  representatives  on  the  road,  most  of  whom 
make  their  homes  here. 

DAVENPORT    LOCOMOTIVE    WORKS. 

The  Whitehead  Machine  Works,  for  the  repair  of  stationary  engines  and 
other  like  work,  was  started  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  city.  E.  S.  Johnson, 
J.  H.  F^iick,  Dr.  A.  L.  Hageboeck  and  Charles  Pasche  became  interested  in  the 
concern  and  eventually  bought  it  of  Mr.  Whitehead  and  changed  the  name  of 
the  concern  to  the  Davenport  Machine  Works.  From  this  time  on  the  business 
prospered  and  the  gentlemen  comprising  the  company  by  adding  more  money 
increased  the  plant  and  the  features  of  the  work,  thus  widening  the  scope  of  its 
operations.  Being  alive  to  the  fact  that  there  was  a  great  demand  for  small  loco- 
motives, the  firm  immediately  changed  its  name  to  the  Davenport  Locomotive 
Works  and  began  the  erection  of  suitable  structures  for  building  light  locomotives 
on  a  grand  scale.  The  company  was  reorganized  with  E.  S.  Johnson,  president ; 
J.  H.  F'lick.  vice  president ;  A.  L.  Hageboeck.  secretary ;  and  S.  M.  Hill,  treasurer. 

When  the  company  first  commenced  to  build  locomotives  its  plant  covered 
about  two  acres  and  something  like  seventy-five  men  were  employed.  The  largest 
engine  they  made  was  a  fourteen-ton  locomotive.  They  advertised  the  manu- 
facture of  small  locomotives  for  contractors,  brick-makers,  lumber  mill  haulers, 
sugar  plantations  and  mines,  and  fitted  their  shops  to  do  this  work,  engaging  the 


756  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

highest  skilled  labor,  using  the  best  material,  securing  the  best  designers  and 
competing  with  the  eastern  builders  of  established  business  and  reputation  for 
such  engines  until  the  business  increased  rapidly.  As  their  output  increased 
they  increased  their  facilities.  In  1902  they  turned  out  about  fifty  locomotives 
of  the  fourteen  and  eighteen-ton  types;  in  1903  they  turned  out  about  seventy- 
five;  in  1904,  something  over  100;  in  1905,  over  150;  and  today  their  output  is 
double  the  last  figure.  During  this  time  they  have  increased  their  buildings  until 
their  plant  now  covers  something  over  seven  acres  of  ground,  on  which  there  is 
a  machine  shop,  forge  shop,  carpenter  and  pattern  shop,  a  boiler  shop,  engine 
and  boiler  house,  warehouse  and  tool  shop.  Every  machine  in  the  boiler  shop 
represents  the  highest  attainment  in  design  and  make  in  its  class  in  the  world. 
The  machinery  is  operated  either  by  hydraulic  or  electric  power — no  shafting, 
belting  or  interdependent  connection  with  any  other  machine.  The  entire  plant 
is  systematized  and  is  arranged  in  departments.  The  man  at  the  head  of  a 
department  is  an  expert  in  his  specialty  and  the  superintendent  is  a  locomotive 
expert.  The  company  is  now  manufacturing  locomotives  that  go  to  the  west, 
south  and  southwest,  Mexico  and  Central  America,  the  Antilles  and  South 
America,  the  great  Northwest  and  Alaska,  the  islands  of  the  Pacific  and  the 
Philippines,  China  and  Japan  and  in  every  state  in  the  Union.  This  company 
manufacturers  seven  types  of  engines,  ten  sizes  of  each  type,  weighing  from 
17,000  to  120,000  pounds  each.  It  is  furnishing  with  each  locomotive  the  follow- 
ing guarantee :  "Every  locomotive  built  by  us,  whether  so  stipulated  in  the  con- 
tract or  not,  is  guaranteed  by  us  to  be  built  in  accordance  with  the  specifications ; 
to  be  of  the  best  workmanship  and  material ;  accurately  constructed  to  our  dupli- 
cate system  and  to  develop  the  tractive  force  stated  in  its  descriptive  catalogue. 
Each  individual  part  is  guaranteed  to  be  of  good  material  and  free  from  physical 
defects.  This  guarantee  is  intended  to  cover  everything  for  which  a  builder  can 
be  considered  accountable;"  and  it  lives  up  to  its  guarantee.  The  Da\enport 
Locomotive  Works  are  the  only  regular  locomotive  manufacturers  west  of  Pitts- 
burg, Pennsylvania.  The  Davenport  Locomotive  Works  decided  at  the  outset 
to  be  modern  locomotive  manufacturers  in  the  strongest  sense  of  the  expression. 
They  do  no  repairing.    They  make  nothing  but  small  locomotives. 

After  a  meeting  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Davenport  Locomotive  Works  held 
in  February,  1910,  $100,000  was  added  to  the  capital  stock,  making  the  total 
capital  $550,000.  The  regular  six  percent  dividend  was  declared.  The  following 
were  elected  to  the  board  of  directors :  E.  S.  Johnson,  Dr.  A.  L.  Hageboeck, 
Charles  Pasche,  P.  T.  Walsh,  J.  A.  Burmeister,  Jacob  Kastlin  and  W.  G.  Besler. 
This  board  elected  as  president,  E.  S.  Johnson;  vice  presidents,  Dr.  A.  L.  Hage- 
boeck and  Jacob  Kastlin ;  secretary,  August  Sebelein ;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Burmeister. 
Jacob  Kastlin,  who  had  been  manager,  was  appointed  general  manager  and  vice 
president.  At  this  meeting  it  was  decided  to  enlarge  the  plant  and  when  the 
plans  of  the  company  are  carried  out  the  Davenport  Locomotive  Works,  instead 
of  occupying  seven  acres  will  cover  about  twenty  acres  of  ground.  At  the  present 
time  a  blacksmith  shop  and  a  main  erecting  shop  is  in  course  of  construction,  and 
as  soon  as  possible  the  work  on  other  buildings  will  be  commenced. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  757 

GREAT  FACTORIES  AT  BETTENDORF. 

W.  P.  Bettendorf  came  to  Davenport  years  ago  with  small  capital  and  a  head 
full  of  ideas.  There  seem  just  as  many  ideas  as  ever  but  the  capital  has  greatly 
increased,  also  his  responsibilities.  His  inventions  have  been  both  numerous  and 
practical.  He  has  had  the  fine  assistance  of  his  father,  M.  Bettendorf,  and 
brother,  J.  W.  Bettendorf.  'All  that  they  have  put  their  hands  to  has  prospered. 
Along  at  first  after  W.  F.  Bettendorf  had  planned  and  built  his  machinery  there 
was  a  factory  for  making  steel  wagons.  These  were  done  in  time  to  be  shown 
at  the  Chicago  exposition  in  1893  and  create  a  field  in  South  America  and  the 
islands  of  the  sea.  These  wagons  were  sheared  out  of  sheet  steel,  turned,  crimped, 
riveted,  finished  by  hydraulic  pressure  and  a  furnace  or  two.  In  making  this  all 
steel  wagon  a  metal  wheel  was  made  that  has  been  a  mine  of  wealth. 

Later  there  were  other  factories,  one  for  making  axles  and  one  for  bolsters. 
In  January,  1902,  the  first  one  burned,  loss,  $200,000.  In  May,  the  other  one  went 
the  same  way,  loss,  $250,000.  The  question  of  rebuilding  or  seeking  a  new  loca- 
tion was  solved  by  purchasing  seventy  acres  in  the  sleepy  suburb  of  Gilberttown, 
where  great  factories  commenced  to  arise.  The  Gilberttown  people  were  willing 
to  be  waked  up  and  joined  in  to  make  their  hamlet  a  city.  The  first  move  was  to 
change  the  name  from  Gilberttown  to  Bettendorf,  in  honor  of  the  family  who 
were  planning  such  an  important  future  for  the  quiet  suburb  of  Davenport. 

In  Bettendorf  one  of  the  largest  and  most  complete  steel  car  shops  in  the 
country  has  sprung  up.  The  continually  increasing  business  of  the  company  has 
caused  the  constant  making  of  plans  for  enlargement.  The  foresight  which 
caused  the  purchase  of  so  large  a  tract  of  land  has  proven  good.  In  the  location 
of  the  various  buildings  of  the  plant  consideration  was  given  to  the  rapid  handling 
of  material  brought  by  the  railroads  which  reach  the  town.  The  main  shop 
erected  at  first  was  700  feet  by  240  feet.  This  shop  had  a  capacity  of  twenty-five 
completed  steel  coal  or  tank  cars  per  day,  also  seventy-five  steel  underframes  and 
trucks. 

Orders  from  the  principal  railroads  of  the  country  continued  to  come  with 
increasing  frequency  and  size.  The  New  York  Central  wants  Bettendorf  cars; 
the  C,  B.  &  O.  buys  lots  of  them  and  the  Milwaukee  is  still  ordering.  In  the 
spring  of  1910  an  addition  was  commenced  to  the  main  shop  which  will  treble 
the  size  and  capacity  of  the  works.  When  completed  the  main  building  will  be 
2,100  feet  long.  That  would  just  about  bridge  the  Mississippi  from  the  Daven- 
port shore  to  the  government  island.  A  new  foundry,  500  feet  square,  is  being 
added  to  the  plant,  which  will  add  a  few  hundred  men  to  the  Bettendorf  force. 
In  these  great  shops  there  are  shears  to  trim  steel  plate  that  work  like  the  scis- 
sors in  a  manicure  set,  hydraulic  presses,  sixty  of  them,  ranging  in  size  from  fifty 
to  1,800  tons,  and  riveting  machines  that  do  the  work.  The  material  is  worked 
cold,  punching,  shaping,  trimming.  Here  is  where  the  hydraulics  come  in.  The 
rivets  are  worked  hot,  plenty  hot. 

To  facilitate  the  handling  of  material  and  finished  product  there  are  twelve 
traveling  cranes  driven  by  electricity  and  traversing  the  length  of  the  shop. 
Large  I  beams  and  channels,  as  well  as  completed  cars,  are  picked  up  and  swung 


758  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

around  at  will,  while  steel  plates,  as  well  as  other  structural  shapes  are  picked 
up  by  the  use  of  magnets  attached  to  the  cranes. 

In  the  power  house,  340  feet  by  50  feet  in  size,  there  are  engines  of  10,000 
horse  power,  dynamos  for  the  cranes,  electric  lights,  etc.,  air  compressors  or  the 
riveting  machines  and  other  work  and  heavy  duty  pumps  to  furnish  water  under 
pressure  for  the  hydraulic  presses. 

The  Bettendorf  cars,  bolsters  and  underframes  are  winning  their  way  in  an 
open  market  in  a  surprising  way.  Orders  have  been  coming  in  a  way  to  embar- 
rass tne  company,  but  with  that  2.100  foot  shop,  everything  will  square  around. 
The  business  runs  into  the  millions  now,  and  there  is  no  prophet  in  sight  to  pre- 
dict just  where  the  expanison  will  end. 

DAVENPORTS  CLEARING   HOUSE  AND   F5ANKING  INSTITUTIONS. 

The  "community  of  interests"  idea  was  not  given  its  full  appreciation  by  the 
financial  institutions  of  Davenport  until  the  year  1895.  when,  in  August,  the 
bankers  of  the  city  organized  the  Davenport  Clearing  House  association  by  elect- 
ing F.  H.  Griggs,  president;  I.  H.  Sears,  vice  president;  Charles  Pasche,  secretary 
and  treasurer ;  and  C.  A.  Mast,  manager.  The  forming  of  this  organization  was 
for  the  establishment  of  a  unity  of  interests  among  the  banks  for  economic 
reasons,  the  expediting  of  interchange  of  commercial  paper  upon  a  systematic 
basis,  establishing  moral  and  financial  support  between  the  different  banks  of 
the  organization,  and  the  resulting  united  efforts  of  the  banks  for  the  promotion 
of  the  best  interests  of  Davenport.  From  that  day  on  the  association's  business 
has  increased  from  day  to  day  up  to  the  present  time.  The  total  clearings  of  the 
first  year  amounted  to  $29,439,839,  while  the  clearings  for  the  past  year  more 
than  doubled  that  amount.  To  be  more  exact  the  amount  for  1909  was  $67,110,- 
645.  F.  H.  Griggs  held  the  office  of  president  of  the  association  until  January. 
1900,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  I.  H.  Sears,  who  retained  his  incumbency  of 
that  responsible  position  until  1903,  and  was  then  succeeded  by  A.  Burdick. 
C.  A.  Mast  remained  as  manager  until  January.  1897.  At  that  meeting  a  new  rule 
was  formulated  limiting  the  tenure  of  office  of  manager  to  one  year,  owing  to  the 
amount  of  work  that  devolved  upon  him,  and  since  that  time  each  bank  has  been 
required  to  bear  its  share  of  the  work.  The  incumbent  in  the  office  for  the  year 
1910  is  J.  E.  Burmeister.  The  members  of  the  association  are:  German  Savings 
bank,  Scott  County  Savings  bank ;  Davenport  Savings  bank,  Iowa  National  bank, 
the  Citizens  Trust  &  Savings  bank ;  Farmers  &  Mechanics  Savings  bank ;  and  the 
First  National  bank. 

FIRST    NATION.\L    BANK. 

The  First  National  bank  of  Davenport,  was  organized  and  opened  for  busi- 
ness on  June  29,  1863.  As  has  been  indicated  elsewhere,  Austin  Corbin,  the 
renowned  financier,  was  the  moving  spirit  in  the  organization  of  this  institution, 
and  it  was  owing  to  his  energy  and  public  spirit  that  it  was  the  first  national  bank 
in  operation  in  the  United  States  under  the  national  banking  act  of  1863. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  759 

Upon  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Corbin,  Ira  Gifford  was  elected  to  succeed  him. 
He  was  followed  by  Major  T.  T.  Dow,  and  he,  in  turn,  by  James  Thompson,  who 
held  the  position  until  1894,  when  A.  Burdick,  the  present  president,  succeeded 
him.  D.  C.  Porter  was  the  first  cashier,  and  was  succeeded  by  Lloyd  Gage, 
brother  of  Lyman  J.  Gage,  formerly  secretary  of  the  treasury  of  the  United 
States.  Mr.  Gage  was  succeeded  by  John  B.  Fidlar,  and  upon  Mr.  Fidlar's 
retirement  C.  A.  Mast  was  cashier  for  several  years.  Mr.  Mast,  in  turn,  was 
succeeded  by  George  Hoehn,  who  served  until  his  death,  when  L.  J.  Yaggy,  the 
present  cashier,  was  elected  to  the  duties  of  that  office. 

Connected  with  this  institution,  from  time  to  time,  have  been  many  of  the 
leading  financiers  not  only  of  the  state  of  Iowa,  but  of  the  United  States.  It  has 
always  been  a  strong,  conservative  bank,  and  at  all  times  has  had  the  confidence 
of  the  people  with  whom  it  does  business.  Its  capital  stock  has  been  increased 
from  time  to  time  until  it  is  now  $200,000.  The  surplus  and  the  undivided  profits, 
at  the  time  of  the  call  of  the  comptroller  of  the  currency,  was  $109,431,  while 
the  deposits  were  $1,391,937.  The  officers  of  the  bank  at  present  are:  directors, 
Anthony  Burdick,  John  F.  Dow,  M.  N.  Richardson,  Joe  R.  Lane,  John  P.  Van 
Patten,  August  E.  Steffen,  John  L.  Mason,  George  W.  Cable,  Frank  W.  Mueller, 
Wilson  McClelland  and  August  Reimers ;  president,  Anthony  Burdick ;  vice  presi- 
dents, Joe  R.  Lane  and  John  P.  Van  Patten;  cashier,  L.  J.  Yaggy;  assistant 
cashier,  W.  J.  Housman.  This  bank  is  a  United  States  depository  and  does  a 
general  banking  business,  receiving  the  accounts  from  other  banks,  corporations 
and  individuals. 

GERMAN   SAVINGS   BANK. 

The  German  Savings  bank  is  the  largest  banking  institution  in  the  state  of 
Iowa,  Its  capital  stock  is  $600,000,  its  surplus  and  undivided  profits  $704,750, 
while  its  deposits  at  the  time  of  the  last  pubHc  statement  were  $10,552,109.  The 
German  Savings  bank  was  organized  and  opened  its  doors  for  business  April  i, 
1869,  and  is,  therefore,  forty-one  years  old.  Its  first  officers  were:  directors, 
Henry  Lischer,  Robert  Krause,  J.  M.  Lyter,  Nicholas  Kuhnen,  H.  H.  Andresen, 
L.  Wahle,  Daniel  Gould,  Otto  Albrecht  and  Jens  Lorenzen;  president,  Henry 
Lischer ;  vice  president,  L.  Wahle ;  cashier,  H.  H.  Andresen.  Mr.  Lischer  con- 
tinued to  serve  the  bank  as  president  until  December  12,  1893,  at  which  time  he 
retired  and  H.  H.  Andresen  was  elected  in  his  stead.  At  the  January  election  of 
officers,  in  1901,  Mr.  Andresen  retired  and  Jens  Lorenzen  became  the  head  of 
this  great  financial  institution.  It  was  in  the  fall  of  1892  that  Charles  N.  Voss 
became  its  cashier,  in  which  position  he  served  for  fourteen  years.  This  long 
and  faithful  service  was  rewarded  on  September  17,  1906,  by  the  election  of  Mr. 
Voss  to  the  presidency,  Mr.  Lorenzen  taking  the  office  of  vice  president. 

The  German  Savings  bank  is  the  oldest  savings  bank  in  the  city  of  Davenport 
although  there  had  been  a  savings  bank  organized  prior  to  it,  known  as  the 
Davenport  Savings  institution— succeeded  by  the  Davenport  Savings  bank.  The 
present  officers  are :  directors,  F.  H.  Griggs,  William  P.  Bettendorf .  H.  O.  Seif- 
fert,  T.  A.  Murphy,  F.  G.  Clausen,  Ed.  C.  Mueller,  J.  J.  Richardson,  Henry 
Sraunlich  and  Charles  N.  Voss;  president.  Charles  N.   Voss;  vice  presidents. 


760  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

D.  H.  McKee  and  August  A.  Balluff;  cashier,  Ed  Kaufmann;  assistant  cashier, 
F.  C.  Kroeger. 

DAVENPORT    SAVINGS    BANK. 

The  Davenport  Savings  bank  was  the  next  to  be  incorporated  and  it  opened  its 
doors  for  business  on  April  i,  1870,  with  a  capital  of  $12,000.  The  incorporators 
were  Judge  James  Grant,  C.  E.  Putnam,  Abner  Davison,  James  Armstrong,  James 
Thompson,  Ira  M.  Gifford,  S.  F.  Smith,  Thomas  Scott  and  Francis  Ochs.  The 
capital  stock  has  been  increased  from  time  to  time  until  it  is  now  $300,000.  Of 
this  sum  but  $35,000  has  been  actually  paid  in  in  cash,  the  remaining  amount 
having  been  paid  in  from  its  earnings.  During  the  forty-one  years  of  the  bank's 
existence  it  has  had  but  five  presidents.  C.  E.  Putnam,  the  first  president,  was 
succeeded  in  1884  t>y  Walker  Adams.  In  1888  Anthony  Burdick  was  elected  and 
continued  in  the  office  until  1905,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  William  O.  Schmidt, 
who  held  the  office  until  his  death,  in  August,  1908.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
Louis  Haller  has  served  as  vice  president  for  thirty-six  years,  from  1874  to 
the  present  time.  Francis  Ochs,  the  first  cashier,  was  succeeded  by  R.  Smetham 
in  1874,  In  1879  Charles  N.  Voss,  now  president  of  the  German  Savings  bank, 
became  cashier,  serving  until  1885,  when  succeeded  by  J.  B.  Meyer.  Henry  C. 
Struck,  the  present  incumbent,  succeeded  Mr.  Meyer  in  1892.  The  present 
officers  are :  directors,  Louis  Haller  and  Henry  Kohrs,  who  have  served  since  the 
organization  of  the  bank  forty  years  ago,  Anthony  Burdick,  John  F.  Dow, 
Henry  C.  Struck,  W.  H.  Wilson,  August  E.  Stefifen,  John  W.  Gilchrist,  and  Theo. 
Krabbenhoef t ;  president,  John  F.  Dow;  vice  president,  Louis  Haller;  cashier, 
H.  C.  Struck;  teller,  Otto  L.  Ladenberger;  assistant  teller,  A.  Brunig;  attorney, 
W.  H.  Wilson.  The  total  amount  of  surplus  and  undivided  profits  at  the  time 
of  the  last  public  statement  was  $294,363,  and  the  deposits,  $4,016,442. 

SCOTT  COUNTY  SAVINGS  BANK. 

One  of  the  most  important  banks  in  the  city  of  Davenport  in  point  of  stability, 
amount  of  its  deposits  and  volume  of  business  transacted,  is  the  Scott  County 
Savings  bank.  Organized  December  i,  1883,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $50,000,  it 
has  developed  into  an  institution  with  a  capitalization  of  $250,000  and  a  total 
amount  of  deposits  of  $4,523,489,  with  surplus  and  undivided  profits  of  $266,912. 
The  organizers  of  this  bank  were  I.  H.  Sears,  H.  F.  Petersen,  Charles  F.  Watkins, 
A.  P.  Doe,  C.  A.  Ficke,  Otto  Klug,  J.  L.  Miles,  J.  B.  Phelps,  George  M.  Schmidt. 
The  officers  were :  president,  I.  H.  Sears ;  vice  president,  H.  F.  Petersen ;  and 
cashier,  Charles  S.  Watkins.  During  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  bank 
has  had  but  few  changes  in  its  officers  and  directors.  Its  policy  has  been  con- 
servative, and  it  has  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  a  constantly  increasing  clientele. 
At  the  close  of  business  on  December  4,  1884,  the  amount  of  deposits  was  $283.- 
254 — no  dividends  had  been  paid.  On  December  i,  1889,  the  total  deposits  were 
$803,486  and  the  amount  of  deposits  required  an  increase  of  capital  stock  to 
$100,000.  At  this  time  the  bank  had  paid  to  its  stockholders  $25,000  in  dividends. 
Three  years  later,  on  December  i,  1892,  the  deposits  had  increased  to  $1,506,  843, 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  761 

and  the  capital  stock  was  again  increased,  this  time  to  $200,000.  It  was  in 
December,  1898,  that  the  total  amount  of  deposits  passed  the  $2,000,000  mark 
and  the  capitalization  was  raised  to  $250,000.  The  amount  of  deposits  constantly 
increased  from  year  to  year,  and  in  1901  passed  the  $3,000,000  point,  reaching 
the  total  above  given  on  August  14,  1908. 

Mr.  Sears  has  served  as  president  of  the  institution  since  the  organization,  as 
has  Mr.  Petersen,  its  vice  president.  Charles  S.  Watkins  remained  its  cashier  for 
one  year,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  J.  H.  Hass,  who  still  holds  that  important 
position.  The  present  board  of  directors  is  composed  of  I.  H.  Sears,  H.  F. 
Petersen,  J.  W.  Watzek,  C.  A.  Ficke,  Morton  L.  Alarks,  Patrick  T.  Walsh,  Jo- 
hannes Sindt,  Louis  Hanssen,  Jr.,  and  J.  H.  Hass. 

IOWA  NATIONAL  BANK. 

The  Iowa  National  bank  was  organized  and  opened  for  business  May  15, 
1889,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $100,000.  A.  P.  Doe,  the  present  president,  was 
chairman  of  the  first  meeting  of  stockholders,  and  at  this  meeting  the  follow- 
ing officers  were  elected :  directors,  Charles  Beiderbecke,  John  D.  Brockmann, 
Henry  Schroeder,  A.  P.  Doe,  W.  P.  Halligan,  E.  P.  Lynch,  C.  A.  Ficke,  M.  D. 
Petersen,  William  O.  Schmidt,  J.  H.  Hass,  and  A.  Moritz ;  president,  Charles 
Beiderbecke;  cashier,  D.  H.  Vieths.  Mr.  Beiderbecke  served  as  president  of  the 
bank  until  the  time  of  his  death,  when  A.  P.  Doe  was  elected  his  successor,  on 
December  2,  1901.  Mr.  Vieths  served  as  cashier  until  January  12,  1892,  when 
Charles  N.  Voss  succeeded  him.  Mr.  Voss,  however,  remained  with  the  bank 
but  a  few  months,  and  on  November  15th  of  the  same  year  Charles  Pasche  was 
elected  cashier.  Mr.  Pasche  held  the  office  of  cashier  for  ten  years,  during  which 
time  the  bank  prospered  and  developed  into  one  of  the  strong  financial  institu- 
tions of  the  state.  He  retired  late  in  the  year  1902,  and  at  the  following  annual 
meeting,  in  January,  1903,  J.  E.  Burmeister  was  elected  to  succeed  him  and  is 
still  holding  that  important  position. 

There  have  been  few  changes  in  the  officers  of  the  bank,  the  present  board  be- 
ing officered  as  follows :  directors,  A.  P,  Doe,  John  D.  Brockmann,  J.  E.  Burmeis- 
ter, W.  H.  Gehrmann,  R.  C.  Ficke,  J.  H.  Hass,  W.  P.  Halligan,  Fer'd  Haak,  M.  D. 
Petersen,  Charles  Shuler  and  Henry  Wittenberg;  president,  A.  P.  Doe;  vice 
president,  John  D.  Brockmann ;  cashier,  J.  E.  Burmeister ;  assistant  cashier,  F. 
B.  Yetter.  Present  surplus  and  undivided  profits,  $164,012;  deposits,  $1,999,913. 
The  capital  stock  has  increased  to  $150,000. 

UNION   SAVINGS   BANK. 

One  of  the  junior  members  of  the  Davenport  Clearing  House,  the  Union 
Savings  bank,  has  made  a  remarkable  record  for  the  length  of  time  it  has  been  in 
business.  It  had  hardly  started  on  its  career  when  the  great  panic  of  1903  broke 
over  the  country,  and  yet  it  continued  to  grow  and  develop,  laying  a  firm  and  last- 
ing foundation.  Upon  this,  in  the  later  years  of  its  existence,  it  has  builded  until 
it  has  become  one  of  the  important  factors  in  the  commercial  life  of  Davenport. 
Organized  September  i,  1891,  with  a  capitalization  of  $50,000,  it  has  forged  ahead 


762  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

until  its  deposits  have  reached  a  total  of  $1,651,766,  with  surplus  and  undivided 
profits  of  $100,460. 

In  addition,  it  owns  its  own  banking  house,  worth,  conservatively,  $75,000. 
The  organizers  of  the  bank  included  such  men  as  M.  J.  Eagal,  Colonel  J.  R. 
Nutting,  Colonel  Henry  Egbert,  A.  F.  Cutter,  W.  C.  Hayward,  now  secretary  of 
state,  Uriah  Roraback,  now  one  of  the  leading  lumbermen  and  financiers  of 
St.  Paul,  Fred  B.  Sharon  and  W.  H.  Snider.  The  officers  of  the  bank  were,  in 
addition  to  the  above  who  were  its  directors :  president,  W.  C.  Hayward ;  vice 
president,  Fred  B.  Sharon;  cashier,  A.  F.  Cutter. 

Shortly  after  its  organization,  Mr.  Cutter  having  other  important  interests, 
S.  L.  Ely  was  elected  assistant  cashier.  On  January  13,  1897,  he  succeeded  Mr. 
Cutter  in  that  position,  holding  it  until  his  death  in  1904.  On  August  i,  1904, 
William  Heuer  assumed  the  duties  and  is  still  the  efficient  cashier  of  this  growing 
bank.  Mr.  Hayward,  its  first  president,  was  succeeded  by  John  W.  Ballard,  and 
Mr.  Ballard  was  succeeded  in  turn  by  Fred  H.  Bartemeyer.  The  present  vice 
president  is  W.  R.  Weir.  In  September,  1901,  the  capital  stock  was  increased  to 
$100,000,  the  deposits  at  that  time  amounting  to  $798,525,  while  the  dividends 
paid  that  year  amounted  to  thirty  per  cent,  which  included  the  stock  dividend  of 
twenty-five  per  cent  on  the  capital  of  $60,000.  Indicative  of  the  growth  of  this 
bank  during  the  past  few  years,  it  may  be  stated  that  in  1904  the  total  amount  of 
deposits  was  $868,000,  while  at  the  present  its  deposits  exceed  $1,600,000,  show- 
ing a  larger  percentage  of  growth,  in  proportion  to  its  capitalization,  than  any 
other  bank  in  the  city. 

FARMERS    &    MECHANICS   SAVINGS    BANK. 

The  Farmers  &  Mechanics  Savings  bank  was  organized  and  opened  for 
business  on  September  3,  1892,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000.  Its  officers  and  or- 
ganizers were:  directors,  E.  H.  Dougherty,  George  Mengel,  J.  B.  Meyer,  L.  A. 
Ochs,  Rudolph  Rohlfs,  Julius  Sander,  Claus  Stoltenberg,  Fred  Heinz  and  George 
Wolters;  president,  Fred  Heinz;  vice  president,  Qaus  Stoltenberg;  cashier,  J.  B. 
Meyer. 

There  has  been  but  little  change  in  this  bank  since  its  organization.  Fred 
Heinz  served  as  first  president  until  his  death  in  1904,  and  Claus  Stoltenberg, 
then  vice  president,  was  elected  his  successor  on  January  11,  1905.  In  1904  J..B. 
Meyer  retired  as  cashier,  and  Julius  Hasler,  the  present  incumbent,  was  elected 
to  succeed  him. 

The  bank  has  always  been  prosperous  and  one  of  Davenport's  substantial 
financial  institutions.  It  has  won  for  itself  a  good  name  by  its  conservatism  and 
careful  conduct  of  the  business.  It  now  has  surplus  and  undivided  profits  of 
$57,143,  while  its  deposits  amounted  to  $1,090,521,  at  the  time  of  the  public  state- 
ment, November  3,  1909. 

CITIZENS  TRUST  &  SAVINGS  BANK. 

The  youngest  member  of  the  Davenport  Clearing  House  is  the  Citizens  Trust 
&  Savings  bank.    This  bank  was  organized  and  opened  for  business  on  Novem- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  763 

ber  I,  1906,  with  the  following  officers:  directors,  F.  B.  Sharon,  J.  A.  Hanley, 
P.  H.  Wolfe,  J.  P.  Calnan,  J.  J.  Fleming,  G.  H.  Higbee,  E.  C.  Walsh,  J.  W. 
Walsh  and  A.  E.  Walsh;  advisory  board,  J.  R.  Nutting,  C.  D.  Martin.  W.  M. 
Chamberlin,  W.  F.  Winecke,  Charles  Maher,  Edward  Dougherty,  R.  K.  Brown- 
lie,  W.  A.  Shirk  and  Edward  Hidden,  president,  E.  C.  Walsh  ;  vice  president,  A.  E. 
Walsh;  cashier,  H.  R.  Krohn  (who  had  since  been  succeeded  by  W.  T.  Brownlie)  ; 
assistant  cashier,  C.  J.  Calnan.  Its  capital  stock  is  $100,000  and  a  paid-in  surplus  of 
$100,000  makes  it  one  of  the  leading  financial  institutions  of  the  city.  Its  de- 
posits now  exceed  $300,000,  and  its  loans  and  discounts  are  over  $400,000. 

One  of  the  particular  features  of  the  bank  is  its  safety  deposit  department. 
It  has  an  extensive  vault,  private  retiring  rooms  for  the  depositors  and  an  arrange- 
ment whereby  absolute  safety  is  guaranteed  from  impostors  or  those  not  entitled 
to  privileges  of  the  vault.  A  master  key  in  possession  of  the  bank  must  be  used 
in  connection  with  the  private  key  of  the  depositor.  This  master  key  is  never 
given  to  anyone  except  those  who  are  authorized  to  use  the  private  key.  This 
safety  deposit  department  furnishes  absolute  protection  for  valuable  papers,  such 
as  insurance  policies,  deeds,  notes  and  for  safe  keeping  of  jewels,  plate  and  other 
valuable  property. 

The  commercial  department  is  becoming  quite  popular,  as  it  handles  the  ac- 
counts of  corporations,  firms  and  individuals,  and  extends  to  them  every  facility 
and  convenience  consistent  with  sound  and  conservative  banking  policies.  The 
savings  department  is  equipped  to  handle  the  savings  of  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren. Accounts  may  be  opened,  subject  to  their  exclusive  control,  with  interest 
at  the  rate  of  four  per  cent  for  full  calendar  months. 


DAVENPORT  S  TRUST  COMPANIES. 

A  Statement  of  the  financial  institutions  of  the  city  of  Davenport  would  not 
be  complete  were  nothing  to  be  said  of  its  trust  companies.  The  more  imporant 
of  these  is  the  German  Trust  Company,  organized  August  9,  1894.  The  organ- 
izers of  this  institution  were  H.  H.  Andresen,  L.  Wahle,  Jens  Lorenzen,  Henry 
Techentin,  Charles  N.  Voss,  T.  W.  McClelland  and  Otto  Albrecht.  Its  capitaliza- 
tion was  fixed  at  $100,000,  $25,000  of  which  was  paid  in  upon  organization. 
Later  $25,000  more  was  called  in  and  the  balance,  $50,000,  was  paid  in  in  1905. 
Its  first  board  of  directors  was  composed  of  the  following  financiers :  H.  H.  An- 
dresen, F.  H.  Griggs,  Henry  Lischer,  L.  Wahle,  Henry  Techentin,  Jens  Lorenzen, 
Charles  N.  Voss,  Christian  Toerring,  T.  A.  Murphy,  H.  P.  Seiflfert  and  John  D. 
Brockmann.  Its  first  president  was  F.  H.  Griggs;  vice  president,  Charles  N. 
Voss ;  secretary,  Richard  Andresen ;  treasurer,  John  Bredow.  In  1905  the  stock 
of  the  German  Trust  Company  was  placed  with  the  officers  of  the  German  Sav- 
ings bank,  and  it  is  now  held  in  trust  for  the  benefit  of  the  stockholders  of  that 
bank. 

The  purpose  of  this  institution  is  to  do  a  general  trust  business.  It  acts  as 
administrator,  executor  and  trustee  under  wills,  and  accepts  and  executes  trusts 
of  every  description  from  courts,  corporations  and  individuals.  One  of  the 
most  important  features  of  its  business  is  the  issue  of  debenture  bonds,  secured 
by  the  first  mortgage  loans,  for  people  desiring  safe  and  long  time  investments. 


764  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

The  present  officers  of  this  company :  directors,  F.  H.  Griggs,  W.  P.  Betten- 
dorf,  Ed.  C.  Mueller,  H.  O.  Seiffert,  T.  A.  Murphy,  F.  G.  Clausen,  J.  J.  Richard- 
son, Charles  N.  Voss,  Dr.  Henry  Braunlich,  A.  W.  VanderVeer  and  John  D. 
Brockmann;  president,  Charles  N.  Voss;  vice  president,  H.  O.  Seiffert. 

DAVENPORT  TRUST  COMPANY. 

The  other  institution  belonging  to  this  class  of  Davenport's  financial  con- 
cerns is  the  Davenport  Trust  Company.  This  company  has  an  authorized  capi- 
talization of  $50,000  of  which  $15,000  is  paid  up.  Its  officers  are:  president, 
John  F.  Dow ;  vice  president,  August  E.  Stefifen ;  secretary  and  treasurer,  Henry 
C.  Struck.    It  was  organized  December  9,  1902,  with  John  F.  Dow  as  president. 

This  company  has  never  pushed  its  business,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  laws 
governing  trust  companies  in  the  state  of  Iowa  are  not  considerable  favorable  to 
the  promotion  of  such  enterprises.  The  organization,  however,  is  maintained 
in  the  hope  that  the  legislature  will  see  fit  to  deal  justly  with  institutions  of  this 
kind. 

BUFFALO   SAVINGS    BANK. 

The  Bufifalo  Savings  bank  was  organized  May  i,  1909,  with  a  capital  of  $12,000, 
and  the  following  officers  were  elected :  H.  S.  Morehead,  president ;  J.  G.  Dutcher, 
vice  president;  A.  H.  Dorman,  cashier.  In  its  third  report,  issued  February  16, 
19 10,  it  showed  deposits  amounting  to  $32,000.  This  is  the  first  bank  to  be  estab- 
lished in  Bufifalo  and  bids  fair  to  become  one  of  the  important  financial  institu- 
tions of  that  section  of  the  county. 

BLUE  GRASS  SAVINGS  BANK. 

The  above  institution  has  for  its  president  W.  I.  Vanderveer;  vice  presi- 
dent, Julius  Schiele;  cashier,  H.  F.  Wonder.  It  is  capitalized  at  $25,000  and 
last  reported  deposits  of  $277,000. 

DIXON   SAVINGS  BANK. 

John  Lanseth  is  president  of  this  bank,  E.  P.  Woods,  vice  president  and 
B.  L.  Clark,  cashier. 

DONAHUE   SAVINGS    BANK. 

The  Donahue  Savings  bank  is  capitalized  at  $10,000  with  deposits  amounting 
to  $100,000.  Its  president  is  G.  F.  Burmeister;  vice  president,  Frank  Keppy, 
Sr. ;  cashier,  Frank  C.  Keppy. 

NEW  LIBERTY. 

The  German  Savings  bank  of  New  Liberty  is  capitalized  at  $10,000  and  has 
deposits  at  its  last  report  of  $150,000.  William  Treimer  is  president,  J.  C.  Bolte, 
vice  president  and  George  Lueders,  cashier. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  765 

ELDRIDGE   SAVINGS   BANK. 

The  Eldridge  Savings  bank  has  a  capital  of  $25,000  and  reported  in  its  last 
statement  deposits  of  $417,000.  M.  H.  Calderwood,  president;  Henry  Gertz, 
vice  president;  H.  W.  Bruhn,  cashier. 

m'causland  savings  bank. 

This  bank  has  a  cash  capital  of  $10,000  and  in  its  last  report  shows  deposits 
of  $109,000.  L.  Litscher,  president ;  F.  J.  Lessen,  vice  president ;  F.  E.  Ringey, 
cashier. 

LECLAIRE  savings  BANK. 

C.  S.  Simpson,  president;  W.  A.  Shirk,  vice  president;  F.  C.  Michael,  cash- 
ier; capital,  $10,000;  deposits,  $114,000. 


The  Farmers  Savings  bank  of  Walcott  has  a  cash  capital  of  $25,000  and  last 
reported  $153,000  in  deposits.  E.  F.  Kegel,  president;  C.  A.  F.  Koeppe,  vice 
president;  C.  F.  Emler,  cashier. 

The  Walcott  Savings  bank  is  capitalized  at  $60,000  and  its  last  statement 
shows  deposits  amounting  to  $845,000.  L.  Bennewitz,  president;  Louis  Hinz, 
vice  president ;  J.  H.  Stouffer,  cashier. 

PRINCETON. 

The  Farmers  Savings  bank  of  Princeton  has  for  its  president  J.  H,  Shaff; 
vice  president,  J.  D.  Dennis ;  cashier,  C.  H.  Suiter.  This  bank  is  in  a  flourishing 
condition. 

BETTENDORF  SAVINGS   BANK. 

The  Bettendorf  Savings  bank  was  organized  March  i,  1909,  capitalized  at 
$25,000.  Its  officers  are:  president,  P.  W.  Peck;  vice  president,  F.  C.  Siebengart- 
ner;  cashier,  J.  E.  Brownlie.  This  is  one  of  the  last  banks  to  be  established  in 
Scott  county  but  shows  by  its  deposits  of  $41,000  that  it  has  gained  the  confidence 
of  its  clientele  and  bids  fair  to  grow  in  proportion  to  the  wonderful  little  manu- 
facturing town  of  which  it  is  the  financial  center. 


SCOTT  COUXTY'S  FIRST  C0URTH(3USE.  ERECTED  1840-41 
Present  Courthouse  occupies  same  site.     Standing  on  the  steps  are  Dr.  E.  S.  Barrows, 
•James  Thorineton.   Harvey  Leonard  and  .Judge  W.  L.  Cook 


i 

m..^  ^ "^  {gWafl-^^^  i  iiiT 

|M|ja|ljl^AM|PiliijjB|^^          -^^W)  Hifimi^ll^^  4iHm 

w        /^^ 

^'  -^ 

SCOTT  COUNTY  COURTHOUSE 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
AT  THE  COURT  HOUSE. 

THE   HANDSOME    PALACE    OF    JUSTICE TABLETS    WHEREON    THE    PIONEER    SETTLERS' 

ASSOCIATION    HAVE   INSCRIBED   THOSE   COMING  TO   SCOTT   COUNTY    BEFORE    1846 

FULL  LIST  OF  NAMES THE  COUNTY  JAIL THE  SCOTT  COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL 

SOCIETY ^DESCRIPTION    OF    THE    FIRST    FAIR BASEBALL     WHEN     THE     PITCHER 

OVERSTAYED    HIS  TIME   IN   THE  BOX  AND  GENTLEMEN   CAUGHT    FLY   BALLS. 

The  present  temple  of  justice  was  erected  in  1888  at  a  cost  of 
$125,000.  It  is  bounded  by  Fourth,  Scott,  Fifth  and  Ripley  streets, 
and  is  constructed  of  stone.  The  architecture  is  quite  pleasing  to  the 
eye.  A  number  of  decorations  of  allegorical  design  are  placed  in  con- 
spicuous places  on  the  exterior.  These  are  illustrative  of  historical  periods  of 
the  Mississippi  valley.  The  interior  is  conveniently  arranged  and  is  quite  spa- 
cious. Upon  entering  the  building,  on  each  side  of  the  main  entrance,  are  marble 
tablets  inserted  into  the  walls  upon  which  are  inscribed  the  names  of  many  of  the 
earliest  settlers  of  Scott  county.  The  list  and  inscription  follow  exactly  as  they 
appear  today : 

MEMORIAL  TABLET 

Dedicated  to  the  Pioneers 

Who  Settled  in  Scott  County 

on  or  Before  December  31st,  1846. 

Erected  1901 

BY  THE  OLD  SETTLERS  ASSOCIATION. 

1833.  LeClaire,  Margaret 

Clark,  W.  L.  LeClaire.  David 

Clark,  Ben  W.  LeClaire,  Sarah 
Clark.  Margaret  B. 

Davenport,  George  L.  1834. 

Davenport,  Sarah  G.  Smith,  Ira  F. 

Davenport,  George  A.  Davenport,  A.  H. 

LeClaire,  Antoine  Davenport,  Harriet 


770 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


1835- 
Bowling',  James  M. 
Bowling,  Margaret  A. 
Condit,  S.  G. 
Condit,  Phoebe 
Cook,  Ira,  Sen. 
Mitchell,  G.  C.  R. 
Matthews,  Margaret  D. 
Smith,  P.  M. 
Van  Tuyl,  William 
Van   Tuyl,  P.  V.  Cook 

1836. 

Averill,  Leverett 
Burnside,  James  E. 
Burnside,  Elizabeth 
Burnside,  Elizabeth  Baker 
Cook,  Ira,  Jr. 
Cook,  William  L. 
Cook,  Ebenezer 
Cook,  Clarissa  C. 
Cook,  Hon.  John  P. 
Cook,  Eliza  A. 
Cassell,  Mary  L. 
Dodge,  Capt.  Leroy 
Eldridge,  D.  C. 
Eldridge,  Rebecca 
Eldridge,  J.  M. 
Eldridge,  C.  H. 
Friday,  John  M. 
Hyde,  Andrew 
Hall,  Dr.  James 
Hall,  Capt.  W.  P. 
Higgins,  Henry  W. 
Higgins,  Maria  W. 
Jones,  Thomas 
Leonard,  Maria  H. 
Little,  Samuel 
Mitchell,  Nat'l. 
Mitchell,  Anna  Rhea 
Mcintosh,  James 
Parkhurst,  Lemuel 
Spencer,  Roswell  H. 
Sullivan,  David 
Rowe,  Christopher 
Rowe,  Elizabeth  F. 
Welch,  Cornelia  M. 


1837- 

Armil,  John 

Armil,  Susanna 

Armil,  Jesse  L. 

Armil  Thomas  H. 

Armil,  E.  Bradon 

Armil,  William 

Baker,  Philip 

Baker,  Louisa 

Barrows,  Willard 

Bennett,  Rodolphus 

Curtis,  Phineas 

Curtis,  Louisa  B. 

Coleman,  Andrew 

Carter,  Vincent  S. 

Carter,  Ann  Eliza 

Dyer,  James 

Fuller,  Dennis  R. 

Fuller,  Lovencia 

Forrest,  John 

Forrest,  Annie  E. 

Forrest,  John  G. 

Forrest,  Eugenia  R. 

Glaspell,  Susan 

Grant,  Hon.  James 

Hyde,  Julia  R. 

Hyde,  Emma  M. 

Hall,  Mrs.  Mahala 

Hedges,  Sarah  M. 

Lyter,  Samuel 

Lyter,  Sophia 

Leonard,  Harvey 

Leonard,  Pelagie 

Mcintosh,  Robert 

Macklot,  Louis  A. 

Mead,  Rev.  Enoch 

Pelamourgues,  Rev.  J.  A.  M. 

Rowe,  William 

Rowe,  Mary 

Summers,  Laurel 

Summers,  Mary 

Wallace,  Mrs.  M.  A. 

1838. 
Brownlie,  James 
Brownlie,  Richie 
Burrows,  J.  M.  D. 
Burrows,  Mrs.  Sarah  M. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


771 


Collins,  William  S. 

Collins,  Miles  A. 

Cook,  Mary 

Christie,  Robert 

Weston,  Col.  Charles 

Dillon,  Thomas 

Dillon,  Rosanna 

Dillon,  Hon.  John  F. 

Dillon,  Anna  Price 

Dow,  Hildah  A. 

Hall,  Israel 

Hall,  Rachel  B. 

Hall,  George  F. 

Hickson,  W.  H. 

Hyde,  George  J. 

Hoge,  David 

Hutt,  Abraham 

Hitchcock,  Jared 

Hitchcock,  Lucy 

Jordan,  Anna  E. 

Jacobs,Mark  C. — 1837 

Jacobs,  Louise 

Littig,  Peter,  Sen. 

Littig,  Mary  Baily 

Littig,  John,  Jr. 

Littig,  Louisa 

Littig,  August  N. 

Littig,  Mary 

Logan,  Andrew 

Maw,  Johnson 

Maw,  Julia 

Munger,  Cheeney 

Munger,  Priscilla  L. 

Mead,  James  R. 

Mead,  Mary  E. 

McArthur,  Gabriel 

McArthur,  Elizabeth 

Owens,  James  F. 

Owens,  John 

Parmele,  Moses 

Parmele,  Laura 

Parmele,  Henry 

Parmele,  Emma  Condit— 1835 

Parmele,  Edwin 

Parkhurst,  Waldo 

Pope,  John 

Paddock,  Lenora 


Taylor,  Edward 
Taylor,  Precilla 
Wells,  Bartholomew 

1839. 
Billon,  A.  C. 
Billon,  S.  J.  Wood 
Burrows,  L.  W. 
Burrows,  Ruth 
Baldwin,  Richard  C. 
Baldwin,  Flora  C. 
Bradley,  Horace 
Bradley,  Eleanor 
Collamer,  L.  B. 
Collamer,  Mary  A. 
Donaldson,  Adam 
Donaldson,  Rachel 
Donaldson,  G.  H. 
Donaldson,  P.  A. 
Donaldson,  J.  R. 
Donaldson,  A.  C. 
Evans,  John 
Forrest,  George 
Eldridge,  John  M. 
Eldridge,  Joseph 
Eldridge,  Mary  A. 
Holbrook,  John  C. 
Inslee,  William 
Jack,  James 
Jack,  Eliza  C. 
Jack,  Andrew 
Johnson,  Ben 
Kober,  Christian 
Kober,  Sarah 
Lesslie,  Charles 
Myers,  C.  F. 
Morton,  John 
Prettyman,  R.  M. 
Prettyman,  Mrs.  R.  M. 
Randolph,  D.  F. 
Randolph,  Mary  J. 
Rumbold,  James,  Sen. 
Rumbold,  Margarette 
Rumbold,  James,  Jr. 
Rumbold,  Isabella 
Rumbold,  Dr.  Thomas 
Rumbold,  William 
Shaw,  D.  B. 


772 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


Thorington,  Hon.  Jas. 
Thorington,  Mary 
Walraven,  John 
Witherwax,  Dr.  J.  M. 

1840. 
Armil,  Henry  B. — 1837 
Armil,  A.  Jackson — 1837 
Armil,  James  L. — 1837 
Burrows,  Elisha 
Burrows,  David  A. 
Burrows,  Mary 
Buckwalter,  David 
Buckwalter,  Elizabeth 
Blood,  Dr.  Cyrus  G. 
Dutton,  Jerome 
Dutton,  Celinda  P. 
Hickson,  W.  H. 
Kelley,  Walter 
Kelley,  Mary 
McLoskey,  A.  A. 
McLoskey,  Elizabeth 
Speer,  William 
Speer,  James 
Speer,  Margaret 
Parker,  Samuel 
Parker,  Francis 
Parker,  Rhoda  C. 
Parker,  Diantha 
Parker,  F.  J. 
Parker,  Mary 
Parker,  Rhoda 
Parker,  Celinda 
Parker,  Elizabeth 
Parker,  Laura 

1841. 
Ames,  Charles 
Ames,  Letitia 
Blakemore,  F.  V. 
Blakemore,  Emily  A. 
Davies,  John  L. 
Davies,  Margaret  J. 
Hall,  Byron  S. 
Newcomb,  Daniel  T. 
Newcomb,  P.  Viele 
Price,  James 
Price,  Mary  Ann 
Pope,  Isaac  Tracy 


Pope,  Mary  Ann 
Pope,  Robert  H. 
Pope,  Angeline  H. 
Pope,  Justus 
Pope,  Sarah  Wood 
Pope,  William  Henry 
Pope,  Mary  Allen 
Wood,  Sarah  Pope 
Wood,  James  W. 
Sanders,  Alfred 

1842. 
Fulton,  A.  C. 
Fulton,  Mary 
Fulton,  LeClaire 
Mitchell,  Rose  Ann 
Steinhilber,  Ezekiel 
Steinhilber,  Wilhelmine 
Van  Patten,  John  P. 
Winrow,  Catherine  R. 

1843. 

Cook,  Edward  E. 
Gray,  William 
Gray,  Mary  A. 
Hughes,  John 
Johnson,  Elizabeth 
Reading,  Kensyl 
Reading,  Hannah 
Reading,  August 
Stephens,  James 
Townsend,  Robert 
Williams,  C.  C. 
Williams,  Eliza 
Williams,  A.  F. 
Barnes,  Dennis — 1842 
Gabbert,  Capt.  W.  H.— 1846 
Belken,  Henry— 1838 
Moore,  Levi — 1835 
Moore,  Phebe — 1835 

1844. 
Adams,  Rev.  Ephraim  E. 
Donaldson,  E.  B. 
Price,  Hon.  Hiram 
Peaslee,  Ezekial 
Peaslee,  Eliza 
Rigg,  WilHam 
Scott,  J.  Bowman 
Scott,  Dorcus  H. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


773 


Stephens,  Wesley  B. 
Stephens,  William 
Stephens,  Hannah 
Wick,  Marie  Louisa 
Southland,  Catharine  Wick 
Follett,  Maria  Wick 
Wick,  J.  Edward 
Wick.  Adrian  F. 

1845. 
Cook,  Lowe  P. 
Friday,  Elizabeth 
Kessler,  Frank 
Kessler,  Mary  Ann 
Kessler,  John  B. 
Kessler,  Maxy 
Kessler,  William 
Karwath,  Henry  R. 
Karwath,  Julia  A.  Belken 
Leonard,  Thomas 
Meinhardt,  J.  L.  B. 
Meinhardt,  Regina  K. 
Miller,  Andrew 
Miller,  Barbara 
Miller,  Frank  A. 
Sanders,  Gen.  Add.  H, 
Smith,  Mary  Reed 
Reed,  Rev.  Julius  A. 
Reed,  Caroline  B. 
Wilkinson,  Anna  Reed 

1846. 
Barr,  Simon 
Barr,  Susanna 
Briceland,  Hugh 
Baurose,  Louis 
Connor,  John 
Connor,  Ellen 
demons,  L.  W. 
demons,  Mrs.  E.  L. 
Gilmore,  Stewart 
Gilmore,  Mary  A. 
Grapengeter.  Fritz 
Gillin,  D. 
Gillin,  Mrs.  Ann 
Greehy.  John 
Greehy.  Margarette 
Jamison,  John 
kelley.  John  F. 


Miller,  Nicholas 
Miller,  Jane  P. 
Miller,  Mary  J. 
Miller,  Henrietta 
Martin,  Luke 
Martin,  Mary 
McLoskey,  Charles  A. 
Sherman,  Ebenezer 
Wilson,  George 
Guy,  John  A. — 1845 
Guy,  Elizabeth  J. 
Rambo,  N.  M. — 1839 
Rambo,  Elizabeth 
Kessler,  Franz  X. — 1845 
Morton,  Allibone 
Wilson,  Nathaniel — 1840 
Wilson,  William — 1841 
Wilson,  Sarah — 1841 
Wilson  James  H. — 1842 
Wilson,  W.  R.— 1844 
Wilson,  N.  J.— 1845 
Morgan,  David — 1841 
Morgan,  Mrs.  Rebecca 
Woodward,  Joseph — 1842 
Woodward,  Mrs.  Mary  F. — 1842 
Woodward,  Benjamin  B. — 1842 
Woodward,  Elizabeth  E. — 1841 
Littig,  Peter  N.— 1846 
Littig.  Emma  G.— 1846 
Comm. — J.  M.  Eldridge,  Jesse  L. 
Armil.  * 

1833- 
Hebert,  Louis 
Hebert,  Margaret — 1841 
Hebert.  Joseph  L. — 1845 

1835- 
Noel,  Adam 
Noel,  Susan 
Gabbert,  Henrv 

1836. 
Suiter,  Philip 
Suiter,  Nancy 
Suiter,  John  H. 
Suiter,  Polly  Ann 
Suiter.  William  M. 
Suiter,  Jacob  G. 
Suiter,  Philip  L. 


774 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


Suiter,  Joseph — 1837 
Suiter,  Francis  M, — 1839 
Suiter,  Hannah — 1841 
Suiter,  James  W. — 1842 
Suiter,  Ellen  E. — 1844 
Eads,  Col.  Thomas  C. 
Eads,  Ann  Buchanan 
Eads,  Capt.  James  B. 

1838. 
Davenport,  James  H. 
Elder,  Charles 
Elder,  Mary 
Elder,  Joseph 
Glynn,  Mary  H. 

1839. 
Collamer,  Lucian  B. 
Collamer,  Mary  A. 
Cooper,  Rafield 
Newby,  Robert 

1840. 
McGinnis,  William 
McGinnis,  Mary 

1843. 
Snyder,  Harriet 
Snyder,  C.  D.— 1846 

1844. 
Robeson,  Thomas 
Robeson,  Sarah  B. 
Robeson,  John  E. 
Robeson,  David  S. 
children  of  T.  and  S.  B.  Robeson 


1846. 
Co€,  Joseph 
Coe,  Catherine 
Wertz,  Mary 
Suiter,  Alice  M. — 1837 
Cooper,  John  T. — 1839 
Stone,  Horatio  G. — 1836 
Stone,  Hannah — 1840 
Stone.  S.  Clarissa — 1844 

1838. 
Cody,  Isaac 
Cody,  Mary  B. 
Cody,  Col.  W.  F.— 1846 

1842. 
Houghton,  James,  Sr 
Houghton,  Eliza 

1844. 
Backus,  George — 1849 
Backus,  Eliza 
Robertson,  John 
Robertson,  Mary  Neil — 1847 
Holm,  Caroline — 1846 
Spencer,  Roswell  Hopkins — 1833 

1838. 
Nichols,  O.  P. 
Nichols,  Caroline 
Nichols,  G.  M. 
Nichols,  R.  E. 
Nichols,  W.  J. 
Nichols,  Isabell 
Coleman,  J.  H.  S. — 1840 
Coleman,  Ada  H, 


In  explanation  of  the  seeming  lapses  in  the  chronology  of  Scott  county  settle- 
ment it  should  be  said  that  the  tablets  were  placed  at  different  times,  the  later 
ones  amplifying  the  previous  lists  graven  in  marble.  It  is  probable  that  the 
record  has  now  been  made  of  early  settlement.  In  this  list  will  be  noted  the  best 
known  man  in  the  world,  Buffalo  Bill,  and  the  builder  of  the  great  St.  Louis 
bridge  and  Mississippi  jetties,  Capt.  James  B.  Eads. 


THE   JAIL. 

North  of  the  courthouse  and  in  the  same  lot  and  connected  with  it  by  an  un- 
derground passage,  is  a  fine  stone  structure  built  after  the  courthouse,  which  is 
the  county  jail.  It  is  fully  equipped  with  devices  for  the  restraint  and  safe  lodg- 
ment of  prisoners.  It  is  modern  in  every  particular  and  in  its  exterior  presents 
a  fine  appearance. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  775 

SCOTT    COUNTY    AGRICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 

In  1853  the  Scott  County  Agricultural  Society  organized,  with  H.  M.  Thomp- 
son as  president ;  Judge  James  Grant,  vice  president,  and  John  R.  Jackson,  secre- 
tary, and  in  1854  the  society  held  its  first  annual  fair  south  of  Sixth  street,  near 
Farnam  street.  In  1855  the  next  fair  was  held  on  land  belonging  to  the  asso- 
ciation near  the  Orphans'  Home,  and  the  amount  paid  for  premiums  was  $325. 
Meetings  were  held  annually  on  these  grounds  until  i860,  when  the  fair  for  that 
year  was  held  on  grounds  leased  of  Antoine  LeClaire  which  were  situated  north 
of  Thirteenth  between  Perry  and  Farnam  streets,  and  all  of  these  meetings  were 
well  patronized.  The  next  location  was  the  present  Central  park  and  a  later  lo- 
cation was  in  northwest  Davenport.  The  association  continued  to  hold  these 
annuals  fairs  up  to  about  1898,  and  since  that  time  interest  in  such  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  farmers  have  ceased  to  be  of  interest  to  the  community.  Later  on  the 
Mile  Track  Trotting  Society  was  organized  and  had  its  grounds  just  outside  of 
the  northwest  limits  of  the  city,  where  was  built  one  of  the  finest  mile  tracks  in 
the  country  and  where  a  number  of  records  for  speed  were  broken.  The  so- 
ciety held  annual  meetings  up  to  about  1908,  when  they  ceased. 

THE  FIRST  FAIR. 

Miles  A.  Collins,  an  early  settler  of  the  county,  contributed  the  following 
amusing  article  to  the  Half  Century  number  of  the  Democrat  and  it  is  deemed  a 
fitting  finale  to  this  subject,  although  it  treats  of  the  beginning  of  things  in  that 
regard : 

"Early  on  a  morning  in  September,  1854,  Eugene  Bird  and  I  husked  a  load 
of  corn,  where  the  Oakdale  line  of  the  Tri-City  Railway  Company  is  now  run- 
ning, bound  for  the  first  fair  ever  held  in  Scott  county  directly  that  work  was 
done.  Bushels  of  luscious  peaches  lay  west  of  the  house  in  the  peach  orchard, 
and  we  did  not  forget  to  fill  our  pockets.  We  paid  twenty-five  cents  each  to 
get  inside  of  an  enclosure  made  by  setting  railroad  ties  on  end,  resting  on  each 
other  till  the  enclosure  was  complete.  Almost  the  first  person  we  met  was  my 
father,  who  asked.  'How  did  you  get  in?'  'Why.'  we  said,  'we  paid.'  'You 
ought  not  to  have  done  it,'  he  replied.  'My  family  ticket  (for  which  he  had  paid 
a  dollar)  lets  us  in  free.  You  might  just  as  well  have  saved  your  money.' 
Well — I  thought  that,  as  William  A.  Collins,  commonly  called  Uncle  Billy,  the 
carpenter,  had  four  sets  of  children  in  his  family,  all  those  admissions  for  a 
dollar  might  bear  a  little  hard  on  the  society,  and  it  was  no  harm  to  help  them 
out.    Anyhow  I  saw  the  sights  of  the  fair. 

"In  the  early  summer  of  1853  an  organization  had  been  formed,  calling  it- 
self the  Scott  County  Agricultural  Society.  It  chose  H.  M.  Thompson,  presi- 
dent, James  Grant,  vice  president,  John  R.  Jackson,  treasurer  and  James  Thor- 
ington,  secretary.  Thursday.  September  i.  1853.  was  a  big  day  for  Davenport. 
On  that  day  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri  railroad  was  started,  on  the  corner  of 
Fifth  and  Rock  Island  streets,  just  north  of  father's  house,  which  is  still  standing, 
doing  duty  as  the  storehouse  of  the  Rock  Island's  dining  car  department.  An- 
toine LeClaire  threw  the  first  shovelful  of  dirt  that  began  the  work.    The  start 


776  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

was  witnessed  by  two  brass  bands  of  the  city,  the  Odd  Fellows  in  regalia,  the 
Turn  Verein,  forty  of  Strong  Burnell's  sawmill  men  in  a  large  wagon  drawn 
by  four  horses,  and  a  great  throng ;  some  estimated  2,000  persons  on  the  ground.  I 
speak  of  this  to  show  how  it  happened  that  so  many  railroad  ties  came  to  be 
on  the  ground  that  lay  east  of  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Rock  Island  to  the  river, 
in  LeClaire's  cornfield.  There  were  thousands  of  them.  It  was  not  so  hard  a 
matter  for  John  R.  Jackson  to  place  them  in  line  as  a  fence.  This  fence  en- 
closed about  an  acre,  from  Sixth  street  south  to  about  where  the  U.  N.  Roberts 
Company's  sash  and  door  factory  is.  The  first  thing  that  I  noticed,  after  getting 
on  the  grounds,  was  the  treasurer  of  the  society  driving  a  span  of  mules  hitched 
to  a  self-raking  reaper,  going  slowly  around  the  grounds.  This  reaper  \ id  a 
way  of  automatically  taking  the  sheaf  from  the  platform,  as  a  man's  arm  would 
do.  As  it  was  the  first  reaper  of  the  kind  that  I  ever  saw  in  motion,  its  opera- 
tion was  interesting.  Flour  barrels  were  strung  around  the  fence,  covered  with 
unplaned  boards.  At  the  foot  of  the  same  were  bushels  and  bushels  of  po- 
tatoes and  grain,  and  on  the  top  were  placed  pantry  stores  and  things  good  to 
eat.  Not  much  show  for  trotting  horses;  did  not  take  time  to  make  a  track; 
but  there  was  a  good  show  of  carriage  horses  and  farm  teams.  Adam  Donald- 
son, I  think,  got  first  premium  on  carriage  team.  He  also  got  first  on  his  hogs, 
which  were  not  numerous,  as  every  man  was  expected  to  care  for  his  own 
family,  especially  pigs.  There  was  a  large  crowd  in  attendance  and  a  good  social 
time.  Antoine  LeClaire,  of  course,  was  there  with  his  carriage  He  had  just 
finished  his  mansion  on  the  hill  above,  now  the  house  of  Bishop  Cosgrove,  and 
he  told  us  that  we  would  find  everything  about  it  first  class,  from  the  stair  rail 
of  solid  mahogany  clear  through." 

BASEBALL  IN   DAVENPORT  IN   THE  SIXTIES. 

Today,  Hke  other  cities  of  this  great  republic,  Davenport  has  its  professional 
baseball  team,  which  is  a  member  of  a  league  formed  of  various  clubs  in  other 
cities,  which  play  a  stated  number  of  games  in  the  home  places  during  the  sea- 
son, each  club  alternating  in  cities  forming  the  league.  Every  member  of  the 
club  has  first  been  tried  out  for  his  particular  position  on  the  diamond  and  is 
expected  to  "make  good"  in  the  place  he  has  especially  fitted  himself  to  "hold 
down,"  and  he  draws  a  salary  commensurate  with  his  skill  and  agility.  The 
battery,  made  up  of  the  pitcher  and  catcher,  is  the  most  important  section  of 
the  club  and  much  depends  on  the  ability  and  generalship  of  the  two  composing 
it  in  preventing  their  opponents  from  scoring.  The  "national"  game  has,  there- 
fore, become  not  only  a  recognized  sport  of  the  American  people,  but  it  has 
also  taken  its  place  in  commercialism  and  many  millions  of  dollars  are  expended 
annually  by  devotees  of  the  game.  One  city  has  its  million-dollar  baseball  park 
and  a  number  of  others  in  the  national  leagues  have  grounds  and  their  appur- 
tenances that  individually  cost  many  thousands  of  dollars.  The  players,  many 
of  them,  demand  and  receive  the  salary  of  a  bank  president  of  the  first  class, 
and  the  president  of  one  of  the  great  leagues  was  but  recently  voted  a  salary 
of  $25,000  annually,  to  continue  a  stated  number  of  years.  Such  is 
modern     baseball     and     the     incidents     relating     thereto.       In     the     '60s     the 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  777 

game  was  altogether  different,  not  only  in  the  methods  of  playing  it,  but  also 
in  the  stipend  of  the  players.  Today  every  player  is  an  artist  in  his  position  on 
the  diamond,  and  a  run  around  the  bases  and  to  the  home  plate,  making  a  tally, 
is  now  the  exception  in  an  inning  rather  than  the  rule.  Hence,  the  winning 
team  is  rarely  a  victor  by  a  score  of  more  than,  say,  from  one  to  five  or  six 
tallies.  To  show  the  difference  in  the  game  of  yesterday,  so  to  speak,  and 
today,  the  following  accounts  of  games  played  in  1866,  as  written  by  the  sport- 
ing (  ?)  editor  of  The  Democrat,  will  make  interesting,  if  not  amusing  reading, 
for  the  baseball  "fan" : 

THE  DAVENPORT  UNION  BASEBALL  CLUB. 

"Anything  calculated  to  develop  the  health  and  muscle  of  the  young  men  of 
our  city  should  certainly  meet  with  all  reasonable  encouragement.  A  new  club 
has  been  organized  in  our  city  with  the  above  title  and  on  Saturday  last  had  a 
trial  of  skill  on  the  level  ground  near  the  stone  schoolhouse  on  West  Third 
street.  The  following  are  the  officers  and  members :  President,  Parker  W.  Mc- 
Manus ;  vice  president.  Charles  S.  Glaspell ;  secretary.  Theodore  K.  Caldwell : 
treasurer,  Samuel  J.  Priest;  members,  William  J.  Bailey,  J.  A.  Bamber,  H.  T. 
Bawden,  M.  Carroll,  J.  W.  Coon,  E.  P.  Cook.  L.  S.  Davis.  E.  Glaspell.  A.  L. 
Mossman,  R.  Moore,  D.  Moore,  J.  T.  Temple,  D.  C.  Porter;  directors,  M.  Car- 
roll, R.  Moore,  T.  K.  Caldwell. 

"The  matched  baseball  game  between  the  Union  club  of  this  city  and  the 
Wapello  club  of  Rock  Island  came  off  on  Saturday  last  at  the  appointed  place 
and  resulted  in  the  victory  of  the  Wapellos.  A  large  number  of  spectators  at- 
tended, the  greater  portion  being  ladies.  The  game  commenced  at  2:15  o'clock, 
the  Wapello  boys  having  their  first  inning.  The  following  is  an  official  report 
of  the  game.     We  wish  the  Union  boys  better  luck  next  time : 

Wapello,  Rock  Island.  Union,  Davenport. 

W.  Gleim,  3d  b 13     E.  Glaspell.   ist  b i 

W.  Dart,  c.  f 11     J.  W.  Coon,  s.  s i 

M.  Weiser,  2d  b 14     A.  L.  Mossman.  3d  b O 

J.  Hodges,  1.  f 14     Samuel  Priest.  1.  f i 

C.  Piatt,  p 13     C.  Krum,  r.  f i 

S.  M.  Eggleston,  r.  f 11     C.  Glaspell.  c t 

H.  Piatt,  s.  s 15     John  .A.  Bamber.  c.  f o 

M.  Sturgeon,  ist  b 15     D.  Porter.  2d  b i 

R.  Chamberlain,  c 13     P.  McManus,  p i 

Total    119        Total    7 

Innings.        Runs.                                        Innmgs.        Runs. 
Wapello    9 119     Union   9 7 

"Fly  balls  caught  by  the  following  gentlemen  of  the  Wapello :  C.  Piatt,  i : 
H.  Piatt,  i;  M.  Sturgeon.  2;  R.  Chamberlain,  i.  Union:  T.  W.  Coon.  2: 
A.  L.  Mossman.  3:  C.  Krum,  i  :  Glaspell.  i;  P.  McManus,  i.  Umpire.  Wil- 
liam Sayles.  of  MoHne ;  scorer.  W.  S.  Gates,  of  Rock  Island. 


778  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

""The  Scott  baseball  boys  played  a  match  with  the  Union  boys — both  organ- 
izations of  this  city — at  the  grounds  of  the  latter,  corner  of  Sixteenth  and  Rip- 
ley streets,  on  Saturday  afternoon.  The  weather  was  delightful  and  a  large 
audience,  among  which  were  many  of  the  fair  sex,  was  present.  The  boys 
were  all  in  excellent  trim  and  the  result  is  shown  by  the  following  figures  which 
indicate  that  the  Scotts  took  the  palm : 

Scott   Club                                    O.  R.  Union  Club.                                  O.  R. 

A.  L.  Mossman,  c 2  14  J.  lies,  s.  s 3  4 

A.  H.  Weir,  r.  f 2  13  P.  Frame,  c.  f 5  3 

F.  Angel,  2d  b 2  13  S.  Priest,  c 4  2 

S.  Reed,  s.  s 2  12  R.  Moore,  r.  f 7  2 

C.  Krum,  c.  f 6  10  H.  Bawden,  1.  f 3  6 

J.  A.  LeClaire,  3d  b. 5  11  C.  Glaspell,  3d  b i  7 

L.  Barnett,  1.  f 3  12  E.  Glaspell,  ist  b 2  6 

C.  West,  p 2  13  H.  Robbins,  2d  b O  6 

C.  Watson,  I  st  b 3  12  P.  W.  McManus,  p 2  5 

Total 27     no        Total 27      41 

Innings   ist      2d      3d    4th      5th    6th     7th     8th    9th 

Scott  9        I        6      32        4      30      14        4      ID  no 

Union   5         o        4        6        4        4         7         2         9  41 

"Fly  catches — Watson,  i;  West,  2;  Reed,  i;  Robbins,  i;  C.  Glaspell,  i;  E. 
Glaspell,  I ;  McManus,  i.     Umpire,  W.  E.  Carmichael. 

THE  PESTIFEROUS  WAPELLOS. 

"Democrat,"  October  9,  1866  (Base  Ball  Items). — "For  some  time  past  politi- 
cal matters  have  prevented  us  giving  that  attention  to  local  news  which  we  always 
endeavor  to  do.  On  last  Saturday  afternoon  the  Scott  Baseball  club  of  this 
city  paid  another  friendly  visit  to  their  rivals  at  Rock  Island,  the  Wapello  club. 
Those  Wapello  boys  play  a  heavy  game  and  are  very  hard  to  beat.  The  Scott 
boys  are  new  hands  at  the  amusement  and  did  not  expect  to  win  a  victory, 
but  proposed  to  do  their  'level  best.'  The  Wapellos  won  the  game,  but  as  the 
Rock  Island  Argus  states,  'were  a  little  surprised  at  the  improvement  the  "Hawk- 
eyes"  had  made  since  their  last  visit.'  We  predict  that  the  Scott  club  will  come 
out  all  right  in  the  end.  These  contests  are  carried  in  the  most  friendly  man- 
ner, the  members  of  either  club  conducting  themselves  as  gentlemen.  At  the 
present  time  the  baseball  fever  is  spreading  from  Maine  to  Texas.  In  every 
state  in  the  union  the  young  men  are  banding  together  for  the  fostering  of  this 
athletic  amusement.  As  in  all  our  towns  and  cities  the  brain  is  taxed  much 
beyond  the  dictates  of  discretion,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  this  healthy  diversion 
will  everywhere  be  encouraged  by  the  press  and  public." 

CLEANED   UP   PEORIA. 

In  "Gazette,"  October  22,  1866. — "Welcome  to  the  Wapello  club.  The 
Wapello  Baseball  club  of  Rock  Island  were  received  at  the  depot  there  last 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  779 

Saturday  evening  on  their  return  from  Peoria,  where  they  had  a  trial  of  skill 
with  the  Enterprise  club  of  the  latter  place.  The  Wapellos  carried  off  the  first 
prize  of  $ioo,  also  the  prize  of  $25  for  the  best  thrower.  The  game  was  well 
played,  with  many  fine  runs,  catches  and  battings.  The  score  was  eighty-five 
to  fifty- four  in  favor  of  Wapello.  A  supper  was  provided  for  the  Wapellos  on 
their  arrival  in  Rock  Island.  We  congratulate  them  on  their  success.  We 
understand  from  one  of  the  club  that  they  had  a  very  pleasant  visit.  The  Peoria 
club  did  the  handsome  thing  by  the  Rock  Islanders." 

PLAYED  IN   UNIFORM. 

From  the  "Gazette,"  October  8,  1866. — "A  friendly  game  was  played  last 
Saturday  forenoon  between  the  Quickstep  club  of  Rock  Island,  and  the  Mis- 
sissippi club  of  this  city,  composed  of  young  lads  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  years 
of  age.  The  grounds  were  in  fine  condition  and  the  participants  in  the  game 
did  their  best.  The  sport  was  witnessed  by  quite  a  crowd  of  spectators.  The 
Rock  Island  club  wore  a  uniform  cap  of  blue  and  white  and  were  a  wide-awake 
crew,  and  proved  themselves  too  much  at  baseball  for  our  boys.  The  result  of 
the  game  was :  Rock  Island,  55 ;  Davenport,  42.  The  clubs  separated  with  the 
best  of  feeling  and  another  meeting  will  soon  come  off  between  them,  when 
we  wish  the  Mississippi  better  luck." 


I'LliLK;    LIJ'.KAKV.  DA\  EXPOK  T 


POSTOFFICE— GOVERNMENT  BUILDING 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 
PUBLIC  LIBRARIES,  OLD  AND  NEW. 

IN  1839  THE  CITIZENS  MOVED  FOR  A  COLLECTION  OF  BOOKS LIBRARY  PROGRESS  FROM 

THAT  DATE  TO  THIS  HAS  BEEN  ALONG  A  DEVIOUS  PATH  OF  HARDSHIP  AND  DIS- 
COURAGEMENT  LADIES    MANAGED    THE    LIBRARY     FOR     YEARS MR.      WATKINS 

TELLS  OF   YEARS   OF  DEVOTION    TO   THE   IDEAL   OF   A    PUBLIC    LIBRARY ANDREW 

CARNEGIE,  A  LIFE  MEMBER,   SENDS  MONEY  FOR  A   NEW   BUILDING. 

By  Mrs.  Maria  Purdy  Peck,  President  Davenport  Historical  Society. 

Before  Iowa  had  assumed  the  dignity  of  statehood,  before  the  contest  over  the 
location  of  the  county  seat  had  been  decided  in  favor  of  Davenp)ort,  an  effort  had 
been  made  to  establish  a  public  library  in  the  town. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1839  the  total  population  of  the  county  was 
1,000.  A  liberal  estimate  would  place  about  one-third  of  this  number  as  resi- 
dents of  Davenport.  These  citations  are  made  to  call  special  attention  to  the 
quality  and  character  of  the  pioneers  who  laid  the  foundations  of  our  city  and 
gave  thought  at  the  outset  to  its  spiritual  and  intellectual  as  well  as  material  needs. 

If  the  reference  to  the  early  endeavor  to  found  a  public  library  rested  upon  a 
newspaper  report,  some  allowance  would  be  made  for  the  constitutional  desire 
of  reporters  to  make  a  good  story.  But  as  it  is  copied  verbatim  from  the  first 
book  of  records  ever  used  in  Scott  county,  no  allowance  for  reportorial  imagina- 
tion is  required. 

From  Journal  A,  page  48,  the  following  is  transcribed : 

"At  a  meeting  of  subscribers  at  the  Davenport  Hotel  on  the  sixth  day  of 
April,  1839,  in  the  County  of  Scott,  Territory  of  Iowa,  for  the  purpose  of  organiz- 
ing a  Library  Association  for  said  town  of  Davenport  the  following  subscription 
paper  was  read  with  the  names  thereunto  subscribed,  as  follows,  to  wit:  For  the 
purpose  of  establishing  a  public  library  in  the  town  of  Davenport,  we,  the  sub- 
scribers, agree  and  bind  ourselves  to  pay  for  every  share  set  opposite  our  names 
the  sum  of  $5.00,  as  soon  as  we  may  be  called  on  for  that  purpose  by  the  officers 
to  be  elected,  so  soon  as  20  shares  are  subscribed :  Andrew  F.  Russell,  R.  Bennett, 
Frazer  Wilson,  Richard  Pierce,  A.  W.  McGregor,  W.  H.  H.  Patten,  John  Forrest, 


784  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

J.  W.  Parker,  Jno.  D.  Evans,  Thos.  Dillon,  James  Hall,  David  Wilson,  Wm.  H. 
Conway,  Geo.  L.  Davenport,  James  Mcintosh,  Andrew  Logan,  Antoine  LeClaire, 
A.  C.  Donaldson,  Duncan  C.  Eldridge,  Wm.  B.  Watts,  M.  Hummer  and  Wm. 
Nichols.  The  above  named  individuals  had  signed  one  share  each,  except  Antoine 
LeClaire,  who  had  two  shares.  Two-thirds  of  the  above  named  subscribers, 
to  wit :  A.  Russell,  R.  Bennett,  R.  Pierce,  A.  W.  McGregor,  W.  H.  H.  Patten,  T. 
Dillon,  J.  Hall,  F.  Wilson,  D.  Wilson,  D.  C.  Eldridge,  W.  B.  Watts,  W. 
Nichols,  J.  Mcintosh,  A.  Logan  and  John  Forrest,  being  present  at  said  meeting. 
James  Hall  was  viva  voce  chosen  chairman  and  James  Mcintosh  clerk.  An  elec- 
tion by  ballot  was  held  and  the  following  named  persons  chosen :  Andrew  F. 
Russell,  Frazer  Wilson,  Alex  C.  Donaldson,  Antoine  LeClaire,  M.  Hummer, 
James  Hall  and  Jonathan  W.  Parker.  On  motion  it  was  unanimously  Resolved, 
That  this  Association  be  called  the  'Carey  Library  Association  of  the  Town  of 
Davenport.' 

"The  number  of  subscribers  present  at  said  meeting  was  15,  the  amount  sub- 
scribed $115.  James  Hall, 

Chairman. 

"Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  2d  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1839. 

John  Forrest, 

Justice. 

"Recorded  May  4,  1839,  i  o'clock. 

Henry  W.  Higgins, 

Recorder." 

If  Andrew  Logan,  one  of  the  subscribers  to  the  library  stock,  and  editor  of 
the  first  newspaper  published  in  Davenport,  ever  told  his  readers  what  became 
of  the  Carey  Library  association  so  auspiciously  launched,  the  information  has 
not  been  handed  down,  for  beyond  the  original  recorded  document  it  is  to  us  as 
though  it  had  never  been. 

It  is  not  too  far  fetched  to  suggest  that  a  direct  connection  may  be  traced 
in  the  establishment  of  a  reading  room  supplied  with  all  the  leading  newspapers 
of  the  country,  some  forty  in  number,  on  the  ground  floor  O'f  the  new  $35,000 
LeClaire  House  the  following  year  by  D.  C.  Eldridge,  one  of  the  library  incor- 
porators. 

The  tradition  that  our  present  public  library  is  directly  descended  from  the 
Young  Men's  Library  association  founded  in  1854  seems  to  be  supported  by 
facts. 

In  a  communication  to  LeClaire  Fulton  of  this  city  under  date  Nov.  5,  1905, 
M.  M.  Price  writes :  'T  was  the  founder  and  first  president  of  the  Young  Men's 
Library  association  and  collected  the  first  2,000  volumes  of  its  library,  which 
collection  was  inherited  by  its  offspring,  the  Library  association." 

Other  authorities  give  quite  a  little  time  between  the  inception  of  the  Young 
Men's  Society  and  the  acquisition  of  the  2,000  volumes.  In  a  published  report  it 
was  credited  with  having  acquired  500  volumes  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1855. 

At  this  time  General  George  B.  Sargent,  a  leading  banker  and  enterprising 
citizen,  offered  to  donate  to  the  society  $500  on  condition  of  the  organization  of 
an  incorporated  library  society  the  privilege  of  which  would  be  accessible  to  all 
inhabitants  of  Davenport  and  vicinity,  at  a  charge  not  exceeding  $3.00  per  annum. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  787 

Accepting  the  conditions,  the  title  Young  Men's  Library  association  was  assumed. 
And  a  public  library  was  opened. 

That  such  institution  was  not  yet  established  on  a  firm  and  sure  foundation 
may  be  judged  by  a  contribution  to  the  library  chapter  from  the  pen  of  C.  S. 
Watkins  covering  a  period  of  exceptional  library  storm  and  stress  as  well  as  a 
period  of  prosperity. 

Mr.  Watkins  says :  "The  original  'Library  association'  collapsed  during  the 
winter  of  1857-8.  At  the  close  of  that  season  the  rooms  were  vacated  and  the 
books,  shelving,  furniture,  and  so  forth,  were  placed  in  storage  in  the  basement 
of  the  Cook  and  Sargent  banking  house.  In  the  following  October  Mr.  F.  H. 
Griggs  assumed  the  responsibility  of  removing  the  entire  properties  to  a  room  on 
the  second  floor  of  Merwin's — now  Fulton's  block — on  Perry  street.  He  had 
the  shelving  properly  arranged,  and  then  invited  me  to  assort  and  place  the  books. 
Their  total  number  then  slightly  exceeded  1,000 — Patent  Office  reports  and 
other  public  documents  made  up  about  one-third  of  the  whole.  After  a  few 
weeks  the  books  had  been  consecutively  placed  and  numbered,  and  properly  cat- 
alogued. Mr.  Griggs  then  engaged  a  young  man — one  of  Luse,  Lane  &  Com- 
pany's employes — as  librarian  and  the  rooms  were  opened  two  evenings  each 
week.  The  membership  fee  was  placed  at  $1  per  annum.  This  arrangement 
continued  about  two  years  when  the  library  was  moved  to  the  northwest  corner 
room  on  the  second  floor  of  Griggs'  block,  Perry  and  Third  streets.  During 
the  following  year,  1862,  the  'Associated  Congress,'  a  debating  society  organ- 
ized by  the  young  lawyers  and  doctors  of  the  city,  made  a  formal  proposition  to 
assume  control  and  care  of  the  library  and  continue  its  public  usefulness.  This 
was  agreed  to  and  during  the  ensuing  ten  years  the  'Congress'  remained  in  con- 
trol. Early  in  1872  I  was  notified  that  I  had  been  elected  president  of  The 
Library  association.  On  enquiry,  I  was  told  that  the  concern  was  dead  and 
that  I  was  expected  to  give  it  proper  burial.  I  found  the  remains  in  a  room  on 
the  third  floor  of  Cutter's  block,  Second  and  Brady  streets,  and  under  the  care  of 
Miss  Sarah  Allen,  as  librarian.  The  Academy  of  Sciences,  which  was  then 
struggling  for  existence,  had  its  specimens  and  exhibits  arranged  on  a  few  tables 
and  shelves  in  the  library  room.  Evidently  the  library  had,  during  the  past  year, 
been  continued  in  existence  solely  by  the  efforts  of  Miss  Allen  in  canvassing  the 
city  for  subscriptions  and  sale  of  membership  tickets.  The  books  had  diminished 
in  number  and  had  decidedly  deteriorated  in  condition.  At  first  view  the  outlook 
was  certainly  discouraging.  Mr.  B.  B.  Woodward  was  nominally  treasurer,  but 
he  mournfully  admitted  that  many  months  had  passed  since  he  had  been  able  to 
show  a  satisfactory  balance  of  his  accounts. 

"After  much  consultation,  it  was  decided  to  make  a  direct  appeal  to  each  one 
of  several  prominent  citizens,  for  a  donation  of  $50.  The  response  in  each  case 
was  prompt  and  compliant,  and  the  treasury  was  enriched  by  nearly  $400.  Part 
of  this  was  applied  to  closing  the  floating  indebtedness ;  part  went  to  the  rebinding 
of  all  such  books  as  were  deemed  worthy  of  such  repair ;  and  the  remainder  was 
used  in  the  purchase  of  several  sets  of  standard  works,  and  an  assortment  of 
more  recent  publications.  The  improved  condition  of  the  library  was  soon  made 
known,  and  the  attendance  rapidly  increased  until  the  library  was  at  least  self- 
sustaining.     Encouraged  by  this,  the  management  began  looking  for  more  com- 


788  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

modious  and  convenient  quarters.  The  old  Methodist  church  building,  Fifth  and 
Brady  streets,  was  just  then  being  remodeled,  and  an  option  of  a  five  years'  lease 
at  $300  per  annum,  was  obtained.  Everything  was  now  in  readiness  for  the 
grand  culmination  toward  which  all  these  movements  had  been  aimed.  This 
was  the  placing  of  the  future  of  the  library  in  the  entire  control  of  a  board  of 
lady  managers.  Mrs.  W.  F.  Peck,  whose  interest  in  and  friendship  for  the  library 
had  always  been  active,  was  requested  to  arrange  a  meeting  of  prominent  ladies 
and  present  the  new  proposition.  This  finally  resulted  in  the  election  of  a  board 
of  lady  directors,  who  at  once  took  control,  stipulating,  however,  that  the  rental 
during  at  least  five  years  should  be  provided  for  by  the  retiring  management. 
General  subscriptions  to  this  end  were  easily  secured  and  faithfully  paid  dur- 
ing the  occupancy  of  the  church  building." 

Mr.  Watkins,  it  may  be  said,  was  one  of  the  few  men  of  Davenport  whose 
abiding  faith  in  the  beneficence  of  such  an  institution  as  a  good  public  library 
caused  him  to  invest  his  capital  freely  together  with  his  time  and  effort  in  the 
maintenance.  He  and  Mr.  Griggs  were  of  the  few  who  enrolled  their  children 
as  life  members  and  then  when  necessity  for  funds  again  arose  enrolled  them 
over  again.  Mr.  Watkins  always  kept  in  mind  a  future  time  when  Davenport 
would  have  a  library  supported  by  a  tax ;  consequently  when  the  acceptance  of 
the  Clarissa  C.  Cook  donation  was  under  consideration,  regarding  it  as  post- 
poning the  date  for  a  public  library  in  fact  as  well  as  in  name  he  hesitated  before 
acceding  to  the  conditions  imposed. 

Miss  Sarah  Allen,  the  faithful  librarian,  eulogized  by  Mr.  Watkins.  continued 
in  her  position  during  the  five  years  the  association  was  officered  by  women,  then 
under  the  new  regime  until  1884.  On  October  29th  of  that  year  she  passed  from 
life  almost  literally  with  the  harness  on. 

Miss  Ella  Webb  succeeded  Miss  Allen  as  librarian  and  then  Miss  Sophia  Bil- 
lon.    She  retained  her  position  as  long  as  the  association  existed. 

After  a  long  period  of  financial  embarrassment,  a  short  period  of  renewed 
life  and  activity  as  sketched  by  Mr.  Watkins.  the  passing  of  the  library  from  a 
single  room  in  the  third  story  of  the  Cutter  block  in  the  spring  of  1874  to  com- 
modious apartments  comfortably  fitted  up  on  the  second  floor  of  the  old  Metho- 
dist church  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Brady  streets,  then  in  less  than  five  years 
further  up  Brady  Street  hill  into  a  permanent  home  of  its  own  marks  a  distinct 
epoch  in  library  history. 

All  the  events  which  conspired  to  bring  these  changes  about  cannot  be  told  in 
the  short  space  of  one  chapter  allotted  to  this  history.  The  principal  event  was 
the  passing  of  the  official  control  of  the  library  from  a  board  of  men  to  a  board 
composed  of  women  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Tjbrary  association  in  April,^ 
1874. 

By  tacit  agreement  it  was  understood  that  the  ladies  would  assume  the  man- 
agement of  the  library  as  a  sort  of  experiment  for  a  period  of  five  years,  the  gen- 
tlemen mostly  of  the  retiring  board  pledging  that  they  would  assume  the  responsi- 
bility of  the  rent.  It  is  needless  to  add  that  both  parties  were  faithful  to  the  com- 
pact. 

The  first  board  of  officers  was  Mrs.  John  F.  Dillon,  Mrs.  William  Renwick, 
Mrs.  W.  C.  Wadsworth,  Mrs.  J.  F.  Barnard.  Mrs.  Geo.  H.  Ballon.  Mrs.  James 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  789 

T.  Lane,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Martin,  Mrs.  D.  S.  True,  Mrs.  Edward  Lounsbury  and 
Mrs.  W.  F.  Peck.  Mrs.  Thomas  McCullough  was  appointed  chairman  of  the 
auditing  committee  and  in  this  way  became  a  member  of  the  original  board. 

The  gentlemen  retained  their  membership  in  the  organization,  attended  the 
meetings,  were  always  ready  to  serve  on  special  committees  or  in  any  other  capac- 
ity when  their  services  were  desired. 

Mr.  B.  B.  Woodward,  the  retiring  president,  furnished  at  his  own  expense 
the  magazine  table.  Mr.  E.  P.  Lynch,  the  retiring  treasurer,  furnished  new  book 
cases ;  the  press  of  the  city  gave  unstinted  praise  and  helped  the  movement  along 
in  the  truly  generous  manner  characteristic  of  Davenport  newspapers.  General 
interest  was  stimulated  and  the  management  could  get  anything  it  asked  for.  If 
the  entertainment  committee  wanted  a  set  of  window  cards  to  advertise  an  attrac- 
tion they  slipped  into  J.  H.  Harrison's  drug  store,  made  their  wants  known  and 
later  called  and  found  a  package  neatly  wrapped  containing  a  set  of  hand  exe- 
cuted cards  ready  for  distribution. 

The  lecture  committee  existed  primarily  to  provide  a  "star  course"  of  enter- 
tainments for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  revenue  for  the  purchase  of  books.  A 
resulting  benefit  was  that  through  this  channel  men  and  women  of  national  repute 
were  introduced  to  the  Davenport  public  who  would  not  have  been  heard  in  any 
other  way.  Prof.  David  Swing  made  his  debut  on  the  lecture  platform  under 
the  auspices  of  the  library  lecture  committee.  It  was  about  the  time  that  the 
reverend  gentleman  had  preached  himself  out  of  his  church  pulpit  and  made 
himself  the  most  talked-of  man  in  the  country.  When  asked  to  come  to  Daven- 
port and  open  the  lecture  course,  a  ready  response  came,  saying  that  "it  had  not 
occurred  to  him  to  lecture,  but  as  his  daughter  was  soon  to  be  married  the  remu- 
neration oflFered  would  help  to  defray  extra  expenses."  The  lecture  specially 
prepared  for  Davenport  was  afterward  delivered  in  hundreds  of  other  towns. 
The  course  opened  by  Prof.  Swing  netted  the  library  $712  for  the  purchase 
of  books. 

At  each  annual  meeting  during  the  five  years  that  the  ladies  had  the  exclusive 
management  of  the  library  large  gains  in  books  and  patronage  were  noted.  A  free 
reading  table  was  early  provided  for  and  no  expense  was  spared  to  make  this 
feature  a  special  attraction. 

On  July  6,  1877,  a  communication  from  Mrs.  Clarissa  C.  Cook  was  trans- 
mitted to  the  executive  board  of  the  Library  association,  through  Mrs.  John  F. 
Dillon,  offering  to  donate  the  sum  of  $10,000  for  the  erection  of  a  library  build- 
ing with  the  stipulation  that  a  suitable  lot  be  purchased  by  the  citizens,  and  that 
such  alterations  in  the  constitution  be  made  as  would  be  satisfactory  to  J.  W. 
Drury,  her  representative ;  sixty  days'  time  being  given  for  the  acceptance  or 
rejection  of  the  proposition.  It  was  further  communicated  that  Mrs.  Cook  wished 
to  make  the  gift  in  memory  of  her  husband  who  had  in  his  lifetime  cherished  the 
desire  to  found  a  public  library  in  Davenport.  Not  having  executed  this  plan 
he  had  in  his  will  bequeathed  the  sum  of  $10,000  to  the  existing  librar}^  to  be 
paid  at  his  wife's  death.  That  the  library  might  have  the  benefit  of  the  bequest 
while  the  ladies  had  it  in  charge  Mrs.  Cook  anticipated  the  time  of  its  payment. 

On  July  28th,  at  a  regular  meeting  of  the  association  the  amendments  to  the 
constitution  required  by  Judge  Drury  were  presented  by  Judge  Dillon.     Mem- 


790  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

bers  present  at  the  meeting  were  Mrs.  W.  F.  Peck,  president,  presiding;  Mrs.  J. 

B.  Young,  secretary;  Dr.  W.  D.  Middleton,  Geo.  P.  McClelland,  Edward  Rus- 
sell, S.  F.  Smith,  J.  H.  Harrison,  C.  S.  Watkins,  John  F.  Dillon,  J.  B.  Young,  Dr. 

C.  H.  Preston,  Dr.  E.  H.  Hazen,  Mrs.  S.  F.  Smith,  Mrs.  Geo.  E.  Hubbell,  Mrs. 
Daniel  Gould,  Mrs.  Geo.  Wing,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Wadsworth,  Mrs.  Thomas  McCul- 
lough,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Martin,  Mrs.  E.  M.  Worley,  Mrs.  Geo.  H.  Ballou,  Mrs.  B. 
Ruch,  Mrs.  Geo.  P.  McClelland,  Mrs.  Geo.  H,  French,  Mrs.  S.  P.  Bryant,  Mrs. 
M.  E.  Churchill,  Mrs.  J.  F.  Dillon,  Miss  P.  W.  Sudlow,  Miss  Margaret  Renwick, 
Miss  E.  M.  Gould,  Miss  Celestine  Fejervary,  Miss  Harriet  Rogers  and  Miss 
Mary  Raff. 

With  a  number  of  important  modifications  the  amendments  proposed  were 
unanimously  adopted  and  Mrs.  Cook's  donation  accepted.  It  is  worthy  of  note 
that  at  the  same  meeting  Andrew  Carnegie  was  elected  to  honorary  membership 
in  the  association. 

Public-spirited  citizens  responded  to  the  calls  for  money  from  Mrs.  Dillon 
and  Mrs.  Peck  to  purchase  a  lot,  and  on  Nov.  7,  1877,  the  corner  stone  of  the 
Cook  memorial  library  building  on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Brady  streets  was 
laid  under  Masonic  auspices.  Judge  Dillon  delivering  the  address. 

Under  date  Chicago,  Nov.  6,  1877,  Judge  Drury  wrote  the  following  letter 
to  the  Library  association : 

"Mrs.  W.  F.  Peck,  President  Davenport  Library  Association. 

"Under  and  by  virture  of  the  power  reserved  to  me  in  the  amended  articles  of 
incorporation  of  the  Davenport  Library  Association,  I  hereby  appoint  the  fol- 
lowing persons  the  first  Board  of  Trustees :  B.  B.  Woodward,  S.  F.  Smith,  E'd- 
ward  E.  Cook,  F.  H.  Griggs,  Mrs.  John  F.  Dillon,  Mrs.  Geo.  H.  French,  Mrs.  T. 
McCullough,  Mrs.  W.  F.  Peck,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Wadsworth. 

"You  will  determine  by  lot  in  such  way  as  to  the  Board  may  seem  best  which 
of  the  parties  shall  hold  five  years,  which  ten  and  which  fifteen. 

"(Signed)  Mrs.  Clarissa  C.  Cook, 

per  J.  W.  Drury, 

Her  attorney." 

In  July,  1878,  the  Library  building  was  dedicated,  James  T.  Lane  delivered 
the  formal  address.  Mayor  Thompson  spoke  for  the  city ;  Dr.  Farquharson  for 
-  the  Academy  of  Sciences,  R.  O.  Lindsey  for  the  Young  Men's  Christian  associa- 
tion. Prof.  J.  B.  Young  for  the  board  of  education  and  the  schools,  Mr.  Edward 
Russell  for  the  press  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Nott  for  himself.  Judge  Drury  delivered 
the  keys  and  deed  of  the  building  to  Mrs.  Geo.  Wing,  president  of  the  Library 
association,  who  made  a  very  graceful  speech  of  acceptance. 

Before  the  building  was  fully  completed  it  was  found  that  the  sum  originally 
donated  was  not  sufficient  to  cover  the  expense  and  Mrs.  Cook  added  $1,000  more, 
making  her  gift  $11,000. 

The  library  was  by  far  the  finest  structure  used  for  library  purposes  of  any 
in  the  state  at  the  time  it  was  occupied.     The  number  of  books  was  7,000  volumes. 

Of  the  100  or  more  women  who  labored  for  the  success  of  the  library  dur- 
ing the  period  that  it  was  under  their  exclusive  management  living  today  in  Dav- 
enport are  Miss  Phoebe  Sudlow,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Wadsworth,  Mrs.  John  C.  Bills,  Miss 
Alice  French,  Miss  Ellen  M.  Gould  and  Mrs.  W.  F.  Peck. 


THE  DESK,  DAVEXPORT  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  793 

Mrs.  John  F.  Dillon  served  as  president  one  year,  Mrs.  Geo.  Wing  one  year 
and  Mrs.  W.  F.  Peck  three  years. 

Did  space  permit  the  writer  of  this  sketch  would  be  glad  to  mention  in  detail 
the  services  of  each  individual  who  contributed  to  the  exceptional  success  of  the 
management,  whereas  only  two  can  be  thus  distinguished. 

Mrs.  Geo.  Wing  served  as  chairman  of  the  library  committee  for  three  years 
and  bestowed  upon  this  department  the  most  intelligent  and  conscientious  care. 
Under  her  supervision  voluntary  helpers  made  a  catalogue  of  the  library  which 
answered  its  purpose  for  a  number  of  years. 

Mrs.  Thomas  McCullough,  most  useful  perhaps  in  guarding  the  treasury, 
was  good  in  any  place,  discharging  any  and  all  duties  with  the  greatest  ability 
and  fidelity.  As  an  appointee  on  the  board  of  trustees  her  work  for  the  library 
was  continued  until  the  time  of  her  death  in  1888. 

With  the  record  back  of  them  thus  briefly  indicated  the  ladies  on  May  5, 
1879,  surrendered  their  duties  to  a  board  of  officers  composed  in  part  of  the 
same  men  who  had  given  the  library  into  their  custody  five  years  before  with 
Mr.  Watkins  as  president. 

While  the  utmost  good  feeling  prevailed  it  was  soon  manifest  that  the  re- 
strictions imposed  by  the  acceptance  of  the  Cook  gift,  leaving  in  the  hands  of 
the  trustees  sole  control  of  the  finances,  took  away  the  incentive  to  individual 
initiative  among  the  officers  and  members  of  the  association,  and  library  interests, 
if  they  did  not  languish,  were  at  a  standstill.  In  the  public  mind  the  sentiment 
prevailed  that  the  institution  was  amply  provided  for,  and  the  keen  interest  that 
had  been  almost  universal  waned.  Later  the  trustees  acting  also  as  officers  of 
the  Library  association,  assumed  entire  control  and  though  the  institution  was 
not  the  fashion  as  it  once  had  been,  it  held  its  own  and  served  the  public  very 
acceptably. 

In  January,  1891,  Mrs.  W.  F.  Peck,  the  president,  presented  to  the  board 
of  trustees  a  proposition  from  the  Hon.  Hiram  Price  oflFering  to  donate  $1,500 
for  the  purpose  of  endowing  the  free  reading  room.  The  proposition  was  ac- 
cepted, and  Mr.  Price  paid  the  money  advancing  $135  so  that  the  donation  could 
be  made  available  at  once  without  encroaching  upon  the  principal.  In  addi- 
tion Mr.  Price  paid  for  the  furnishing  of  the  room  which  was  called  the  Price 
Free  Reading  room. 

In  the  spring  of  1892,  Mr.  F.  H.  Griggs,  Mr.  E.  E.  Cook,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Wads- 
worth  and  ^Irs.  W.  F.  Peck,  all  original  appointees  of  Mrs.  Cook,  retired  from 
the  board  of  trustees,  also  Miss  Phoebe  Sudlow  who  had  been  elected  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  resignation  of  Mrs.  Geo.  H.  French. 

Members  of  the  reorganized  board  were  D.  X.  Richardson,  S.  F.  Smith,  Mrs. 
W.  D.  Petersen  and  Miss  Alice  French,  old  members ;  A.  W.  Vander  Veer,  the 
Rev.  A.  M.  Judy,  Mrs.  C.  A.  Ficke,  Mrs.  M.  C.  Smith  and  Miss  AHce  Kimball, 
new  members.  A.  W.  Vander  Veer  was  elected  secretary,  a  position  filled  by  him 
until  the  library  ceased  to  be. 

With  the  exception  of  the  election  of  J.  H.  Harrison  as  president  of  the  as- 
sociation, the  board  pursued  the  same  line  of  policy  with  regard  to  electing  trus- 
tees to  the  various  association  offices  that  the  old  board  had  found  necessary  to 
adopt. 


794  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

An  entertainment  in  which  many  of  the  citizens  participated  added  the  sum 
of  $8oi  to  the  treasury.  The  bequest  of  Nicholas  Kuhnen  of  $i,ooo  and  an- 
other from  Mrs.  J.  M.  Parker  of  $500  available  at  this  time  enabled  the  board 
to  undertake  some  much  needed  repairs  on  the  building.  Eventually  the  books 
were  arranged  in  alcoves  in  the  main  library  room  which  was  thoroughly  reno- 
vated and  made  attractive.  An  expert  was  engaged  to  catalogue  the  library  at 
an  expense  of  $500.  However  no  amount  of  ingenuity  or  personal  effort  on  the 
part  of  the  directors  could  make  the  revenues  and  expenses  balance,  and  history 
repeated  itself,  inasmuch  as  the  management  sought  to  replenish  the  treasury 
by  soliciting  donations.  A  casual  examination  of  the  old  association  book  of 
records  revealed  the  forgotten  fact  that  Andrew  Carnegie  was  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Davenport  Library  association.  It  was  just  at  the  beginning  of 
Mr.  Carnegie's  career  in  founding  libraries,  and  it  was  thought  that  a  mere  re- 
minder of  his  connection  with  the  Davenport  library  might  bring  a  handsome 
donation.  Instead  of  a  cash  donation,  in  January,  1900,  an  offer  of  $50,000  to 
found  a  public  library  in  Davenport  upon  the  same  conditions  uniformly  adopted 
by  him  was  made.  At  the  April  election  the  question  of  a  public  library  tax 
was  submitted  to  the  people  and  carried.  Women  were  permitted  to  vote  and 
with  few  exceptions  favored  the  measure. 

In  May,  Mayor  Heinz  appointed  the  first  board  of  pubUc  library  trustees. 
They  were  Judge  Nathaniel  French,  Charles  Beiderbecke,  Miss  Clara  Holmes, 
the  Rev.  A.  M.  Judy,  Mrs.  J.  J.  Richardson,  the  Rev.  J.  P.  Ryan.  Edward  Kauf- 
mann,  Mrs.  J.  P.  Van  Patten  and  George  Wolters.  Judge  French  declined  to 
serve  and  Judge  C.  M.  Waterman  was  appointed  in  his  place.  Miss  Holmes  de- 
clined to  serve  and  S.  F.  Smith  was  appointed. 

In  March,  1901,  Mr.  Carnegie  increased  his  donation  to  the  building  fund 
to  $75,000. 

By  a  decree  of  the  court  it  was  decided  that  the  books  of  the  old  library 
were  not  a  part  of  the  Cook  trust  and  the  directors  were  at  liberty  to  pass  them 
on  to  the  new  library  board.  In  June,  1903,  the  Free  Public  library  took  pos- 
session of  the  rooms  and  opened  its  doors  to  the  public  in  the  Cook  Memorial 
building  pending  the  completion  of  the  New  Library  building  on  the  southeast 
corner  of  Main  and  Fourth  streets,  the  site  selected  by  the  board  and  purchased 
by  the  city. 

By  order  of  the  court  the  Cook  trust  was  dissolved.  The  building  was  sold, 
the  proceeds  going  to  the  Clarissa  C.  Cook  Home  for  the  Friendless  and  the 
Diocese  of  Iowa  as  residuary  legatees  under  the  will    of    Clarissa    C.    Cook. 

These  transactions  consummated,  the  Davenport  Library  association  became 
a  thing  of  the  past. 

The  magnificent  Public  Library  building  was  completed  and  ready  for  occu- 
pancy in  the  spring  of  1904.  On  Alay  4th,  dedicatory  services  were  held  in  the 
Grand  Opera  house.  Judge  John  F.  Dillon  delivering  the  address.  Seated  upon 
the  platform  beside  the  city  officials  and  the  board  of  trustees,  who  had  in  addi- 
tion to  supervising  the  erection  of  the  building  accomplished  much  of  the  nec- 
sary  organizing  work,  were  a  number  of  Davenport  citizens  who  had  kept  the 
library  faith  alive  in  the  old  days. 

After  the  meeting  the  library  was  thrown  open  to  the  public  for  inspection. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  797 

Through  the  efforts  of  volunteer  workers,  except  for  the  brief  period  noted 
by  Mr.  Watkins,  library  privileges  had  been  furnished  to  the  citizens  of  Daven- 
port for  nearly  a  half  century.  They  were  not  always  adequate,  but  they  served 
the  purpose  fairly  well,  and  it  may  be  added  that  the  different  groups  of  offi- 
cials as  they  succeeded  each  other  ever  regarded  the  library  as  a  trust  for  the 
people. 

The  present  public  library  represents  the  fully  developed  expression  of  the 
idea  held  by  the  would  be  founders  of  the  Carey  Public  library  in  1839,  of  Geo. 
B.  Sargent,  Ebenezer  Cook,  Hiram  Price,  B.  B.  Woodward,  C.  S.  Watkins,  F.  H. 
Griggs,  D.  N.  Richardson,  E.  E.  Cook,  B.  F.  Tillinghast,  A.  W.  Vander  Veer 
and  a  host  of  others  who  have  contributed  to  its  growth  and  advancement. 

Miss  M.  W.  Freeman  was  the  first  librarian  of  the  new  public  library  and  served 
until  February  i,  1905.  She  was  succeeded  by  Miss  Stella  Seybold,  who  was  in 
charge  one  year  and  then  the  present  librarian.  Miss  Grace  D.  Rose  came  to 
Davenport  and  has  given  expert  assistance  to  the  people  of  the  city  in  finding  the 
worth  while  to  read. 


THE   CLAIM  HOUSE 
First    Frame  Hous.^  in    Iowa 


H():\IE  OF  .lOHX   L.   DAVIES 


HOUSE  BUn.T  BY  DR.  JOHN  EMERSOX 

Owner   of   Dred    Scott,   at    Xo.    219 

East  Second  Street 


THE  THORIXCTOX  H0:ME  OX  SFFE  OF 
PUl'.FIC  LIBRARY 


IIO.AIE  OF   WILLAUD   BAlUtOAYS. 
HISTORIAX 


iio.Mi-:   oj-    1).   (  .    i-:Li)i;ii)(.L.   w  i 

.MA.soNK      lE.ML'LL   MAXJ)> 
Fir^t    I'.rick   Hou^e  in  City 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
SOME  OLD  HOUSES. 

SOME  REMAIN  AND  OTHERS   HAVE   GIVEN   WAY  TO   BETTER  ONES THE   FIRST   FRAME 

HOUSE  IN  IOWA THE  FIRST  HOUSE  IN  DAVENPORT DR.  JOHN  EMERSON's  BRICK 

RESIDENCE MANY    OLD    RESIDENCES    OF    STRONG    HISTORIC    INTEREST — STRUC- 
TURES THAT  INCITE  REMINISCENCE A  BEAUTIFULLY  WRITTEN  SKETCH  OF  THE 

HOSPITABLE  HOMES  OF  OTHER  DAYS. 

The  very  first  habitation  erected  in  Davenport  disappeared  long  ago.  It 
was  a  hastily  constructed  shack,  habitable  if  one  was  not  too  particular,  and 
nobody  was  in  pioneer  days.  It  was  in  the  spring  of  1830  that  Antoine  LeQaire 
came  from  his  comfortable  log  home  on  Rock  Island  to  try  a  summer  in  the 
Indian  village  on  the  Iowa  side.  He  was  accom.panied,  so  the  story  goes,  by 
Baptiste  Sauvage,  a  discharged  soldier  named  Ephraim  Barton  and  a  dumb 
Indian.  Living  in  wickiups  until  better  shelter  could  be  made  they  cut  logs  on 
the  bluffs  and  made  their  shanty,  selecting  as  a  location  the  neighborhood  of 
Farnam  and  Fourth  streets.  Mr.  LeClaire  did  not  remain  here  but  returned  to 
his  more  comfortable  quarters  on  the  island.  When  the  treaty  of  1832  was  held 
and  his  Indian  friends  asked  Mr.  LeClaire  to  build  his  home  on  the  spot  where 
the  treaty  was  signed,  this  spot  being  near  Farnam  where  Fifth  would  intersect, 
he  put  men  at  work  to  construct  what  was  called  for  some  time  "the  big  house," 
to  distinguish  it  from  the  shack  above  mentioned.  It  was  completed  in  1833 
and  occupied  by  Mr.  LeClaire.  This  home  was  of  block  or  hewed  log  construc- 
tion, clapboarded  over,  contained  three  rooms,  each  twenty  feet  square  and  had 
a  fine  portico  in  the  front  and  one  in  the  rear. 

The  people  who  daily  walk  along  Fifth  street  and  glance  between  the  houses 
numbered  418  and  420  at  the  building  also  bearing  the  number  420  situated  on 
the  alley  do  not  appreciate  the  fact  that  they  are  looking  at  the  oldest  house  in  the 
city,  but  so  it  is.  There  is  only  a  part  of  the  house  there.  Its  single  story  has 
been  raised  and  another  story  built  under.  It  has  been  shorn  of  its  hospitable 
porches.  Only  two  of  the  original  dormers  are  left,  but  it  is  the  original  house, 
where  Antoine  LeClaire  entertained  his  friends,  where  dancing  parties  furnished 
pleasure  to  the  few  frontier  young  people,  the  house  where  missionary  priests 


802  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

set  up  an  altar  and  held  religious  services,  the  house  which  was  used  as  the  first 
station  of  the  first  railroad  west  of  the  Mississippi  after  Mr.  LeClaire  had  builded 
his  handsome  mansion  on  the  blufif  and  removed  thereto.  It  is  doing  duty  as  a 
tenant  house  for  two  families  now,  one  below,  one  above,  good  citizens,  but  not 
particularly  interested  in  history. 

Mr.  LeClaire  was  fond  of  his  old  home  for  its  associations,  and  while  in  its 
day  of  usefulness  he  employed  Jonathan  Wilde,  the  artist,  to  engrave  an  exact 
fac-simile  on  stone,  giving  a  south  and  west  view  with  the  surrounding  trees  and 
shrubbery.  This  engraving  was  done  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Barrows,  about  1841. 
Mr.  LeClaire  permitted  but  one  impression  to  be  taken  from  the  stone  and  that 
was  framed  and  kept  in  the  family.  After  Antoine  LeClaire's  death  his  widow, 
Mrs.  Marguerite  LeClaire  allowed  Dr.'  Barrows  to  take  a  photograph  of  the 
lithograph.  In  this  way  was  preserved  the  appearance  of  Davenport's  oldest 
house  which  still  stands  in  sadly  altered  form  totally  unwept,  unhonored  and 
unsung.  Many  times  the  statement  has  been  made  in  print  that  this  house  was 
destroyed  to  make  room  for  a  railroad  depot  better  fitted  for  the  work,  but  the 
aged  contractor,  Louis  F.  Arnould  will  tell  you  that  he  moved  the  house  to  its 
present  location  and  that  the  strvicture,  although  changed,  is  the  same. 

During  these  first  days  in  Davenport  Mr.  LeClaire  took  up  some  claims,  one 
near  the  foot  of  Ripley  street  which  in  a  spirit  of  generosity  he  traded  to  his 
brother  for  a  yoke  of  calves.  Another  tract  he  laid  claim  to  was  below  the  bluffs  and 
west  of  Harrison  street.  In  this  venture  he  had  a  partner  Baptiste  Sauvage. 
With  his  usual  generosity  Mr.  LeClaire  gave  his  share  to  Sauvage,  taking  in 
exchange  for  right,  title  and  good  will,  "one  shot  gun  and  one  small  wagon." 
Sauvage  was  thrifty  and  held  to  the  princely  estate  for  some  years,  disposing 
of  it  to  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell,  and  it  became  the  foundation  of  the  Mitchell  wealth. 


THE  CLAIM    HOUSE. 

Another  house  of  rare  interest  may  be  seen  anyday  at  557  College  avenue. 
The  somewhat  observant  citizen  who  strolls  out  this  street  to  the  unsettled  tract 
beyond  may  notice  that  its  architecture  is  quaint,  plain  and  not  at  all  complex, 
but  it  is  doubtful  if  he  realizes  that  the  little  home  is  filled  with  historical 
interest,  that  its  years  outnumber  those  of  any  frame  house  in  Iowa,  that  it  was 
built  away  back  in  1832  when  this  was  Wisconsin  territory  and  before  any  part 
of  Iowa  was  open  to  settlement. 

This  knowledge  was  the  possession  of  a  few  people  well  along  in  years  and 
widely  scattered  until  1905.  It  is  doubtful  if  Davenport  people  would  have 
known  of  this  historical  treasure  for  so  it  is,  had  it  not  been  that  J-  E.  Calkins  in 
preparing  matter  for  the  Half-Century  Democrat  struck  a  clue  and  pieced  to- 
gether evidence  with  Sherlock  Holmes  ability  until  the  case  was  made  out.  This 
old  house  was  built  by  George  L.  Davenport,  son  of  Colonel  George  Davenport, 
when  fifteen  years  old,  on  a  claim  taken  up  by  him  before  the  Indians  had  sur- 
rendered the  land  known  as  the  Black  Hawk  purchase.  This  was  possible  be- 
cause George  was  a  favorite  with  the  Indians,  had  been  adopted  into  the  tribe 
by  them  and  given  the  Indian  name  of  Musquakie.  He  was  given  a  privilege 
accorded  to  no  one  else.    This  claim  adjoined  on  the  east  what  is  now  the  Mc- 


HOME  OF  HON.  HIRAM  PRICE  IN  1843 


THE   EBEXEZER  COOK  HOME 
Fourth    and    Rock    Island    Streets 


HOMES  OF  HIRAM  PRICE  OX  BRADY 
STREET  AXD  JUDGE  JOHN  F.  DIL- 
LON ON  SEVENTH  STREET 


RESIDENCE  OF  JOHN  P.  COOK. 

SIXTH  AND  BRADY 

STREETS 


^4 


■*->-«4 


HOME  OF  JAMES  GRANT 


HO:^IE   OF  JOHX'  MULLEN 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  805 

Clellan  Heig-hts  tract.  George  had  a  good  eye  for  property,  the  claim  he  se- 
lected and  laid  off  before  the  Indians  relinquished  title  being  as  handsome  a 
stretch  of  real  estate  as  could  anywhere  be  found.  It  is  said  that  Dr.  John  Emer- 
son some  years  after  also  took  up  a  claim,  lying  to  the  east  of  this  first  claim,  and 
erecting  a  habitation  put  his  slave  Dred  Scott  therein  to  hold  possession. 

To  return  to  the  house — it  was  constructed  of  materials  brought  from  Cin- 
cinnati by  river,  and  was  at  first  a  structure  about  sixteen  feet  square.  Later  ad- 
ditions were  made,  one  of  them  being-  a  leanto  kitchen.  In  the  illustration  a 
batten  will  be  noticed  between  the  first  and  second  windows,  counting  from 
the  north.  The  original  house  is  the  portion  south  of  this  batten.  Near  the 
northern  end  of  the  original  part  is  a  modern  brick  chimney.  This  replaces  a 
chimney  of  stone  which  furnished  draft  to  the  original  heating-  plant.  The 
broadside  of  the  cottage  with  its  three  windows  faces  College  avenue.  The  door 
is  on  the  side,  but  in  the  original  house  the  southernmost  front  window  was  a 
door.  This  house  was  brought  to  its  present  location  from  the  original  site  in 
1867  or  about  that  time,  having  been  carefully  dismembered  and  restored. 

In  this  house  occurred  the  wedding  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  B.  Woodward,  later 
to  take  a  prominent  position  in  Davenport  industries  and  social  sphere.  Their 
later  home  was  the  handsome  building-  now  occupied  by  J.  R.  Nutting-.  In  this 
house  the  late  Mrs.  John  B.  Phelps  was  born. 

It  is  well  here  to  repeat  the  paragraph  with  which  the  article  closed  in  the 
Half-Century  Democrat :  "In  some  places,  we  might  say,  some  states,  great  care 
would  be  taken  to  preserve  a  relic  of  such  comparative  antiquity  and  of  such 
prime  interest.  In  this  instance  the  present  site  is  of  no  interest.  The  house  is 
all  there  is  to  consider.  If  it  were  becomingly  placed  in — say  Central  park — and 
were  kept  in  its  present  good  state  of  repair,  and  were  cared  for  as  the  beginning 
of  civilization  on  this  side  of  the  river,  it  certainly  would  not  lose  value  for  the 
people  with  the  passing  of  the  years." 

In  1836  the  first  public  house  was  opened  on  the  corner  of  Front  and  Ripley 
streets,  by  Messrs.  LeClaire  and  Davenport,  and  named  the  Davenport  House. 
It  was  later  renamed  the  United  States,  but  was  never  the  cause  of  great  pride. 
A  few  years  later  the  LeClaire  House  was  built  and  the  new  arrivals  had  some- 
thing to  wonder  over.  When  this  beautiful  hostelry  became  out  of  date,  the  city 
renewed  its  enthusiasm  over  the  Burtis  House,  one  of  the  best  appointed  hotels 
of  its  day.  Here  were  held  the  great  banquets  and  other  entertainments  which 
made  the  landlord  Dr.  Burtis  famous.  Here  army  officers  were  so  numerous 
during  the  war  of  the  rebellion  that  it  was  called  army  headquarters.  This  build- 
ing at  Fifth  and  LeClaire  streets  is  now  a  portion  of  the  plant  of  the  Crescent 
Macaroni  Company. 

HOUSES    HERE    OR    EASHA'    REMEMBERED. 

In  the  summer  of  1838  the  first  brick  house  in  the  city  was  built  where  the 
Masonic  temple  now  stands.  It  was  built  by  D.  C.  Eldridge.  merchant,  hotel 
keeper,  postmaster.  On  the  same  lot  he  built  a  small  one  story  edifice  which  was 
used  as  a  postoflfice,  the  first  building  to  be  given  such  exclusive  use  in  the  state. 
Shortly  after  the  completion  of  Mr.  Eldridge's  home  the  little  brick  church  and 


806  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

school  building-  of  St.  Anthony's  was  in  readiness  for  the  multiplicity  of  uses 
to  which  it  was  put. 

The  Webb  residence,  which  Mr.  Barrows  says  in  his  history  was  considered 
"one  of  the  most  extravagant  investments  of  the  age,"  was  built  in  1841.  It  was 
later  the  home  of  John  E.  Henry  and  E.  S.  Carl  and  is  now  the  church  building 
of  the  First  Church  of  Christ,  Scientist. 

It  was  also  in  1841  that  Strong  Burnell,  the  wealthy  lumberman,  erected  his 
home,  still  standing,  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Brady  and  Sixth  streets.  Another 
little  cottage  of  the  '40s  is  standing  on  the  lot  on  the  north  side  of  Sixth  street 
just  west  of  the  Cora-Lee-Roy  apartment  house.  It  used  to  stand  on  a  lot  next 
south  of  the  First  National  bank  building,  and  was  the  property  of  John  Mullen. 
It  was  moved  to  its  present  location  to  make  room  for  the  brick  block  standing 
on  its  original  site. 

The  finest  specimen  of  colonial  architecture  in  the  city  is  the  fine  old  house 
formerly  the  home  of  Dr.  E.  S.  Barrows,  corner  of  Sixth  and  Rock  Island  streets. 
It  is  of  the  native  limestone,  one  of  the  few  so  built.  On  the  corner  of  Sixth  and 
LeClaire  streets  is  the  comfortable  old  home  of  Willard  Barrows,  the  historian. 
This  location  is  that  of  one  of  the  early  cemeteries  from  which  all  bodies  were 
removed  in  1848.  It  was  here  that  Dr.  John  Emerson,  owner  of  Dred  Scott, 
was  buried. 

What  is  left  of  Austin  Corbin's  old  home  has  been  made  over  into  the  garage, 
located  on  Main  street  above  Fourth  street.  Two  houses  built  by  Hon.  R.  Lowry 
more  than  fifty  years  ago  are  standing  on  the  east  side  of  Main  street  above 
Sixth.  The  southern  one  was  the  Lowry  home  and  there  Miss  Annie  Lowry  and 
Hon.  C.  M.  Waterman  were  married. 

In  the  brick  house  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Fifth  and  Rock  Island  streets, 
Judge  James  Grant  extended  true  southern  hospitality  in  the  olden  days.  Later 
he  built  his  handsome  home  on  Seventh  and  Iowa. 

Before  building  his  colonial  mansion  on  the  western  bluff  near  Lookout  park, 
which  later  he  transferred  to  Geo.  L.  Davenport,  J.  M.  D.  Burrows  lived  in  the 
house  still  standing  on  the  southwest  comer  of  Second  and  Rock  Island  streets. 

On  the  present  site  of  the  public  library  stood  the  Thorington  home,  facing 
Fourth  street.  Here  many  Davenporters  received  instruction  in  one  of  the  early 
schools. 

Not  so  many  years  ago  on  the  northeastern  corner  of  Fourth  and  Ripley 
streets  there  was  a  rambling  one  story  building  with  a  fine  yard.  Fifty  years  ago 
it  was  the  home  of  John  L.  Davies,  mayor,  business  man  and  manufacturer.  Now 
the  Walsh  apartment  building  furnishes  homes  for  thirty-six  times  as  many 
families  in  this  same  location. 

On  Fifth  street  just  east  of  Perry  time  has  spared  the  little  brick  house  in 
which  Hiram  Price  made  his  home  in  1842.  In  1855  he  built  a  fine  residence 
at  Brady  and  Seventh  streets.  Later  it  was  the  Berryhill  home.  In  1909  it  was 
demolished  to  make  room  for  the  new  home  of  the  Register  Life  Insurance 
Company.  Just  to  the  east  of  this  lot  on  Seventh  street  stands  the  residence  where 
Hon.  John  F.  Dillon  made  his  home  until  he  removed  to  West  Davenport  where 
Dr.  E.  H.  Hazen  later  hved. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  807 

At  the  corner  of  Rock  Island  and  Fourth  streets  Ebenezer  Cook  built  his 
handsome  home  and  on  the  corner  of  Brady  and  Sixth  his  brother  the  congress- 
man, John  P.  Cook,  built  one  of  equal  beauty.  These  houses  were  models  of 
elegance  in  their  day,  with  handsome  exterior  and  beautiful  interior  decoration. 

The  present  headquarters  of  the  Rock  Island  dining  car  service  on  Rock 
Island  near  Fifth  street  housed  the  Collins  family  a  half  century  ago.  One 
of  the  choice  homes  of  its  day  built  to  face  the  river  was  that  of  J.  M.  Bowling, 
corner  of  Harrison  and  Front  streets.  The  old-fashioned  brick  residence  on 
East  Second  street  east  of  the  McNeil  block,  corner  of  Perry  street,  was  for 
many  years  the  home  of  the  early  merchant,  John  Dalzell. 

THE  EMERSON  RESIDENCE. 

At  No.  219  East  Second  street  stands  a  brick  house  which  is  of  national  in- 
terest. It  was  built  by  Dr.  John  Emerson,  owner  of  Dred  Scott,  the  slave  whose 
freedom  was  sought  because  he  had  been  brought  into  this  free  territory.  The 
famous  decision  which  ended  the  suit  aroused  the  nation  and  haster^ed  the  Civil 
war.  In  this  house  were  held  the  first  services  of  Trinity  Episcopal  church. 
Here  resided  the  rector.  Rev.  Alfred  Louderback  and  before  old  Trinity  was 
bu'lt  at  Rock  Island  and  Fifth  streets  services  were  regularly  held  in  the  old 
brick  residence  still  standing.  A  son  of  Rev.  Alfred  Louderback,  named  D.  H. 
Louderback  came  to  Davenport  as  the  representative  of  a  syndicate  of  Chicago, 
rebuilt  and  made  metropolitan  the  street  car  system.  He  later  taught  the  peo- 
ple of  London  how  to  do  the  same  thing. 

ALONG    THE    ROCKINGHAM    ROAD. 

At  this  point  the  impulse  is  irresistible  to  go  again  to  the  Half-Century  Demo- 
crat and  take  therefrom  this  finely  written  recollection  of  Octave  Thanet  whom 
her  townspeople  know  as  Miss  Alice  French.  As  a  widely  read  author  they  honor 
her ;  as  a  Davenporter  they  love  and  admire  her.  The  sketch  which  is  transplanted 
to  this  work  is  headed  "Along  the  Rockingham  Road — The  Homes  and  Families 
that  Once  Made  It  Noble." 

In  the  late  '70s  of  the  last  century  Davenport  had  a  line  of  country  villas 
on  the  river  hills,  above  the  Rockingham  road ;  and  the  memory  of  those  houses 
beautiful  still  clings  to  many  a  heart.  Recalling  them,  I  feel,  after  a  dispas- 
sionate survey,  that  it  is  not  only  the  glamour  of  youth  and  the  past  that  il- 
lumines them  with  so  fair  a  light.  They  were,  in  truth,  radiant  centers.  They 
made  for  a  true  and  simple  yet  wide  culture,  for  good  citizenship,  and  for  warm 
hearted  neighborliness. 

All  the  householders  were  gentle  folk;  all  of  them  kept  close  relations  with 
the  great  world ;  all  of  them  had  an  uncommon  amount  of  interest  and  attraction 
in  their  own  personalities. 

The  line — at  least  to  the  writer — began  just  outside  the  city  limits  of  the 
time.  Within  it  were  the  homes  of  the  Davenports,  the  Glaspells  and  the  Mc- 
Manuses;  but  it  was  without  that  the  real  Rockingham  road  ran  along  the  foot 
of  the  hills.  Farthest  from  the  town  were  two  estates  laid  out  with  such  liberal 
taste  and  skill  that  they  are  still  stately  country  seats.     "Fairview,"  the  farther 


808  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

to  the  west,  was  the  property  of  Colonel  William  Allen,  associated  with  his 
brother,  Thomas  Allen,  of  St.  Louis,  in  the  earliest  control  of  the  Iron  Moun- 
tain railway;  the  other,  "The  Elms,"  was  built  by  his  partner.  Colonel  Mande- 
ville.  Here  was  a  union  of  the  north  and  the  south,  Colonel  Mandeville  being 
a  southerner  and  Colonel  Allen  descended  from  an  illustrious  New  England 
family  and  having  won  his  title  in  the  Federal  anny  during  the  Civil  war.  Yet 
in  this  case,  curiously  enough,  it  was  the  northerner  who  was  frankly  genial  with 
a  finished  courtesy  of  manner;  it  was  the  southerner  who  was  gravely  polite, 
silent,  reserved,  yet  capable  of  deep  and  strong  attachment  to  a  few.  Both 
were  aUke  in  their  stainless  honor,  their  generous  hospitality;  both  were  good 
citizens  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  Too  recently  have  we  lost  the  genial  mis- 
tresses of  the  household  to  need  to  recall  their  delicate  and  gracious  charm. 
They  who  were  as  differently  moulded  as  were  their  husbands  in  most  respects 
were  alike  in  this  as  they  were  in  their  sympathy  gift  of  diffusing  pleasure. 

Nearer  the  town  was  the  picturesque  Stuyvesant  bungalow  (the  name  was 
not  then  arrived,  but  the  wide,  low,  roomy  veranda,  winged  story-and-a-half 
cottage  wag  surely  the  forerunner  of  the  bungalow)  where  a  retired  naval  offi- 
cer and  his  wife  had  brought  the  spoils  of  many  cruises  in  strange  lands.  Cap- 
tain Stuyvesant,  in  the  southern  phrase,  was  kin  to  most  of  old  New  York, 
his  wife  (born  a  Crowninshield)  to  most  of  old  Massachusetts.  They  had  not 
so  wide  a  circle  of  friends  as  the  other  Rockingham  road  gentry;  but  within 
their  circle  they  showed  the  same  generous  hospitality.  Often  kindred  or 
friends  from  the  great  world  came  to  them,  some  of  them  most  interesting,  all 
with  the  same  air  of  simple  and  quiet  distinction  which  was  our  first  impression 
of  their  hosts. 

A  goodly  space  of  leafy  country  highway  ran  townward  between  the  Stuy- 
vesant bungalow  and  the  three  beautiful  homes  on  the  crest  of  the  hills  where 
the  road  rises.  Nearest  town  was  "Leafland,"  so  modestly  yet  affectionately 
described  by  Judge  Dillon  in  his  memoir  of  his  wife.  There  the  great  jurist 
spent  some  happy  years.  The  charming  house  was  planned  by  Mrs.  Dillon  and 
"planned  for  comfort."  At  this  time  Mrs.  Dillon  was  in  the  flower  of  her 
compelling  fascination  and  beauty,  a  devoted  wife  and  mother,  a  most  tender 
and  loyal  friend;  a  woman  of  power  and  charm  who  loved  the  country  beauty 
with  almost  a  human  passion  and  had  with  all  her  vivid  traits  a  very  keen  and 
sane  sense  of  humor.  It  was  here  the  Dillons  celebrated  their  silver  wedding 
after  twenty-five  happy  years  together;  and  here  the  three  cities  welcomed  the 
bride  of  their  eldest  son,  Hiram.  But  ''Leafland"  was  the  scene  of  innumerable 
other  gatherings,  large  and  small,  for  the  daughters  of  the  house  were  then  bril- 
liant and  beautiful  young  girls,  and  all  the  Dillons  loved  to  gather  their  friends 
about  them. 

In  no  greater  measure,  however,  than  did  their  nearest  neighbors  of  "Wood- 
lawn,"  the  Putnams.  The  charming  English  cottage,  long  since  ashes,  was  then 
overflowing  with  young  life.  We  all  remember  vividly  the  noble  and  beautiful 
mother  of  that  large  family  who  yet  found  time  out  of  her  devotion  to  her 
children  and  her  abounding  hospitality  to  magnetize  a  careless  western  com- 
munity and  inspire  them  to  rear  an  institution  devoted  to  pure  science.     She 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  809 

began  the  work  for  the  sake  of  her  son.  Young  as  he  was.  Duncan  Putnam  had 
done  work  of  recognized  value  the  world  over ;  and  he  did  the  best  of  it  con- 
scious of  his  sentence  of  death,  but  working  doggedly  with  his  last  strength. 
To  comfort  him  his  mother  threw  all  her  splendid  vitality  and  energy  into  his 
plans.  But  when  he  died  she  did  not  abandon  her  work ;  rather  more  lavishly 
she  poured  her  time,  her  means  and  herself  into  it ;  and  before  she  died  had 
the  happiness  of  knowing  that  her  academy  was  in  its  own  home,  with  as- 
sured foundations.  But  while  one  cause  was  dearest  to  her,  every  good  work 
and  deed  found  her  willing  support.  "Woodlawn"  was  the  scene  of  some  of  our 
most  notable  fetes  for  charity,  indeed,  the  most  notable  of  all.  The  stranger 
never  found  a  more  open-handed  welcome  than  within  its  gates ;  and  we  all 
know  how  that  high  tradition  has  descended  to  her  daughter  and  her  sons. 

Tlie  next  place  on  the  road,  like  "Leafland"  and  "Woodlawn,"  nestled 
among  rich  shade  on  the  crest  of  the  hills,  is  the  sumptuous  park  that  will 
always  keep  green  the  love  of  our  city  for  the  name  which  it  bears.  The  last 
of  that  name,  the  daughter  of  the  Hungarian  gentleman  whose  home  it  was, 
and  who  had,  himself,  given  the  city  much,  gave  the  spacious  Hungarian  man- 
sion and  the  fields  and  orchards  and  glowing  hillsides  to  our  city.  Now  it  is 
the  most  beautiful  of  our  parks;  but  for  many  years  it  was  the  most  beautiful 
of  homes.  Years  before  a  noble  Hungarian  exile  had  come  with  his  wife  and 
liis  two  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  and  had  builded  him  a  miniature  Hungarian 
castle,  the  doors  of  which  ever  stood  wide,  not  only  to  his  kindred  and  country- 
men from  over  the  sea,  but  to  all  his  friends.  There  never  was  a  stauncher 
friend  of  America  than  this  guest  whom  the  dissensions  of  his  own  country 
drove  in  despair  to  us.  Our  city  never  had  a  better  citizen.  Yet  none  of  the 
family  whom  we  loved  so  well,  and  of  whose  old-world  distinction  and  inex- 
tinguishable elegance  we  were  always  proud,  ever  lost  a  whit  of  its  loyal  de- 
votion to  Hungary.  The  pictures  of  the  rooms,  the  papers  and  magazines,  the 
very  cookery  of  the  kitchen,  bore  evidence  to  the  exile's  love  of  home.  But 
how  gracious,  how  exquisitely  courteous  and  forbearing,  how  void  of  compari- 
son and  offense,  was  this  ardent  Magyar  patriotism  !  We  only  loved  them  the 
more  for  it.  At  the  time  of  which  I  write,  Mr.  Fejervary,  his  wife  and  his 
daughter,  were  the  family ;  the  son,  a  youth  of  extraordinary  promise,  died  years 
before.  To  how  many  of  our  people  does  that  time  come  with  a  rush  of  memo- 
ries! How  much  pleasure,  how  much  happiness  did  they  convey  to  everyone 
who  came  near  them!  Nicholas  Fejervary's  character,  his  chivalric  courtesy, 
his  generous  bounty,  his  scrupulous  conscience  in  small  matter?  as  well  as  great, 
illumined  the  Hungarian  nature  to  us.  Mrs.  Fejervary's  virtues  made  one 
worldly  soul  exclaim  with  a  touch  of  reverence,  "She  ought  to  have  been  St. 
Francis'  sister !"  Mother  and  daughter  we  loved  as  much  as  we  admired.  When 
the  father  and  mother  died,  and  the  daughter  went  back  to  her  country  and 
her  kindred,  a  romantic  and  alien  charm  left  our  hills,  but  not  our  hearts. 

They  are  all  gone  now ;  all  those  pleasant  places  that  delighted  our  youth  are 
in  stranger  hands.  Of  the  old  owners,  some  have  been  claimed  by  the  great 
world  out  of  which  they  came  to  us  for  a  season,  the  descendants  of  others  are 
still  in  our  city,  worthy  bearers  of  their  honored  names,  but  though  their  homes 


810  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

are  more  luxurious,  they  are  no  more  on  the  old  dear  spots ;  and  of  all  those 
fair  and  gracious  women,  the  mistresses  of  the  old-time  mansions  of  the  road, 
not  one  is  living;  but  ''their  very  memory  is  sweet  and  bright  and  our  sad 
thoughts  doth  cheer." 


OLD  TURNER   HALL.  XoRTIIW  EST.  DAVENPORT 


\ 

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%.: 

^ 

i 

TURNER  HALL,  DA\ENP()KT 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 
THE  GERMAN  IMPRESS. 

THE   INFLUENCE   OF   GERMAN    IMMIGRANTS    UPON    THE   SOCIAL,    FINANCIAL,    PATRI- 
OTIC,   COMMERCIAL    AND    ARTISTIC    LIFE    OF    THE    UNITED    STATES FROM    THE 

GENERAL  TO  THE  PARTICULAR — WHAT  GERMAN-AMERICANS  HAVE  DONE  FOR 
THE  PROSPERITY,  MATERIAL  AND  SPIRITUAL,  OF  DAVENPORT  AND  SCOTT  COUNTY 
A    TRIP    CROSS-COUNTRY     AND    WHAT    IT    SHOWS GERMAN     ORGANIZATIONS. 

A  Brief  Forezvord. 

After  the  invitation  had  been  given  me  several  times  to  prepare  for  the  forth- 
coming history  of  Davenport  and  Scott  county,  an  article  setting  forth  the  in- 
fluence of  the  staunch  German  population  of  city  and  county,  an  invitation  which 
it  was  each  time  necessary  to  decline  through  lack  of  time,  I  was  finally  per- 
suaded to  write  the  following  chapter  through  the  urgent  request  of  one  whom 
it  is  always  a  pleasure  to  oblige,  Principal  Harry  E.  Downer,  in  editorial  charge 
of  the  work,  who  urged  me  in  these  words:  "There  must  be  in  this  history  a 
chapter  in  which  the  recognition  due  our  sturdy  citizens  of  German  birth  and  de- 
scent is  made ;  in  which  justice  is  done  to  these  sterling  emigrants  from  the 
Fatherland  and  their  direct  descendants  for  the  part  they  have  taken  in  the  pa- 
triotic, social,  intellectual,  musical  and  financial  life  of  this  community.  This 
article  is  especially  needed  at  the  present  time,  for  recently  many,  unacquainted 
with  the  admirable  character  of  our  German  inhabitants,  have  disparaged  them, 
belittled  their  accomplishments,  and  spoken  of  them  in  terms  of  general  con- 
demnation. You  must  write  the  truth  about  the  part  the  Germans  have  played 
in  the  development  of  Scott  county  and  Davenport,  making  the  story  as  brief  as 
you  please  or  as  long  as  the  importance  of  the  topic  warrants.  In  any  event, 
we  are  counting  upon  you  for  this  chapter  which  shall  in  its  truthful  narration 
be  a  vindication  of  German  character  as  we  have  known  it  here." 

Through  this  friendly  pressure  I  acceded,  and  pledged  myself  to  the  under- 
taking. 


814  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

From  the  beginning  it  was  evident  that  in  an  article  prepared  in  a  compara- 
tively short  time,  even  if  it  was  of  considerable  length,  completeness  could  not 
be  attained,  nevertheless,  I  have  hoped  to  note  a  number  of  the  many  impor- 
tant points  which  would  somewhat  demonstrate  the  value  and  admirable  quality 
of  the  German  spirit.  There  will  be  an  attempt  to  note  briefly  how  the  earliest 
German  immigrants  proved  their  patriotism  in  the  war  of  the  revolution  under 
Washington,  as  later  arrivals  from  over-seas  did  in  the  dreadful  conflict  for 
the  freedom  of  the  slave  in  the  '60s  of  the  last  century,  in  devotion  to  their  adopted 
fatherland,  also  how  the  German-Americans  have  contributed  to  advancement 
in  all  branches  of  culture,  and  have  attained  eminence  in  the  fine  arts  as  well 
as  contributing  their  full  share  to  the  substantial  prosperity  of  America. 

THE    GERMAN    SPIRIT    IN    THE    UNITED    STATES    IN    GENERAL. 

The  date  when  Germans  first  came  to  America  cannot  be  determined  with 
certainty.  Rumor  tells  us  that  even  on  the  Viking  ship  of  the  danger-loving 
Norseman,  Leif  Erickson,  who  was  the  first  to  land  on  the  shores  of  our  country, 
to  which  he  gave  the  name  Vinland,  almost  500  years  before  Columbus'  dis- 
covery, there  was  a  German.  When  Columbus  in  1492  had  rediscovered  America 
the  love  of  wandering  instinctive  in  the  German  race  soon  made  itself  manifest. 
This  wander  instinct  was  encouraged  in  the  adventure-loving  German  by  the 
descriptions  of  travel,  partly  imaginative,  published  by  Amerigo  Vespucius,  and 
he  reached  this  golden  wonderland  in  ships  of  Spaniard  and  Portuguese. 

It  was  the  German  professor,  Martin  Waldseemueller,  who  in  a  Latin  book 
printed  in  1507  suggested  the  recognition  of  the  over-estimated  services  of  Ves- 
pucius, by  naming  the  new  land  America,  which  name  it  has  retained,  although 
Columbia  would  perhaps  have  been  a  juster  recognition.  When  a  full  150  years 
later  upon  the  soil  now  the  United  States  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  English 
colonies  the  Swedes  founded  New  Sweden  and  the  Dutch  New  Netherlands, 
an  important  part  was  taken  in  the  latter  colony  by  the  German  Jacob  Leisler, 
defending  in  1691  as  representative  of  the  Dutch  government  of  New  Amster- 
dam the  settlement  against  the  encroachment  of  English  tyranny.  Even  earlier 
than  this  a  German,  Peter  Minnewit,  had  been  governor  of  this  struggling 
Dutch  colony. 

It  was  impossible  for  Germany  in  its  dismembered  condition  to  plant  colonies, 
yet  the  despotism  of  German  princes  and  religious  persecution  easily  explains 
emigration  to  the  land  of  promise,  America.  Through  an  invitation  extended 
by  William  Penn  directly  to  the  eminent  German  lawyer,  Franz  Daniel  Pastorius, 
Germans  united  in  settling  the  colony  to  which  Penn's  name  had  been  given. 
October  16,  1683,  the  ship  Concord  brought  the  first  organized  company  of  Ger- 
man emigrants  to  this  country.  There  were  thirteen  families  from  Krefeld, 
thirty-three  people  who  arrived  and  were  welcomed  by  Pastorius  and  Penn.  The 
heads  of  these  families,  who  were  for  the  most  part  weavers,  founded  the  set- 
tlement called  Germantown  near  Philadelphia  which  was  given  the  title  of  city 
in  1691.  German  day,  which  is  observed  in  many  places  on  October  i6th  of 
each  year  commemorates  the  day   in   1683  when  these   first  German   emigrants 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  815 

in  larger  numbers  landed  on  American  soil  and  founded  a  successful  American 
colony. 

********** 

It  would  take  too  long  to  write  a  general  history  of  the  Germans  in  America. 
It  is  perhaps  generally  known  that  the  Germans  in  Pennsylvania  developed  such 
strength  that  the  matter  of  making  German  the  official  language  of  the  colony 
was  considered.  When  the  question  came  up  for  decision  in  the  council  it  was 
defeated  by  a  single  vote  and  that  one  was  cast  by  a  German  who  argued  that 
a  single  language  would  promote  the  unity  of  the  colonies  and  induce  their  pros- 
perity. It  should  be  noted  that  the  Germans  of  Germantown  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Pastorius  in  1688  made  the  first  protest  against  slavery  which  was  at  that 
time  tolerated  by  Puritan  and  Quaker  alike.  The  original  of  that  memorable 
document  is  still  to  be  seen  at  the  present  time  in  Philadelphia.  It  should  also  be 
mentioned  that  it  was  in  the  printing  establishment  of  Christopher  Sauer  of 
Germantown  that  the  first  German  Bible  was  printed  in  this  country. 

In  the  war  of  the  Revolution  the  noble  Washington  habitually  chose  German 
soldiers  for  his  bodyguard.  Among  the  heroes  in  that  war  whose  names  are 
infrequently  given  due  honor  in  school  books  and  so-called  historical  works  may  be 
named  Generals  Nicholas  Herchheimer  (Herkimer),  Peter  Muehlenberg.  Johann 
von  Kalb  (de  Kalb),  Friedrich  Wilhelm  von  Steuben,  the  last  being  appointed 
drill  master  of  the  army  by  Washington  and  the  Continental  congress.  We  must 
also  not  omit  to  mention  that  the  first  treasurer  of  the  united  colonies  was  the 
German,  Michael  Hillegas.  The  historical  figure  of  the  battle  of  Monmouth, 
the  heroine  Mollie  Pitcher,  was  a  German  and  her  real  name  Maria  Heis.  Prus- 
.  sia's  heroic  king,  Frederick  the  Great,  was  the  first  monarch  to  recognize  the 
young  republic,  the  United  States  of  America. 

When  the  republic  had  been  established  by  the  conflict  which  followed  the 
glorious  Declaration  of  Independence  and  England's  despotism  had  been  ended, 
the  immigrant  stream  from  Germany  became  uninterrupted.  The  German  im- 
migrant was  numbered  among  the  best  of  those  who  settled  the  western  country. 
Where  there  were  no  railroads  the  wagon  drawn  by  oxen  served.  The  Ger- 
mans with  other  immigrants  and  American  pioneers  followed  the  course  of  the 
larger  streams  coming  up  the  Mississippi  from  New  Orleans  to  St.  Louis  and 
even  to  the  smaller  villages  beyond — Burlington,  Davenport.  Dubuque,  etc. 

The  reaction  following  the  revolution  in  Germany  in  1848-49  brought  in  the 
next  ten  years  and  in  the  early  '60s,  1,500,000  of  the  flower  of  the  German  popu- 
lation to  America.  Among  these  were  such  men  as  Carl  Schurz,  Franz  Sigel, 
Friedrich  Hecker,  G.  T.  Kellner,  Herman  Raster,  etc.  To  Davenport  came 
many  liberty-loving  Schleswig-Holsteiners,  such  as  Bleik  Peters,  Hans  Reimer 
Claussen,  Ernst  Claussen.  Emil  Geisler.  G.  P.  .Ankerson.  Theodor  Guelich. 
Jens  Peter  Stibolt,  etc. 

Then  came  the  secession  of  the  states  and  civil  war  lasting  from  1861  to 
1865.  In  this  desperate  struggle,  which  ended  with  the  refounding  of  a  single 
large  North  American  republic  and  the  freedom  of  the  slaves  through  the  procla- 
mation of  Abraham  Lincoln,  200,000  Germans  swore  allegiance  to  the  flag  of 
the  union  and  through  their  aid  this  country  was  saved  dismemberment.  Here 
may  be  mentioned  some  of  the  most  noted  German  commanders  in  the  Union  army  : 


816  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Generals  Osterhaus,  Ludwig  Blenker,  Rosecrans,  August  Willich,  Friedrich 
Hecker,  Carl  Schurz,  etc.  The  number  of  German  officers  in  the  Union  army 
in  a  class  with  our  Captain  Robert  Henne  were  numbered  by  the  hundreds, 
which  is  not  an  occasion  for  wonder,  as  many  German  immigrants  were  skilled 
in  military  tactics  through  service  in  the  fatherland  and  had  an  understanding 
of  military  discipline  which  native  recruits  had  yet  to  acquire.  The  members 
of  the  German  turner  societies  of  this  country  were  among  the  first  to  decide 
with  enthusiasm  to  uphold  the  Union.  By  the  thousand  the  turners  rallied  to 
the  standard.  Turner  halls  were  in  many  cities  depopulated  during  the  war, 
for  instance  in  Cincinnati,  where  the  first  turning  society  in  the  United  States 
was  established.  This  was  November  21,  1848,  and  on  the  instigation  of  that 
champion  of  freedom,  Friedrich  Hecker,  who  came  from  Baden.  In  the  Daven- 
port Turner  hall  a  company  was  organized  that  with  three  exceptions  consisted 
of  Germans,  and  whose  officers  were  Davenport  turners ;  to  make  especial 
mention:  August  Wentz,  Theodor  Guelich,  Johann  Ahlefeldt,  Ernst  Claussen, 
Louis  Schoen,  Fr.  Dittmann,  Charles  Stuehmer,  etc. 

********** 

Carl  Schurz,  who  may  be  called  with  justice  the  most  distinguished  German- 
American,  having  filled  the  highest  position  accorded  those  not  native  born, 
while  secretary  of  the  interior,  was  the  first  to  call  attention  to  the  inevitable 
and  irreparable  results  following  the  destruction  of  the  forests  and  earnestly 
recommended  the  introduction  of  German  methods  of  forest  conservation.  The 
well-known  German-American  poet,  Konrad  Nies,  voiced  this  protest  in  poetic 
language  in  his  noted  poem,  "The  Revenge  of  the  Woods."  Bernhard  E. 
Fernono,  one  of  the  founders  of  the  National  Forest  association  and  editor  of 
the  publication,  "The  Forester"  was  principally  instrumental  some  ten  years  ago 
in  launching  the  movement  for  forest  conservation,  which  cannot  fail  to  bring 
blessings  to  the  land. 

To  the  development  of  American  industries  the  German-American  has  con- 
tributed in  generous  measure.  Much  of  the  groundwork  of  these  enterprises  is 
the  result  of  German  thoroughness  and  German  perseverance,  as  for  instance 
the  piano  factory  of  Steinway  &  Sons,  in  New  York;  the  steel  cable  establish- 
ment of  John  A.  Roebling's  Sons,  in  Trenton,  N.  J.  The  deceased  John  A.  Roeb- 
ling  was  the  builder  of  the  famous  Brooklyn  bridge,  the  first  bridge  over  East 
river,  at  New  York.  There  may  be  also  cited  the  leather  works  of  R.  H.  Foer- 
derer,  in  Philadelphia,  the  immense  breweries  in  St.  Louis,  Milwaukee  and 
elsewhere,  that  of  Anheuser-Busch  at  St.  Louis  being  the  largest  in  the  world. 
In  the  central  states,  success  due  to  German  diligence  is  manifested  in  number- 
less instances  in  American  industries.  Here  in  Davenport  are  conspicuous  ex- 
amples of  this  success,  an  instance  being  the  large  manufacturing  plant  of  the 
Bettendorf  Axle  Company,  in  a  suburb  of  Davenport,  at  whose  head  are  Wil- 
liam P.  and  Joseph  Bettendorf  and  in  connection  with  which  is  their  father, 
M.  Bettendorf,  a  man  who  holds  the  German  liberal  thought  in  highest  esteem. 
In  this  great  factory  where  among  other  things  steel  railroad  cars  are  made 
the  business  transacted  approaches  a  million  each  month.  This  factory  promises 
to  be  one  of  the  greatest  in  this  part  of  the  country.     The  president  of  the  fac- 


:\IUSl('  l'A\  II.loN    |\  MIRETZEX  TAUK 


SCHUETZEX  PARK  CLUB  HOUSE 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  819 

tory,  William  P.  Bettendorf,  has  proven  himself  a  genius  in  invention,  and  his 
valuable  patents  are  now  bringing  him  a  rich  return. 

Not  all  German-American  inventors  have  been  so  fortunate.  It  is  only 
necessary  to  remember  Ottomar  Mergenthaler  who  designed  the  linotype,  that 
machine  now  indispensable  in  the  printing  establishments  of  the  country,  the 
most  magnificent  machine  the  mind  of  man  has  ever  devised.  Mergenthaler 
died  in  poverty  in  Baltimore  in  the  year  1899,  after  long  illness.  The  Mergen- 
thaler Linotype  Company  has  since  that  time  amassed  many  million  dollars  in 
the  manufacture  of  the  improved  machine. 

********** 

The  German  press  of  the  country  has  steadily  gained  in  influence  and  im- 
portance and  has  probably  not  yet  reached  its  zenith.  The  oldest  German  news- 
paper, still  published  in  Reading,  Penn.,  is  the  Reading  Adler,  founded  in  the 
year  1796.  The  German  newspapers  now  number  in  the  hundreds.  Among 
the  daily  publications  of  the  first  rank  are  the  New  Yorker  Staats-Zeitung,  the 
Westliche-Post  in  St.  Louis,  the  Illinois  Staats-Zeitung  of  Chicago,  and  others. 
In  Davenport  appears  as  a  daily  newspaper  Der  Demokrat,  a  German  paper 
which  was  founded  by  Theodor  Guelich  in  185 1.  Its  proprietor,  from  1856  to 
1903,  was  Henry  Lischer  and  it  is  now  published  by  the  H.  Lischer  Printing 
Company,  whose  members  are  the  sons  of  Henry  Lischer.  Another  Davenport 
newspaper  is  the  Semi-weekly  Iowa  Reform  which  was  founded  by  the  writer 
of  this  article  in  1884  and  who  has  continued  its  publication  from  that  year  with  the 
assistance  of  his  brother  Gerhard  Petersen,  with  good  success.  Last  year,  to 
celebrate  the  25th  anniversary,  a  jubilee  edition  was  issued,  a  piece  of  journalistic 
achievement  rarely  equalled  in  the  German-American  field.  Concerning  the 
German-American  press  the  distinguished  historian  Rudolph  Cronau  says  in  his 
latest  work,  "Three  Centuries  of  German  Life  in  America,"  from  which  work 
many  of  the  dates  above  given  are  taken:  "The  tone  of  the  German-American 
press  is  genuinely  American,  It  is  everywhere  the  constant  defender  of  the  best 
elements  in  our  political  system,  sharp  in  its  criticism  of  political  mistakes,  and 
an  untiring  champion  of  the  general  welfare,  of  order  and  of  personal  liberty. 
To  the  praise  of  the  German-American  newspapers  it  may  be  further  said  that 
with  few  exceptions  they  are  free  from  the  disgusting  sensationalism  through 
which  many  American  newspapers  endeavor  to  enlarge  their  circle  of  readers." 

Brief  mention  has  already  been  made  of  what  the  German  turning  societies 
did  in  the  time  of  the  country's  greatest  need.  Hastily  will  be  sketched  what 
the  German  immigrants  have  accomplished  in  the  realm  of  music  in  this  mighty 
land.  To  them  thanks  are  due  for  the  development  of  orchestral  music  and  much 
that  is  admirable  in  vocal  music.  The  names  of  the  following  pioneer  conductors : 
Leopold  Damrosch,  Theodore  Thomas,  Carl  Zerrahn,  Christoph  Bach  and  Fried- 
rich  Stock  are  household  words.  In  Davenport  Jacob  Strasser  was  the  founder 
and  pioneer  of  good  orchestral  music.  In  the  realm  of  grand  opera  may  be 
written  the  noted  Wagner  directors  and  singers :  Anton  Seidl,  Walter  Damrosch, 
Alfred  Hertz,  Andreas  Dippel  and  others  and  the  equally  noted  song-birds, 
Ritter-Goetze,  Marcella  Sembrich.  Schumann-Heink  and  others.  On  occasions 
of  great  saengerf ests  the  four-part  choruses  for  male  voices  have  been  given  with 


820  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

immense  effect,  a  recent  example  being  the  male  choruses  at  the  saengerfest  of 
the  Northwestern  association  in  July,  1898,  in  Davenport. 

The  German  theater  in  the  United  States  has  contributed  much  to  the  ele- 
vation of  public  taste,  although  in  many  cities  where  it  formerly  flourished  it  is 
now  struggling  for  existence.  In  New  York,  St.  Louis  and  Milwaukee  the 
German  theater  still  prospers.  In  Davenport  where  for  more  than  fifty  years 
the  "Deutches  Stadttheater"  was  able  to  exist,  giving  pleasure  at  all  times  and 
instruction  on  many  occasions  not  only  to  the  Germans  but  also  to  the  English 
speaking  population,  there  is  now  being  given  at  the  Grand  Opera  House  a  series 
of  plays  by  a  dramatic  organization  of  St.  Louis.  The  present  director  of  the 
German  theater  in  Davenport  is  the  excellent  character-actor.  G.  C.  Ackermann. 
Formerly  for  many  years  John  Hill  was  the  manager  of  the  local  theater.  Fritz 
Singer  also  rendered  valuable  service  in  this  line,  as  before  him  did  Berthold 
Kraus.  The  most  famous  of  those  who  have  appeared  upon  the  local  stage  as 
artistic  managers  are  Gustav  Donald,  Hans  Ravene,  H.  Neeb,  G.  C.  Ackermann 
and  Hans  Wengefeld.  The  qualities  which  made  the  German  immigrant  suc- 
cessful in  this  country  and  caused  him  to  be  recognized  among  the  most  sub- 
stantial of  American  citizens  found  their  finest  expression  in  the  exhibits  of 
Germany  at  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago  in  1893  ^"d  ^^  St.  Louis  in  1904,  where 
she  was  the  equal  of  all  exhibiting  nations  and  surpassed  most.  But  greater 
than  this  excellence  in  material  benefit  is  the  gift  to  Americans  and  the  foreign 
born  citizens  of  this  land  other  than  the  Germans  of  those  influences  toward 
the  higher  life,  and  in  this  consists  their  greater  debt  to  the  German- Americans, 
which  is  most  manifest  in  its  influence  upon  the  younger  generation.  We  brought 
America  not  only  German  industry  which  helped  to  change  the  bare  prairie 
into  laughing,  fruitful  fields,  we  also  brought  it  the  systematic  physical  training 
now  taught  in  many  schools  of  this  country,  according  to  German  methods, 
the  fostering  of  the  best  in  vocal  and  instrumental  music,  true  love  of  liberty, 
and  the  Christmas  tree  with  its  many  sparkling  lights,  which  is  now  to  be  found 
in  nearly  every  American  home. 

America  has  profited  much  by  the  addition  to  her  life  of  all  that  is  German. 
By  far  the  larger  portion  of  German  immigration,  grown  less  in  later  years  through 
more  favoring  conditions  in  the  fatherland,  has  been  a  blessing  to  this  country. 
The  very  large  portion  of  the  present  population  of  the  United  States  made  up 
of  Germans  and  their  descendants  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  out  of  80,000,000 
souls,  about  one-fourth,  or  20,000,000  have  German  blood  in  their  veins.  And 
if  to  these  be  added  the  English  and  Scandinavian  people,  which  addition  is 
just,  as  they  are  of  Germanic  stock,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  all  other  elements  are 
exceeded,  and  that  makes  for  the  greatness  of  America.  That  the  German  lan- 
guage may  be  kept  alive  by  those  descended  from  the  German  immigrants  and 
also  by  other  American  citizens  and  fostered  to  a  degree  greater  than  ever  be- 
fore to  me  seems  of  great  importance.  It  is  gratifying  to  note  that  the  practical 
American  has  found  a  value  in  a  knowledge  of  the  German  tongue.  It  is  equally 
euphonious  with  the  English  and  ranks  next  to  that  language  in  use  among 
civilized  nations.  German  commerce  enlarges  its  field  each  year,  and  it  is  to 
be  hoped  American  commerce  will  expand  in  the  same  way.     These  two  great 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  821 

leaders  in  the  world's  civilization  are  dependent  on  each  other.     May  the  good- 
fellowship  between  them  become  increasingly  cordial. 

,    THE  POPULATION  OF  GERMAN  DESCENT  IN  DAVENPORT  AND  SCOTT  COUNTY. 

The  earliest  German  immigration  came  to  Scott  county  almost  at  the  begin- 
ning of  her  history.  From  historic  sources  of  unquestioned  verity  the  population 
of  Davenport  in  1836  was  about  100,  consequently  the  history  of  the  village 
cannot  be  said  to  have  begun  before  that  date.  On  May  15,  1836  the  first 
German  family  came  to  this  vicinity.  It  was  the  family  of  Carl  Jacob  Freitag 
(Friday)  who  with  his  wife  and  his  three  sons,  Johann,  Jacob  and  Gottlieb,  had 
emigrated  from  Wiirttemberg,  pressed  forward  across  the  broad,  western  prairies, 
for  the  most  part  using  a  yoke  of  oxen  for  transportation,  until  he  settled  as  a 
farmer  in  what  is  now  Rockingham  township,  a  few  miles  down  the  Mississippi 
river.  Here  in  the  new  home  three  days  later  a  daughter,  Caroline,  was  bom  to 
the  German  pioneer  couple.  In  the  year  1836  there  also  landed  in  America  the 
Bomberg  family  which  included  Friedrich  Ernst  Bomberg.  his  wife  and  seven 
children.  From  Gotha  in  Thuringen  they  came,  and  made  their  first  American 
home  on  a  farmstead  near  Buffalo  in  Scott  county,  where  in  October  of  the  fol- 
lowing year,  1837,  Mr.  Bomberg  passed  away.  In  the  same  year  of  Mr.  Bom- 
berg's  death  his  widow  brought  her  flock  of  little  immigrants  to  Davenport  and 
made  their  home  in  the  young  village,  and  here  remained,  the  first  German  family 
in  Davenport.  April  14,  1910,  there  died  in  the  old  home  Mrs.  Augusta  Ranzow, 
nee  Bomberg.  the  last  member  of  the  very  earliest  German  family  to  settle  in 
Davenport.  In  the  year  1837  came  Adam  Weigand,  Joseph  Gehmann, 
Christopher  Schneider,  the  last  named,  the  discoverer  of  coal  at  Buffalo, 
ten  miles  below  Davenport,  which  is  mined  until  the  present  time.  At  the  close 
of  the  year  1846  the  population  of  Davenport  was  increased  by  sixty  Germans,  a 
large  part  bringing  with  them  their  families.  Among  the  immigrants  from  Ger- 
many who  came  during  the  first  ten  years  following  1836  we  find  Michael 
Gold,  Christian  Kober,  E.  Steinhilber,  Christ  Schuh.  Carl  Sauer,  Johann  H. 
Schuett,  Franz  Lambach,  Louis  Beyer,  Johann  Kaspar  Wild,  Franz  Xaver 
Kessler,  Kaspar  Schroepfer,  Nicholas  Mock,  Asmus  Vieths,  Peter  and  Claus 
Puck,  Jochim  and  Hinrich  Steffen,  Jochim  Plambeck,  and  others.  April  11, 
1847,  seventeen  persons  landed  in  Davenport,  among  whom  were  Claus  Lamp, 
Asmus  H.  Steffen,  Jochim  Schoell,  Hinrich  Muhs,  J.  F.  Lafrenz  and  Hans  Wiese. 
June  21,  1847,  ninety  other  persons  came.  Among  these  were  Hans  Stoltenberg, 
Wulf  Hahn,  Jochim  Klindt,  Thies  Sindt,  Claus  H.  Lamp,  Eggert  Puck,  Claus 
Wulf,  etc.  July  13,  1847  came  fifty  additional  people.  August  i,  1847.  sixty 
emigrants  from  the  old  fatherland  followed,  among  whom  were  two  who  became 
especially  well  known  and  popular — ^Matthias  J.  Rohlfs  and  Nicholas  J.  Rusch. 
In  December  of  the  same  year  twenty-four  German  immigrants  landed  at  New 
Orleans  whose  destination  was  Davenport,  but  who  could  not  reach  this  place 
until  the  following  spring,  for  it  was  not  until  that  time  that  the  Mississippi  was 
free  of  ice. 

Early  in  the  year  1848  Davenport  received  an  additional  company  of  German 
immigrants  numbering  about  250,  most  of  these  coming  from   Schleswig-Hol- 


822  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

stein,  where  political  conditions  were  intolerable.  This  stream  of  immigration 
continued,  as  those  who  had  reached  this  land  induced  their  friends  and  rela- 
tives to  come.  When  finally  the  struggle  of  Schleswig-Holstein  against  Danish 
despotism  had  reached  an  unfortunate  conclusion  a  larger  immigration  began  in 
the  years  from  185 1  to  1853.  The  German  immigration  was  swelled  by  those 
coming  from  other  German  provinces,  due  to  the  reaction  following  the  times  of 
revolution  in  the  fatherland.  Until  the  beginning  of  the  '80s  of  the  last  cen- 
tur\-  a  large  stream  of  German  immigration  poured  into  this  vicinity,  which 
gradually  became  weaker,  and  although  today  comparatively  few  in  the  old 
fatherland  think  of  emigrating  it  has  never  entirely  ceased. 

The  Iowa  census  of  1890  gave  Scott  county  a  population  of  43,164,  of  which 
10,130,  or  very  nearly  one-fourth,  were  natives  of  Germany.  If  to  this  large 
number  be  added  the  German  immigration  of  the  twenty  years  following  1890 
and  the  direct  descendants  of  all  those  coming  from  Germany  a  strong  showing 
is  made  for  the  strength  of  German-Americanism  in  this  county.  That  not  all 
descendants  of  Germans  retain  their  German  spirit  is  unfortunately  true,  yet  on 
the  other  hand,  it  is  pleasant  to  be  able  to  state  that  in  a  large  number 
of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  immigrants  of  the  '40s  till  '60s,  the 
inherited  spirit  of  the  fatherland  still  is  manifest  and  the  love  of  the  German 
language  and  the  good  old  Gertnan  customs  has  not  died  out.  There  has  been 
no  lack  of  continued  commercial  success  for  such  true  German-Americans.  It 
is  only  necessary  to  mention  here  the  descendants  of  several  old  forty-eighters 
and  others  more  recent :  Louis  Hanssen's  Sons,  Christ  Mueller's  Sons,  Ferdinand 
Roddewig's  Sons,  H.  &  H.  Rohlfs,  Wahle  brothers.  Peter  Feddersen,  Oswald, 
Walter  and  Herman  Schmidt,  Charles  Naeckel's  Sons,  T.  Richter's  Sons,  the 
sons  of  Henry  Lischer,  Alfred  and  Henry  True,  Henry  and  William  Wiese, 
Ad.  Eckenuann,  and  others. 

October  14,  1902,  a  German-.'\merican  Pioneer  association  of  Scott  county 
came  into  existence.  Only  such  Germans  as  have  lived  in  America  for  fifty 
years,  or  those  of  German  parentage  w-ho  have  reached  the  age  of  fifty  years, 
may  become  members.  The  association  has  reached  a  membership  of  several 
hundreds,  due  very  largely  to  the  activity  of  its  secretary,  John  Bervvald.  A 
complete  membership  list  was  published  in  the  jubilee  edition  of  the  Iowa  Reform 
of  last  year.  It  is  probable  that  a  revised  list  of  the  members  will  be  incor- 
porated in  this  work.  In  this  connection  it  may  be  mentioned  that  as  early  as 
the  year  1873  an  association  of  German  veterans  was  formed  in  Davenport 
whose  title  is  "Schleswig-Holstein  Kampfgenossen  Verein  von  1848-1850."  To 
the  special  edition  of  the  Democrat  and  Leader,  published  to  commemmorate 
the  fiftieth  anniversary,  two  of  the  best  known  members  of  this  verein,  Emil 
Geisler  and  Bleik  Peters,  contributed.  The  latter,  who  was  the  president  of  the 
society  for  many  years,  died  recently.  The  annual  meeting  of  this  organization 
occurs  on  March  24,  At  the  date  of  the  publication  of  the  Half-Century  Demo- 
crat, October  22,  1905,  the  association  had  175  members,  of  whom  fifteen  are 
over  eighty  years  old,  and  the  remaining  160  between  seventy-two  and  eighty. 
In  the  article  contributed  by  Pjleik  Peters  appears  a  long  list  of  deceased  members. 
This  list  has  naturally  increased  greatly  in  the  past  five  years,  but  about  100  of 
the  old    forty-eighters   are    still    living,   hale    and   hearty.      It    will    probably   be 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  823 

more  than  another  decade  before  the  last  of  these  staunch  old  heroes  shall  be 
called  upon  to  join  the  great  army.  To  give  the  details  of  the  Schleswig-Hol- 
stein  Kampfgenossen  Verein  would  take  more  space  than  is  available.  A  large 
volume  would  scarce  suffice  to  record  the  efforts  and  accomplishments  of  these 
old  soldiers  and  of  the  younger  generation  of  German-Americans  who  have 
taken  such  energetic  part  in  the  development  of  Davenport  and  Scott  county, 
but  it  is  fitting  that  this  contribution  to  the  work  in  hand  shall  not  overrun  the 
bounds  of  a  reasonable  article.  There  is  much  that  has  not  been  touched  upon. 
The  problem  is  now  how  to  handle  what  remains  with  conciseness.  Now  follows 
such  an  attempt. 

A  SHORT  TRIP  CROSS-COUNTRY. 

A  drive  through  Scott  county,  that  is,  through  the  farming  district  that 
stretches  from  Davenport  with  its  45,000  inhabitants,  to  the  westward,  north- 
ward and  eastward,  is  well  worth  one's  while.  For  it  gives  opportunity  to  see 
some  of  the  most  fruitful  and  valuable  farming  land  in  the  great  agricultural 
state  of  Iowa.  As  a  matter  of  course  the  right  season  of  the  year  must  be 
chosen.  In  an  automobile  the  longest  distances  can  be  covered  in  the  shortest 
time,  and  automobiles  in  great  numbers  utilize  the  country  roads,  that  is  if  they 
are  in  a  good  condition,  which,  unfortunately  is  not  always  the  case,  even  in 
summer.  But  for  our  purpose  the  automobile  is  too  rapid,  and  we  will  take  the 
older  fashioned  means  of  travel,  the  horse  and  buggy. 

We  drive  through  the  townships  of  Davenport  and  Blue  Grass  until  we 
reach  the  little  city  of  Walcott  which  is  about  ten  miles  from  Davenport.  After 
a  short  stay  in  this  place  our  drive  continues  through  Cleona,  Hickory  Grove 
and  Sheridan  townships  and  in  this  circuit  we  touch  the  villages  of  Plainview, 
Maysville,  Eldridge  and  Mt.  Joy.  Everywhere  in  this  expanse  of  land,  wealth 
is  apparent,  which  is  also  the  case  in  each  one  of  the  fourteen  townships  of  the 
county.  We  inquire  to  whom  this  or  that  especially  beautiful  farm  belongs, 
and  the  names  of  the  proprietors  given  us  are  always  those  of  Germans.  We  are 
told  that  very  nearly  nine-tenths  of  the  land  in  Scott  county  is  owned  by  Ger- 
man immigrants  and  their  descendants.  An  inspection  of  the  townships  traversed 
on  this  trip  as  depicted  upon  a  Huebinger  map  of  Scott  county  shows  that  the 
owners  of  the  farms  whose  names  are  recorded  on  this  map,  with  very  few  excep- 
tions, are  German.  In  Cleona  township  where  farms  large  and  small  to  the 
number  of  150  are  platted  we  find  that  out  of  this  number  only  three  are  owned 
by  those  whose  names  do  not  have  a  German  sound,  as  for  instance  Erastus 
Bills.  All  others  are  German.  We  find  that  formerly  more  Americans  were 
landowners  in  Scott  county,  but  that  the  German  was  thriftier,  knew  better  how 
to  manage,  and  that  gradually  chances  to  buy  were  offered  and  accepted.  It 
has  always  been,  and  still  is,  possible  to  tell  on  what  farms  a  German  has  had 
the  management,  and  on  what  farms  a  representative  of  any  other  nationality 
has  tried  the  remunerative  occupation  of  farming.  On  the  German  farms  there 
is  system, — no  farm  machinery  rusting  in  the  open,  no  dilapidated  sheds  on 
the  place,  no  rank  weeds  and  evident  negligence,  as  is  often  the  case  when  an- 
other than  a  German  farms.  Of  course  there  are  here  as  is  customary,  excep- 
tions to  the  rule.     Gradually  the  German  farming  population  has  acquired  the 


824  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

larg-est  part  of  the  best  land  in  the  county.  Scott  county  farmers  are  with  few 
exceptions  German,  and  wherever  one  enters  a  farmhouse  one  meets  with  cordial 
welcome  and  hospitality. 

Wealth  reigns  in  the  farming  region  of  America,  and  this  is  notably  the  case 
in  Scott  county. 

In  addition  to  their  splendid  estates,  their  stock  which  at  the  present  time  is 
of  such  great  value,  their  residences,  other  buildings  and  modern  agricultural 
machinery,  our  farmers  have  a  very  large  share  in  the  deposits — amounting  to 
many  million  dollars — in  the  large  Davenport  banks,  and  also  in  the  smaller 
banks  wh/ch  have  been  established  within  the  last  ten  years  in  the  country 
towns.  In  many  of  these  little  cities  met  with  in  a  cross  country  drive,  such 
as  Walcott  and  Eldridge,  we  find  that  the  German  population  greatly  out- 
number the  English.  Eldridge.  even,  has  a  good  Turner  association  with  a 
large  membership.  When  we  reach  home  in  Davenport  from  our  trip  through 
the  farming  territory  we  are  more  than  ever  convinced  that  the  German  farm- 
ing population  of  the  county  has  made  fine  choice  of  occupation  and  is  succeed- 
ing splendidly  therein.  Also  in  the  city  of  Davenport,  as  has  already  been  in- 
timated, the  German  prospers  in  many  professions  and  undertakings,  of  which 
short  mention  will  be  made  in  that  which  follows. 

GERMAN-AMERICANS    SUCCESSFUL    IN    VARIED    CALLINGS. 

In  Davenport  many  German-Americans  have  been,  and  still  are.  successful 
in  manufacturing.  Several  will  be  mentioned,  as  they  come  to  mind:  Wahle 
Brothers,  in  machinery;  Henry  Kohrs  &  Son,  wholesale  pork  packing;  Schmidt 
Brothers,  washing  machines,  etc. ;  Voss  Brothers,  washing  machines,  etc ;  Bram- 
mer  Manufacturing  Company  (Hugo  Braunlich  and  others),  washing  machines; 
Nicholas  Kuhnen,  Otto  Albrecht  &  Co.  (Theodor  Hartz),  cigar  manufacturers; 
and  in  the  same  line  Ferdinand  Haak  and  Sons,  P.  N.  Jacobsen,  Jr.,  H.  Harkert, 
Claus  F.  Hanssen,  W.  &  E.  Goettsch,  Julius  Goos,  Junge  &  Oden,  C.  L.  WoUen- 
berg ;  Krabbenhoef t  Brothers,  cigar  boxes,  etc. ;  M.  E.  Nabstedt  &  Sons,  manu- 
facturing jewelers;  Wilhelm  and  Reinhard  Wagner,  printers;  Zoller  Brothers, 
brewers ;  and  in  the  same  line,  George  Klindt,  Herman  Wulff ,  F.  Holdorf,  etc. ; 
as  successor  to  H.  Koehler.  Oscar  Koehler,  M.  Frahm,  J.  Lehrkind,  etc. ;  L.  P. 
Best,  in  various  branches  of  industry ;  H.  Korn  &  Sons,  wholesale  bakers  ;'  R. 
Mittelbuscher.  cooperage;  Ed.  Berger,  building  material;  H.  O.  Seififert,  build- 
ing material ;  F.  G.  Clausen,  as  architect  and  part  owner  of  factories ;  F.  T. 
Blunck,  in  factory  and  other  enterprises,  etc.,  etc. 

In  professional  circles,  doctors,  lawyers,  pharmacists,  etc.,  we  find  many  Ger- 
mans or  the  direct  descendants  of  Germans.  Here  follows  a  partial  list  of  doc- 
tors :  P.  A.  Bendixen,  Henry  U.  Braeunlich,  Oscar  Dahms,  George  E.  and  Her- 
bert Decker,  August  de  Fries,  E.  O.  Ficke,  L.  F.  Guldner,  A.  L.  Hageboeck, 
Julius  T.  Haller,  C.  C.  Hetzel,  H.  E.  Hoefle,  C.  F.  Jappe,  J.  F.  Kempker,  Kulp  & 
Kulp,  A.  B.  Kuhl,  Fred  Lambach.  John  V.  Littig,  Carl  and  Heinrich  Matthey, 
F.  Neufeld,  L.  J.  Portmann,  F.  e".  Rudolf,  A.  Sauer,  Ben  Schmidt,  P.  H. 
Schroeder,  Wm.  A.  Stoecks,  E.  F.  Strohbehn.  Kuno  H.  Struck,  Karl  Vollmer, 
J.  S.  Weber. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  825 

The  pharmacists  follow :  Louis  P.  Carstens,  Theodore  Danquardt,  Hugo 
Emeis,  Martin  Hansen,  J.  Harding,  Wm.  Hieber,  J.  J.  Jepsen,  E.  J.  Kisten- 
macher,  J.  E.  Klenz^e,  W.  Lage,  G.  G.  Lauffer,  A.  F.  Meisner,  E.  A.  Moetzel, 
J.  F.  Neufeld,  A.  Riepe,  Gustav  Schlegel  &  Son  (Carl  F.). 

These  are  the  dentists:  Hugo  A.  Braun,  F.  H.  Dueser,  H.  Littig,  H.  G.  Pape, 
A.  L.  Schmidt,  W.  A.  Seeboldt,  J.  D.  Unangst. 

The  present  German  members  of  the  Davenport  bar:  Henry  A.  Arp,  Waldo 
Becker,  Louis  Block,  Phil  Daum,  H.  E.  C.  Ditzen,  C.  A.  Ficke,  Robert  Ficke, 
Sam  Finger.  Charles  Grilk  (who  is  in  line  for  the  honor  of  representing  the 
second  Iowa  district  in  congress),  Carl  F.  Hass,  Albert  W.  Hamann,  Wm. 
Hoersch,  Henry  H.  Jebens,  G.  H.  Koch,  V.  L.  Littig,  Alfred  C.  Mueller,  Walter 
H.  Petersen,  Louis  E.  Roddewig  (police  magistrate),  Claus  Ruymann,  Adolph 
Ruymann,  Henry  Thuenen,  Jr.,  Fred  Vollmer  (county  attorney),  Henry  VoUmer. 

Notaries  public  among  the  German- Americans :  John  Heinz,  Edna  A.  Goettig, 
Arthur,  Charles  and  Julius  Ficke,  Otto  Ladenberger,  Albert  J.  Noth,  Otto 
Rieche,  Ignatz  Schmidt,  H.  O.  Seiffert,  Gustave  Stueben,  Edward  Soukop. 

The  German  clergymen  who  have  been  active  in  Davenport  for  many  years : 
Right  Rev.  Anton  Niermann,  of  the  St.  Joseph's  (Roman  Catholic)  church,  who 
for  more  than  fifty  years  has  presided  over  his  parish.  During  last  year  at  the 
celebration  of  his  fiftieth  anniversary  the  title  of  monsignior  was  conferred  upon 
him  by  Pope  Pius  X.  He  has  reached  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-one  years. 
His  assistant  at  the  present  time  is  Rev.  John  Scherf.  For  more  than  twenty- 
seven  years  Rev.  A.  D.  Greif  has  been  the  pastor  of  the  German  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Trinity  church.  With  deep  regret  the  members  of  his  congregation 
have  very  reluctantly  bade  him  farewell  upon  his  departure  for  his  new  field, 
Charter  Oak.  Iowa.  His  successor  is  Rev.  Mahnke.  Two  additional  highly 
respected  evangelical  pastors  are  Rev.  Herman  P.  Greif  and  Rev.  Carl  Holter- 
mann. 

It  would  require  too  much  space  to  enumerate  all  the  Germans  who  hold 
responsible  positions  in  the  ten  or  more  banks  of  the  city,  most  of  which  were 
founded  by  Germans,  or  to  name  the  directors  or  employees  of  the  same.  Here 
are  a  few  taken  from  the  two  first  named  classes :  Charles  N.  V^oss.  Ed.  Kauf- 
mann.  J.  D.  Brockmann.  John  H.  Hass,  Gust  Stueben,  August  E.  Steffen.  Wm. 
Heuer.  Otto  Eckhardt.  Julius  Hasler,  Claus  Stoltenberg,  Julius  E.  Burmeister. 

Even  much  less  would  it  be  possible  to  enumerates  all  the  German-Ameri- 
cans who  are  active  in  commercial  enterprises  at  the  present  time  or  have  been 
in  the  past.  To  the  list  of  those  who  have  been  especially  successful  in  the  past 
belong  the  name  of  Robert  Krause  and  many  others.  All  lists  of  names  herein 
given  make  no  claim  to  completeness,  the  purpose  being  to  give  a  somewhat 
correct  idea  of  the  activity  of  the  Germans  in  Davenport  and  Scott  county. 

The  oldest  grocer  in  Davenport  is  John  C.  Johannsen,  whose  business  was 
founded  as  early  as  1867.  In  this  same  branch  John  H.  Schuett  has  long  been 
active, — for  from  thirty  to  forty  years.  A  few  German  Israelites  who  have  been 
successful  in  commercial  enterprises:  Silberstein  Brothers.  H.  &  J.  Deutsch. 
Simon  &  Landauer.  John  Ochs'  Sons.  etc.  Especial  mention  should  be  made 
of  those  large  merchants,  wholesale  and  retail.  J.  H.  C.  Petersen's  Sons,  who  have 
been  the  most  successful  merchants  in  Davenport  for  the  last  thirty  years. 


826  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  GERMANS  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  IN  PUBLIC  LIFE. 

Although  Iowa  Germans  and  their  direct  descendants  number  some  400,000, 
or  about  one-sixth  of  the  population,  they  have  never  entered  into  pubhc  life  in 
proportion  to  their  numerical  strength.  The  fellow  citizens  of  Irish  extraction, 
although  forming  a  smaller  portion  of  the  population,  better  understand  the 
entry  into  political  life.  The  immigrating  German  must  first  gain  a  command 
of  the  English  language,  in  many  cases  a  slow  process,  and  he  is  as  a  rule  re- 
served and  reticent  where  the  reorganization  and  reformation  of  political  con- 
ditions are  concerned.  Much  could  be  accomplished  in  the  political  field  were  it 
not  that  the  old  world  habit  of  disagreement  brought  with  him  from  the  old 
home  by  the  immigrant  German-American  shows  itself  at  inopportune  times. 
But  the  purpose  of  this  article  is  not  to  pick  flaws,  but  to  demonstrate  the  good 
qualities  of  the  Germans  and  their  successes  in  this  neighborhood. 

But  it  can  be  said  that  the  German-Americans  of  Scott  county  do  exhibit  a 
united  front  when  called  upon  to  show  their  high  esteem  for  personal  liberty 
and  condemnation  of  un-American  and  unjust  compulsory  laws,  although  they 
have  learned  by  experience  that  they  cannot  yet  oppose  successfully  the  superior 
strength  of  their  opponents  in  the  state  and  must  for  the  time  being  submit  to 
laws  passed  by  the  legislature  and  unworthy  of  a  free  people. 

Scott  county  has  sent  many  excellent  Germans  to  the  general  assembly  at 
Des  Moines.  As  early  as  1859  Scott  county  elected  Nicholas  J.  Rusch  to  the 
state  senate,  and  later  in  i860  Rusch  was  elected  lieutenant  governor  on  the  same 
ticket  with  Iowa's  war  governor,  S.  J.  Kirkwood.  Somewhat  later,  in  the  year 
1869,  Scott  county  sent  the  Schleswig-Holstein  patriot,  Hans  Reimer  Claussen 
to  the  state  senate  where  he  rendered  valuable  service  to  the  liberal  element  of 
the  people  of  Iowa.  In  1884  Scott  county  elected  that  guardian  of  free  thought, 
William  O.  Schmidt,  to  the  house  of  representatives  and  at  a  later  date  to  the 
senate,  where  he  won  great  honors  as  the  champion  of  liberal  ideas  and  the  op- 
ponent of  prohibition.  Matthias  J  Rohlfs,  a  forty-eighter  also  proved  his  ex- 
cellence in  the  legislature.  Others  representing  Scott  county  in  the  lower  house 
at  Des  Moines  have  been:  Ernst  Mueller,  Lorenz  Rogge,  Philip  Dietz,  Henry 
Thuenen,  Jr.,  Jacob  Nabstedt,  A.  W.  Hamann,  A.  A.  Balluff,  Adolph  Stolten- 
berg,  Fr.  Balluff,  H.  H.  Boettger. 

A  large  number  of  Germans  have  been  prominent  in  the  city  administration 
of  Davenport.  At  the  head  of  the  list  stands  Ernst  Claussen,  the  youngest  of  the 
forty-eighters.  As  a  boy  of  sixteen  he  fought  with  Schleswig-Holstein  against 
the  despotism  of  Denmark.  Ernst  Claussen,  the  mayor,  who  served  more  years 
than  any  other,  his  term  running  from  1883  to  1889,  is  remembered  for  his  resolute 
character  and  uncompromising  liberalism,  and  also  for  his  typical  American 
patriotism.  Other  notable  German  mayors  were:  C.  A.  Ficke,  1890-1891  and 
Henry  Vollmer,  1893  to  1896.  Both  of  these  followed  in  the  liberal  pathway 
marked  out  by  their  predecessor  Claussen.  Fred  Heinz  was  also  an  excellent 
mayor,  and  Waldo  Becker,  a  native  bom  son  of  German  parents,  gave  the  best 
of  his  ability  to  the  service  of  the  city.  The  mayor  chosen  at  the  April  election 
of  1910  is  Alfred  C.  Mueller,  son  of  Christ  Mueller,  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Davenport  Turngemeinde. 


MH-MUIUAL     SHAFT     (JF     TllK     KAr^U'FCiKXUSSEX- 
NERKIX  OF  IsTo-ri   IX  WASiriX(;TOX  SQUARE 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  829 

To  name  all  the  past  and  present  German  members  of  the  city  council  with 
the  accompanying  dates  and  the  wards  from  which  they  were  elected  would 
take  too  much  space  and  the  thought  must  not  be  entertained.  The  first  German 
city  fathers  of  Davenport  were:  A.  Wiegand  and  A.  F.  Mast  in  1851  and  1852. 
Later  German  members  of  the  city  council,  the  count  running  to  the  present:  C. 
J.  H.  Eyser,  L.  Beyer,  E.  A.  Gerdtzen,  John  Schott,  T.  Guelich,  A.  Schmallfeld, 
H.  Ramming,  H.  H.  Andresen,  F.  VoUstedt,  G.  P.  Ankerson,  Bleik  Peters, 
John  Schmidt,  William  Glassman,  Francis  Ochs,  H.  Lambach,  J.  Wunderlich, 
Samuel  Hirschl,  G.  M.  Matthes,  C.  Tegeler,  H.  A.  Runge,  N.  Kuhnen,  P.  B. 
Harding,  Otto  Klug,  Christopher  Kruse,  H.  Abel,  H.  Lischer,  H.  F.  Laverenz, 
C.  F.  Knappe.  Martin  Kunkel,  J.  Speetzen,  H.  Schumacher,  F.  Vollstedt,  H. 
Lamp,  William  Claussen,  N.  Krambeck,  Henry  Kohrs,  F.  G.  Clausen,  Theo. 
Blunck,  George  Rebuer,  A.  J.  Lerch,  Christ  Kuehl,  1882,  and  is  again  a  member 
of  the  council,  Valentine  Laux,  A.  C.  Beyer,  William  Klein,  William  BischoflF, 
P.  J.  Stelling,  L.  H.  Rehling,  P.  F.  Petersen,  Edward  Edinger,  H.  J.  Meyer, 
Henry  Kom,  G.  W.  Kerker,  F.  G.  Dickmann,  Henry  Abel,  Ernst  Zoller.  Wm. 
Rath,  W.  J.  Reese,  J.  Eckmann,  J.  C.  Branch,  Frank  Klauer,  Wm.  Reese,  Henry 
Stender,  Gus  Eckhardt,  Henry  Vollmer,  Henry  Thuenen,  Jr.,  Chas.  Schutter, 
John  Berwald,  Walter  Hass,  W.  H.  Regennitter,  Louis  Eckhardt,  Charles  Schick, 
John  Schnack,  Wm.  E.  Alatthes.  John  P.  Mass,  Louis  Wiese,  Theo.  Bargholz, 
William  Gosch,  Chas.  F.  Zoeckler  and  Fred  Denger. 

Among  those  holding  city  positions  these  served  as  treasurer:  L.  Schricker, 
H.  Mittelbuscher,  Otto  Klug,  Rudolph  Priester,  Louis  Rieck,  F.  Kruse,  J.  B. 
Frahm,  Chas.  Hagermann,  Wm.  Heuer,  W^m.  G.  Noth.  These  served  as  city' 
clerk:  J.  G.  Tuerk,  H.  Goos,  Hugo  Moeller;  as  marshal  and  chief  of  police: 
John  Kaufmann,  Frank  Kessler,  Henry  Martens,  Thies  Herzog;  as  assessor: 
E.  Hugo  Schmidt,  Jeppe  Bierring,  Ignatz  Hild ;  as  city  attorney :  Henry  Thuenen, 
Jr.:  as  assistant  city  engineer,  C.  H.  Beuck;  as  street  commissioner;  B.  Eseke, 
A.  D.  Lepper,  Henry  Nagel ;  as  city  electrician :  Al.  Goldschmidt ;  as  chief  of  the 
fire  department :  John  C.  Piening,  John  L.  Stoltenberg ;  as  police  magistrate :  B. 
Finger.  John  Kaufmann,  G.  F.  Kramer,  S.  A.  Finger,  Louis  E.  Roddewig;  as 
plumbing  inspector :  Adolph  Kahles,  Otto  ]\Ieinert,  etc. 

Probably  the  above  list  is  not  complete,  but  an  efifort  has  been  made  to  make 
it  so. 

On  the  school  board  and  park  commission  Germans  have  rendered  valuable 
services.  A  complete  list  of  the  names  is  not  at  hand,  but  here  are  a  few  repre- 
sentative names  of  those  filling  those  positions  recently  or  at  the  present  time. 
Members  of  the  board  of  education  and  treasurers  of  the  school  district :  Jens  Lor- 
enzen,  Paulo  Roddewig,  Dr.  H.  Braeunlich,  Henr}^  Vollmer,  W.  H.  Gehrmann, 
Dr.  C.  Matthey,  Edward  Berger,  Theodor  Hartz.  Dr.  G.  E.  Decker,  Alex  Naeckel, 
Alfred  C.  Mueller,  Dr.  Oscar  Dahms,  Edward  Harms ;  park  commissioners : 
John  D.  Brockmann,  Dr.  H.  Matthey. 

German  county  officials. — Auditor :  H.  Jarchow,  Edward  Berger :  sheriff, 
Louis  Eckhardt;  county  clerk,  Wm.  G.  Noth;  recorder:  H.  Vollmer,  Sr.,  Frank 
Holm;  treasurer:  M.  J.  Rohlfs,  Henry  C.  Struck,  Rudolph  Rohlfs,  Ben  F. 
Luetje;  county  attorney:  Fred  Heinz,  Julius  Lischer,  A.  W.  Hamann.  Fred 
Vollmer;  county  superintendent  of  schools:  C.  L.  Suksdorf,  J.  H.  Jacobs,  H. 


830  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

A.  Ronge ;  surveyor,  C.  H.  Beuck ;  coroner,  Dr.  F.  Lambach ;  county  physician : 
Dr.  C.  L.  Barewald,  Dr.  E.  O.  Ficke ;  members  of  the  board  of  supervisors :  L. 
Rogge.  Leonhard  Litscher,  H.  J.  Wulff,  Peter  Schwartz,  Henry  Schroeder,  Theo- 
dore GasseHng,  JuHus  Sander.     This  list  is  also  necessarily  incomplete. 

IN    THE    MUSICAL    WORLD. 

The  Germans  of  Scott  county  have  been  eminent  in  many  fields,  and  es- 
pecially have  the  German  women  done  great  service  in  the  elevation  of  the  plane 
of  social  life.  Large  German  festivities  and  social  occasions  have  reached  tri- 
umphant conclusion  through  the  ennobling  efforts  of  German  women.  In  the 
musical  world  also,  especially  in  the  realm  of  vocal  music,  our  German  ladies 
have  been  especially  prominent  on  innumerable  occasions.  To  record  all  the 
names  of  those  eminent  in  music  would  be  utterly  impossible  and  should  the 
attempt  be  made,  it  would  be  easy  to  accuse  incompleteness  and  even  favoritism. 

In  instrumental  music  also  Davenport  has  achieved  brilliant  results.  More 
than  nine-tenths  of  the  professional  musicians  here  have  at  all  times  been  Ger- 
mans. This  proportion  holds  when  a  tri-city  musical  organization  is  formed,  as 
of  the  170  members  of  the  Tri-City  Musical  Society,  150  are  Germans.  Among 
the  directors  of  recent  times  who  have  won  especial  prominence  are  Ernst  Otto 
and  Albert  Petersen.  These  came  to  the  front  after  the  already  mentioned  pioneer 
leader  of  instrumental  music.  Jacob  Strasser  had  retired  on  account  of  advanced 
age.  Among  the  most  noted  instrumental  soloists  have  been  Hugo  Toll,  Henry 
Sonntag,  William  Paarmann,  Oswald  Stark,  William  Barthel  and  many  others. 
In  former  years  such  musical  artists  as  Charles  Beiderbecke,  Gustav  Schlegel, 
Theodore  Cramer  and  Hugo  Braeunlich  took  first  rank.  In  this  connection  we 
must  also  name  Messrs.  Bahns,  Haas,  Toenniges,  Restorff,  Wernentin,  and  Lep- 
per.  Until  very  recently  the  most  widely  known  Davenport  director  was  Theo. 
Rud.  Reese,  who  a  short  time  ago  removed  to  Omaha  for  residence,  where  he 
is  working  in  the  interest  of  the  approaching  great  fest  of  the  Saengerbund 
des  Nordwestens.  Besides  this  there  must  be  mentioned  the  Davenport  Zither 
club  which  under  the  direction  of  Albert  K.  Fahrner  has  given  us  many  excellent 
concerts. 

Two  of  the  leading  lady  vocalists  of  present-day  Davenport  are  Mrs.  Hilda 
Matthey,  and  Mrs.  Lilli  Stibolt-Hanssen.     Among  the  solo-pianists  of  note  are 
Mrs.  Bruning-Starbuck,  Miss  Olga  Schmidt,  Miss  Meta  Lerch,  etc.    Among  the 
noted  portrait  artists  are  Karl  Schmalhaus,  Miss  Carrie  Decker  and  others. 
********** 

Among  the  German  chorus  societies  of  the  city  the  oldest  is  the  Davenport 
Maennerchor.  This  organization  was  founded  in  1851,  and  celebrated  its  golden 
anniversary  May  26,  1901,  at  Schuetzen  Park  most  successfully,  the  attendance 
being  about  5,000  and  a  delightful  program  of  vocal  and  instrumental  music 
rendered.  Other  musical  organizations  in  Davenport  are  the  Gesang  Section 
of  the  Davenport  Turngemeinde,  the  Northwest  Davenport  Liedertafel,  the  Ger- 
mania  Saengerchor,  etc.  From  these  societies  a  mass  chorus  of  from  100  to 
200  voices  has  been  formed  to  take  part  in  the  great  saengerfest  in  Omaha.  Much 
good  work  has  also  been  done  by  the  Arbeiter  Gesangverein,  Vorwaerts,  under 


THE  FREE  (;E^v^rAX  SCHOOL 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUxNTY  833 

whose  auspices  the  Bundes  Arbeiter  Saengerfest  was  held  in  Davenport  in 
June,  1907.  Mention  has  also  been  made  of  the  extraordinarily  successful  saen- 
gerfest of  the  "Bund  des  Nordwestens,"  that  was  held  in  Davenport  the  latter 
part  of  July,  1898.  On  this  occasion  it  was  an  American,  and  more  still,  a 
Davenport  girl,  who  achieved  the  highest  triumph  by  her  solo  work — Miss  Poddie 
Ross.  Splendid  success  was  also  scored  at  that  saengerfest  by  Miss  Bertha  Sonn- 
tag  and  Miss  Pauline  Woltmann,  the  former  of  Davenport,  and  the  latter  of 
our  sister  city,  Rock  Island.  The  united  male  choruses  of  this  fest  sang  with 
magnificent  effect.     Davenport  musicians  also  won  great  honor. 

The  dedication  of  the  music  pavilion  in  the  Schuetzen  park  brought  together 
a  larger  number  of  people  than  had  ever  before  assembled  on  a  similar  occa- 
sion in  the  history  of  Davenport.  On  that  day,  June  9,  1895,  this  naturally 
beautiful  scenic  park  was  visited  by  10,000  people.  The  next  largest  assembly  of 
the  people  that  Davenport  can  boast  was  at  the  Bundes-Kriegerfest  in  the  '80s. 
This  was  also  held  at  Schuetzen  park. 


THE  FREIE  DEUTSCHE  SCHULGEMEINDE. 

The  organization  named  in  the  heading  is  the  successor  of  the  "Freie  Deut- 
sche Schulverein"  which  was  founded  in  Davenport  as  early  as  the  year  1853. 
For  the  last  named  society,  Messrs.  J.  H.  True  and  J.  S.  Kahrmann  worked  for 
many  years  and  with  fine  results.  German  teachers  in  private  schools  up  to  the 
'70s  were  William  Riepe  and  Carl  G^rtzen  and  others.  The  old  association 
transferred  its  property  to  the  Freie  Deutsche  Schulgemeinde,  which  was  founded 
in  the  year  1897.  This  transfer  was  made  after  a  site  had  been  acquired  and  a 
building  erected  through  the  efforts  of  these  members:  Dr.  Carl  Matthey,  John 
F.  Bredow,  Henry  Vollmer,  Emil  Geisler,  Adolph  Petersen,  W.  W.  Wahle,  Chris- 
tian Goettig,  Albert  J.  Jansen,  M.  Goettsch,  Theodor  Falk,  A.  Richter,  Theodor 
Hartz  and  others.  The  transfer  was  approved  by  the  citizens  in  general,  who 
gave  willingly  and  generously  to  the  enterprise.  The  "Freie  Deutsche  Schule" 
through  its  Sunday  sessions,  its  vacation  and  evening  schools  in  which  instruc- 
tion is  given  in  the  German  language  and  other  branches  has  accomplished  much 
good.  At  the  present  time  lectures  in  the  German  language  are  given  regularly 
for  the  children.  As  the  German  language  is  taught  in  the  public  schools  it  is 
difficult  to  maintain  a  regular  German  school  in  Davenport,  nevertheless  there 
are  several  parochial  schools  where  instruction  is  given  in  German.  Free  thought 
is  the  basis  of  all  instruction  in  the  German  Free  school.  At  different  times  be- 
quests of  considerable  size  have  been  received  by  this  school  organization.  First 
in  importance  among  these  was  the  legacy  of  the  old  German  citizen,  Matthias 
Frahm ;  another  considerable  sum  was  that  given  by  Mrs.  Louise  Krause  in 
memory  of  her  father  Ezekiel  Steinhilber,  one  of  the  oldest  German  settlers  of 
this  neighborhood.  Other  bequests  have  been  received  from  Henry  Koehler 
and  H.  Riessen. 

Among  those  instructors  who  have  given  the  children  informing  lectures  are : 
Dr.  P.  Radenhausen.  Prof.  J.  H.  Paarmann,  Albert  J.  Jansen,  H.  E.  C.  Ditzen,  Mrs. 
Antonie  Falk  and  Mrs.  ^I.  Speetzen.   Mrs.  M.  Silberstein  leads  the  children  in  Ger- 


834  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

man  songs.  The  work  of  the  Freie  Deutsche  Schulgemeinde  has  been  of  noticeable 
importance  of  late  years  and  of  great  practical  value.  This  is  shown  by  the  large 
number  of  German  immigrants  who  have  learned  their  first  English  in  these 
classes,  and  have  been  through  this  instruction  able  to  fill  responsible  positions 
in  large  business  houses  where  a  knowledge  of  both  German  and  English  is 
required. 

GERMAN  ORGANIZATIONS  IN  DAVENPORT. 

Among  the  German  organizations  of  our  city  the  Davenport  Turngemeinde 
takes  front  rank  through  its  numerical  strength.  It  was  founded  in  the  year 
1852  by  thirteen  German  men,  among  whom  were  Christ  Mueller  and  Louis 
Hanssen.  The  membership  is  now  between  600  and  700.  The  Davenport  Turn- 
gemeinde belongs  to  the  North  American  Turnerbund,  founded  in  the  year  1850. 
Two  of  the  biennial  meetings  have  been  held  in  Davenport,  one  in  1884  and  the 
other  in  1902.  The  number  and  character  of  those  in  attendance  at  these  meet- 
ings impressed  all  Davenport.  August  24  and  25,  1902,  the  Davenport  Turn- 
gemeinde celebrated  its  golden  anniversary,  the  greater  part  of  the  festivities 
taking  place  in  Schuetzen  park,  with  an  assembled  attendance  ranging  from  6,000 
to  8,000.  On  that  occasion  Turner  C.  A.  Ficke  gave  the  principal  address.  This 
fest  left  a  great  impress  upon  those  who  participated.  Three  festal  days  of  equal 
importance  were  those  whereon  the  new  Turner  hall  was  dedicated.  May  17-19, 
1888.  Even  a  cursory  description  of  this  series  of  events  would  take  too  much 
space.  The  Davenport  Turngemeinde  hopes  in  time  to  come  into  possession  of 
the  large  building  which  is  its  home,  and  to  discharge  all  liabilities  still  resting 
thereon.  The  gymnasium  over  which  the  admirable  turning  teacher,  Wil- 
helm  Renter  has  presided  for  more  than  thirty  years  is  spoken  of  in  terms  of 
greatest  praise  all  over  the  United  States.  From  this  school  have  gone  forth 
many  admirable  turners  who  have  won  for  themselves  honors  in  the  fair  field  of 
open  contest  furnished  by  the  North  American  bund.  The  Davenport  Turnge- 
meinde has  done  much  to  sustain  liberal  ideas.  The  German  song  has  been  cul- 
tivated in  this  association,  formerly  under  the  leadership  of  Reese  and  at  the 
present  time  under  Ernst  Otto.  The  association  has  a  good  German  library, 
and  has  fostered  German  sociability.  The  Northwest  Davenport  Turnverein 
which  was  founded  August  5,  1871,  and  has  about  200  members,  owns  its  own 
hall,  has  its  own  organization  and  in  every  way  holds  fast  to  turner  principles. 
A  strong  branch  of  the  bund  is  the  East  Davenport  Turnverein  which  also 
owns  its  own  hall. 

Besides  the  organization  of  the  war  veterans  of  1848- 1850,  the  Kampfgenos- 
sen,  already  mentioned,  there  exists  in  Davenport  a  strong  Kampfgenossen- 
Verein  of  1870-1871  who  erected  a  memorial  shaft  in  Washington  park,  Septem- 
ber 8,  1907,  and  dedicated  it  with  appropriate  festivities.  Another  organization 
of  German  soldiers  is  the  Deutscher  Kriegerverein  which  has  a  large  member- 
ship and  has  done  much  to  sustain  the  German  language  and  German  customs. 

An  association  which  owns  its  own  hall  is  the  Claus  Groth-Gilde.  The  es- 
pecial mission  of  this  society  is  the  aiding  of  its  members  in  need  of  help  through 
sickness.    There  are  a  number  of  German  mutual  aid  societies  all  of  which  have 


MEMORIAL  OF  KA^ll'l  i    I  \i  i---!  \   \  I  [AA\  ( 'F  1848- 
1851    rX   WAMUNUTOX    .SQUARE 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  837 

a  larg-e  membership  roll.  Their  names  are:  Germania,  Teutonia.  Columbia,  North- 
west Davenport,  West  Davenport,  Black  Hawk,  St.  Joseph's,  etc. 

German  lodg-es  are  also  not  a  few.  There  is  for  instance  the  German  Order 
of  the  Harugari,  which  is  represented  locally  by  a  strong-  lodge,  the  Hermann 
lodge.  To  this  order  also  belongs  Hertha  lodge,  for  ladies.  The  order  of 
Hermann's  Sons  has  two  lodges  in  this  city,  Davenport  Lodge,  No.  i,  and  the 
Eintracht  Lodge,  No.  3.  Many  other  lodges  and  numerous  social  organizations 
exist,  whose  names  cannot  be  given  for  lack  of  space. 

A  German  society  of  more  than  ordinary  importance  is  the  Davenport  Schuet- 
zen-Gesellschaft,  which  has  more  than  200  members.  This  society  is  the  owner 
of  the  beautiful  Schuetzen  park,  previously  mentioned,  where  is  held  its  regular 
shooting  tournaments,  for  prizes.  In  this  park  concerts  have  been  regularly 
given  in  the  summers  for  thirty  years  or  more.  The  social  life  which  formerly 
obtained  each  Sunday  in  the  park  has  been  greatly  injured  by  the  working  of 
the  state  compulsory  laws,  hated  by  all  good  Germans,  these  laws  having  especi- 
ally strict  provisions  for  the  first  day  of  the  week.  But  the  park  will  always 
remain  a  much  loved  place  through  its  providing  opportunities  for  social  en- 
joyment in  most  beautiful  surroundings. 

There  still  remains  to  note  that  all  German  societies,  lodges,  etc.,  formed  some 
three  years  ago  a  closer  alliance  through  the  organization  of  the  German-Ameri- 
can Central  association  of  Davenport  and  Scott  county.  This  has  regular  quar- 
terly meetings  at  which  the  membership  of  from  3,000  to  4,000  are  represented 
by  delegates.  This  local  central  organization  is  a  member  of  a  state  association 
and  this  in  turn  is  a  member  of  the  strong  national  association,  at  whose  head 
as  president  is  the  excellent  organizer.  Dr.  Charles  John  Hexamer.  The  state 
association  was  organized  the  past  year.  For  the  organization  of  the  local  cen- 
tral association  whose  president  is  now  Henry  Vollmer,  especial  credit  is  due 
to  the  well  known  turner  and  eloquent  orator,  Gustav  Donald  and  Dr.  A.  Richter, 
editor-in-chief  of  the  local  daily  German  paper,  Der  Demokrat ;  also,  John  Ber- 
wald,  J.  F.  Grant,  P.  N.  Jacobsen,  Sr.,  E.  Hugo  Schmidt,  and  several  others. 

From  this  newly  organized  state  association,  for  whose  founding  Peter  Kuehl 
of  Manning  labored  indefatigably,  much  that  would  be  a  blessing  to  the  country 
may  be  hoped.  The  especial  problem  to  be  solved  is  mollifying  the  severity  of  the 
Iowa  cornpulsory  laws  which  scoff  at  common  sense.  As  the  writer  of  this  article 
said  in  his  anniversary  edition  of  the  Iowa  Reform,  "The  whole  population  of 
this  state  should  remember  that  the  freedom  which  made  this  land  of  America 
great  must  be  wholly  won  back  and  held  in  high  esteem,  that  liberty,  right  and 
the  dignity  of  mankind  may  be  preserved." 

A  FEW  WORDS  IN  CONCLUSION. 

In  the  foregoing  article,  which  was  somewhat  hurriedly  arranged,  I  have 
endeavored  to  write  a  little  memorial  for  the  German  immigrant  and  his  direct 
descendant  which  is  well  deserved.  It  has  already  been  said  that  this  writing 
has  been  kept  as  free  from  fault-finding  as  possible  though  at  times  it  might  not 
have  been  out  of  place.  For  the  object  set  before  me  was  to  picture  the  services 
rendered  by  the  German-American.     During  the  last  years  blame,  and  at  times 


838  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

very  unjust  blame,  has  not  been  wanting  for  the  German  population  of  Scott 
county,  Iowa. 

As  in  numerous  publications  designed  to  advertise  Davenport,  little  or  no 
reference  is  made  to  the  part  taken  by  the  Germans  in  building  Davenport  and 
bringing  the  surrounding  country  to  a  flourishing  condition — because  of  this — 
the  foregoing  portrayal,  made  with  the  utmost  possible  exactitude,  may  not 
seem  irrelevant  or  wholly  out  of  place  even  if  it  might  be  regarded  as  a  hymn  of 
praise. 

One  thing  more  should  be  especially  emphasized,  that  the  German  popula- 
tion is  held,  or  rather  the  German-American  citizens  are  held  in  high  esteem  by 
the  cultured  American  and  by  the  cultured  foreign  citizen  of  other  than  Ger- 
man extraction.  On  the  whole  great  harmony  exists,  which  we  hope  may  con- 
tinue and  help  Davenport  to  attain  in  the  greatest  measure  possible  the  end  for 
which  she  is  now  striving — to  take  rank  with  the  other  great  cities  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi valley,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  and  St.  Louis. 

And  even  if  the  Germans  of  this  locality  have  not  always  accomplished  the 
ends  for  which  they  have  striven,  yet  have  they  reason  to  be  proud  of  the  many 
successes,  such  as  the  introduction  of  the  German  physical  training  in  the  public 
schools  and  the  teaching  of  the  German  language  in  these  schools.  It  is  true 
that  the  teaching  of  the  German  language  is  but  small  in  comparison  with  that  of 
English,  the  language  of  the  country,  but,  as  has  already  been  said,  the  American 
frequently  recognizes  the  value,  yes,  even  the  necessity,  of  learning  the  German 
language,  and  the  Germans  all  learn  to  speak  the  English  language  fluently,  so 
that  one  danger  only  remains — that  the  direct  descendants  of  the  Germans  shall 
neglect  and  forget  their  mother  tongue  with  its  rich  heritage  of  German  thought. 
To  offset  this  regretted  neglect  may  it  come  about  that  the  good  qualities  of  the 
German  people  be  taken  up  by  the  American  nation  and  built  into  American  char- 
acter and  in  this  way  be  perpetuated  for  all  time. 


H.  R.  CLAL'SSEN 


CHAPTER  XXX. 
A  FORCEFUL  INFLUENCE. 

THE  GERMANS  OF  DAVENPORT  AND  THE  CHICAGO  CONVENTION    OF    1860 THE   PART 

THOSE  WHO  OPPOSED  KNOWNOTHINGISM  PLAYED  IN  THE  PARTY  PRELIMINARIES 

LEADING    UP   TO   THE   REPUBLICAN    NOMINATION    OF   ABRAHAM    LINCOLN THE 

DAVENPORT    RESOLUTIONS    OF    MARCH,    l86o GERMAN    STRENGTH    RECOGNIZED 

THROUGHOUT  THE  LAND — V^^ITH   BATES  OUT  OF  THE  RACE  ABRAHAM    LINCOLN 
THE   STRONGEST    COMPROMISE   CANDIDATE. 

By  F.  L  Herriott, 
Professor  of  Economics,  Political  and  Social  Science,  Drake  University. 

Among  the  decisive  events  in  the  history  of  the  United  States  none  excel  in 
dramatic  effect  and  few  equal  in  vital  consequences  the  action  of  the  national 
republican  convention  at  Chicago  May  i8,  i860,  in  selecting  Abraham  Lincoln 
as  the  candidate  of  the  republican  party  for  the  presidency.  In  the  party  prelim- 
inaries in  various  states  antecedent  to  the  assembly  of  the  delegates  at  Chicago 
and  in  the  actual  deliberations  and  decisions  of  that  epoch-making  convention, 
the  Germans  played  a  not  inconsiderable  part — a  part  that  so  far  as  the  writer 
knows  has  never  been  particularly  referred  to  or  realized  by  either  German  or 
American  historians  or  by  biographers  of  the  leading  candidates.  The  national 
fame  acquired  by  Mr.  Carl  Schurz  in  the  preliminaries  of  1859-1860  and  the  distin- 
guished role  played  by  him  at  Chicago  have  been  frequently  commented  upon; 
but  specific  reference  to,  or  appreciation  of  the  definite,  if  not  decisive  influence 
of  the  Germans  in  determining  the  final  action  of  the  majority  of  the  delegates 
in  choosing  the  nominee,  has  been  conspicuous  by  absence. 

The  reason  for  such  nonappreciation  among  Germans  as  well  as  among 
Americans  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  part  played  by  the  Germans  at  Chicago  and 
before  was  indirect  and  negative  rather  than  direct  and  positive.  In  the  main 
they  favored  a  candidate  who  was  not  successful  and  they  actively  opposed  an- 

[The  writer  desires  to  express  his  obligations  to  Dr.  August  P.  Richter,  editor  of 
Der  Demokrat,  for  innumerable  courtesies  and  invaluable  assistance  in  furthering  his  searches 
for  data.] 


840  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

other  candidate  who  was  likewise  unsuccessful.  In  the  actual  work  of  securing 
Mr.  Lincoln's  nomination  they  apparently  had  but  little  part.  In  the  writer's 
judgment,  however,  it  was  their  decided,  outspoken  and  irrepressible  opposition 
to  Horace  Greeley's  favorite  candidate  that  forced  the  anti-Seward  forces  to 
entertain  the  nomination  of  Abraham  Lincoln  as  a  compromise.  In  the  move- 
ments leading  up  to  that  conclusion  at  Chicago  the  Germans  of  Iowa  had  a  con- 
siderable influence  in  which  the  Germans  of  Davenport  were  first  and  foremost. 

On  the  evening  of  March  7,  i860,  the  German  Republican  Club  of  Davenport 
held  a  special  meeting  in  the  German  theatre.  It  seems  to  have  been  somewhat 
of  a  mass  meeting  to  which  all  Germans  who  affiliated  with  the  republicans,  or 
who  concurred  in  opposition  to  the  extension  of  slavery,  were  invited.  The  one 
chiefly  moving  in  bringing  about  the  meeting  appears  to  have  been  a  "forty- 
eighter,"  a  one-time  member  of  the  Prussian  parliament,  Mr.  Hans  Reimer 
Qaussen,  one  of  the  most  forceful  and  influential  citizens  of  Davenport,  both 
before  and  after  the  Civil  war.  In  general  association  with  him,  if  not  backing 
and  immediately  following  him,  were  Messrs.  Theodore  Guelich,  Henry  Lischer, 
Theo.  Olshausen  and  Henry  Ramming — all  closely  connected  with  the  publica- 
tion of  Der  Demokrat.  The  presiding  officer  of  the  meeting  was  Mr.  Ramming; 
the  secretary  was  Mr.  Christian  Kaufifman.  A  detailed  account  of  the  discus- 
sion or  of  the  proceedings  is  not  extant  but  the  results  thereof  are  indicated  in  an 
extended  series  of  solemn  "Whereases"  constituting  the  Preamble  to  a  short, 
pointed,  unequivocal  resolution,  which  was  "unanimously"  adopted.  The  sub- 
stance of  the  action  taken  at  the  meeting  is  briefly  indicated  in  the  following  sum- 
mary: 

"Whereas,  the  New  York  Tribune,  a  widely  circulate  newspaper  of  great  in- 
fluence, has  recommended  Edward  Bates  of  Missouri  as  the  most  available  re- 
publican candidate  for  the  presidency ;" 

"But,"  the  resolution  proceeds  to  say,  the  career  of  Edward  Bates  has  dem- 
onstrated that  he  was  not  and  could  not  be  regarded  as  a  true  and  safe  republi- 
can. He  had  in  1856  supported  for  president,  Millard  Fillmore — a  candidate  who 
had  approved  the  'American'  platform  which  would  have  confined  the  honors 
and  emoluments  of  government  in  this  country  entirely  among  the  native  born  ; 
a  platform  which  would  have  extended  the  period  of  probation  for  foreigners 
antecedent  to  naturalization  and  American  citizenship  to  twenty-one  years.  He 
had  supported  Fillmore  when  he  knew  or  should  have  known  that  his  candidacy 
was  designed  to  defeat  the  election  of  John  C.  Fremont,  the  former's  election 
being  'evidently  impossible.'  Moreover,  but  recently  before,  Mr.  Bates  had  op- 
posed, according  to  current  report,  the  election  to  congress  of  Francis  P.  Blair, 
Jr.,  of  St.  Louis,  and  had  cast  his  vote  for  a  pro-slavery  Know-Nothing. 

Equally  serious,  Edward  Bates  was  reported  to  have  declared  that  he  would 
"execute  the  fugitive  slave  law,"  a  report  that  he  had  allowed  to  go  uncontra- 
dicted, for  the  reason  no  doubt  that  as  he  had  formerly  owned  slaves  and  lived 
in  a  slave  state,  the  report  fully  accorded  with  his  views.  The  "horrible  crimes 
committed  in  Kansas"  had  outraged  "the  consciences  of  the  people  of  the  north" 
but  ]\Ir.  Bates'  course,  his  votes  and  his  influence,  had  put  to  naught  the 
"strenuous  efforts"  of  the  republicans  to  defeat  the  fruition  of  the  schemes  of 
the  pro-slavery  leaders  respecting  that  territory. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  841 

Finally,  because  the  convention  in  Missouri  that  proclaimed  him  a  candidate 
for  the  nomination  of  the  Chicago  convention  for  the  presidency  had  "an  over- 
whelming majority"  of  the  pro-slavery  known-nothings  therein  who  naturally 
would  not  have  urged  his  nomination  if  his  views  were  contrary  to  their  wishes 
and  as  his  advanced  age  (67)  precluded  the  probability  of  any  material  modihca- 
tion  of  his  views  or  conduct,  should  he  attain  the  office  of  president,  thus  render- 
ing him  incapable  of  "faithfully  and  vigorously"  executing  "republican  princi- 
ples in  the  impending  crisis,  Therefore,  be  it" 

"Resolved,  that  the  nomination  of  Edward  Bates  as  the  republican  candidate 
for  the  presidency  would  imply  a  desertion  from  republican  principles,  and  that 
we,  therefore,  under  no  circumstances  will  vote  for  the  Hon.  Edward  Bates." 

Another  section  directed  the  officers  of  the  meeting  to  commuincate  the  reso- 
lutions to  the  republican  papers  of  Davenport  and  to  the  Scott  County  Republi- 
can Club. 


The  signiticance  of  the  action  of  the  German  repubhcans  of  Davenport  at  that 
meeting,  March  7,  i860,  and  of  the  reception  accorded  it  in  Iowa  and  in  other 
states  will  become  apparent  when  the  numbers  and  ratios  of  the  native  and  foreign 
born  in  Iowa  in  i860  are  appreciated.  Then,  as  now,  the  foreign  born  consti- 
tuted a  very  important  part  of  Iowa's  population.  The  total  number  of  the  in- 
habitants amounted  to  only  674,913.  The  foreign  born  numbered  106,081,  or  15 
per  cent.  The  Germans  constituted  38,555,  or  36.3  per  cent  of  the  foreign  born 
or  5.7  per  cent  of  the  entire  population ;  while  the  Irish  numbered  28,072,  or  26.4 
per  cent  of  the  foreign  born  or  4.1  per  cent  of  the  whole  population.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  foreign  born  lived  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  state,  chiefly  in  the 
river  counties  and  for  the  most  part  in  the  cities.  Thus  they  constituted  32  per- 
cent of  the  population  of  Allamakee  county,  42  per  cent  of  Dubuque  county,  28 
per  cent  in  Clinton  county,  36  per  cent  in  Scott  county,  21  per  cent  in  Des  Moines 
county  and  22  per  cent  in  Lee  county.  It  is  obvious  that  if  the  political  party  in 
power  in  Iowa  at  that  time  had  its  lease  of  office  by  a  close  margin  that  the  Ger- 
mans and  Irish  easily  held  the  balance  of  power  and  it  behooved  party  managers 
to  court  their  favor  assiduously. 

The  republicans  were  in  complete  control  of  all  departments  of  the  state  gov- 
ernment, legislative,  executive  and  judicial ;  and  their  champions  represented  the 
state  in  both  houses  of  congress.  But  they  maintained  their  supremacy  by  no 
secure  grip.  They  had  elected  R.  P.  Lowe,  governor  in  1857,  by  a  majority  of 
only  2,949  votes.  The  next  year  the  party  majority  increased  to  3,349,  but  in  1859 
after  a  most  strenuous  campaign  Samuel  J.  Kirkwood  was  elected  governor  by  a 
lessened  majority  of  only  2,964,  a  decrease  of  11,5  per  cent.  With  such  a  narrow 
margin  the  support  of  the  Germans  was  of  vital  consequence  to  the  republican 
leaders  of  Iowa;  and  just  then  the  sons  of  Germania  were  restless,  suspicious  and 
not  disinclined  to  be  contentious. 

Prior  to  1856  the  Germans,  like  the  Irish,  on  coming  to  this  country  generally 
joined  the  democratic  party  because  its  attitude  toward  the  foreigner  generally 
was  liberal  and  ingratiating — the  Martin  Koszta  affair  in  1853  especially  winning 
their  admiration  and  adherence.  The  tide  of  virulent  anti foreign  prejudice  and 
bigotry  in  the  form  of  know-nothingism  that  swept  over  the  northern  states  be- 


842  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

tween  1853  and  1856  naturally  confirmed  them  in  their  inclinations  toward  the 
party  in  power  at  Washington.  The  aggressions  and  arrogance  of  the  slavocrats 
however,  the  enforcement  of  the  fugitive  slave  law,  the  Kansas-Nebraska  bill  in 
1854  whereby  the  Missouri  Compromise  was  repealed,  the  atrocities  in  Kansas 
and  the  Lecompton  frauds  and  the  persistent  oposition  of  the  democratic  party 
to  the  passage  of  the  Homestead  bill  with  liberal  provisions  for  unnaturalized 
foreigners  caused  the  Germans  great  distress.  They  had  left  the  fatherland 
largely  because  of  governmental  oppression.  Slavery  was  abhorrent  to  their 
prejudices  and  they  began  to  desert  the  democratic  colors  and  ally  themselves 
with  the  new  and  waxing  antislavery  party  that  gathered  under  the  republican 
standards. 

But  the  Germans  were  far  from  blind  adherents  of  the  republican  party;  nor 
were  they  zealous  partisans  who  follow  party  dictation,  right  or  wrong,  neverthe- 
less. On  sundry  matters  they  were  prone  to  take  instant  alarm.  The  republican 
party  chiefly  contained  the  advocates  and  promoters  of  "temperance"  legislation 
prohibiting  the  manufacture  and  sale  of  alcoholic  beverages.  The  party  in  Iowa 
stood  sponsor  for  the  "Maine"  law  of  1855  against  which  the  Germans  stood 
solid  in  opposition.  Because  of  their  insistent  attacks  the  law  had  been  slowly 
"weakened"  but  in  i860  it  was  still  obnoxious  to  their  notions  of  personal  liberty 
and  their  dearly  prized  customs.  Again  the  republican  party  contained  the  ma- 
jority of  the  "Know-Nothings"  of  "Americans"  whose  racial  and  religious  prej- 
udices had  done  them  such  gross  injury  in  the  middle  of  that  decade.  The  Ger- 
mans in  particular  were  far  from  disposed  to  take  things  for  granted. 

In  the  congressional  canvass  in  1858  "American"  notions  were  bandied  about 
so  commonly  in  eastern  and  northern  Iowa  that  Mr.  Hans  Reimer  Claussen 
(Sept.  8)  addressed  Mr.  Wm.  Vandever  of  Dubuque,  the  republican  candidate 
for  congress,  an  open  letter  in  which  he  bluntly  asked  some  pointed  questions  as 
to  the  latter's  attitude  toward  the  proposal  to  make  the  process  of  naturalization 
more  rigorous.  He  secured  satisfactory  responses.  In  the  forepart  of  1859 
when  the  tide  of  anti-foreign  feeling  was  apparently  receding  the  Germans  of 
the  middle  and  western  states  were  thrown  into  violent  agitation  by  a  constitu- 
tional amendment  adopted  in  Massachusetts  that  increased  the  probationary  pe- 
riod for  naturalization  by  two  years.  A  German  farmer  of  Iowa  (who,  the 
writer  suspects,  was  Nicholas  J.  Rusch  of  Scott  county)  wrote  a  stout  letter  to 
Horace  Greeley's  Tribune  in  which  he  served  notice  on  republicans  that  if  they 
did  not  repudiate,  in  unequivocal  terms,  the  Massachusetts  amendment  their 
supremacy  was  no  longer  possible.  He  reminded  them  that  "Iowa,  Minnesota, 
Wisconsin,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Ohio,  New  York,  and  perhaps  Pennsylvania  can  be 
counted  republican  through  the  strength  of  the  German  republican  vote;"  and 
he  pointedly  suggested  that  the  republicans  should  not  forget  that  "Caesar's  le- 
gions were  smashed  in  the  woods  of  Germany."  The  letter  drew  an  extended 
editorial  from  the  Tribune. 

The  fires  of  adverse  discussion  spread  furiously  all  over  the  western  states. 
The  Germans  of  Dubuque,  Davenport.  Burlington  and  Keokuk  submitted  a  series 
of  specific  questions  to  Senators  James  Harlan  and  James  W.  Grimes  and  to 
Representatives  Wm.  Vandever  and  S.  R.  Curtis  respecting  their  attitude  toward 
the  action  of  Massachusetts.     Each  and  all  responded  explicitly  repudiating  the 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  H4:i 

policy  of  the  republicans  of  Massachusetts.  About  the  same  time  Abraham  Lin- 
coln in  Illinois  wrote  his  much  quoted  letter  to  Dr.  Canisius  of  Springfield  like- 
wise repudiating  the  Massachuetts  amendment — a  letter  that  was  reprinted  in 
Der  Demokrat  and  given  extensive  circulation  in  the  republican  press  of  Iowa. 
So  alarmed  were  the  republican  party  leaders  of  the  state  at  the  belligerent  tone 
of  the  Germans  anent  the  matter  that  their  state  central  committee,  of  which 
Mr.  John  A.  Kasson  was  then  chairman,  issued  a  manifesto  formally  pronounc- 
ing the  act  of  Massachusetts  anathema.  Their  declaration  was  reprinted  in  the 
editorial  pages  of  Greeley's  paper  with  implied  approval.  Mr.  Kasson.  as  chair- 
man, also  addressed  an  open  letter  to  the  republicans  of  ATassachusetts  deploring 
their  action  and  asking  them  to  reject  the  proposed  amendment  at  the  polls.  As 
an  earnest  of  their  sincerity  the  republicans  of  Iowa  nominated  for  lieutenant 
governor,  Mr.  Nicholas  J.  Rusch.  a  leader  of  the  German  republicans  of  Scott 
county,  then  a  state  senator,  who  had  been  foremost  in  promoting  the  legislation 
making  less  rigorous  the  exactions  of  the  "Maine"  prohibition  law.  The  "Amer- 
icans" and  prohibitionists  indicated  their  adverse  disposition  by  reducing  his  ma- 
jority 694  votes,  a  reduction  of  23.6  per  cent  below  that  of  Kirkwood's  majority — a 
fact  that  had  the  same  sort  of  an  effect  upon  the  feelings  of  the  Germans  of 
eastern  Iowa  that  the  defeat  of  Carl  Schurz  two  years  before  for  lieutenant  gov- 
ernor of  Wisconsin  by  107  votes  had  upon  the  Germans  of  that  state. 

When  the  legislature  of  Iowa  convened  January  9,  i860,  both  outgoing  and 
incoming  governors  recommended  a  "Registry"  law  designed  to  restrict  promis- 
cuous voting  but  the  foreign  born  looked  askance  at  such  proposals  because  usu- 
ally they  alone  were  contemplated  and  particularized  and  adversely  affected ;  and 
the  measure  introduced  was  desperately  opposed  and  defeated.  The  friends  of  the 
"Maine"  law  about  the  same  time  were  making  a  vigorous  push  in  that  legislative 
assembly  to  strengthen  its  "weakened"  provisions.  The  bill  was  no  less  vigor- 
ously resisted.  So  evenly  drawn  was  the  contest  in  the  state  senate  that  on  the 
crucial  test  a  tie  vote  resulted.  Informing  its  readers  that  the  bill  was  "begra- 
ben"  Der  Demokrat  stated  that  its  burial  was  due  to  the  casting  vote  of  Lt.  Gov. 
Rusch. 


It  was  thus  amidst  conditions  that  harass  party  leaders  and  make  political 
campaigns  a  ticklish  business  that  the  Germans  of  Davenport  formulated  their 
resolutions  adopted  March  7th.  proclaiming  their  intense  and  unalterable  opposi- 
tion to  the  selection  of  Judge  Bates  of  St.  Louis  as  the  republican  candidate  for 
the  presidency  and  their  determination  to  vote  against  him  if  the  national  con- 
vention at  Chicago  should  nominate  him  despite  their  protest. 

The  reception  accorded  their  action  was  various  but  instructive.  The  party 
press  could  not  denounce  the  action  for  fear  of  alienating  an  essential  element  of 
their  party  strength ;  and  they  could  not  safely  concur  or  commend  enthusiastic- 
ally lest  radical  "Americans"  or  "teetotalers"  or  "conservatives"  on  the  slavery 
question  shy  and  fly  the  track.  For  the  most  part  the  leading  party  papers  of 
Iowa  maintained  a  discreet  and  masterly  silence.  Some  ventured  to  criticize. 
The  editors  of  the  republican  organ  of  Davenport.  The  Daily  Gasette.  Alfred  and 
Add.  H.  Sanders,  had  perforce  to  take  notice  of  the  action  of  their  influential  fel- 
low citizens.     They  reprinted  the  entire  preamble  and  the  resolutions.     In  an  ex- 


844  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

tended  editorial  they,  conceding  them  freely  the  right  to  free  expression  of  diver- 
gent opinions  on  matters  of  common  interest,  venture  to  deny  many  of  the  allega- 
tions against  Judge  Bates  and  frankly  state  that,  although  he  is  not  their  first 
<;hoice,  they  prefer  success  with  him  as  the  nominee  to  defeat  with  Chase  or 
Seward.  In  a  similar  fashion,  Mr.  John  Teesdale,  another  influential  republican 
editor,  expressed  himself  in  the  columns  of  The  Iowa  State  Register  at  Des 
Moines.  The  democratic  editors  of  the  state,  of  course,  were  not  indisposed  to 
make  much  of  the  matter.  Mr.  J.  B.  Dorr  reprinted  the  vital  portions  in  The 
Dubuque  Herald  and  joyfully  pointed  out  to  republicans  the  prospects  for  "war 
in  camp." 

Mr.  Claussen  and  his  confreres  struck  at  the  psychological  moment.  Judge 
Bates  had  been  prominently  mentioned  for  the  presidency  and  he  was  a  candidate 
of  high  potential.  Many  of  the  leading  party  papers  had  urgently  commended 
him  to  the  national  convention.  His  nomination  was  promoted  by  King-makers, 
by  the  Blairs  of  Maryland  and  Missouri,  by  Charles  A.  Dana,  Dudley  Field  and 
Horace  Greeley  of  New  York,  by  John  D.  DeFrees  and  Schuyler  Colfax  of  Indi- 
ana, by  John  A.  Kasson  of  Iowa.  The  immense  continental  circulation  of  the 
New  York  Tribune  had  given  his  candidacy  a  tremendous  impetus,  a  fact  which 
the  Germans  of  Davenport  accurately  discerned. 

The  German  press  of  the  counti-y,  however,  was  almost  universally  critical 
and  antagonistic.  Judge  Bates'  support  of  Fillmore,  his  "Americanistic"  affiha- 
tions  and  views  thereby  signified,  his  views  respecting  the  Fugitive  Slave  law  they 
could  not  stomach. 

Mr.  Claussen  and  his  associates  communicated  the  Davenport  resolutions  to 
German  leaders  and  organizations  outside  of  Iowa  especially  in  the  eastern  states. 
He  wrote  Senator  Harlan  that  general  approval  was  accorded  it.  It  was  copied 
by  the  German  papers  of  Milwaukee  and  St.  Louis.  The  Press  and  Tribune  of 
Chicago  realized  their  pith  and  point  and,  while  deploring  the  declaration  of 
war  on  Judge  Bates  as  unwise,  observed  "there  is  no  disguising  the  fact  that  the 
nomination  of  Mr.  Bates  would  give  much  offense  not  only  to  German  republi- 
cans but  to  the  entire  political  element  of  the  party,  and  this  fact  will  undoubtedly 
be  duly  considered  by  the  Chicago  convention."  That  paper  was  at  the  time  an 
open  advocate  of  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  its  sentiments  were  proba- 
bly not  without  prejudice  and  design ;  nevertheless  they  indicate  a  clear  recogni- 
tion of  the  widespread  hostility  among  the  Germans  to  the  consideration  of  the 
Missourian. 

The  German  republicans  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  were  alert  and  active  in  the 
furtherance  of  "straightout"  doctrine  and  in  downright  fashion.  At  the  instiga- 
tion of  such  leaders  as  Frederich  Hassaurek,  George  Lindeman,  Gustav  Tafel 
and  Judge  John  Bernhardt  Stallo  a  meeting  of  the  German  republicans  took  place 
in  their  Turner  hall,  on  the  evening  of  March  21.  A  series  of  resolutions  ex- 
pressing the  views  of  the  Germans  on  national  issues  were  passed.  Mr.  Tafel 
then  presented  at  the  request  of  Judge  Stallo  a  communication  the  latter  had  re- 
ceived that  afternoon  from  Davenport  containing  the  resolutions  of  March  7th. 
The  communication  was  read  in  both  German  and  English ;  whereupon  a  motion 
was  introduced  and  carried  "that  they  heartily  endorse  them." 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  845 

About  the  middle  of  March  a  call  was  issued  from  a  German  republican  club  of 
New  York  asking  the  German  republicans  of  the  northern  free  states  to  be  rep- 
resented at  the  national  republican  convention  in  May,  to  send  delegates  to  a 
conference  of  German  republicans  in  Chicago  to  be  held  on  the  eve  of  the  na- 
tional republican  convention.  The  object  in  general  was  to  counsel  with  the  duly 
accredited  German  delegates  to  the  national  convention  with  a  view  to  advanc- 
ing the  principles  they  so  ardently  desired  to  promote : — which,  in  brief,  were 
the  reaffirmation  of  the  republican  platform  adopted  at  Philadelphia,  the  restric- 
tion and  extinction  of  human  slavery,  liberal  and  just  treatment  of  the  immigrant, 
economy  and  equity  in  the  disposition  of  the  public  lands  and  the  nomination  of 
candidates  for  president  and  vice  president  who  stood  specifically  for  their 
principles. 

The  conference  took  place  as  designed.  It  was  not  a  numerous  gathering  but 
it  included  many  of  the  most  influential  German  leaders  in  the  country  among  its 
membership.  Among  those  who  were  present  either  as  delegates  or  as  attend- 
ants were  Frederich  Hassaurek  and  Dr.  C.  Brodbeck  of  Ohio,  R.  Wagner  of 
Minnesota,  Messrs.  A.  Kreckel,  Frederich  Wenzel,  John  C.  Vogel  and  others  of 
Missouri,  Gustav  Koerner  of  Illinois,  Nicholas  J.  Rusch  of  Iowa  and  Carl 
Schurz  of  Wisconsin.  Their  discussions  and  deliberations  were  watched  with 
keen  interest  by  the  partisans  of  various  candidates  before  the  larger  convention ; 
and  considerable  space  given  reports  thereof  in  the  despatches  to  sundry  papers. 

Generally  speaking  the  German  republicans  secured  what  they  most  desired 
at  Chicago,  namely,  definite  and  satisfactory  declarations  in  the  platform.  They 
had  not  a  little  to  do  with  it.  Messrs.  Koerner  and  Schurz  were  both  on  the 
committee  on  resolutions  and  Mr.  John  A.  Kasson  represented  Iowa  therein  and  he 
was  the  one  who,  according  tO'  Horace  Greeley  also  a  member,  brought  sundry 
divergent  members  to  a  common  agreement  and  was  empowered  to  prepare  the 
final  draft  for  the  convention  which  was  adopted  amidst  tremendous  applause  and 
approval  with  almost  no  material  modification.  In  respect  of  their  choice  for 
the  nomination  of  the  party  candidates  the  Germans  on  the  whole  failed  to  realize 
their  primary  preferences.  Senator  Seward  was  the  choice  of  the  major  number 
of  German  republicans.  Governor  Chase  came  next  probably,  and  Mr.  Lincoln 
came  third  although  probably  a  second  choice  with  all. 


Precisely  what  direct,  positive  influence,  if  any.  the  resolutions  adopted  and 
proclaimed  by  the  German  republicans  of  Davenport  on  March  7,  i860,  had  in 
bringing  about  the  conference  of  the  Germans  at  Chicago  on  May  14th  and  the 
particular  efi"ect  they  may  have  had  upon  the  ultimate  decision  of  the  national 
republican  convention  in  the  matter  of  the  platform  and  the  choice  of  the  nomi- 
nee, one  cannot  say  with  much  assurance.  But  more  or  less  influence  they  cer- 
tainly exerted.  They  certainly  signalized  and  typified  a  general  discontent  and 
belligerency  common  among  German  republicans  all  through  the  north  respecting 
Judge  Bates.  Certain  it  is  that  his  candidacy  attained  the  zenith  of  public  favor 
on  or  about  March  ist.  No  less  certain  is  it  that  quickly  following  the  action  of 
the  Germans  at  Davenport  there  was  widespread  expression  of  opinion  both  by 
the  German  press  and  by  German  organizations  adverse  to  his  candidacy  and 
his  chances  of  securing  the  nomination  rapidly  and  steadily  declined.     The  pow- 


846  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

erful  party  chiefs  who  urged  the  nomination  of  Judge  Bates  for  the  primary  pur- 
pose of  defeating  radicaHsm  as  exempHfied  by  Senator  Seward,  found  it  impos- 
sible to  molhfy  the  Germans.     They  had  to  make  a  change  of  front. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  the  dauntless  antagonist  of  the  "Little  Giant"  and  author 
of  the  letter  to  Dr.  Canisius  was  satisfactory  to  Frederick  Hassaurek,  Gustav 
Koerner,  Nicholas  J.  Rusch  and  Carl  Schurz.  Seward  was  persona  non  grata 
to  "conservatives"  on  the  slavery  question  and  obnoxious  to  radical  "Americans" 
because  of  his  course  as  governor  of  New  York.  Bates  was  no  less  disagreeable, 
if  not  impossible,  as  a  candidate  to  abolitionists  and  the  naturalized  citizens.  The 
German  immigrant  and  his  contentiousness  anent  his  personal  freedom  and  po- 
litical status  was.  in  the  writer's  judgment,  one  of  the  chief  rocks  on  which  the 
plans  and  hopes  of  both  Greeley  and  Weed  wrecked  at  Chicago  on  May  i8,  i860, 
and  whereby  resulted  the  compromise  that  first  made  Abraham  Lincoln  the  can- 
didate of  the  republican  party  for  president  of  the  United  States. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 
DAVENPORT'S  BAPTISM. 

COULD  ROCK  ISLAND  BE  DAVENPORT? — WOULD  DAVENPORT  HAVE  BEEN  ROCK  ISLAND? 

FOR  WHOM   WAS  DAVENPORT  NAMED? — THERE  SEEMS  TO  BE  NO  DOUBT  THAT 

COLONEL   GEORGE  DAVENPORT  WAS  SO    HONORED — A   LIFE   WHICH    RANKS   WITH 

THE  HEROES  OF  ROMANCE  IN  VARIETY  AND  THRILLING  INCIDENT ONE  OF  THE 

FOUNDERS  OF  THE  CITY  THAT  BEARS  HIS  NAME AN  INDIAN  CEREMONY. 

Should  anyone  care  to  riddle  himself  with  a  query  that  has  no  answer  he 
might  try  to  guess  the  name  the  city  of  Davenport  would  have  borne  had  Rock 
Island  been  Davenport  instead, — not  Farnhamsburg,  nor  Stephenson  nor  Rock 
Island,  but  Davenport,  indeed, — a  name  which  is  as  much  our  own  as  is  the  flag 
which  floats  from  the  city  hall  our  flag.    Yet  so  it  might  have  been. 

The  story  of  the  naming  of  the  sister  city  across  the  river  has  nowhere  been 
definitely  written  down,  but  this  incident  survives  with  a  probability  of  truth  in 
development  and  unquestioned  verity  in  foundation.  It  can  be  listed  among 
George  Ballou's  record  of  things  "which  ought  to  be  true."  It  begins  in  this  way. 
Colonel  Davenport  and  Russell  Farnham  were  associates  in  fur  barter  in  1826. 
Three  years  later  they  began  to  enter  land  in  what  has  become  wealthy  and  pros- 
perous Rock  Island  county.  Shortly  after,  the  three  original  county  commis- 
sioners, Colonel  George  Davenport,  J.  W.  Spencer  and  William  Vanatta.  putting 
their  heads  together,  planned  the  turning  of  an  honest  penny  through  platting  and 
marketing  a  town  which  should  have  all  the  advantages  of  any  other  "future 
great"  and  the  added  security  which  the  guns  of  Fort  Armstrong  would  afford. 

A  DREAM  CITY. 

They  secured  a  surveyor  and  on  the  virgin  slate  ready  to  hand  worked  a  page 
of  geometry  with  stakes  and  compass  and  chain,  squared  the  upland  into  streets 
and  lots,  four  corner  lots  to  the  block  and  others  less  valuable,  with  plazas  for 
markets  and  landscape  gardening,  sites  for  city  hall,  court  house,  and  state  capitol, 
perhaps — the  ambition  of  early  town  boomers  had  no  roof, — with  streets  named 
for  local  dignitaries,  white  and  red,  ample  accommodations  for  railroad  depots 


850  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

and  trams,  with  prophetic  planning  for  schools,  religious  temples  and  universi- 
ties. When  this  beautiful  dream  town  had  been  evolved  by  topographic  magic 
from  the  rough  and  ready  shanty  of  Russell  Farnham  and  its  associate  line  of 
similar  edifices  the  necessity  for  a  name  well  sounding  and  commercially  adequate 
appeared.  After  cogitation  selection  was  made  of  the  cognomen  of  the  earliest 
settler  in  all  the  region,  the  best  known  man  and  the  principal  proprietor  of  the 
handsome  map  which  pictured  steamboats  snubbed  to  the  bank  and  the  iron  horse 
cavorting  in  the  outlots, — Davenport.  This  marvel  of  the  cartographer  was  to 
be  Davenport.  It  was  a  rosy  plan,  but  difficulties  lurking  in  the  background  be- 
gan to  come  to  the  front,  and  in  the  style  of  the  true  weaver  of  fiction  these  com- 
plications will  be  brought  contemporaneous  with  this  date  which  was  1832  or  a 
year  or  two  later. 

In  1 83 1  there  had  been  something  going  on  in  western  Illinois  which  some 
have  called  war  and  others  have  styled  a  massacre.  In  any  event  the  state  was 
cleared  of  certain  red  people  who  had  more  or  less  right  to  their  homes,  their 
cornfields  and  the  graves  of  their  fathers.  One  incident  of  this  belated  chapter 
of  the  War  of  1812  was  the  so  called  battle  of  Stillman's  Run  in  which  Black 
Hawk's  Indians  approaching  with  a  flag  of  truce  were  fired  upon,  after  which 
the  American  soldiers  seized  by  causeless  panic  fell  into  frenzied  flight  that 
stopped  not  until  there  were  a  few  in  every  northern  county  of  Illinois.  Among 
these  swift  footed  soldiers  was  a  Colonel  Strode,  not  in  command  of  any  forces  en- 
gaged, but  present  as  a  spectator — one  of  the  gallery,  as  the  golfers  phrase  it. 
Some  accuse  him  of  having  ordered  the  shooting  of  the  party  with  the  truce  flag 
— perhaps  not — but  be  his  part  in  the  matter  little  or  much,  he  took  full  share 
in  the  footrace,  nor  tarried  by  the  way  until  the  declivities  of  Galena  worked  a 
ritard  in  the  staccato  syncopation  of  his  footfalls. 

Comment  upon  this  deplorable  incident  among  those  who  had  seen  real  service 
who  knew  how  to  fight  and  respect  a  flag  of  truce,  was  piquant.  Colonel  Daven- 
port took  a  part  in  the  condemnation  and  several  spicy  bits  of  criticism  upon 
the  winged  colonel  from  his  pen  appeared  in  the  Galena  Advertiser.  Colonel 
Strode  was  only  human,  and  these  things  rankled  in  his  soul,  so  he  bided  the  time 
when  he  could  catch  Colonel  Davenport  in  a  bottle  and  drive  in  the  stopper. 

IN   THE  LEGISLATURE. 

The  opportunity  speedily  arrived.  Among  those  elected  to  the  session  of  the 
Illinois  legislature  following  the  Black  Hawk  war  was  Colonel  Strode,  hi* 
ability  to  run  in  any  line  being  thus  demonstrated.  Before  that  legislature  came 
for  sanction  the  plat  of  a  new  city  on  the  Mississippi  to  be  named  Davenport. 
Here  ascended  Colonel  Strode  into  the  air  several  feet  and  popped  his  heels 
together.  He  made  a  better  rally  than  he  had  done  at  Stillman's  Run,  and  shot 
away  from  the  handsome  plat  in  evidence  the  illuminated  title  in  the  corner.  In 
vain  Colonel  Davenport's  friends  gathered  to  his  standard.  They  defeated  the 
name  suggested  by  the  Strode  faction,  but  could  not  save  the  name  of  Davenport. 
The  only  way  out  was  a  compromise  and  the  name  written  on  the  plat  by  the 
delegated  wisdom  of  the  Sucker  state  was  Stephenson,  the  name  of  still  another 
Colonel— colonels  were  thicker   in   Illinois  after  the  Black  Hawk  war  than   in 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  851 

Kentucky  at  her  best — a  sort  of  receiver  at  the  lead  mines.  So  Stephenson,  the 
new  town  became  and  continued  until  wise  men  gave  it  the  title  of  the  best  known 
island  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  and  the  island,  and  the  arsenal,  the  city  and  the 
ralroad — all  Rock  Island — are  known  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  then 
some  miles. 

From  Colonel  Davenport's  disappointment  came  greater  pride.  In  the  fall  of 
1835  a  company  of  men  seated  one  evening  on  the  porch  of  his  handsome  home 
looked  across  the  swiftly  rolling  river  to  the  incomparable  site  confronting  them 
and  planned  a  new  Davenport  which  in  later  years  crowned  the  bluffs  in  beauty, 
a  town  whose  scenic  loveliness  of  situation  inspired  the  poet  Taylor  to  write  the 
tribute  which  began,  "Seated  upon  her  hills  like  a  queen  upon  her  divan,"  etc. 
Rock  Island  is  all  right — a  lovely  sister  in  the  trinity  of  Davenport,  Aloline  and 
Rock  Island,  but  she  never  could  have  been  Davenport,  for  Davenport  is  Daven- 
port, and  that  is  something  better, 

HOW  DAVENPORT  GOT  ITS  NAME. 

Mrs.  Maria  Purdy  Peck,  in  her  own  graceful  style  and  showing  carefulness 
in  research,  wrote  the  following  valuable  and  interesting  article  for  the  Half 
Century  Democrat,  published  in  1905 : 

'Tt  is  with  pleasure  that  I  respond  to  the  request  to  furnish  a  contribution  for 
The  Half  Century  Democrat  bearing  upon  the  question  of  the  double  claimants 
for  the  honor  of  having  bestowed  the  name  of  Davenport  upon  our  city. 

"That  there  are  two  came  to  my  notice  first  about  a  dozen  years  ago  when 
I  was  collecting  material  for  a  series  of  historical  sketches  for  the  National  Maga- 
zine on  'Davenport  and  its  Environs.'  Investigations  at  that  time  were  carried 
only  far  enough  to  convince  myself  that  not  one  line  or  word,  written  or  printed, 
not  one  atom  of  evidence  of  any  kind  belonging  to  the  early  period,  was  in  ex- 
istence to  support  the  claim  that  Davenport  was  named  for  Colonel  William 
Davenport,  and  so  I  felt  no  compunctions  about  ignoring  it  entirely. 

"Later,  when  the  question  became  more  serious  by  being  brought  forward 
in  the  newspapers,  as  a  citizen  interested  in  keeping  our  record  straight  I  gathered 
some  facts  which  were  published  in  the  Sunday  Democrat.  Some  of  the  material 
made  use  of  at  that  time  is  repeated  in  this  article,  much  that  is  important  is 
presented  in  more  condensed  form  and  new  evidence  is  added  which  strength- 
ens greatly  the  contention  that  our  city  was  named  for  George  Davenport. 

"Before  saying  more  I  wish  to  explain  that  to  avoid  confusion.  I  shall  omit 
George  Davenport's  military  title,  which  belongs  to  him  by  right,  and  speak  of 
him  only  as  George  Davenport.  Again,  believing  that  one  well  authenticated  fact 
is  of  more  value  than  any  number  of  theories,  however  plausible  they  may  be,  I 
shall  confine  myself  to  facts  and  deal  as  little  as  possible  with  theories ;  and 
further,  that  my  own  part  is  restricted  to  arranging  the  evidence  supplied  by 
others  or  discovered  in  more  or  less  inaccessible  places. 

"Mr.  and  Mrs.  Louis  A.  LeClaire,  living  on  the  corner  of  Eleventh  and  Main 
streets,  are  the  careful  custodians  of  a  public  document  of  inestimable  value  and 
interest,  viewed  from  a  historical  standpoint.  It  is  the  original  articles  of  agree- 
ment between  Antoine  LeClaire,  George  Davenport  and  six  other  men  to  found 


852  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

a  town  which  was  eventually  named  Davenport.  Through  the  kindness  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  LeClaire  in  loaning,  and  the  generosity  of  the  Democrat  in  reproduc- 
ing, the  document  in  its  original  form  is  presented  to  the  public  for  the  first 
time.  Now  what  does  this  paper  that  has  been  hidden  away  and  forgotten  for 
so  many  years  tell  us  about  the  naming  of  the  town?  It  tells  first  that  on  the 
23d  day  of  February,  1836,  there  was  a  meeting  at  which  seven  persons  were 
present,  six  of  the  eight  original  proprietors  and  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell  (afterward 
Judge  Mitchell),  whose  name  does  not  appear,  but  in  whose  well  remembered 
handwriting  the  instrument  was  executed.  Where  was  this  initial  meeting  held? 
Franc  B.  Wilkie,  author  of  'Davenport  Past  and  Present,'  says  that  it  was  held 
at  George  Davenport's  house  on  the  island — the  picturesque  ruin  of  which  over- 
looks Davenport  today.  At  that  meeting  the  articles  of  agreement  to  lay  out  a 
town  on  Mr.  LeClaire's  claim  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  was  concluded  but 
no  name  was  selected.  It  speaks  of  'a  town  to  be  laid  out  on  said  land' — 
further  that  the  parties  of  the  second  part  with  Antoine  LeClaire  covenant  and 
agree  together  to  lay  out  a  town  on  or  before  May  i,  1836,  'said  town'  occurring 
twice  thereafter.  The  document  tells  us  that  Antoine  LeClaire  and  George 
Davenport  were  the  leading  and  controlling  spirits  in  the  enterprise.  Mr.  Le- 
Claire being  the  owner  of  the  land,  is  mentioned  as  the  party  of  the  first  part,  and 
George  Davenport's  name  leads  all  the  parties  of  the  second  part  each  time  they 
are  mentioned. 

"On  the  i8th  of  May,  1836,  another  transaction  is  recorded.  At  that  time 
Alex.  W.  McGregor  transferred  his  interest  in  'the  above  named  town  of  Daven- 
port' to  Stanton  Sholes.  Both  of  the  interested  parties  signed  the  agree- 
ment and  the  transaction  was  witnessed  by  Elnathan  C.  Gavit,  as  appears  by  his 
signature. 

"We  will  look  in  vain  to  find  just  when  or  where  the  name  of  'Davenport' 
crept  in  but  it  is  here  on  the  i8th  of  May,  and  Mr.  Gavit  is  the  only  man  whose 
name  is  registered  on  the  original  agreement  who  has  left  a  printed  record  as 
to  its  meaning. 

"In  'Crumbs  from  my  Saddle  Bags  or  Pioneer  Life,'  page  207,  he  says: 
'Colonel  Davenport  bought  an  interest  in  Mr.  LeClaire's  claim  and  the  town 
was  named  after  Davenport.'  A  short  time  before  his  death  Mr.  Gavit  dictated 
a  letter  to  the  late  Mrs.  Nettie  Howard  in  answer  to  a  letter  of  inquiry  from 
her  in  which  he  stated  that  he  could  not  have  been  mistaken  for  he  was  present 
when  the  name  was  accepted  and  that  it  was  Colonel  George  Davenport  for 
whom  the  town  was  named.  This  illuminating  evidence  of  Mr.  Gavit  supplies 
most  perfectly  the  missing  link. 

"But  now  let  us  examine  the  names  of  the  proprietors  inscribed  on  the 
agreement  to  ascertain  what  influence  they  may  have  exercised  in  choosing  a 
name,  taking  the  last  one  first. 

"Alexander  W.  McGregor  was  a  lawyer  who  came  to  this  vicinity  and  be- 
gan the  practice  of  his  profession  in  the  fall  of  1835,  probably  about  six  months 
before  the  evacuation  of  Fort  Armstrong  and  the  departure  of  Colonel  William 
Davenport.  He  sold  his  claim  a  few  months  after  purchase  to  Stanton  Sholes 
as  has  been  shown  above. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  853 

"L.  S.  Colton  is  credited  in  the  list  of  old  settlers  as  an  1836  arrival  and 
was  for  a  time  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  Davenport. 

"P.  G.  Hambaugh  was  a  non-resident,  a  sutler  l)y  occupation.  He  left  soon 
after  the  organization  of  the  town  company  for  Florida,  where  he  died.  He  was 
a  warm  friend  of  George  Davenport,  as  is  attested  by  a  letter  in  which  he  in- 
quires about  the  prospects  for  the  town,  the  probabilities  of  its  being  the  capital 
of  Iowa,  besides  many  things  of  a  more  intimate  personal  nature. 

"T.  F.  Smith  was  not  present  when  the  company  was  organized.  His  name 
was  signed  by  A.  LeClaire;  Captain  Thomas  F.  Smith  was  in  command  of 
Fort  Armstrong  from  December,  1832,  until  June  8,  1833,  being  relieved  by 
Colonel  William  Davenport  on  that  date. 

"Then  comes  'J^^^s  May  by  George  Davenport,  Agent,'  a  name  which  re- 
quires for  our  purpose  more  careful  scrutiny.  The  only  attempt  at  an  argument 
that  has  ever  been  advanced  to  prove  that  the  town  was  named  for  Colonel 
William  Davenport,  has  rested  with  James  May.  The  extraordinary  feat  of 
thrusting  such  honor  upon  a  purely  mihtary  man,  without  military  distinction, 
a  comparative  stranger  to  nearly  all  connected  with  the  undertaking,  without 
pecuniary  or  other  interest  in  it,  we  are  told  was  performed  by  James  May 
because  of  personal  attachment,  and  so  forth.  Captain  James  May  was  for 
seven  years  engaged  in  steamboating  on  the  upper  Mississippi,  but  according 
to  his  own  statement  he  left  the  river  in  1834,  or  one  year  after  Colonel  William 
Davenport  came  to  Fort  Armstrong,  and  went  to  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  remained  for  many  years.  When  the  town  company  was  organized  he  had 
been  away  two  years.  Yet,  his  faith  in  the  venture  was  such  that  he  was  willing 
to  make  the  investment  and  placed  his  interest  in  the  hands  of  George  Daven- 
port, who  acted  as  his  agent.  Volumes  could  be  written,  and  not  dispose  more 
effectually  of  the  story  that  Captain  James  May  used  his  influence  to  have  the 
town  named  for  Colonel  William  Davenport  than  is  done  by  the  entry  'Junes 
May  by  George  Davenport,  Agent,'  on  the  original  articles  of  agreement. 

"William  Gordon's  name  follows.  It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  Major  Wil- 
liam Gordon  was  here  temporarily,  having  been  sent  by  the  government  to  sur- 
vey Mr.  LeClaire's  Indian  claim.  While  thus  engaged  he  became  interested 
in  the  town  proposition,  surveyed  the  site  and  platted  it,  with  the  assistance  of 
his  associate,  Mr.  Bennett.  The  fort  at  that  time  was  being  abandoned  by  the 
government  and  before  the  last  entry,  on  May  4th,  on  the  articles  of  agree- 
ment, it  had  been  evacuated  and  Colonel  William  Davenport  had  departed. 

"This  leaves  George  Davenport  and  Antoine  LeClaire,  the  first  signers  and 
the  only  ones  who  were  prominently  and  permanently  identified  with  the  town. 
For  Mr.  LeClaire  on  the  subject  of  the  name  we  will  let  his  nephew,  J.  A.  Le- 
Claire, speak.  In  order  to  settle  definitely  the  disputed  question  Mr.  LeClaire 
gives  his  evidence  under  oath. 

J.  A.  leclaire's  affidavit. 

"  'State  of  lozd'O,  Scott  county,  ss. 

T.  J.  A.  LeClaire.  being  duly  sworn  upon  oath,  do  depose  and  say  that  I  am  a 
nephew  of  Antoine  LeClaire,  deceased,  and  for  many  years  was  intimately  as- 


854  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

sociated  with  him  as  his  secretary.  The  story  of  the  beginning  of  the  city  of 
Davenport  and  all  the  circumstances  connected  therewith  were  told  to  me  many 
times  and  in  my  presence  to  different  persons  by  the  said  Antoine  LeClaire,  and 
he  always  made  the  point  very  clear  that  it  was  named  for  his  friend,  George 
Davenport.  After  reading  the  articles  of  agreement  for  the  laying  out  of  the 
city  of  Davenport,  I  wish  to  add  to  the  above  statement  that  the  only  hitch  in  the 
beginning  was  that  George  Davenport  as  well  as  the  other  proprietors  wanted 
to  name  the  town  LeClaire,  but  Mr.  LeClaire  was  determined  that  the  honor 
should  be  conferred  upon  Mr.  Davenport.  He  said  that  Mr.  Davenport  was  the 
older  man,  had  been  here  longer  and  that  it  was  more  fitting  that  the  town  should 
bear  his  name.  They  finally  compromised  by  agreeing  to  name  the  town  at  the 
head  of  the  rapids,  which  was  a  part  of  the  original  plan,  LeClaire.  Further  I 
wish  to  say  that  Mr.  Antoine  LeClaire  furnished  personally  all  the  data  concern- 
ing the  early  history  of  the  town,  its  name  and  so  forth,  used  by  Franc  B.  Wilkie 
in  his  history  of  "Davenport,  Past  and  Present."  Mr.  Wilkie  consulted  with 
Mr.  LeClaire  in  his  office  many  times  during  the  preparation  of  the  matter  and 
I  was  present  on  such  occasions. 

'J.  A.  LeClaire. 
"Signed  and  sworn  to  before  me  by  the  said  J.  A.  LeQaire  this  226.  day  of 
September,  1905. 

'Henry  Vollmer, 
'Notary  Public,  in  and  for  Scott  county,  lozva.' 


WILKIE  ADDS  A  WORD. 

"Franc  B.  Wilkie,  author  of  'Davenport,  Past  and  Present,'  published  in 
Davenport  in  1858  by  Luse,  Lane  &  Company,  in  both  the  historical  and  bio- 
graphical text,  says  that  the  town  was  named  for  George  Davenport.  That  the 
assertion  was  not  made  by  a  comparative  stranger  on  hearsay  evidence  is  proven 
by  General  Flagler  who  tells  us  in  his  History  of  Rock  Island  Arsenal  that  the 
material  for  the  biography  of  George  Davenport  was  furnished  by  Hon.  Bailey 
Davenport,  youngest  son  of  George  Davenport,  and  as  has  been  shown  Antoine 
LeClaire  furnished  the  historical  data.  Besides  Captain  James  May  was  a  res- 
ident of  Davenport  when  'Past  and  Present'  was  published.  He  furnished  the 
matter  for  his  own  biography,  a  large  part  being  his  own  composition.  He  was 
apt  with  his  pen  and  would  he  not  at  that  time  have  challenged  in  the  most  public 
manner  a  serious  mis-statement  of  facts  concerning  the  derivation  of  the  name 
of  the  town  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  original  proprietors  if  such  had  been  the 
case?  That  he  did  not  is  proof  positive  that  no  mistake  was  made  by  Franc  B. 
Wilkie. 

"Under  date  May  7,  1897.  Mr.  A.  C.  Fulton  contributed  to  the  Weekly  Out- 
look an  article  which  contains  many  interesting  facts  and  particulars  on  the 
subject  under  discussion.  In  it  he  claims  that  his  investigations  are  not  con- 
fined to  today  nor  yesterday,  but  go  back  more  than  a  half  century,  to  1842,  when 
he  made  his  first  inquiries  of  the  original  settlers  about  the  naming  of  the  town, 
and  received  the  answer,  invariably,  that  it  was  named  for  George  Davenport, 
the  elder. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  855 

MORE   INCONTESTABLE  PROOF. 

"In  one  of  the  letters  in  which  Willard  Barrows  gives  the  history  of  Daven- 
port and  Scott  county,  published  in  the  Davenport  Gazette  in  1859,  Mr.  Bar- 
rows makes  this  unqualified  and  unequivocal  statement :  'The  town  was  named 
for  Colonel  George  Davenport.'  Mr.  Barrows  at  that  time  had  been  a  resident 
of  Davenport  twenty-two  years.  He  knew  everybody  and  had  the  traditions  of 
the  place  well  grounded  in  his  memory.  It  is  therefore  a  moral  certainty  that 
no  contention  over  the  derivation  of  the  name  had  arisen  when  this  declaration 
was  published — August  25,  1859.  The  Gazette  files  are  in  the  public  library  and 
may  be  consulted  by  any  one  interested. 

MORE   LIVING   WITNESSES. 

"John  M.  Lyter,  in  an  address  before  the  Pioneer  Settlers  Association  as 
president,  in  1895,  characterized  the  story  that  any  Davenport  but  George  was 
ever  thought  of  originally  in  connection  with  the  naming  of  the  town  as  'absurd, 
a  wrong  and  a  folly.' 

"Joe  Hebert  says  that  from  earliest  childhood  he  was  brought  up  in  the 
faith  that  this  town  was  named  after  George  Davenport,  and  he  resents  very  » 
keenly  any  attempt  to  destroy  that  faith  now.  Mr.  Hebert's  father,  a  boy  in  his 
early  teens,  came  to  Rock  island  with  his  uncle,  who  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
government  as  gun  smith,  in  1821.  He  remained  on  the  island  until  Davenport 
was  laid  out  and  then  came  over  to  this  side  of  the  river,  where  he  lived  until 
his  death  in  1867.  As  no  dispute  over  the  identity  of  the  Davenport  for  wnom 
the  city  was  named  ever  arose  during  his  father's  lifetime,  Mr.  Hebert  says  he 
never  heard  him  make  a  statement  concerning  it.  What  he  does  distinctly  re- 
member is  that  on  occasions  of  general  rejoicing  over  events  marking  the  city's 
progress  his  father  would  say :  'I'm  glad  this  place  was  named  for  Musquakie's 
father!'  meaning  by  Musquakie  George  L.  Davenport,  his  playmate  and  life- 
long friend. 

"John  Littig  gives  testimony  on  the  subject  in  these  words :  'I  came  to  Stephen- 
son— now  Rock  Island — in  1837,  to  Davenport  the  year  following.  The  town 
at  that  time  had  not  over  150  inhabitants.  I  went  to  work  for  Mr.  LeClaire  and 
remained  in  his  employ  for  eight  years.  I  lived  in  Mr.  LeClaire's  family  and 
have  heard  him  say  many  times  that  the  town  was  named  for  George  Davenport.' 

A   PORTRAIT    IN    EVIDENCE. 

"In  the  home  of  the  grandchildren  of  George  Davenport  in  this  city  hangs 
a  portrait  in  oil,  painted  from  life,  of  George  Davenport.  In  his  hand  he  holds 
a  map  with  the  words  across  the  top  'Map  of  the  City  of  Davenport.'  What  does 
it  mean?  The  meaning  is  as  plain  as  though  it  were  emblazoned  in  golden  let- 
ters across  the  canvas — 'I  am  the  progenitor  for  whom  the  city  of  Davenport 
was  named," 

"The  present  controversy  has  its  origin  of  course  in  the  unfortunate  coin- 
cidence that  two  men  by  the  same  name  were  living  on  Rock  island  when  Daven- 


856  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

port  was  founded.  Without  questioning-  the  good  faith  or  motives  of  those  who, 
at  this  late  date,  are  responsible  for  raising  the  issue,  it  must  be  contended  that 
they  are  in  error,  and  that  it  is  established  by  a  preponderance  of  testimony  that 
George  Davenport,  the  co-worker  and  faithful  friend  of  Antoine  LeClaire,  until 
the  day  of  his  death,  is  the  man  whose  name  our  city  bears." 

COLONEL   GEORGE   DAVENPORT,    ONE   OF   THE    ORIGINAL    PROPRIETORS    OF   DAVENPORT, 
AND  AFTER  WHOM   THE  CITY  WAS  NAMED. 

From  Wilkie's  "Davenport  Past  and  Present." 

In  his  most  interesting  history  "Davenport,  Past  and  Present,"  Franc  B. 
Wilkie,  the  brilliant  Davenport  newspaper  man  who  after  leaving  this  city  made 
his  reputation  as  a  war  correspondent  for  metropolitan  papers,  went  to  Chicago 
and  became  Wilbur  Story's  managing  editor  and  European  representative  for 
the  Chicago  Times,  has  this  biography  of  Colonel  George  Davenport.  It  is  as 
full  of  romance  as  a  work  of  fiction  and  the  story  is  told  with  the  fascination  of 
Wilkie's  admirable  diction. 

George  Davenport  was  born  in  the  year  1783  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  and, 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  was  placed  with  an  uncle  (master  of  a  merchant 
ship)  to  learn  the  seafaring  business.  During  the  next  three  years  he  visited  many 
seaports  on  the  Baltic  and  of  France,  Spain  and  Portugal.  In  the  fall  of  1803 
the  ship  sailed  with  a  cargo  from  Liverpool  for  St.  Petersburg,  and  shortly  after 
its  arrival  an  embargo  was  laid  upon  all  the  English  vessels  in  that  port — the 
vessels  taken  possession  of  and  their  crews  thrown  into  prison  by  the  Russian  gov- 
ernment. The  crew  of  Mr.  Davenport's  vessel  were  confined  in  an  old  stone 
church  where  they  remained  during  a  long  and  dreary  winter,  suffering  very 
much  from  cold  and  hunger.  In  the  spring  they  were  released  and  their  ves- 
sel restored  to  them.  After  returning  home  their  next  voyage  was  from  Liver- 
pool to  New  York,  with  a  cargo  of  goods — this  was  in  the  summer  of  1804.  They 
arrived  safely  at  their  destination  and  had  discharged  their  load  and  taken  in  a 
cargo  for  Liverpool  and  were  on  the  eve  of  sailing  when  an  accident  took  place 
which  changed  the  whole  course  of  his  life.  Everything  was  in  readiness  for 
sailing,  they  had  commenced  to  heave  up  the  anchor,  when  one  of  the  sailors 
was  knocked  overboard.  Standing  near  the  stern,  at  the  side  of  the  vessel,  Mr. 
Davenport  saw  the  accident  and  immediately  jumped  into  a  small  boat  and 
caught  the  sailor  by  the  hair  as  he  was  going  down  the  last  time — drawing  him 
up  and  holding  him  until  they  came  to  his  assistance.  In  jumping  into  the  boat 
he  struck  one  of  the  seats  and  fractured  his  leg  very  badly ;  and  there  being  no 
surgeon  on  board,  the  captain  had  him  taken  to  the  city  and  placed  in  the  hospi- 
tal, with  directions  for  every  possible  care  to  be  taken  of  him.  After  remaining 
there  some  two  months,  he  was  advised  to  go  into  the  country  to  recruit  his 
health.  Acting  upon  this  advice,  he  went  to  New  Jersey  and  stopped  at  the 
pleasant  village  of  Rahway,  where  he  remained  some  time  and  then  went  to 
Carlisle,  Pennsylvania.  While  there  be  became  acquainted  with  a  young  officer, 
Lieutenant  Lawrence,  who  was  recruiting  for  the  army.  Taking  quite  a  liking 
to  him  he  proposed  that  if  he  would  enlist  he  would  get  him  the  appointment 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  859 

of  sergeant,  which  proposition  was  accepted,  and  he  received  the  appointment  of 
sergeant  in  Captain  McLeary's  Company  of  the  First  Regiment  of  Infantry  He 
then  went  to  Harrisburg  on  a  recruiting  expedition  and  remained  until  they 
had  enhsted  the  number  of  men  required,  after  which  they  returned  to  CarHsle 
Barracks  and  remained  until  the  spring  of  1806,  occupied  in  drilling  and  learn- 
ing ail  the  arts  of  war.  Then  then  received  orders  to  join  the  army  at  Xew  Or- 
leans, under  the  command  of  General  Wilkinson.  They  walked  across  the  moun- 
tains to  Pittsburg  and  there  they  procured  boats  and  rowed  down  the  river  to 
New  Orleans. 

On  their  arrival  at  that  city  they  were  kept  constantly  at  work  repairing 
and  building  new  fortifications  and  putting  the  place  in  a  state  of  defense.  Dur- 
ing that  summer  the  soldiers  suffered  very  much  from  sickness.  In  the  fall  the 
troops  received  orders  to  march  to  Sabine  river,  against  the  Spaniards;  which 
expedition  has  since  been  known  as  the  Sabine  Expedition.  The  troops  were 
placed  in  keel  boats  and  worked  their  way  up  the  Mississippi  and  Red  rivers, 
suffering  every  kind  of  hardship  and  fatigue,  hot  weather,  bad  water  and  any 
quantity  of  mosquitoes,  could  afford,  before  they  arrived  at  Nachetochez.  Dur- 
ing this  trip  Mr.  Davenport  steered  one  of  the  boats  and  came  very  near  being 
drowned.  In  consequence  of  the  boats  sheering  and  swinging  around  the  steer- 
ing oar  knocked  him  into  the  river,  but  fortunately  as  he  came  up  he  seized  hold 
of  the  blade  of  the  oar  and  held  on  until  he  was  rescued.  After  remaining  here 
a  short  time  he  was  sent  by  General  Wilkinson  with  dispatches  to  Fort  Adams, 
on  the  Mississippi.  He  took  one  man  with  him,  got  his  provisions  into  a  canoe 
and  started  down  Red  river.  When  they  had  reached  the  great  bend  they  met 
with  an  accident  that  came  near  losing  them  their  lives.  The  canoe  struck  a 
snag  and  upset  them  in  the  river,  but  by  clinging  to  the  drift  wood  they  made  out 
to  reach  the  shore,  making  a  narrow  escape  with  their  lives.  Losing  their  canoe 
and  all  of  their  provisions,  they  were  now  obliged  to  strike  across  the  country 
to  the  Mississippi,  traveling  over  swamps,  bayous,  sloughs,  having  frequently  to 
get  logs  together  and  make  rafts  to  cross  on.  During  this  travel  they  were  nearly 
eaten  up  by  mosquitoes.  At  night  they  would  build  a  fire  and  make  a  dense 
smoke  to  keep  them  off.  While  one  of  them  would  sleep,  the  other  would  watch, 
keep  up  the  fire  and  look  out  for  alligators.  They  were  several  days  in  reach- 
ing Fort  Adams  and  were  nearly  worn  out,  living  only  upon  what  berries  and 
wild  fruit  they  could  find. 

Peace  being  made  with  the  Spaniards,  General  Wilkinson  returned  with  the 
troops  to  New  Orleans  and  as  soon  as  they  arrived  they  commenced  to  put  the 
place  in  a  state  of  defense  against  the  Burr  expedition,  which  was  on  its  way 
down  the  river.  There  was  great  excitement  in  the  city.  The  military  were 
kept  constantly  on  duty  and  in  a  short  time  the  city  was  declared  under  martial 
law.  During  this  time  Mr.  Davenport  was  on  duty  as  orderly  to  General  Wilkin- 
son. About  the  middle  of  December,  1806,  he  was  sent  with  a  guard  to  arrest 
Dr.  Errick  Bollman,  which  was  effected  about  12  o'clock  at  night.  They  sur- 
rounded the  house,  posting  sentinels  around  it  to  prevent  any  possible  escape. 
When  they  knocked  at  the  door  a  person  came  and  opened  it  and  inquired  what 
they  wanted.  They  replied  "Dr.  Bollman."  The  person  stated  the  doctor  was 
not  there.     They,  however,  entered,  searched  the  house  and  found  the  doctor  in 


860  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

his  room,  dressing  himself,  when  they  arrested  him  for  treason,  taking  him  down 
to  the  fort  for  safe  keeping. 

During  the  stay  of  the  troops  in  New  Orleans  they  suffered  dreadfully  from 
sickness,  not  being  accustomed  to  the  climate.  It  frequently  became  Mr.  Daven- 
port's turn  to  take  charge  of  the  men  detailed  to  bury  the  dead.  This  was  a 
dreadful  duty.  The  graves  could  not  be  sunk  more  than  three  feet,  owing  to  the 
water  being  so  near  the  surface,  while  the  men  had  to  bail  out  the  water  as  they 
dug  the  graves;  and  when  the  coffin  was  put  in  they  had  to  hold  it  down  with 
their  spades  until  the  grave  could  be  filled  up  with  earth  to  keep  the  coffin  from 
floating.  The  sun's  scorching  heat  and  the  intolerable  stench  from  the  shallow 
graves  made  this  the  hardest  duty  that  was  possible  for  any  one  to  perform  and 
a  great  many  lost  their  lives  from  the  effects  of  it.  After  the  arrest  of  Burr  and 
his  associates  and  everything  had  quieted  down,  most  of  the  troops  were  sent 
to  Natchez,  Fort  Adams,  and  other  more  healthy  places. 

In  the  spring  of  1807  Mr.  Davenport  was  sent  with  a  party  of  troops  to  the 
Homichita  river,  in  the  Choctaw  country,  where  they  built  a  block  house  and  re- 
mained there  until  fall,  when  they  returned  to  Natchez.  Mr.  Davenport  then 
received  orders  to  go  on  a  recruiting  expedition  to  fill  the  regiment,  which  was 
nearly  decimated  by  losses  from  sickness.  He  sailed  from  New  Orleans  to  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  enHsted  quite  a  number  of  men,  going  from  there  to  Balti- 
more and  thence  to  Winchester,  Virginia,  1809.  Here  he  remained  until  the 
spring  of  1810,  when  he  was  ordered  west  to  join  his  regiment.  They  walked 
over  the  mountains  to  Pittsburg.  Here  they  procured  keel  boats  and  proceeded 
down  the  Ohio,  then  up  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  to  the  barracks  at  Belle- 
fontaine.  He  remained  here  until  the  summer  of  1812,  when  he  went  with 
Captain  Owens'  company  in  boats  up  the  Mississippi  to  an  island  just  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Illinois.  Here  they  built  temporary  fortifications  and  remained 
until  fall  to  protect  St.  Louis  and  the  settlements  from  being  attacked  by  the 
Indians. 

About  this  time  General  Howard  organized  an  expedition  to  go  against  the 
Indians  on  the  Illinois  river  at  Peoria  lake,  where  the  Pottawottamies  had  sev- 
eral villages.  The  regular  troops  were  ordered  to  proceed  by  water  to  Peoria 
while  the  rangers  and  volunteers  proceeded  across  the  country.  They  got  their 
keel  boats  in  readiness  and  had  the  "cargo  boxes"  double  planked  so  as  to  make 
them  ball  proof — made  loop  and  port  holes  for  musketry  and  light  pieces  of 
cannon.  They  arrived  at  the  foot  of  Peoria  lake  without  seeing  any  Indians — 
landed  their  men  and  commenced  to  build  a  blockhouse  on  the  top  of  a  high  bank 
which  overlooked  the  prairie  for  some  distance.  After  finishing  this  they  sunk 
a  well  to  supply  it  with  water.  Having  arranged  things  so  as  to  draw  up  the 
water  with  a  sweep,  it  was  necessary  to  have  a  grapevine  to  attach  to  the  pole. 
Mr.  Davenport,  having  noticed  some  grapevines  in  the  woods  a  short  distance 
from  the  blockhouse,  took  a  man  with  him  to  get  one  and  soon  found  the  article 
in  question.  They  cut  it  and  were  trimming  it  when  an  unusual  sound  attracted 
their  attention.  They  became  alarmed  and  started  for  the  fort  and  when  they 
reached  the  edge  of  the  timber,  he  cHmbed  a  tree  to  reconnoiter  the  prairie  in  the 
direction  of  the  blockhouse,  and  to  his  horror  he  beheld  the  prairie  swarming  with 
Indians,  moving  toward  the  blockhouse.     He  descended  as  fast  as  possible  and 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  861 

told  his  companion  that  their  only  chance  of  escape  was  by  getting  under  the 
bank  and  running  for  their  lives  along  the  shore  of  the  lake,  endeavoring  thus 
to  reach  the  blockhouse  before  the  Indians  discovered  them.  They  started,  but 
were  not  half  way  to  the  fort  before  the  battle  commenced.  The  firing  from 
the  blockhouse  and  the  yells  of  the  Indians  on  the  prairie  above  them  increased 
their  speed  considerably  and  they  made,  perhaps,  the  fastest  time  ever  known. 
When  they  approached  near  the  blockhouse,  they  found  it  was  impossible  to 
reach  it  as  the  Indians  were  nearer  than  they  were  and  their  only  chance  now 
was  to  get  to  the  gun  boats  at  the  lake.  When  they  were  about  half  way  to  the 
boats  the  Indians  discovered  them  and  commenced  firing  at  them  and,  yelling  like 
a  pack  of  devils,  made  towards  the  boats.  This  alarmed  the  men  on  board,  who 
commenced  to  push  out  into  the  lake,  but  fortunately  one  of  the  boats  grounded 
on  a  sand  bar,  which  accident  saved  Mr.  Davenport  and  his  companion.  They 
rushed  into  the  water  and,  wading  to  the  boat,  put  their  shoulders  to  the  bow 
and  pushed  it  into  deep  water.  During  all  this  time  the  Indians  were  firing  at 
them  and  the  balls  kept  whizzing  by,  making  it  anything  but  comfortable.  They 
soon  got  on  board  and  under  cover.  Mr.  Davenport  determined  on  revenge  and, 
pointing  one  of  the  small  cannons,  he  took  good  aim  at  the  red  skins  and  applied 
the  match.  The  gun  missed  fire.  While  hunting  for  a  primer  some  one  elevated 
the  piece  too  high.  When  he  applied  the  match  the  piece  went  off  with  a  tremen- 
dous explosion,  so  much  so  that  he  thought  the  whole  boat  was  blown  up.  The 
muzzle  of  the  gun  had  been  elevated  above  the  edge  of  the  port  hole  and  when 
it  went  ofif  the  whole  load  struck  the  side  of  the  boat.  By  this  time  the  brisk  fire 
kept  up  from  the  blockhouse  and  boats,  obliged  the  Indians  to  retreat. 

Nothing  of  any  importance  occurred  until  about  the  first  of  December,  when 
a  large  party  of  Pottawottamies  arrived  with  a  white  flag  and  sent  in  three  of 
their  chiefs  to  the  fort  and  proposed  to  meet  the  commanding  officer  in  council. 
This  was  agreed  to  and  arrangements  were  made  for  the  meeting  of  a  certain  num- 
ber of  chiefs  and  braves  in  council.  A  place  and  time  were  agreed  upon  and 
when  the  time  arrived  about  forty  of  the  principal  chiefs  and  braves  approached 
the  place,  dressed  in  their  full  Indian  costume,  headed  by  their  principal  chief, 
the  old  Black  Partridge.  They  were  met  by  the  commanding  officer  and  all  the 
officers  of  the  post.  After  shaking  hands  and  passing  around  the  peace  pipe 
the  old  chief  explained  his  business.  They  wished  to  be  friends  with  the  Amer- 
icansj  to  stop  war  and  make  a  treaty  of  peace  with  him.  The  commanding  offi- 
cer complimented  them  for  the  decision  and  promised  to  send  their  talk  to  the 
superintendent  of  Indian  affairs,  General  Clark,  at  St.  Louis,  as  he  had  no  orders 
or  authority  to  treat  with  them.  He  proposed  that  they  should  send  a  delegation 
of  their  chiefs  and  warriors  to  St.  Louis  and  he  agreed  to  send  some  of  his  sol- 
diers with  them,  to  see  them  safe  through  the  white  settlements.  This  was  agreed 
to.  So  they  selected  thirteen  of  their  principal  men  and  one  woman.  The 
commander  ordered  Mr.  Davenport  to  select  four  trusty  men  and  take  charge 
of  the  Indians  and  escort  them  to  St.  Louis.  This  was  rather  an  unpleasant 
duty  for  five  men  to  start  out  with  a  lot  of  hostile  Indians,  but  it  had  to  be  done 
—there  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  to  obey  orders,  and  accordingly  he  got  a  suf- 
ficient supply  of  provisions  and  placed  them  aboard  of  a  perogue  and,  embark- 
ing his  party,  started  down  the  Illinois  river.     The  principal  chiefs  were  Gomo. 


862  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Senatchwine,  Shiggashack,  Comas  and  Black  Partridge.  They  had  traveled  but 
one  day  when  the  river  froze  up,  obliging  them  to  abandon  their  boat  and  travel 
by  land.  Each  took  a  small  quantity  of  provisions,  the  remainder  was  rolled 
up  and  placed  in  a  hollow  tree.  With  the  provisions  they  also  had  a  small  keg 
of  whiskey  and  after  giving  each  one  of  the  party  a  dram,  it  was  proposed  to 
hide  it  with  the  provisions,  so  that  the  Indians  could  have  it  on  their  return,  but 
the  old  Black  Partridge  insisted  that  they  should  drink  it  all  then.  Mr.  Daven- 
port told  him  he  could  not  do  so.  He  then  directed  them  to  move  on  and  his 
men  to  follow  in  the  rear,  while  he  remained  to  put  away  the  keg  of  liquor. 
After  J:hey  were  out  of  sight  he  took  the  keg  and  concealed  it  in  a  different  place 
from  that  mentioned  to  the  Indians,  having  become  alarmed  at  their  conduct, 
and  being  afraid  they  would  return  and  take  the  liquor  and  get  drunk.  In  that 
case  they  were  sure  to  have  trouble  and,  perhaps,  lose  their  lives.  He  soon  over- 
took the  company  but  all  day  the  old  Black  Partridge  was  very  moody  and  dis- 
contented. At  night  they  encamped  on  a  point  of  the  river  and  he  managed  to 
place  the  Indians  on  the  point  and  his  own  camp  behind  them,  so  that  they  could 
not  go  back  without  his  knowing  it.  Each  had  a  guard  to  watch  the  other. 
They  traveled  in  this  cautious  manner  two  or  three  days,  when  they  discovered 
a  smoke  across  the  prairie,  which  alarmed  the  Indians.  They  stated  that  there 
was  a  large  war  party  of  Sacs  out  and  thought  from  the  smoke  it  must  be  they, 
and  if  they  saw  them  they  would  be  killed,  they  could  not  be  saved  from  these 
formidable  braves.  This  was  not  very  comfortable  news  but  they  avoided  the 
danger  by  avoiding  the  prairie  and  following  the  timber  and  making  no  fire  at 
night.  They  traveled  on  for  a  number  of  days  and  when  they  began  to  ap- 
proach the  Mississippi  a  new  danger  began  to  threaten  the  imagination  of  the 
Indians.  The  rangers  were  ordered  to  scour  the  country  as  far  up  as  the  mouth 
of  the  Illinois,  and  there  was  great  danger  of  falling  in  with  them  and  their 
firing  on  them  before  the  rangers  discovered  that  there  were  any  whites  with 
them.  When  camping  at  night  the  whites  hung  their  hats  and  coats  upon  poles, 
so  that  in  case  of  an  approach  of  the  rangers  the  Indians  would  not  be  fired 
upon.  In  this  way  they  traveled  and.  after  suffering  very  much  from  the  in- 
clemency of  the  weather,  and  from  hunger,  they  arrived  at  St.  Louis  and  were 
very  well  received  and  were  soon  called  to  the  council  chamber  and  a  treaty  con- 
cluded with  the  Indians,  who  left  five  of  their  number  as  hostages  for  its  ful- 
filment. 

Governor  Clark  inquired  of  Mr.  Davenport  "how  it  had  been  possible  for 
him  and  his  party  to  reach  the  white  settlements  without  being  seen  by  the  rang- 
ers, who  were  ordered  to  guard  the  frontiers  from  a  surprise  by  the  Indians?" 
Mr.  Davenport  replied,  "that  he  had  not  seen  anything  of  the  rangers  nor  any 
signs  of  their  ever  having  been  to  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois."  Some  of  the  offi- 
cers  of  the  rangers  were  present  and  overheard  the  conversation  and  when  they 
left  they  swore  they  would  show  Mr.  Davenport's  partT  whether  there  were 
rangers  on  the  lookout  or  not. 

Governor  Clark  supplied  the  chiefs  with  presents  and  provisions  and  directed 
Mr.  Davenport  to  take  the  party  up  the  river  in  a  perogue,  and  land  them  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Illinois  river,  on  the  north  side,  so  that  they  might  return  home  in 
safety.     After  getting  everything  in  order  they  started  on  their  return.     They 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  863 

were  obliged  to  keep  on  the  Missouri  side  all  the  way  up  for  fear  of  the  rangers 
firing  on  them,  as  they  were  very  angry  at  the  statements  that  had  been  made  by 
Mr.  Davenport  and  had  sworn  vengeance  against  him  and  his  party  on  their  re- 
turn.    They,  however,  reached  home  in  safety. 

Mr.  Davenport  returned  to  Bellefontaine  and  remained  there  until  the  spring 
of  1814,  when  the  first  regiment  was  ordered  to  join  General  Brown  on  the  Can- 
ada line.  They  shipped  on  keel  boats  and  went  down  the  Alississippi  and  up  to 
the  Ohio  to  Pittsburg.  Then  then  crossed  over  the  mountains  by  forced 
marches  until  they  arrived  at  the  town  of  Erie.  They  immediately  embarked  on 
two  vessels  and  sailed  to  Fort  Erie,  where  they  were  ordered  to  be  reviewed. 
They  put  themselves  in  as  good  order  as  possible,  paraded  and  received  orders 
at  once  to  march  to  Lundy's  Lane  and  arrived  in  time  to  be  in  the  hottest  part 
of  the  battle.  This  was  very  hard  service,  as  they  had  just  performed  a  long 
fatiguing  journey  without  an  hour's  rest.  But  the  army  was  hard  pressed  and 
had  need  of  every  man  that  could  be  brought  into  action  during  the  battle.  Mr. 
Davenport  had  to  assist  in  taking  one  of  the  officers,  who  was  severely  wounded, 
from  the  field,  and  laid  his  musket  down  to  perform  the  service,  and  when  he 
returned  it  was  gone.  He  soon  found  one  by  the  side  of  a  British  soldier,  which 
he  took,  and  found  to  be  one  of  the  Glengarian  muskets,  a  very  excellent  ex- 
change for  the  one  he  had  lost  (this  old  relic  is  still  kept  in  the  family  in  memory 
of  the  war).  Mr.  Davenport  was  in  many  very  perilous  situations  during  this 
service  time,  often  being  placed  on  picket-guard  duty  and  during  the  siege  of 
Fort  Erie  he  was  on  duty  at  one  of  the  batteries  night  and  day,  with  scarcely  a 
moment's  rest.  He  was  also  on  duty  at  Black  Rock  in  charge  of  a  battery,  a 
part  of  the  time.  At  the  time  of  the  sortie  he  was  one  of  the  attacking  party 
which  drove  the  British  from  their  works.  After  the  siege  was  over  the  troops 
crossed  back  again  to  Bufifalo  and  the  First  Regiment  marched  to  Pittsburg  and 
then  by  boats  to  Bellefontaine.  After  being  there  a  short  time  his  term  of  ser- 
vice expired  and  he  got  an  honorable  discharge,  having  given  his  adopted  coun- 
try ten  years  of  very  active  duty  and  of  the  very  best  part  of  his  life.  At  this 
time  he  was  employed  by  Colonel  William  Morrison,  of  Kentucky,  government 
contractor,  as  his  agent  to  supply  the  troops  with  provisions — the  commissary 
department  being  at  that  time  under  the  management  of  the  contractors.  He 
now  came  to  St.  Louis  and  took  charge  of  several  keel  boats,  loaded  with  the 
necessary  provisions.  A  large  drove  of  cattle  were  also  purchased  and  driven 
through  the  country.  They  started  up  the  river  and  arrived  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Des  Moines  river  late  in  the  fall  and  concluded  to  stop  there  for  the  winter, 
building  a  number  of  log  huts  for  the  men  and  for  storing  the  provisions.  It  be- 
ing so  late,  it  was  difficult  to  build  huts  in  sufficient  numbers.  The  best  he  could 
do  was  to  put  poles  into  the  ground  and  nail  up  green  hides  for  siding  and  roof- 
ing, and  when  they  got  dry  they  made  a  tolerably  warm  house.  This  post  was 
called  "Cantonment  Davis."     The  next  year  Fort  Edwards  was  built  there. 

In  the  spring  of  1816  the  Eighth  Regiment  and  a  company  of  riflemen,  un- 
der the  command  of  Colonel  Lawrence  (the  very  same  officer  and  friend  with 
whom  Mr.  Davenport  had  enlisted  ten  years  before),  embarked  on  boats  and 
started  up  the  river.  They  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  Rock  river  and  examined 
the  country  for  a  site  for  a  fort,  and  the  result  was  the  selecting  of  the  lower 


864  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

end  of  Rock  island  as  the  most  suitable  point.  They  landed  on  Rock  island  on 
the  lOth  of  May,  1816.  As  soon  as  they  had  completed  their  encampment  he 
employed  the  soldiers  to  cut  logs  and  build  store  houses  for  the  provisions,  and 
had  a  bakehouse  and  oven  put  up.  This  was  the  first  building  ever  erected  on 
this  island.  The  soldiers  now  set  to  work  to  build  the  fort,  which  was  named 
Fort  Armstrong.  At  this  time  there  lived  a  large  body  of  Indians  in  the  vicin- 
ity, numbering  some  10,000,  divided  in  three  villages,  one  on  the  east  side  of  the 
river,  near  the  foot  of  the  island,  called  Waupellow  Village,  and  about  three 
miles  south,  on  the  bank  of  Rock  river,  stood  the  famous  village  of  Black  Hawk, 
and  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  stood  a  small  village  named  after  an  old  brave, 
Oskosh.  Upon  the  first  arrival  of  the  troops  on  the  island  the  Indians  were 
very  much  dissatisfied  but  the  officers  took  great  pains  to  gain  their  friendship 
by  making  them  many  presents  and  they  soon  became  reconciled  and  were  most 
excellent  neighbors.  During  the  first  summer  they  would  frequently  bring  over 
supplies  of  sweet  corn,  beans,  pumpkins  and  such  other  vegetables  as  they  raised, 
and  present  them  to  Mr.  Davenport  and  the  officers,  with  the  remarks  that  they 
had  raised  none  and  that  they  themselves  had  plenty,  invariably  refusing  to  take 
any  pay. 

During  the  first  summer  an  incident  occurred  which  gave  Mr.  Davenport  an 
Indian  name.  Some  of  his  cattle  having  strayed  ofif  the  island,  he  took  some  men 
and  went  over  to  look  for  them  in  the  bottom  at  the  mouth  of  Rock  river,  but  not 
finding  them,  they  were  returning  along  the  bank  of  the  river,  in  front  of  the 
Indian  village.  When  opposite  some  of  the  lodges  a  party  of  drunken  Indians 
came  rushing  out  towards  them — his  men  took  to  their  heels  but  he  stood  his 
ground ;  some  dozen  of  the  drunken  Indians  seized  him  by  the  arms,  legs  and  coat- 
tail,  while  another  drunken  fellow  held  a  large  black  bottle  in  his  hand  and  would 
stagger  up  and  try  to  hit  him  on  the  head  with  it,  which  blow  would  require  all 
his  strength  to  dodge.  This  manoeuver  was  repeated  a  number  of  times  until  he 
was  nearly  exhausted  and  had  about  made  up  his  mind  that  the  "cursed  Indian" 
would  break  his  head  with  the  bottle,  when  an  old  Indian,  a  friend  of  his,  hap- 
pened to  see  what  was  going  on,  when  he  cried  out  "Saganosh,  Saganosh !"  ("he 
is  an  Englishman.")  These  words  operated  like  magic — they  loosed  hold  and 
commenced  to  shake  him  by  the  hands  and  endeavored  to  be  the  cleverest  fellows 
in  the  world.  He  was  ever  afterward  known  by  the  different  tribes  as  "Sagan- 
osh." At  this  time  he  resided  near  the  fort  and  continued  to  supply  the  troops 
with  provisions  but  in  the  second  year  he  built  a  double  log  cabin  and  storehouse 
adjoining,  about  a  half  mile  from  the  fort,  and  where  the  present  residence  is. 
He  now.  with  what  little  money  he  had  saved,  purchased  a  small  stock  of  Indian 
goods  and  commenced  the  "Indian  trader."  At  this  time  there  was  a  large  tribe 
of  Winnebagoes  or,  as  the  French  called  them.  Peons,  that  inhabited  Rock  river 
country  and  the  Winnebago  swamps.  This  tribe  had  a  very  bad  name  and  were 
always  very  hostile  and  treacherous  and  they  had  been  in  the  habit,  for  several 
years  before,  when  a  trader  came  among  them  with  goods,  to  kill  him  and  take 
the  goods,  as  the  easiest  way  of  making  a  short  bargain,  so  that  the  French 
traders  had  been  afraid,  for  some  time,  to  go  among  them.  Mr.  Davenport  not 
knowing  much  about  the  Indians  at  this  time,  and  hearing  that  they  had  large 
quantities  of  furs  and  that  no  traders  had  visited  them  for  some  time,  concluded 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  865 

that  this  would  be  the  best  place  for  him  to  trade  in.  As  soon  as  the  French 
traders  (most  of  whom  were  in  the  employ  of  the  American  Fur  Company) 
heard  of  it,  they  advised  him  not  to  attempt  it,  as  he  would  be  killed  and  robbed, 
but  he  determined  to  try  it  and  fitted  out  five  or  six  pack-horses,  loaded  them 
with  goods  and  taking  two  Canadians,  Gokey  and  Degree,  with  him,  started  up 
Rock  river.  They  soon  reached  the  Winnebago  encampment.  He  immediately 
got  the  chiefs  and  principal  men  together  and  made  them  a  "talk."  He  told 
them  he  had  heard  that  they  were  in  want  of  many  kinds  of  goods,  and  that  they 
had  plenty  of  furs,  so  he  had  come  up  to  trade  with  them,  but  that  before  he  had 
started  he  had  been  told  that  they  were  a  very  bad  people  and  was  advised  not  to 
go  among  them,  but  he  did  not  believe  these  stories,  and  that  he  had  come  among 
them  to  see  for  himself.  The  chiefs  shook  him  by  the  hand  and  expressed  great 
satisfaction  at  the  confidence  he  had  in  them  and  assured  him  if  he  would  trade 
with  them  he  should  never  have  cause  to  complain.  They  then  sent  a  cryer  through 
the  different  encampments  to  announce  the  arrival  of  a  trader,  and  that  they  must 
treat  him  well.  He  now  unpacked  his  horses  and  placed  his  goods  in  one  of  the 
lodges,  which  was  offered  him.  He  commenced  to  trade  and  soon  sold  all  his 
goods  and  had  received  the  best  kind  of  furs  in  payment,  and  at  very  good  profits. 
He  now  loaded  up  his  horses  and  started  back  with  Gokey,  leaving  Degree  in 
charge  of  a  part  of  the  furs,  while  he  returned  to  get  another  supply  of  goods. 
He  now  visited  all  the  different  encampments  and  met  with  very  good  treatment — 
his  trade  soon  increased  so  largely  that  he  established  several  trading  posts  on 
Rock  river  and  maintained  them  for  many  years,  making  a  very  profitable 
business. 

At  this  early  time  most  of  the  Indian  goods  were  brought  from  Mackinac, 
through  Green  bay,  then  up  the  Fox  river  to  the  Portage,  there  packed  across 
to  the  Wisconsin  river,  then  down  the  Mississippi  in  Mackinaw  boats.  He  once 
sent  an  order  to  Mackinaw  for  an  assortment  of  Indian  goods,  camping  equip- 
age, four  hands  and  a  Mackinaw  boat,  and  everything  complete  was  delivered 
to  them  at  Rock  island.  His  employes  were  Canadians,  hired  for  three  years, 
at  $125  per  year,  and  were  very  faithful  hands.  Shortly  after  he  had 
commenced  trading  up  Rock  river  he  made  a  very  narrow  escape.  About 
this  time  several  war  parties  had  gone  to  attack  the  settlements,  one  of 
which  had  been  unfortunate  and  had  lost  some  of  their  men,  so  that,  on 
their  return,  the  relations  of  those  that  were  killed  felt  very  hostile  and  deter- 
mined to  be  revenged  at  the  first  opportunity.  Not  knowing  anything  of  this 
state  of  things  Mr.  Davenport  packed  up  some  goods  on  four  or  five  horses, 
taking  Gokey  with  him,  and  started  up  Rock  river.  They  arrived  at  Prophets- 
town  and  went  immediately  to  their  old  friend,  Wetaico's  lodge.  The  old  man 
met  them  but  seemed  much  alarmed.  He  shook  them  by  the  hand  and  said  he 
was  very  sorry  they  had  come  at  this  time ;  he  was  afraid  they  would  be  killed 
as  there  was  a  war  party  just  about  to  start  from  the  upper  end  of  the  village, 
headed  by  the  "Crane,"  who  had  lost  some  relatives,  but  that  he  would  do  all  he 
could  to  save  them.  This  was  said  to  them  in  the  Chippewa  tongue  as  that  was 
generally  used  by  the  traders.  He  invited  them  to  sit  down,  when  the  yells  of  an 
approaching  party  of  Indians  were  heard.  He  told  them  to  keep  cool  and  show 
no  signs  of  alarm.    In  a  few  minutes  a  large  crowd  surrounded  the  lodge,  whoop- 


866  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

ing  and  yelling  like  so  many  devils.  The  old  man  now  stepped  to  the  door  of  his 
lodge  and  inquired  what  they  wanted  (in  the  Winnebago  language.)  They  re- 
plied that  "they  had  come  to  kill  the  white  men."  The  old  man  now  made  them 
a  long  speech,  claiming  the  rights  of  hospitality  and  the  sacredness  of  his  lodge. 
He  told  them  they  were  fools !  Why  be  in  so  great  a  hurry  ?  That  they  had 
plenty  of  time,  as  the  trader  was  going  to  encamp  just  below  the  village  and 
would  remain  three  or  four  days  to  trade!  This  seemed  reasonable  and  the 
crowd  assented  to  it  and  retired.  The  old  man  returned  and  said  he  could  save 
them,  but  they  must  follow  strictly  his  counsed.  He  then  directed  them  to  go 
just  below  the  village  and  pitch  their  tent  near  the  bank  of  the  river — unpack 
their  goods,  turn  out  their  horses  and  make  every  preparation  for  remaining  sev- 
eral days,  and  in  the  meantime  he  would  place  a  light  canoe  and  paddles  a  little 
way  below  their  tent  and  as  soon  as  it  was  dark  to  slip  away  from  their  camp- 
fire,  jump  into  the  canoe  and  float  down  the  river  until  they  were  out  of  hearing 
of  the  village,  and  then  to  paddle  for  their  lives,  but  to  lay  by  in  the  high  grass 
in  the  daytime  as  they  might  be  pursued  and  headed  off  across  some  of  the  bends 
of  the  river.  They  followed  his  advice  strictly,  put  up  their  tent,  built  a  fire  and 
spanceled  their  horses,  arranged  their  goods  and  made  preparations  for  cooking. 
Some  few  Indians  came  to  them  and  desired  to  trade,  but  they  put  them  off  until 
next  day  on  the  score^  of  fatigue.  They  did  this  to  throw  them  off  their  guard. 
The  hours  seemed  very  long  but  darkness  came  at  last  and  they  stole  away  from 
their  encampment,  reached  the  canoe  and  floated  quietly  down  the  river,  and  as 
soon  as  they  were  out  of  sight  of  the  camp-fires  they  began  to  paddle  their  canoe 
swiftly  down  Rock  river.  Several  times  during  the  night  they  saw  camp-fires 
ahead  of  them  on  the  bank  of  the  river  and  were  obliged  to  drift  past  them  on 
the  opposite  side  under  the  shadow  of  the  bank.  As  soon  as  it  was  daylight  they 
landed,  hauled  their  canoe  into  the  tall  grass  and  concealed  themselves  during 
the  day  and  when  it  was  dark,  they  started  again  and  paddled  all  night.  Next 
morning  they  found  themselves  at  the  mouth  of  Rock  river  and  soon  reached 
Rock  Island.  Sometime  afterwards  old  Wetaico  visited  Rock  Island,  when  he 
gave  an  account  of  what  occurred.  The  next  morning  after  the  escape,  he  said, 
the  whole  village  turned  out — men,  women  and  children,  marched  down  to  the 
tent,  headed  by  the  "Crane"  and  his  war  party,  armed  with  their  tomahawks, 
bows  and  arrows,  and  painted — singing  their  war  song  and  beating  their  drums. 
They  advanced,  dancing  their  war  dance,  and  surrounded  the  tent.  But  they 
soon  found  "that  white  man  is  very  uncertain."  Owing'  to  the  bad  feeling  of 
this  part  of  the  tribe  he  did  not  go  among  them  for  some  time  afterward.  The 
Winnebagoes  frequently  came  down  to  the  island  to  trade,  in  small  parties,  but 
they  appeared  very  sullen  and  shy.  They  did  not  like  to  visit  the  fort  much. 
Mr.  Davenport  felt  satisfied  that  if  they  got  a  good  opportunity  they  would 
kill  some  of  the  whites. 

In  1818  Mr.  Davenport  gave  up  the  agency  of  supplying  the  troops  and 
turned  his  attention  entirely  to  the  Indian  trade.  He  made  arrangements  for 
building  him  a  house  and  store  and  got  the  commanding  officer  (Colonel  Mor- 
gan), to  point  out  the  place  where  he  could  build  without  interfering  with  the 
forts.  The  place  selected  was  the  one  where  his  late  residence  now  stands.  He 
put  up  a  double  log  cabin,  with  a  chimney  between  them.     He  now  went  to  St. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  867 

Louis  and  purchased  a  supply  of  goods  and  provisions  and  bought  a  small  keel 
boat  (Flying  Betsey)  loaded  her  with  them,  and  returned  to  Rock  Island.  Here- 
tofore Mr.  Davenport  had  confined  his  trade  principally  to  the  Winnebagoes 
but  he  now  commenced  to  trade  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  in  opposition  to  Amer- 
ican Fur  Company's  traders.  During  the  winter  he  was  constantly  traversing 
the  prairies  of  Iowa  and  visiting  every  encampment  in  person.  He,  in  this  way, 
seldom  left  their  trading  post.  In  the  spring  he  would  have  all  his  furs  and 
selected  all  the  best  furs,  while  the  old  French  traders  had  very  little  energy  and 
skins  nicely  packed  and  prepared— feathers  all  sacked,  bees-wax  and  deer  tal- 
low all  barreled — then  would  load  his  boat  and  go  to  St.  Louis  and  sell  his  cargo, 
which  always  commanded  the  highest  market  price,  owing  to  the  good  condi- 
tion in  which  everything  was  put  up.  It  was  customary  with  the  Sac  and  Fox 
Indians  residing  in  this  vicinity,  when  they  finished  planting  their  corn,  for  the 
young  men  to  go  on  a  summer  hunt  for  bufifalo  and  deer,  while  the  old  men  and 
most  of  the  women  would  go  up  to  the  lead  mines  in  their  canoes  and  dig  min- 
eral, smelt  it  in  log  furnaces  and  return  back  again  about  the  time  their  corn 
would  be  fit  to  eat.  On  these  occasions  he  would  load  his  keel  boat  with  pro- 
visions and  a  few  goods  and  go  up  to  Fever  river  (or  "Mau-cau-pi-a-sepo,"  or 
Small  Pox  river,  as  the  Indians  called  it),  and  trade  with  the  Indians  for  their 
lead.  He  also  visited  the  mines  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi  (where  the 
Dubuque  mines  were)  and  obtained  large  quantities  of  lead  of  them,  which 
branch  of  the  trade  was  very  valuable. 

In  the  fall  of  1819  Mr.  Davenport  and  his  family  came  very  near  being 
massacred  by  the  Winnebagoes,  a  party  of  twenty  of  whom,  headed  by  the 
"Crane"  arrived  about  sundown  and  said  they  wanted  to  trade.  He  told  them 
he  never  opened  his  store  after  sundown,  that  they  would  have  to  wait  until 
next  day.  At  this  they  seemed  to  be  very  much  dissatisfied  but  he  invited  them 
into  the  room  occupied  by  his  men  (adjoining  the  room  he  lived  in)  and  gave 
them  plenty  to  eat  and  pipes  and  tobacco  and  told  them  they  could  sleep  on  the 
floor  in  front  of  the  fire.  At  this  time  he  had  only  two  men  at  home,  Jerome 
and  another  trader.  About  bedtime  Jerome  came  into  his  room  and  told  him  he 
did  not  like  the  conduct  of  the  Indians,  that  they  did  not  act  right,  that  they  had 
laid  down  without  taking  oflF  their  moccasins  or  other  things  and  that  he  was 
afraid  to  sleep  in  the  room  with  them  and  that  they  intended  mischief.  He 
told  Jerome  to  bring  in  the  other  man  and  their  blankets  and  sleep  on  the  floor. 
The  two  rooms  were  divided  by  a  chimney  with  a  short  passage  at  one  side,  from 
one  room  to  the  other  with  a  door  at  each  end.  Jerome  and  the  man  came  in 
with  their  blankets  and  guns  and  laid  down  on  the  floor  with  their  guns  be- 
side them.  Soon  after  one  of  the  Indians  came  in  and  said  he  wished  to  sleep 
on  the  floor  as  the  other  room  was  rather  crowded.  He  secured  permission 
to  do  so.  As  soon  as  the  men  had  laid  down  Mr.  Davenport  examined  every- 
thing to  see  that  the  guns  were  all  in  their  proper  places,  as  he  generally  kept 
a  number  always  loaded,  standing  against  the  wall  ready,  in  case  of  an  attack. 
He  then  put  a  sack  of  sweet  corn  against  the  door  (locks  were  scarce  in  those 
days),  and  retired  to  bed,  but  not  to  sleep.  About  the  middle  of  the  night, 
Jerome  turned  over  and  in  doing  so  rattled  his  powder  horn.  This  alarmed  the 
Indian  who  sprang  to  his  feet  and,  giving  a  yell,  rushed  into  the  other  room. 


868  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

By  this  time  J\Ir.  Davenport  and  his  men  were  up,  with  their  guns  in  their  hands, 
and  when  the  Indians,  in  the  other  room,  came  rushing  through  the  narrow  pas- 
sage, leveled  their  guns  at  them  and  told  them  to  move  back  or  they  would  fire 
on  them.  The  Indians  saw  that  they  were  prepared  to  fire,  so  they  retreated  and 
shut  the  door  at  their  end  of  the  passage  and  placed  every  thing  they  could  find 
against  it  to  barricade  it.  Mr.  Davenport  did  the  same  at  the  other  end  and, 
with  his  men,  stood  on  guard  until  sunrise,  expecting  every  moment  some  kind 
of  attack  would  be  made  on  them,  but  during  the  whole  time  they  could  not  hear 
the  least  noise.  As  soon  as  it  was  light  they  began  to  reconnoiter,  but  could  not 
see  anything  of  the  Indians — they  had  gone.  Some  time  afterwards  Mr.  Daven- 
port learned  that  the  party  had  started  out  with  the  intention  of  killing  the  whole 
family  and  plundering  the  store.  Their  plan,  at  first,  was  to  get  Mr.  Davenport 
into  the  store,  where  they  intended  to  tomahawk  him  and  then  kill  the  rest  with- 
out firing  a  gun,  for  fear  of  alarming  the  fort.  Their  next  move  was  to  place 
the  Indian  in  the  room  to  sleep,  so  that  he  could  get  up  when  all  were  asleep 
and  tomahawk  as  many  as  he  could  and  at  the  same  time  to  give  a  yell  as  a  signal 
that  they  should  come  to  his  assistance.  But  a  guilty  conscience  frightened  him, 
when  the  Frenchman  moved.  He  thought  he  was  going  to  take  the  start  of  him. 
Failing  in  this  attempt  they  still  kept  prowling  about  the  neighborhood,  watch- 
ing for  any  straggler  who  might  venture  out  alone.  They  at  last  succeeded.  Two 
soldiers  got  permission  to  go  into  the  woods  to  cut  a  stick  for  axe  helves.  They 
were  cautioned  not  to  go  far  from  the  fort  but  at  sundown,  when  the  roll  was 
called,  it  was  found  they  were  missing,  and  fearing  they  might  be  lost  in  the 
woods,  one  of  the  cannons  was  fired  off,  so  they  might  know  the  direction  of  the 
fort.  Next  morning  Lieutenant  Stubbs  and  a  party  of  soldiers  came  up  to  Mr. 
Davenport's  house  and  informed  him  that  the  two  men  were  missing.  He  stated 
that  he  heard,  about  noon,  the  report  of  two  guns  and  had  no  doubt  they  were 
killed.  He  then  got  all  of  his  men  and  with  the  soldiers  formed  a  line  and  struck 
across  the  island  in  the  direction  of  the  sound  of  the  gun,  and  when  they  had 
reached  the  middle  of  the  island  they  found  their  bodies.  Both  had  been  shot 
and  scalped. 

In  1822  Mr.  Davenport  established  a  trading  post  at  Fever  river  in  charge  of 
Amos  Farrar.  This  was  a  very  good  point  at  this  time  for  trade  with  the  In- 
dians, for  furs  and  lead.  He  also  had  trading  houses  at  Rint  Hills,  mouths  of 
the  Iowa  river,  Waupsipinica,  and  Maquoketa  rivers,  besides  three  on  Rock  river. 
To  attend  to  them  all  and  have  them  properly  supplied,  kept  him  constantly 
traveling  from  one  post  to  another,  sometimes  on  foot,  sometimes  in  a  canoe, 
and  sometimes  on  horseback.  His  principal  depot  was  on  Rock  island.  Here  all 
the  furs  and  skins  had  to  be  collected  together  and  here  the  outfits  of  goods  were 
made  up  and  sent  off  into  the  different  parts  of  the  country.  In  1823  the  first 
steamboat  arrived — the  Virginia.  She  was  loaded  with  provisions  for  Prairie 
du  Chien  and  was  from  Wheeling.  Mr.  Davenport  was  called  upon  to  pilot  her 
over  the  rapids.  He  took  his  old  "patroon  debuts"  with  him.  They  were  three 
or  four  days  getting  over.  At  this  time  quite  a  number  of  persons  went  up  to 
Fever  river  to  work  the  mines.  Colonel  William  Johnson,  of  Kentucky,  had 
obtained  permission  of  the  government  to  work  the  mines  and  passed  up  the  river 
with  several  keel  boats  loaded  with  provisions  and  tools.    In  a  short  time  quite 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  869 

a  village  was  formed  at  Fever  river.  Two  magistrates  were  appointed  about  this 
time  by  Governor  Cass  of  Michigan  territory.  The  following  letter,  written  at 
the  request  of  some  of  the  inhabitants,  will  show  the  state  of  feeling  at  the  idea 
of  being  in  that  territory: 

Rock  Island,  January,  1825. 
Sir :  About  a  year  ago  two  magistrates'  commissions  were  forwarded  by 
Governor  Cass,  of  Michigan,  to  two  respectable  inhabitants  of  Fever  river. 
They  were  recommended  by  a  gentleman  from  Michigan,  then  concerned  in  a 
commercial  way  at  that  place,  on  the  presumption  that  it  belonged  to  Michigan 
and  one  of  the  gentlemen  so  appointed  acted  by  virtue  of  his  commission.  The 
people  were  dissatisfied  at  the  idea  of  being  attached  to  a  territory  so  remote 
and  with  whom,  in  a  whole  age,  they  could  have  no  social  intercourse.  Last 
spring  they  had  the  pleasure  of  finding  that  the  settlements  on  Fever  river  right- 
fully belonged  to  lUinois — upon  which  the  magistrate,  acting  under  the  authority 
of  Michigan,  declined  and  since  sent  on  a  formal  resignation.  Of  course  they  are 
at  present  in  an  awkward  situation  in  the  absence  of  civil  authority  and  it  is  the 
cordial  wish  of  the  permanent  population  of  that  place  that  no  time  may  be  lost 
in  appointing  the  persons  (recommended  by  them  some  time  since  as  magis- 
trates), namely,  Moses  Meeker  and  John  Connelly. 

Most  respectfully,  sir,  yours, 

G.  Davenport. 

D.  D.  Smith,  Esq.,  Atlas,  Pike  county,  Illinois. 

N.  B.  Have  the  goodness  to  send  me  a  prompt  reply  (by  the  military  ex- 
press, who  pass  through  your  town),  stating,  circumstantially,  all  the  forms  nec- 
essary to  the  completion  of  the  business  as  I  am  much  concerned  in  the  ultimate 
welfare  of  the  upper  country  and  you  will  much  oblige. 

I  am  informed  that  lately  the  sheriff  of  Prairie  du  Chien  (Crawford  county, 
Michigan  territory),  visited  the  mines  people  and  exacted  poll  tax  from  them, 
some  of  whom  were  simple  enough  to  pay,  others  manfully  refused  and  it  gave 
umbrage  to  all.  G.  D. 

The  mails  were  carried  at  this  time  by  express  from  the  fort;  the  nearest 
postoffice  was  at  Clarksville,  Missouri.  In  the  spring  of  1825  Mr.  Davenport 
received  the  following  letter: 

General  Post  Office 
Washington  City,  23d  April,  1825. 

Sir. :  From  the  information  I  have  received  I  conclude  it  will  be  agreeable  to 
you  to  accept  of  the  office  of  post  master  at  Rock  Island.  :\Iissouri.  I  herewith 
send  you  a  copy  of  the  law  for  regulating  the  post  office,  a  key  for  opening  the 
mail  and  forms  and  directions  conformable  therewith.  You  will  find  these  at 
the  Clarksville  post  office,  Missouri.  After  executing  the  bond  and  taking  the 
oath  you  may  proceed  in  the  duties  of  the  office  without  waiting  for  a  commis- 
sion. 

I  am,  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

John  McLean. 
To  Mr.  George  Davenport. 

In  the  fall  Mr.  Davenport  received  his  commission  but  it  was  two  or  three 
years  before  he  took  the  oath  of  office,  as  there  were  no  officers  to  administer  it. 


870  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

In  the  fall  of  1826  Mr.  Bostwick,  purchasing  agent  of  the  American  Fur 
Company,  arrived  at  Rock  island  and  made  an  arrangement  with  him  to  become 
a  member  of  that  company,  purchased  all  his  goods,  trading  posts,  etc.  Gave  him 
the  management  of  the  trade  from  the  mouth  of  the  Iowa  river  up  to  Turkey 
river.  Mr.  Russell  Farnham  having  charge  of  the  trade  below  and  his  main  de- 
pot at  Fort  Edwards.  Mr.  RoUette  had  charge  of  the  trade  above — his  princi- 
pal depot  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  A  few  extracts  from  his  daily  record  may  give 
some  idea  of  the  times: 

1826.  October  21st.  Thomas  Forsyth,  Indian  agent,  and  Dr.  Craig,  left 
here  on  Captain  Culver's  keel  boat  for  St.  Louis. 

October  30th.  Mr.  Rollette's  keel  boat  passed  down.  Mr.  Ingraham  on 
board. 

October  31st.  Mr.  Lamalease  left  here  for  Rock  river  to  build  trading 
house. 

October  31st.  Lieutenant  Clarke  arrived  with  keel  boat  loaded  with  corn 
for  St.  Peters. 

October  31st.  Brought  mait.  Sent  mail  by  Lieutenant  Clarke  for  Prairie 
du  Chien. 

November  ist.     Great  fire  across  the  river — all  our  hay  stacks  burnt. 

November  ist.     Russell  Farnham  arrived  in  keel  boat  Oregon. 

November  ist.  Mr.  Burk,  a  Virginian,  arrived,  who  had  been  lost  sixteen 
days  on  Rock  river. 

November  4th.     Mr.  Farnham  left  for  St.  Louis. 

November  4th.     Mr.  Burk  left  for  the  mines — furnished  him  with  a  horse. 

November  5th.     Mr.  Man's  keel  boat  passed  down  from  lead  mines. 

November  5th.     John  K.  Forsyth  arrived  from  trading  house  on  Rock  river. 

November  6th.  Casnor  and  my  men  arrived  with  a  canoe  load  of  coal  from 
Rock  river. 

November  6th.  Keel  boat  Oliver  Perry  came  in  sight ;  put  to,  on  account  of 
the  wind ;  arrived  on  the  7th. 

November  8th.  Oliver  Perry  passed  up  at  9  o'clock  a.  m.,  two  bark  canoes 
arrived  from  the  mines ;  laid  by  on  account  of  the  wind ;  Captain  Lowe  on  board. 

November  9th.  Keel  boat  Missouri  arrived  at  10  o'clock  and  departed  at 
3  o'clock. 

November  13th.     Boat  arrived  from  Rock  river. 

November  15th.     Winnebago  chief,  Carimonne  arrived  from  Waupsipinica. 

November  20th.  Keel  boat  Missouri,  Captain  Otis  Reynolds,  from  the 
mines,  loaded  with  lead,  for  Davenport  &  Company.  Martin  Smith,  and  two 
men,  arrived  to  establish  a  wood  yard  at  the  mouth  of  Rock  river. 

In  the  spring  of  1827  Mr.  Davenport  started  on  a  visit  to  his  native  place  in 
England,  after  an  absence  of  twenty-three  years.  He  remained  there  about  a_ 
year — visited  London  and  all  the  principal  cities.  He  returned  in  May,  1828, 
to  Rock  island.  During  this  year  the  first  settlements  were  made  in  this  vi- 
cinity. Two  families  (Judge  Pence  and  his  son),  arrived  on  the  9th  day  of 
December  at  Black  Hawk's  lodge.  Several  more  families  came  directly  after, 
among  whom  were  John  Spencer,  Johan  Case,  William  Brasher,  Rinnah  Wells, 
Joshua  VandruflF,  ISrchy  Allen,  George  Harland,  Thomas  Hubbard,  and  John 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  871 

Danforth.  On  the  27th  of  December,  Mr.  Davenport's  daily  record  says: 
"George  Wells  came  down  for  provisions,  he  having  settled  on  the  rapids.  He 
makes  the  tenth  settler  in  our  neighborhood  and  one  preacher,  Rev.  John  Kinney, 
who  preached  the  first  time  on  the  island  the  29th  of  January,  1829."  During 
the  first  year  the  settlers  suffered  very  great  hardships  and  Mr.  Davenport  fur- 
nished many  of  them  provisions  and  groceries  until  they  got  their  farms  under 
cultivation  and  raised  a  crop. 

In  the  spring  of  1829  the  Indians  returned  to  their  village  and  found  the  whites 
occupying  their  houses  and  cornfields.  Mr.  Davenport  used  all  his  influence 
with  the  Indians  to  induce  them  to  remove  to  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi 
and  partly  succeeded.  Waupello  removed  his  village  to  Muscatine  Slough  and 
Keokuk,  with  part  of  the  Sacs,  removed  to  Iowa  river ;  but  Black  Hawk  and  the 
remainder  of  the  Sacs  refused  to  go,  claiming  that  they  never  had  sold  their 
lands. 

In  Mr.  Davenport's  record  we  find:  August  5th.  Steamboat  Josephine,  with 
two  keel  boats,  arrived;  purchased  1,000  bushels  of  corn  to  pay  the  Fox  chiefs 
for  their  improvements.  August  14th,  the  Fox  chiefs  refused  to  receive  the 
corn  for  fear  of  being  blamed  by  the  Sacs  for  selling  their  village. 

The  Indian  agent  and  the  commanding  officer  used  every  argument  to  get 
Black  Hawk  to  move  west  of  the  Mississippi,  but  without  effect.  In  1830  Mr. 
Davenport  visited  Washington  city  to  see  the  President  (General  Jackson),  and 
secretary  of  war  and  recommended  that  the  government  pay  the  Indians  a  few 
thousand  dollars  (which  they  could  well  afford  to  do)  and  that  from  his  knowl- 
edge of  their  character  and  customs  he  felt  satisfied  that  they  would  remove 
without  any  further  trouble  to  the  goverrmient.  This  plan  was  not  approved 
of  by  the  president,  who  declared  that  they  should  move  off. 

In  the  spring  of  183 1  the  Indians  again  returned  to  their  village  and  shortly 
afterwards  General  Gaines,  with  four  or  five  companies  of  infantry,  arrived. 
Governor  Reynolds  also  received  a  requisition  for  a  number  of  companies  of 
mounted  volunteers,  which  were  soon  raised  and  were  on  their  way  to  Rock 
river,  under  command  of  General  Joseph  Duncan.  Shortly  after  General  Gaines 
arrived.  He  notified  Black  Hawk  to  meet  him  in  council  at  the  agency  (which 
was  half  a  mile  from  the  fort.)  On  the  day  appointed  Black  Hawk  and  a  large 
number  of  warriors  arrived  on  the  south  side  of  the  island  and  marched  across 
to  the  council  chamber.  They  were  dressed  in  the  full  war  costume  and  most 
of  them  armed  with  bows  and  arrow^s  and  war  clubs  and  what  seemed  singular, 
it  was  noticed  that  their  bows  w^ere  all  bent  and  ready  for  use.  Directly  after- 
ward General  Gaines  arrived  with  his  staff  officers  and  an  orderly  but  had  no 
guard.  They  entered  the  council  room  and  arranged  themselves  at  one  end, 
while  Black  Hawk  and  his  party  occupied  the  other  three  sides  and  the  center. 
Mr.  Davenport  noticed  that  they  acted  in  a  very  bold  and  defiant  manner  and  that 
the  friendly  Indians  appeared  to  be  much  alarmed.  He  went  to  one  of  the  offi- 
cers and  advised  him  to  send  the  orderly  as  quickly  as  possible  to  the  fort  and 
have  a  strong  guard  sent  up.  which  was  done  at  once.  The  council  commenced 
by  General  Gaines  addressing  them  and  stating  why  he  had  come,  and  that  they 
must  move  off  or  he  would  be  compelled  to  use  force.  He  made  the  inquiry, 
"who  this  Black  Hawk  was,  that  was  giving  the  government  so  much  trouble  ?" 


872  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

This  offended  Black  Hawk  very  much  and  the  Indians  became  very  ex- 
cited. They  began  to  call  across  the  room  to  one  another  and  seemed  to  try  to 
increase  the  excitement  of  those  on  the  outer  side  by  their  yells  and  whooping; 
but  fortunately  the  guard  now  came  up,  which  fact,  Mr.  Davenport  thought,  was 
all  that  saved  them  from  being  attacked  and  massacred. 

The  first  Black  Hawk  war  now  commenced  but  was  of  short  duration.  When 
the  large  number  of  volunteers  arrived  in  sight  of  the  village  Black  Hawk  thought 
they  were  too  strong  to  fight  and  accordingly  he  moved  to  the  west  side  of  the 
river  during  the  night.  In  the  spring  of  1832  Black  Hawk  returned  with  his 
party,  more  hostile  than  ever.  The  inhabitants  all  flocked  into  the  fort  with 
their  families  for  protection.  Mr.  Davenport  fortified  his  house,  built  a  stockade 
around  it  with  bastions  at  two  corners,  in  order  to  use  a  small  swivel  for  pro- 
tecting the  sides  and  had  his  men  all  well  armed  and  their  places  pointed  out  in 
case  of  an  attack.  He  had  been  informed  that  the  Black  Haw^k  party  had  de- 
termined in  council  that  he  and  two  others  (General  Clark  and  the  Indian  agent) 
should  be  killed,  as  they  had  done  so  much  to  weaken  their  party.  Neapope  was 
appointed  to  carry  out  this  threat ;  but  Black  Hawk  having  passed  on  up  Rock 
river  and  the  troop  following  him,  the  people  here  were  not  molested. 

During  the  Black  Hawk  war  Mr.  Davenport  received  a  commission  from 
Governor  Reynolds,  appointing  him  acting  quartermaster  general,  with  the  rank 
of  colonel.  In  the  latter  part  of  the  summer  of  1832  the  cholera  broke  out 
among  the  troops  on  the  island  and  raged  fearfully  for  about  ten  days ;  100  died 
out  of  a  population  of  400 ;  every  person  was  dreadfully  alarmed.  An  incident 
occurred  during  this  time  which  will  show  the  state  of  feeling.  Mr.  Davenport, 
Mr.  LeClaire  and  a  young  ofiicer  were  standing  together  in  front  of  the  store 
one  morning.  The  officer  had  been  giving  them  an  account  of  the  number  of 
deaths  and  new  cases  when  an  orderly  came  up  to  them  with  a  message  from 
General  Scott  to  Mr.  LeQaire,  requesting  him  to  come  down  to  the  fort  as  soon 
as  possible.  Mr.  LeClaire  looked  at  Mr.  Davenport  to  know  what  excuse  to  make. 
Mr.  Davenport,  after  a  moment,  replied  to  the  orderly  to  tell  General  Scott  that 
Mr.  LeClaire  could  not  come,  as  he  was  quite  sick.  The  officer  and  orderly 
laughed  heartily  at  Mr.  Davenport  and  Mr.  LeClaire  being  so  much 
alarmed ;  but  next  morning  the  first  news  they  received  from  the  fort  was  that 
these  two  men  were  dead.  At  the  time  the  cholera  broke  out  at  Fort  Arm- 
strong there  were  two  Fox  chiefs  confined  in  the  guardhouse  for  killing  the 
Menomonies  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  had  been  given  up  by  their  nation  as  the 
leaders,  on  the  demand  of  our  government,  and  were  awaiting  their  trial.  Mr. 
Davenport  interceded  for  them  with  the  commanding  officer,  to  let  them  out  of 
their  prison  and  give  them  the  range  of  the  island  with  a  promise  that  they  should 
be  forthcoming  when  they  were  wanted.  The  Indians  were  released  and  they 
pledged  their  word  not  to  leave  the  island  until  permitted  to  do  so  by  the  proper 
authorities.  During  all  the  time  the  fearful  epidemic  raged  upon  the  island  and 
every  person  was  fleeing  from  it  that  could  get  away,  these  two  chiefs  remained 
on  the  island,  hunting  and  fishing  and  when  the  sickness  had  subsided  they  pre- 
sented themselves  at  the  fort  to  await  their  trial,  thus  showing  how  binding  a 
pledge  of  this  kind  was  with  this  tribe  of  Indians.  Mr.  Davenport,  for  many 
years,  was  in  the  habit  of  crediting  the  chiefs  of  the  different  villages  for  from 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  873 

$50,000  to  $60,000  worth  of  goods   annually,     having  nothing  but  their  word 
pledged  for  the  payment  of  them,  which  they  always  faithfully  performed. 

In  1833  jMr.  Davenport  built  his  late  residence  and  moved  out  of  his  old 
cabin.  In  1834  Rock  Island  county  was  organized  and  John  Spencer,  John  Van- 
natta  and  Mr.  Davenport  were  elected  the  first  county  commissioners  of  that 
county.  The  county  seat  was  located  and  the  town  of  Stephenson  laid  out  (now 
the  city  of  Rock  Island)  and  the  lots  sold  at  public  sale.  They  established  roads 
and  built  bridges  in  various  parts  of  the  county.  They  were  reelected  several 
times  and  their  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  county  gave  very  general 
satisfaction  to  the  people. 

In  the  fall  of  1835  Mr.  Davenport,  Major  Smith,  Major  Gordon,  Mr.  Ham- 
baugh,  Mr.  McGregor,  Mr.  Colton  and  Captain  May  purchased  a  claim  of  Mr. 
LeClaire  (he  retaining  an  eighth  part)  upon  which  to  lay  out  a  town.  The  pro- 
prietors agreed  to  name  it  Davenport,  in  honor  of  their  friend,  Mr.  Davenport. 
The  town  was  surveyed  and  laid  out  by  Major  Gordon,  assisted  by  Mr.  Bennett, 
who  were,  at  this  time,  engaged  by  Government  to  survey  ^Ir.  LeClaire's  re- 
serves. 

In  the  spring  of  1836  Mr.  Davenport  sold  the  site  upon  which  the  famous 
Rock  Island  City  was  laid  out  (near  the  mouth  of  Rock  river)  retaining  a  quarter 
interest.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  and  some  others  purchased  an  interest  in  Mr. 
LeClaire's  reserve  at  the  head  of  the  rapids,  upon  which  they  laid  out  a  town, 
which  they  named  LeClaire,  in  honor  of  Mr.  LeClaire ;  and  about  the  same  time 
he  purchased  an  interest  in  the  town  of  Port  Byron,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  thus  becoming  interested  in  the  rise  and  progress  of  all  the  towns  in  this 
vicinity. 

In  the  fall  of  1837  Mr.  Davenport  accompanied  Keokuk,  Wapello,  Poweshiek, 
Black  Hawk,  and  about  forty  of  the  principal  chiefs  and  braves  of  the  Sac  and 
Fox  nation,  to  Washington  city,  and  assisted  Government,  by  his  influence  with 
the  Indians,  in  making  a  very  good  purchase  of  a  large  portion  of  Iowa.  About 
this  time  Mr.  Davenport  purchased  an  interest  in  Mr.  LeQaire's  reserve,  adjoin- 
ing the  town,  upon  which  they  laid  out  the  first  addition  to  the  town  of  Daven- 
port, of  about  twelve  blocks,  and  the  following  season  another  addition  was  laid 
out  by  Mr.  LeClaire,  of  which  Mr.  Davenport  purchased  one  third  interest.  In 
the  spring  of  1838  Mr.  Davenport  and  Mr.  LeClaire  bought  a  large  stock  of 
goods  and  opened  a  store,  under  the  firm  of  Davenport  &  LeClaire,  on  the  corner 
of  Front  and  Main  streets;  this  was  considered  the  largest  store  in  the  country 
for  some  time.  Persons  came  a  great  distance  to  purchase  their  goods  and  pro- 
visions. Mr.  Davenport  still  continued  the  Indian  trade  at  his  store  on  Rock 
island.  The  Indians  came  in  from  the  Iowa,  Des  Moines  and  Cedar  rivers,  about 
every  three  months,  for  their  supplies. 

In  1838  Mr.  Davenport  received  the  following  letter  from  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  Davenport,  who  was  sutler  of  the  troops  in  Florida,  which  may  btr 
interesting  to  some  of  the  readers  of  this  work : 

Tampa  Bay,  September  3,  1858. 

Dear  Sir : — I  have  no  doubt  you  have  long  since  concluded  that  a  certain  per- 
son, P.  G.  Hambaugh.  is  "co-ga-go ;"  I  did  anticipate  the  pleasure  of  returning 


874  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

to  your  place  ere  this,  but  have  been  disappointed.  I  have  no  doubt  but  you  know 
as  much  about  the  Florida  war  as  I  do ;  there  will  be  another  winter  campaign, 
but  whether  on  a  large  or  small  scale  I  am  not  able  to  say.  Some  gentleman  in 
Havanna  has  proposed  furnishing  blood  hounds  for  the  purpose  of  hunting 
down  the  Indians  in  the  Hammocks,  and  his  plan  is  looked  upon  by  a  majority 
of  experienced  officers  as  the  most  feasible  one  yet  suggested.  The  government 
will,  I  presume,  condemn  this  mode  of  warfare,  however,  as  being  too  inhuman 
to  be  practiced  by  a  civilized  nation,  and  it  is  too  expensive  to  be  undertaken 
by  any  individual. 

I  am  told  Davenport  "goes  ahead."  I  wish  to  God  I  was  there  with  a  few 
thousand  dollars.  What  is  the  prospect  of  securing  the  town  to  the  proprietors 
by  pre-emption  ?  I  hope  you  and  Mr.  LeClaire  will  use  every  exertion  to  do  so 
and  also  to  protect  my  interests  while  I  am  absent.  I  make  this  request  because 
I  shall  undoubtedly  (if  I  live)  return  there  and  make  it  my  permanent  residence; 
nothing  keeps  me  in  this  infernal  country  but  the  prospect  of  making  enough  to 
place  me  in  easy  circumstances  when  I  return  and  another  winter's  campaign 
will  do  it,  unless  I  meet  with  some  unforeseen  misfortune.  Write  to  me  and  give 
me  all  the  local  news ;  tell  me  if  Davenport  is  the  county  seat  and  if  it  is  to  be  the 
capital  of  Iowa ;  tell  me  who  the  prominent  men  about  Davenport  are.  What  has 
become  of  Gordon? 

Remember  me  to  all  my  friends,  and  particularly  to  Mosquakee. 
Your  friend, 

P.  G.  Hambaugh. 

In  the  fall  of  1841  the  Indian  payments  were  made  at  the  agency  on  Des 
Moines  river.  The  Indians  from  all  the  different  villages  gathered  there  to  re- 
ceive their  annuities.  Mr.  Davenport  and  most  of  the  Indian  traders  attended 
there,  during  the  payment.  Governor  Lucas,  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs 
in  Iowa,  made  an  attempt  to  make  a  treaty  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  to  purchase 
all  their  lands  within  the  state  but  utterly  failed.  He  had  determined  he  would 
make  a  treaty  with  the  Indians  without  the  assistance  of  the  traders,  and  that 
they  should  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  He  was  particularly  opposed  to  the 
American  Fur  Company  (then  Pierre  Chouteau,  Jr.,  &  Co.).  He  ordered  them 
to  retire  to  their  trading  house,  about  a  mile  from  the  agency,  and  posted  a  guard 
of  dragoons  at  the  house  to  prevent  any  communication  with  the  Indians.  When 
he  had  assembled  the  chiefs  and  braves  of  the  two  tribes  he  made  them  his  propo- 
sition— to  buy  their  country.  The  chiefs  replied  that  they  always  consulted  their 
old  friends,  whom  they  had  known  for  many  years,  and  had  the  greatest  con- 
fidence in  and  that  they  had  understood  their  old  traders  had  been  placed  under 
guard  and  as  they  were  not  allowed  to  have  any  communication  with  them,  they, 
therefore,  declined  making  any  treaty  with  him. 

In  1842  Governor  Chambers  made  a  treaty  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes.  He  took 
a  different  plan.  He  told  the  chiefs  to  select  any  of  their  white  friends  they 
might  choose  to  assist  them  in  making  a  treaty.  They  selected  Mr.  Davenport, 
Mr.  LeClaire,  Mr.  San  ford  and  Mr.  Phelps.  By  this  treaty  the  Indians  sold  all 
of  their  lands  within  the  state  of  Iowa  and  agreed  to  remove  west  of  the  Mis- 
souri river. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  875 

After  this  treaty  Mr.  Davenport  withdrew  from  the  Fur  Company  and  gave 
up  the  Indian  trade,  being  engaged  in  this  business  about  twenty-three  years, 
during  which  time  he  had  made  twenty  trips  to  St.  Louis  with  his  keel  boat.  The 
shortest  time  in  coming  from  St.  Louis  to  Rock  island  was  eleven  days,  having 
a  fair  wind  most  of  the  time.  The  longest  trip  was  forty  days.  Mr.  Davenport 
now  devoted  his  time  to  the  improvement  of  his  property  in  Davenport  and  Rock 
Island.  About  this  time  he  laid  out  an  addition  to  the  flourishing  town  of 
Moline. 

Mr.  Davenport  was  of  a  very  free  and  generous  disposition,  very  jovial  and 
very  fond  of  company.  He  now  generally  spent  the  winters  in  St.  Louis  or  Wash- 
ington city.  If  he  traveled  on  a  steamboat  or  while  at  his  hotel  he  would  always 
have  a  crowd  around  him,  listening  to  his  anecdotes  and  stories.  He  never  sued 
any  one  in  his  hfe  and  could  not  bear  to  see  any  one  in  distress  without  trying 
to  relieve  them.  He  enjoyed  excellent  health  and  spirits  and  had  the  prospect 
of  living  many  years  to  enjoy  the  comforts  for  which  he  had  toiled  so  hard  for 
many  years,  but  he  was  struck  down  by  the  hand  of  one  of  a  band  of  robbers 
in  his  own  home,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1845.     He  died  aged  sixty-two  years. 


AN  INDIAN  CEREMONY. 

After  Col.  Davenport  was  murdered  his  remains  were  buried  near  his  island 
home.  At  his  grave  a  memorial  w^as  erected  by  his  Indian  friends  a  cedar  post 
whereon  in  ceremonial  fashion  had  been  painted  various  records.  When  the 
remains  were  removed  to  Chippiannock  cemetery  near  Rock  Island  a  replica  of 
the  post  was  carved  in  limestone  and  placed  at  the  new  resting  place.  The  post 
is  now  in  the  possession  of  Rock  Island  friends  of  the  Davenort  family.  The 
Gazette  editor  was  fortunately  present  when  this  post  was  set  up  in  1845  and 
wrote  this  account  for  the  Gazette : 

"An  Indian  Ceremony, — On  last  Friday  afternoon  we  were  witness  to  a 
strange  and  interesting  ceremony  performed  by  the  Indians  over  the  remains  of 
Mr.  Davenport  who  was  murdered  at  his  residence  on  Rock  island  on  the  4th  inst. 
Upon  proceeding  to  the  beautiful  spot  selected  as  his  last  resting  place,  in  the  rear 
of  his  mansion  on  Rock  Island,  we  found  the  war  chief  and  braves  of  the  band 
of  Fox  Indians  then  encamped  in  the  vicinity  of  this  place  reclining  on  the  grass 
around  his  grave  at  the  head  of  which  was  planted  a  white  cedar  post  some  seven 
or  eight  feet  in  height. 

"The  ceremony  began  by  tw^o  of  the  braves  rising  and  walking  to  the  post 
upon  which  with  paint  they  began  to  inscribe  certain  characters  while  a  third 
brave  armed  with  an  emblematic  war  club,  after  drinking  to  the  health  of  the 
deceased  from  a  cup  placed  at  the  base  of  the  post  walked  three  times  around 
the  grave  in  an  opposite  direction  to  the  course  of  the  sun,  at  each  revolution  de- 
livering a  speech  with  sundry  gestures  and  emphatic  motions  in  the  direction  of 
the  northeast.  When  he  had  ceased  he  passed  the  club  to  another  brave,  who 
when  through  the  same  ceremony,  passing  but  once  around  the  grave,  and  so  on 
in  succession  with  each  one  of  the  braves.  This  ceremony,  doubtless  would  ap- 
pear pantomimic  to  one  unacquainted  with  the  habits  or  language  of  the  Indians, 


876  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

but  after  a  full  interpretation  of  their  proceedings  they  would  be  found  in  char- 
acter with  this  traditionary  people. 

"In  walking  around  the  grave  in  a  contrary  direction  to  the  course  of  the 
sun  they  wished  to  convey  the  idea  that  the  ceremony  was  an  original  one.  In 
their  speeches  they  informed  the  Great  Spirit  that  Mr.  Davenport  was  their 
friend,  and  they  wished  the  Great  Spirit  to  open  the  door  to  him  and  to  take 
charge  of  him.  The  enemies  whom  they  had  slain  they  called  upon  to  act  in  the 
capacity  of  waiters  to  Mr.  Davenport  in  the  spirit  land — they  believing  that  they 
have  unlimited  power  over  the  spirits  of  those  whom  they  have  slain  in  battle. 
Their  gestures  toward  the  northeast  were  made  in  allusion  to  their  great  enemies 
the  Sioux,  who  live  in  that  direction.  They  recounted  their  deeds  of  battle  with 
the  number  that  they  had  slain  and  taken  prisoners.  Upon  the  post  were  painted 
in  hieroglyphics  the  number  of  the  enemy  that  they  had  slain,  those  taken  prison- 
ers, together  with  the  tribe  and  station  of  the  brave.  For  instance,  the  feats  of 
Wau-co-shaw-she  the  chief  were  thus  portrayed.  Ten  headless  figures  were 
painted  which  signified  that  he  had  killed  ten  men.  Four  others  were  then  added, 
some  of  them  smaller  than  the  others,  signifying  that  he  had  taken  four  prison- 
ers, one  of  whom  was  a  child.  A  line  was  then  run  from  one  figure  to  another, 
terminating  by  a  plume,  signifying  that  all  had  been  accomplished  by  a  chief.  A 
fox  was  then  painted  over  the  plume,  which  plainly  told  that  the  chief  was  of  the 
Fox  tribe  of  Indians.  These  characters  are  so  expressive  that  if  an  Indian  of 
any  tribe  whatsoever  were  to  see  them  he  would  at  once  understand  them.  Fol- 
lowing the  sign  of  Pau-to~to-to  who  thus  proved  himself  a  warrior  of  high  de- 
gree were  placed  twenty  headless  figures,  being  the  number  of  the  Sioux  that  he 
had  slain. 

"The  ceremony  of  painting  the  post  was  followed  by  a  feast  prepared  for 
the  occasion  which  by  them  was  certainly  deemed  the  most  agreeable  part  of  the 
proceedings.  Meats,  vegetables  and  pies  were  served  up  in  such  profusion  that 
many  armfuls  of  the  fragments  were  carried  ofif — it  being  a  part  of  the  ceremony 
which  is  religiously  observed  that  all  the  victuals  left  upon  such  an  occasion  are 
to  be  taken  to  their  homes.  At  a  dog  feast  which  is  frequently  given  by  them- 
selves, and  to  which  white  men  are  occasionally  invited  the  guest  is  obliged  to 
eat  all  that  is  placed  before  him  or  hire  some  other  person  to  do  so,  else  it  is  con- 
sidered a  great  breach  of  hospitality. 

"With  the  feast  terminated  the  exercises  of  the  afternoon  which  were  not 
only  interesting  but  highly  instructive  to  those  who  witnessed  them." 


HON.   J.    II.    MURPHY.    LEVI    HI'MI'HIiEY.    MRS.    CLINTON   AND    MISS   ANNA 

PENROSE  WATCHING  THE  HIGH  WATER  OF  MARCH  10,  1SS6.  FROM 

SCOTT    HOUSE   BALCONY 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 
CLIMATOLOGICAL  CONDITIONS. 

BEING    AN    ARTICLE    BASED    UPON     WEATHER     BUREAU    OBSERVATIONS    COVERING    A 
PERIOD  FROM    187I   TO    I9O9 — ^THE  LOCATION   OF  OFFICE   AND  INSTRUMENTS — ^A 

CLIMATOLOGICAL     SUMMARY UNUSAL     WEATHER     PHENOMENA WARM     AND 

COLD   PERIODS LENGTH    OF   GROWING   SEASONS — UNUSUAL  AMOUNTS   OF   RAIN- 
FALL  NOTABLE  RIVER  STAGES — REMARKABLE  FLOOD  STAGE. 

By  J.  M.  Sherier, 
Local  Forecaster,  Weather  Bureau. 

This  station  was  established  on  May  23,  1871,  in  the  First  National  Bank  build- 
ing, situated  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Main  and  Second  streets,  the  instruments 
being  located  in  the  northeast  corner  room  on  the  third  floor  of  that  building.  On 
April  I,  1890,  the  office  was  moved  to  rooms  49  and  50,  third  floor,  of  the  Ma- 
sonic Temple,  located  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Third  and  Main  streets.  The 
removal  to  the  present  location  was  accomplished  November  3,  1896,  when  rooms 
5,  6  and  7  were  occupied  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Post  Office  building,  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  Third  and  Perry  streets.  All  instruments  now  located  on  the 
roof,  with  the  single  exception  of  the  sunshine  recorder  which  was  added  to  the 
instrumental  equipment  only  a  few  years  ago,  have  remained  in  their  present  po- 
sition since  they  were  transferred  from  the  Masonic  Temple.  However,  owing 
to  work  preparatory  to  the  erection  of  an  addition  to  the  office  building,  it  became 
necessary,  on  January  25,  1910,  to  abandon  room  No.  5  and  to  occupy  room  No. 
9  instead.  The  barometers  were  transferred  from  room  No.  6  to  room  No.  7 
on  January  31st,  but  without  causing  any  change  in  the  elevation  of  those  instru- 
ments. The  themometers,  rain  gauge,  sunshine  recorder,  and  the  wind  vane  and 
anemometer  are  all  exposed  on  the  nearly  flat  roof  of  the  present  office  building. 

The  following  climatological  summary  is  a  revision  of  the  data  contained  on 
page  649  of  Weather  Bureau  Bulletin  O.  Climatolog}'  of  the  United  States.  Means 
of  maxima  and  means  of  minima  have  been  determined  from  observations  for 
thirty-six  years,  1874-1909.  All  other  temperature  data  and  all  precipitation 
data,  except  snowfall,  thirty-eight  years,  1872-1909;  snowfall,  twenty-five  years, 
1885-1909. 


878 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 


TEMPEHATURB 


PBBCIPITATION   (Inchet) 


December  27  35 

January  22  30 

February     24  S3 

Winter  Mean  ...  .24  33 

March    36  44 

April    50  59 

May    61  70 

Spring  Mean 49  58 

June    70  79 

July  75  85 

August    72  82 

Summer  Mean    ..73  82 

September    65  75 

October     53  62 

November    38  46 

Fall  Mean  52  61 

Annual   Mean    ...  50  58 


1 

i 

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II 

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SE 

^^ 

II 

s 
si 

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li 

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El 

jI 

1 

If: 

m 

ill 

1 

i 

ii 

li 

pO 

F° 

F° 

F° 

FO 

65 

20 

—22 

42 

15 

1.60 

9 

1.33 

0.36 

5.0 

7-1 

NW. 

66 

13 

—27 

38 

8 

1.67 

9 

1. 10 

3-47 

8.3 

II. 0 

NW. 

67 

16  ■ 

—25 

39 

ID 

1.60 

9 

1-59 

3.63 

7.8 

10.4 

NW. 

16 

4.87 

27 

4.02 

7.46 

21. 1 

NW. 

*82 

27 

-^ 

50 

'28 

2.22 

10 

2.57 

4-35 

4.6 

7-5 

NW. 

87 

41 

14 

57 

41 

2.76 

10 

0.88 

5-39 

0.3 

4-5 

NW. 

90 

52 

29 

68 

54 

4.24 

12 

1.37 

6.70 

T 

T 

SW. 

40 

9.22 

32 

4.82 

16.44 

4.9 

NW. 

"98 

61 

39 

"78 

'66 

4.02 

12 

3-02 

4-25 

0 

0 

SW. 

106 

65 

49 

83 

69 

3.66 

9 

1.48 

4.82 

0 

0 

SW. 

98 

63 

44 

80 

68 

3-74 

9 

0.46 

4.27 

0 

0 

SW. 

63 

11:42 

30 

4.96 

13-34 

0 

SW. 

99 

S6 

'28 

72 

'60 

3-11 

9 

2.29 

5-50 

0 

0 

SW. 

90 

44 

17 

62 

47 

2.29 

8 

0.45 

1-54 

0.1 

3-0 

SW. 

78 

31 

—10 

47 

31 

1.88 

8 

0.79 

2.54 

1.8 

4-4 

NW. 

44 

7.28 

25 

3.53 

9.58 

1-9 

SW. 

io6 

41  ■ 

—27 

32.79 

114 

17-33 

46.82 

27-9 

II. 0 

NW. 

CLIMATOLOGICAL  NOTES. 


While  the  accompanying  table  shows  the  absolute  range  in  temperature  to 
have  been  133  degrees,  or  from  twenty-seven  degrees  below  to  106  degrees  above 
zero,  the  normal  annual  range  at  Davenport  is  only  about  1 10  degrees,  the  mini- 
mum temperature  of  the  average  winter  being  about  fifteen  degrees  below  zero 
and  the  maximum  temperature  of  the  usual  summer  about  ninety-five  degrees 
above  zero.  Previous  to  the  record-breaking  period  of  warm  weather  during  the 
summer  of  1901,  the  absolute  maximum  temperature  was  100  degrees,  recorded 
on  July  26,  1894,  and  the  absolute  maximum  since  1901  has  been  ninety-six  de- 
grees, registered  on  July  29  and  August  14,  1909.  The  coldest  period  of  the 
year  in  this  locality  is,  on  the  average,  from  January  14th  to  January  23d,  in- 
clusive, when  the  normal  temperature  is  but  twenty  degrees ;  the  warmest  period 
is  from  July  13th  to  July  25th,  inclusive,  during  which  time  the  daily  normal  is 
seventy-six  degrees.  The  growing  season  is  nearly  six  months  long,  extending 
from  about  April  22d,  the  average  date  of  the  last  killing  frost  in  spring,  to  about 
October  13th,  the  average  date  of  the  first  killing  frost  in  autumn.  The  latest  kill- 
ing frost  of  spring  occurred  on  May  22d,  and  the  earliest  killing  frost  of  autumn, 
on  September  i8th. 

The  rainfall  averages  heaviest  during  the  first  few  days  of  June,  the  normal 
for  June  2d,  4th  and  5th  being  0.18  inch;  the  daily  precipitation  normals  are  least, 
and  but  about  0.03  inch  from  January  27th  to  January  31st.  Of  the  annual 
amount  of  32.8  inches,  about  two-thirds,  or  21.5  inches  of  rain  falls  during  the 
growing  season,  included  in  the  months  from  April  to  September.  Heavy  down- 
pours frequently  attend  the  thunderstorms  of  summer,  the  precipitation  during 
a  single  disturbance  of  that  kind  sometimes  exceeding  the  normal  amount  of 
rainfall  for  the  entire  month.  On  July  13-14,  1889,  5.18  inches  of  rain  fell  in 
twenty-four  hours,  and  a  twenty-four  hour  fall  of  5.06  inches  occurred  on  June 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  879 

9-10,  1905.  When  it  is  remembered  that  an  inch  of  rain  is  equal  to  226,603 
pounds,  or  to  27,154  gallons,  of  precipitation  on  each  exposed  acre  of  ground, 
some  idea  may  be  gained  of  the  volume  of  water  precipitated  during  one  of  these 
exceptionally  severe  storms. 

The  highest  velocity  of  the  wind  at  the  local  office  during  the  nearly  forty 
years  covered  by  its  records  was  at  the  rate  of  seventy-two  miles  per  hour,  from 
the  southwest,  on  September  7,  1872.  One  or  more  small  houses  in  the  western 
portion  of  Davenport  were  reported  to  have  been  blown  over  at  that  time  and 
damage  of  a  minor  character  was  occasioned  about  the  city,  while  the  loss  to  the 
agricultural  interests  in  this  vicinity  was  considerable.  There  is  no  record  of  a 
visitation  by  any  tornado,  or  other  wind  storm  of  sufficient  violence  to  cause 
general  and  wide-spread  loss  of  life  and  property. 

The  known  range  in  the  Mississippi,  at  Davenport,  has  been  20.4  feet,  or 
from  i.o  foot  below  the  zero  of  the  river  gauge,  on  January  5,  1890,  to  19.4 
feet  above  zero,  on  June  27,  1892.  The  latter  remarkable  stage  was  due  to  the 
occurrence  of  exceptionally  heavy  rains  at  a  time  when  a  flood  crest  was  ap- 
proaching from  Dubuque.  The  highest  gauge  reading  in  this  city  during  the 
flood  referred  to  was  0.8  foot  above  the  maximum  reading  at  Dubuque,  where 
the  passing  of  the  flood  crest  on  June  24th  gave  a  reading  of  18.6  feet.  At  the 
time  of  highest  water  the  railroad  lines  along  the  river  front  were  flooded  to  a 
depth  of  about  two  feet  and  the  gas  works  and  nearly  all  factories  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  the  stream  were  compelled  to  suspend  operations.  The  high- 
est stage  known  in  this  locality  at  any  season  is  reported  to  have  occurred  in 
1868,  when  an  ice  gorge  caused  the  river  to  rise  to  20.9  feet.  Dangerously  high 
water  in  this  portion  of  the  Mississippi  is  unusual,  however,  the  last  occurrence 
of  the  flood  stage  of  fifteen  feet  having  been  during  April,  1897. 

CHANGES  IN  CLIMATE. 

Mr.  Sherier  has  consented  to  allow  the  addition  of  a  paper  read  by  him  before 
the  Contemporary  Club  February  25,  1909.  It  deals  with  the  most  useful  con- 
versational topic  in  a  manner  at  once  scientific  and  colloquial.  The  paper  was 
greatly  enjoyed  by  the  club  and  is  now  given  wider  reading: 

"What  has  become  of  our  old-fashioned  winters?  Why  do  we  no  longer 
have  the  waist-deep  snows  that  covered  the  ground  for  months  at  a  time  a  gen- 
eration ago,  while  unbroken  periods  of  zero  weather  prevailed  for  several  weeks 
during  each  cold  season?" 

The  representative  of  the  Weather  Bureau  on  duty  at  a  northern  station  is 
asked  these  and  similar  questions  so  often  that  sometimes  he  is  half  inclined  to 
wonder  whether,  after  all.  his  records  have  deceived  him  and  the  climate  is  really 
undergoing  some  change.  Along  the  south  Atlantic  and  Gulf  coasts,  however,  one 
may  hear  it  just  as  positively  asserted  that  the  winters  are  becoming  more  severe; 
and,  as  proof  of  the  correctness  of  this  statement,  it  may  be  pointed  out,  for 
example,  that  orange  trees  which  are  said  to  have  flourished  formerly  along  the 
streets  of  Savannah,  Ga.,  have  been  killed  by  the  low  temperatures  of  the  last 
thirty  or  forty  years  and  few  are  now  to  be  found  north  of  the  Florida  line.  It 
does  not  seem  possible  that  a  gradual  lowering  of  the  temperature  is  taking  place 


880  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

in  the  South  and  that,  at  the  same  time,  the  northern  winters  are  growing  milder. 
Upon  looking  over  the  great  amount  of  data  that  has  been  collected  by  the  U.  S. 
Weather  Bureau  and  by  foreign  meteorologists,  the  student  can  find  little  to  sus- 
tain this  general  impression  that  a  permanent  change  in  climate  is  taking  place. 
Evidently  the  casual  observer  is  at  fault. 

Those  who  have  made  an  exhaustive  study  of  climatology  now  generally  agree 
that,  in  most  cases,  the  belief  in  a  climatic  change  is  traceable  to  the  tendency  of 
the  memory  to  dwell  upon  those  events  that  produce  the  greatest  impression  at 
the  time  of  occurrence,  to  the  exclusion  of  intervening  happenings  of  minor  im- 
portance. All  of  the  cold  winters,  hot  summers  and  deep  snows  of  a  life  time  are 
recalled  in  proportion  to  their  departures  from  the  averages  for  the  place  under 
consideration,  or  according  to  the  attention  these  phenomena  attracted  when  they 
were  observed.  In  reviewing  the  weather  of  a  generation,  the  most  notable 
events  merge,  as  one  authority  states,  in  much  the  same  way  as  do  the  telegraph 
poles  in  a  railway  perspective.  The  greater  the  period  of  time  that  is  looked  back 
over,  the  nearer  the  deep  snows  and  marked  cold  waves  appear  to  be,  just  as  the 
poles  seem  to  form  a  high  fence  at  the  point  where  the  rails  apparently  come 
together. 

In  an  article  written  for  the  Sunday  Magazine  of  the  Chicago  Record-Herald, 
pubHshed  on  March  25,  1906,  R.  DeC.  Ward,  Assistant  Professor  of  CHmatology 
at  Harvard  University,  gives  the  following  illustration  of  what  he  terms  "the 
shortness  of  people's  memories  in  the  matter  of  weather  conditions :" 

"During  the  winter  just  ended,  which  has  attracted  some  attention  because  of 
its  relatively  mild  temperatures  and  small  snow-fall,  people  have  been  saying 
generally  that  the  climate  has  certainly  changed  to  a  warmer  one,  and  one  of  the 
Boston  newspapers  recently  printed  a  symposium,  to  which  several  meteorological 
experts  contributed  signed  articles,  on  the  subject:  'Has  Anything  Happened  to 
Our  Old-Fashioned  Winter?'  the  general  impression  on  the  part  of  the  public 
being  that  something  certainly  has  happened  to  it. 

"Only  two  years  ago,  in  1903-04,  when  there  were  frequent  snow  storms, 
when  the  cold  was  severe,  and  when  the  snow  lay  on  the  ground  for  some  weeks, 
the  winter  was  commonly  designated  as  an  'old-fashioned'  one.  And  at  that  time 
another  Boston  newspaper  requested  from  the  writer  of  the  present  article  a 
discussion  of  the  question,  'Why  Has  the  Old-fashioned  Winter  Come  Back 
Again  ?'  People  felt  then  that  the  climate  had  changed  from  a  milder  to  a  more 
severe  one.  Within  three  years,  therefore,  in  New  England,  there  have  been 
two  wholly  divergent  views  on  the  part  of  the  general  public." 

Change  of  residence,  either  from  one  section  to  another,  or  from  the  country 
to  the  city,  may  also  be  responsible  for  the  notion  that  there  has  been  a  change  in 
climate.  Marked  differences  in  temperature  and  rainfall  are  to  be  found  in 
places  only  a  comparatively  short  distance  apart,  and  the  person  who  has  paid  but 
little  attention  to  the  study  of  climatololgy  is  apt  to  confuse  the  climate  of  one 
locality  with  that  of  another.  Because  early  impressions  are  strongest,  this  ap- 
pears to  be  especially  true  if  the  change  has  been  made  to  a  less  rigorous  cli- 
mate. Our  present  mode  of  living  undoubtedly  has  some  influence  upon  our 
appreciation  of  weather  conditions.     In  the  modern  dwelling,  heated  by  furnace, 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  881 

steam  or  hot  water,  temperatures  below  zero  do  not  produce  discomfort,  even 
though  they  do  have  a  tendency  to  lengthen  coal  bills,  while  it  is  hard  to  efface 
from  the  memory  the  shivering  and  chattering  that  attended  the  hasty  toilet  made 
under  such  weather  conditions  in  the  frigid  bedroom  of  earlier  times. 

The  effect  of  deforestation  is  usually  mentioned  first  among  the  causes  that 
are  supposed  to  produce  local  changes  in  climate,  and  with  a  better  show  of  reason 
than  in  the  case  of  the  other  influences  that  are  commonly  supposed  to  have  this 
result.  The  range  in  temperature  is  found  to  be  slightly  reduced  over  forests, 
while  the  rainfall  is  generally  thought  to  be  somewhat  increased.  There  is  much 
discussion,  however,  as  to  the  influence  of  forests  upon  precipitation  and  temper- 
ature;  but,  as  climatologists  themselves  do  not  fully  agree  upon  this  subject,  it 
is  so  slight  as  to  be  imperceptible  to  the  ordinary  observer.  The  principal  benefit 
of  forests  lies  in  their  acting  as  reservoirs  for  the  storage  of  water  that  would 
otherwise  soon  find  its  way  into  streams  and  out  of  the  region  where  it  was  pre- 
cipitated, and  also  in  preventing  erosion  of  the  soil. 

Conversely,  it  is  claimed  that  the  breaking  up  of  the  soil  and  the  planting  of 
trees  and  other  vegetation  produce  an  increase  in  the  rainfall  of  a  locality,  a 
theory  that  is  nearly  always  advanced  by  those  who  maintain  that  the  precipitation 
in  the  western  regions  of  scanty  rainfall  is  gradually  becoming  greater.  In  com- 
menting upon  an  article  by  Mr.  William  E.  Curtis,  in  which  Mr.  Curtis  pointed 
out  that  the  extreme  limits  of  cultivation  in  Kansas  had,  between  i860  and  1905, 
been  extended  from  Emporia,  no  miles  west  of  the  Missouri  state  line,  to  the 
eastern  border  of  Colorado,  Professor  Cleveland  Abbe,  Editor  of  the  Monthly 
Weather  Reviczv,  says  in  the  June,  1905.  number  of  that  publication: 

"It  is  not  the  increase  of  rainfall  or  the  change  in  climate  that  has  made  Kan- 
sas habitable  any  more  than  it  is  the  diminution  of  rainfall  that  has  made  Syria  a 
desert.  In  the  one  case  intelligent  man  has  conquered  the  desert ;  in  the  other 
case  ignorant  men  and  oppressive  rulers  have  allowed  the  desert  climate 
to  conquer  them.  As  a  rule,  even  without  artificial  irrigation,  a  good  crop 
plant,  such  as  wheat  or  maize,  suitable  to  desert  conditions  can  be  evolved 
by  a  proper  system  of  selection;  when  irrigation  comes  in  to  help,  the  sunny 
desert  becomes  a  more  profitable  garden  field  than  the  moist  climate  of  the 
seashore  or  the  tropics.  As  a  rule  grain  crops  require  plenty  of  sunshine,  a  soil 
of  the  right  physical  properties,  and  a  very  careful,  systematic  application  of 
water.  Formerly,  the  ideal  wheat  fields  were  in  Egypt,  with  abundance  of  sun- 
shine, a  fine  soil  for  retaining  the  water,  and  a  periodic  inundation  and  irriga- 
tion, regulated  by  the  river  Nile.  Almost  the  same  climatic  conditions  prevail 
throughout  the  basins  of  the  Mississippi,  Missouri,  Saskatchewan,  and  McKenzie. 
The  fertility  of  this  great  region  is  a  matter  that  depends  wholly  upon  human  in- 
dustry, and  not  on  any  change  of  climate." 

The  popular  belief  that  irrigation  has  an  important  effect  upon  the  climate  of 
not  only  the  region  where  it  is  generally  carried  on.  but  upon  that  of  the  central 
valleys  as  well,  seems  to  have  gained  adherents  at  a  rate  almost  in  proportion  to 
the  growth  of  those  operations  themselves.  During  the  summer  of  1901.  when 
the  entire  middle  west  suffered  from  a  prolonged  period  of  intense  heat,  the  an- 
nouncement was  made  through  the  press  that  a  well  known  meteorologist  attrib- 
uted that  visitation  to  the  irrigation  operations  in  the  semi-arid  regions — a  notion 


882  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

that  was  immediately  confuted  by  the  entire  scientific  staff  of  the  Weather  Bureau. 
Hot  waves  have  occurred  in  previous  seasons,  but  there  has  been  no  exceptionally 
warm  summer  since  the  one  referred  to,  notwithstanding  the  astounding  increase 
in  the  amount  of  land  that  has  been  put  under  irrigation  since  190 1.  Many  of 
the  other  notions  concerning  the  effect  of  irrigation  upon  the  climate  of  any 
extensive  area  are,  without  doubt,  equally  ridiculous.  Only  water  from  streams 
already  flowing  through  those  sections  is  used  in  irrigation,  so  that  no  additional 
moisture  is  brought  in  from  the  outside,  though  the  available  water  is  distributed 
in  such  a  way  that  evaporation  is  facilitated.  Scattered  as  the  irrigation  opera- 
tions are  over  the  Pacific  slope  and  the  Rocky  mountain  region,  and  including 
only  a  small  percentage  of  that  enormous  stretch  of  territory,  their  effect  upon 
climate  must  be  insignificant. 

It  is,  nevertheless,  apparent  to  everyone  who  takes  but  a  passing  interest  in 
weather  changes  that  there  is  a  fluctuation  in  the  meteorological  elements  from 
year  to  year,  the  last  twelve  months  being  warmer  or  colder,  wetter  or  drier  than 
the  preceding  period  of  the  same  length.  Rainfall  and  temperature  records,  es- 
pecially, frequently  show  excesses  and  deficiencies  that  recur  with  such  regular- 
ity as  to  suggest  wave  motion.  Paradoxical  as  it  may  seem,  normal  weather 
conditions  are  the  exception  instead  of  the  rule.  These  frequent  somewhat  reg- 
ular changes  through  several  years  have  been  the  cause  of  untiring  efforts  on  the 
part  of  many  students  of  meteorology  to  establish  some  rule  or  formula  for  fore- 
telling roughly  the  time  of  occurrence  of  droughts,  floods  and  seasons  of  extreme 
heat  or  cold.  Thus  periods  of  seven  years,  eleven  years,  nineteen  years,  etc., 
have  been  computed,  but  these  oscillations  cannot  be  shown  to  be  uniform  and 
persistent.  The  investigator  may  find,  when  his  hopes  are  highest,  that  the  phases 
of  such  a  wave  or  cycle  disappear,  without  his  being  able  to  understand  why  the 
undulatory  movement  should  have  become  lost  in  a  long  period  of  weather  from 
which  all  semblance  of  regularity  as  to  periodicity  is  missing.  In  Europe  Briick- 
ner  has  found  a  period  of  approximately  thirty-five  years  in  both  temperature 
and  rainfall,  though  the  variations  are  slight,  the  temperature  departures  amount- 
ing to  not  more  than  0.5°  to  1.0°  from  the  established  mean. 

In  order  to  establish  the  invariability  of  a  climate,  it  is  necessary,  therefore, 
to  examine  meteorological  records  that  have  been  maintained  for  a  period  long 
enough  to  cover  the  irregular  and  periodic  changes.  Continuous  observations  for 
nearly  forty  years,  made  by  the  Weather  Bureau  in  every  section  of  the  United 
States,  are  now  available  to  every  one  interested  in  climatology,  and  the  matter 
of  proving  that  a  permanent  progressive  change  in  climate  is  not  taking  place 
is  comparatively  simple. 

A  record  of  temperature  and  precipitation  at  Muscatine,  Iowa,  that  should 
prove  of  special  value  to  those  interested  in  the  climatic  conditions  of  Daven- 
port, Rock  Island,  and  Moline,  is  to  be  found  in  the  August,  1890,  number  of 
the  Monthly  Weather  Reznew.  The  temperature  observations,  extending  from 
January,  1839,  to  June,  1890,  and  the  precipitation  record,  covering  the  period 
from  January,  1846,  to  June,  1890,  were  by  J.  P.  Walton,  Rev.  J.  Ufford,  S. 
Foster,  and  Prof.  T.  S.  Parvin,  Signal  Service,  voluntary  and  Smithsonian  ob- 
servers. The  warmest  of  the  entire  fifty-one  years  included  in  the  tempera- 
ture observations  was  1839,  with  a  mean  of  53°,  and  the  coldest  were  1856  and 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  883 

1875,  with  an  average  of  44.1°  each.  The  mean  temperature  was  also  below 
45°  in  1847  2ind  1857,  when  the  averages  were  44.6°  and  44.9°,  respectively. 
Other  particularly  warm  years  were  1840,  1846,  1861,  and  1878,  in  all  of  which 
the  mean  was  slightly  above  50°.  It  is  also  found  that  the  first  twenty-five  years 
of  the  fifty-year  period  from  1839  to  1888,  inclusive,  were  warmer,  on  the  aver- 
age, than  the  last  twenty-five  years,  the  means  being  47.9°  and  47-5^,  respec- 
tively. The  lowest  mean  during  any  winter  month  was  6.2°,  for  January,  1857, 
though  especially  low  temperatures  also  prevailed  during  1856,  1875,  ^883,  and 
1888,  the  mean  for  that  month  in  all  of  these  years  being  below  10°.  while  the 
average  for  January  during  the  whole  period  was  20.1°.  The  mean  temperature 
at  Muscatine  during  the  winter  months  of  the  first  twenty-six  years  in  the  pe- 
riod from  1839  to  1890,  inclusive,  were  as  follows:  January,  21.8°;  February, 
24,9°  ;  December,  24.2°.  In  the  second  twenty-six  years  of  the  same  period 
the  means  for  these  months  were :  January,  18.3°  ;  February,  24.4° ;  December, 
24.2°.  The  winter  mean  for  the  first  half  of  the  period  of  fifty-two  years  was 
23.6°,  and  for  the  second  half,  22.3°,  the  winters  from  1839  to  1864  averaging 
1.3°  warmer  than  those  from  1865  to  1890.  The  wettest  year  at  this  same  sta- 
tion, from  1846  to  1889,  inclusive,  was  1851,  with  a  total  precipitation  of  74-50 
inches,  and  the  driest  was  1854,  with  but  23.66  inches.  The  least  amount  of 
precipitation  in  the  month  of  January  was  0.30  inch,  in  1868.  The  wettest  Jan- 
uary was  that  of  1873,  with  a  total  of  8.59  inches,  an  excess  of  6.57  inches  over 
the  mean  for  that  month  during  the  entire  period  of  observation.  Although 
the  total  precipitation  during  the  first  half  of  the  period  exceeded  that  of  the 
last  half,  the  m.eans  being  40.78  inches  and  38.11  inches,  respectively,  against 
an  average  for  the  forty-four  years  of  39.27  inches,  the  difference  was  due 
mainly  to  the  exceptionally  wet  summers  of  1849,  1850  and  1851.  During  1851, 
especially,  the  total  rainfall  during  May,  June,  July,  and  August  was  49.50 
inches,  or  more  than  10  inches  greater  than  the  normal  for  an  entire  year.  The 
average  total  precipitation  for  the  three  winter  months  of  December,  January 
and  February  was  6.67  inches  during  the  first  twenty-two  years  and  6. 11  dur- 
ing the  last  twenty-two  years.  There  is  nothing  to  indicate  the  character  of 
precipitation,  whether  rain  or  snow,  but  the  averages  for  January,  when  the 
temperatures  are  lowest,  and  the  precipitation  is  most  likely  to  be  in  the  form 
of  snow,  were  1.75  inches  in  the  first  and  2.17  inches  in  the  second  half  of  the 
period.  Arranging  the  precipitation  for  the  forty  years  from  1850  to  1889  in 
pentads,  in  order  to  reduce  the  irregularities  caused  by  notably  wet  or  dry  years, 
the  highest  average  is  found  to  be  50.31  inches  for  the  five-year  period  from 
1850  to  1854.  The  second  highest  average,  42.94  inches,  occurred  during  the 
pentad  1880-84.  and  the  lowest  average  for  any  pentad  was  31.87  inches  in 
1870-74. 

The  Muscatine  record  has  been  selected  for  discussion  because  of  the  length 
of  the  period  covered,  the  early  date  at  which  the  observations  were  begun,  and 
the  proximity  of  that  city  to  Davenport.  Unfortunately,  temperature  and  pre- 
cipitation data  for  Muscatine  have  not  been  published  regularly  since  the  middle 
of  the  year  1890. 

During  the  eighteen-year  period  beginning  with  1872.  when  the  first  full 
year  of  Signal  Service  observations  was  made  in  Davenport,  this  city  averaged 


884  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

somewhat  warmer  and  drier  than  Muscatine,  the  means  being  as  follows :  Tem- 
perature—Davenport, 49-2°;  Muscatine,  47.5°.  Rainfall— Davenport,  35.43 
inches;  Muscatine.  38.52  inches. 

An  excellent  article  that  appeared  in  the  Monthly  Weather  Review  for  May, 
1904,  entitled,  "The  Invariability  of  Our  Winter  Climate,"  by  Mr.  Wm.  B.  Stock- 
man, at  that  time  Chief  of  the  Records  Division  of  the  Weather  Bureau,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  and  which  has  since  been  reprinted  as  a  special  publication  of  the 
Bureau,  contains  tabulated  winter  temperature  data  from  ten  selected  stations  for 
fifty  winters,  beginning  with  that  of  1854-55.  The  observations  cover  only  the 
territory  from  the  Mississippi  valley  to  the  Atlantic  coast,  it  being  explained  that 
in  this  section  only  could  records  of  the  necessary  length  be  obtained.  Since, 
for  obvious  reasons,  it  is  impracticable  to  use  extensive  tabular  matter  in  a  paper 
of  this  kind,  only  the  following  paragraph  which  contains  what  is  thought  to 
be  the  most  pertinent  part  of  Mr.  Stockman's  conclusions  as  to  a  change  in 
climate  is  quoted : 

"From  a  study  of  the  departures  given  during  the  last  past  fifty  years  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  contention  that  the  winters  of  recent  years  are  less  rigorous  than 
those  of  former  years,  at  least  so  far  as  temperature  is  concerned,  is  not  well 
founded,  for  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  the  mean  of  the  first 
and  second  twenty-five-year  periods  was  the  same  as  the  fifty-year  average;  at 
Cincinnati  the  second  period  averaged  0.8°  lower  than  the  first  period,  while 
at  the  other  stations  the  mean  of  the  second  twenty-five-year  period  was  but  a 
few  tenths  of  a  degree  above  the  fifty-year  average." 

Data  compiled  by  Angot,  showing  the  average  dates  of  vintage  at  Dijon, 
France,  from  the  fourteenth  to  the  nineteenth  century,  indicate  that  the  vintage 
season  averaged  earliest  in  the  seventeenth  and  latest  in  the  ninteeenth  century, 
the  dates  being  October  24.5th  and  October  30th,  respectively  the  range  of 
the  means  amounting  to  only  5.5  days  in  the  six  hundred  years.  The  next  earli- 
est average  was  October  25th,  in  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries,  while 
those  given  for  the  sixteenth  and  eighteenth  centuries  are  October  28th  and  Oc- 
tober 28.8th. 

Since  the  climate  of  a  section  is  determined  mainly  by  latitude,  elevation,  the 
varying  topography,  and  the  trend  of  mountain  ranges,  distance  from  large  bodies 
of  water,  and  the  direction  of  prevailing  winds,  it  would  appear  that  average 
climatic  conditions  for  ordinary  periods  of  time  should  be  nearly  as  constant  as 
are  these  controlling  factors  themselves. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
THE  PRESS. 

THE  ARCHIMEDEAN  LEVER  THAT  MOVES  THE  V^ORLD  IN  THIS  PART  OF  THE  WORLD 
THE  PRESENT  PRESS  WHICH  ABLY  SERVES  DAVENPORT  AND  SCOTT  COUNTY ENG- 
LISH AND  GERMAN,  POLITICAL  AND  RELIGIOUS PAPERS  OF  BYGONE  DAYS  WHICH 

DID  NOT  FILL  A  WIDE  FELT  WANT THE  PAPERS  OF  LONG  AGO  AND  THEIR  NEWS 

SERVICE THE   TRI-CITY    PRESS    CLUB. 

By  Ralph  W.  Cram, 
President  of  the  Tri-City  Press  Club. 

The  printing  press  came  to  Davenport  almost  with  the  first  settlers.  There 
were  just  enough  people  living  in  Davenport  and  Rockingham,  rival  and  adjoin- 
ing towns  on  the  Iowa  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  to  get  up  a  county  seat  war,  when 
in  1838  Andrew  Logan  appeared  on  the  scene.  He  had  the  intent  of  and  equip- 
ment for  starting  a  newspaper,  if  such  it  may  be  called,  and  Davenport  captured 
him  and  incidentally  later  captured  the  county  seat. 

August  15,  1838,  therefore,  became  the  birthday  of  newspaperdom  in  Davenport 
and  in  Iowa.  On  that  date  appeared  the  first  issue  of  ]\Ir.  Logan's  paper,  with 
a  name  as  long  as  its  columns — The  Iowa  Sun  and  Davenport  and  Rock  Island 
News.  With  this  name  he  blanketed  the  territory  of  Iowa,  the  city  of  Davenport, 
and  the  island  of  Rock  Island,  then  important  as  the  location  of  Colonel  Daven- 
port's trading  post.  The  present  city  of  Rock  Island,  known  as  Stephenson, 
apparently  got  no   recognition   from  this   enterprising  publisher. 

The  Sun  shone  for  four  years,  when  Mr.  Logan  concluded  that  the  material 
returns  from  a  Scott  county  farm  would  be  greater  than  from  his  subscription 
and  advertising  list,  and  sold  his  plant  to  BuflFalo  parties,  who  used  it  in  printing 
The  Bride  and  the  Lamb's  Wife,  a  religious  publication,  afterward  The  Ensign. 

THE   GAZETTE. 

Davenport  was  not  left  without  a  newspaper,  however,  for  the  Davenport 
Gazette  had  already,  in  1841,  been  founded  by  Alfred  Sanders  and  Levi  Davis, 


886  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

the  first  issue  appearing  Aug.  26th.  They  are  well  remembered  old  residents  of 
Davenport,  Mr.  Davis  living  until  fairly  recent  years.  Their  paper  was  a  four- 
page  weekly,  whig  in  politics.  In  1857  Mr.  Davis  sold  his  interest  to  his  partner's 
brother.  General  Add.  H.  Sanders,  who  at  this  writing  is  still  living  in  the  south. 
The  general  withdrew  from  the  firm  when  he  went  to  the  front  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  war,  and  Alfred  Sanders  sold  out  in  1862. 

Ed^^'ard  Russell,  James  McCosh,  Levi  Davis  and  Fred  Koops  had  organized 
the  Gazette  company,  which  bought  the  paper,  and  continued  its  publication  until, 
it  having  become  a  daily  newspaper  long  before,  it  was  bought  by  The  Democrat 
Company.  This  change  occurred  in  1887,  and  for  several  years  the  morning 
edition  of  the  Democrat-Gazette  was  its  successor,  until  it  was  discontinued  as 
a  morning  newspaper. 

Meanwhile,  the  Democratic  Banner  had  begun  to  wave.  It  appeared  in  Sep- 
tember, 1848,  founded  by  Alexander  Montgomery,  a  steamboat  man,  who  sold 
out  the  following  January,  in  ample  time  for  a  full  season  on  the  river  after  a 
very  brief  career  as  a  publisher.  Harvey  Leonard,  Hiram  Price,  M.  D.  West- 
lake,  and  R.  M.  Prettyman  succeeded  him  as  owners  of  the  paper,  with  Henry 
Smetham  employed  as  publisher  and  editor.  A  few  months  later  it  had  passed  to 
such  well-known  men  as  Theodore  D.  Eagal,  J.  W.  Wheeler,  Austin  Corbin,  and 
others.  Before  1849  had  closed  T.  D.  Eagal  was  the  sole  owner.  Those  early 
newspapers  were  evidently  as  fine  things  to  unload  as  they  were  to  run.  Mr. 
Eagal  afterward  wrote  that  he  often  prepared  his  copy  for  the  paper  of  an  evening 
while  rocking  the  cradle  with  his  foot  and  spent  the  following  day  putting  the 
items  and  ads  into  type. 

After  seven  years  the  paper  was  sold  to  D.  N.  Richardson,  J.  T.  Hildreth 
and  G.  R.  West,  and  its  name  was  changed  to  The  Iowa  State  Democrat. 

THE   DEMOCRAT. 

The  Davenport  Daily  Democrat  of  the  present  day  looks  back  across  fifty- 
five  years  of  continuous  publication  under  practically  unchanged  ownership,  to 
the  purchase  mentioned.  The  first  issue  of  the  Iowa  State  Democrat  appeared 
Oct.  15,  1855,  and  Oct.  22,  1905,  the  Democrat  company  observed  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  the  paper  by  the  publication  of  the  Democrat's  Half -Century  edi- 
tion— a  feat  of  journalistic  enterprise  which  gave  to  its  readers  nearly  100  pages 
of  historical  and  reminiscent  reading  that  made  the  edition  unique  in  the  field  of 
journalism. 

D.  N.  Richardson,  the  long-time  editor  of  the  Democrat,  left  his  scholarly 
and  dignified  impress  upon  its  pages  and  made  it  one  of  the  leading  newspapers 
of  the  west.  In  his  later  years  he  won  distinction  as  a  traveler  and  author,  and 
left  in  book  form  his  "Girdle  Round  the  Earth,"  a  revision  of  a  remarkable  series 
of  letters  he  wrote  to  The  Democrat  while  on  a  trip  around  the  world.  His  ser- 
vices to  his  state  were  large  and  important,  and  he  may  well  be  called  the  father 
of  English  journalism,  as  he  was  long  its  dean,  in  Davenport. 

J.  J.  Richardson,  present  head  of  the  Democrat  Company,  joined  his  brother 
in  1859.  and  his  fiftieth  anniversary  of  continuous  connection  with  The  Democrat 
was  observed  on  the  same  date  in  1909,  when  the  other  members  of  the  company 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  887 

and  its  employes  joined  in  presenting  him  a  magnificent  silver  loving  cup  in  honor 
of  the  occasion.  Members  of  the  Democrat  company  at  this  writing  are :  J.  J. 
Richardson,  M.  N.  Richardson,  J.  B.  Richardson,  W.  T.  Jefferson,  Mrs.  Joe  R. 
Lane,  Mrs.  Wilson  McClelland,  Mrs.  D.   N.  Richardson. 

THE  TIMES. 

The  Davenport  Times  has  been  a  daily  since  1886,  when  it  was  founded  by  the 
late  E.  W.  Brady.  He  was  assisted  in  its  publication  by  his  sons,  until  the  latter 
went  to  larger  fields  of  magazine  publication  in  the  east,  tJie  paper  being  sold  in 
1899  to  C.  D.  Reimers  and  A.  W.  Lee,  Two  years  later  Mr.  Reimers'  interest 
was  bought  by  E.  P.  Adler  and  Mr.  Lee.  and  Mr.  Adler,  who  upon  Mr.  Lee's 
death  became  president  of  the  Lee  newspaper  syndicate,  has  been  its  publisher 
since  that  time. 

DER  DEMOKRAT. 

Many  of  the  interesting  features  of  early  journalistic  life  in  Davenport  are 
clustered  about  the  succession  of  German  stalwarts  who  donned  the  editorial 
harness  that  the  desires  and  the  ideals  of  Davenport's  many  German-American 
citizens  should  be  given  expression  in  their  own  tongue.  Theodore  Guelich  was 
one  of  them,  the  original  editor  of  Der  Demokrat  when  it  was  first  published, 
Nov.  15,  1851.  It  became  a  daily  in  1856,  and  later  in  that  year  was  sold  to  Henry 
Lischer  &  Co.,  the  Co.  standing  for  Theodore  Olshausen,  who  assumed  the  edi- 
torial chair.  Jens  Peter  Stibolt  was  another  of  the  old-time  editors  whose  name 
became  a  household  word  with  the  sons  of  the  Fatherland  in  Scott  county.  In 
later  years  Gustav  Donald  and  Dr.  August  Richter  have  wielded  trenchant  pens 
in  the  editorial  chair.  The  H.  Lischer  Printing  Co.,  with  the  sons  of  the  late 
Henry  Lischer  exercising  the  business  management,  have  insured  a  successful 
career  for  the  paper,  and  are  its  present  owners. 

THE   IOWA   REFORM. 

Since  1884  the  Scott  county  reader  who  wanted  his  news  served  to  him  in 
German  type  has  had  the  chance  to  read  the  Iowa  Reform,  founded  in  that  year 
by  Adolph  Petersen,  and  Adolph  Petersen  &  Bro.  (Gerhard),  are  still  its  pub- 
lishers. They  recently  observed  their  25th  anniversary  as  Davenport  publishers 
by  issuing  a  splendid  anniversary  number  of  the  Reform. 

THE   CATHOLIC    MESSENGER. 

T.  L.  Sharon  came  to  Davenport  in  1882,  shortly  after  Davenport  had  been 
created  the  see  city  of  the  Diocese  of  Davenport,  and  founded  the  Iowa  Catholic 
Messenger,  of  which  the  first  number  was  issued  Jan.  4,  1883.  His  brother.  Fred 
B.  Sharon,  is  now  its  publisher,  and  it  is  the  leading  organ  of  the  Catholic  church 
for  a  wide  territory. 


888  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

MANY  OTHER  PAPERS. 

Along-  the  way,  a  surprising  number  of  newspapers  have  been  started  in  Scott 
county,  to  exist  for  a  greater  or  less — sometimes  much  less — period  of  time. 

The  Davenport  Leader  had  several  fruitful  and  influential  years,  until  it  was 
purchased  by  the  Democrat  in  1904.  It  was  founded  by  the  Davenport  Leader 
Company  with  Thomas  F.  Halligan  as  president,  J.  E.  Hallig"an,  secretary  and 
manager,  and  W.  P.  Halligan,  treasurer.    Jos.  E.  Halligan  was  editor. 

Farther  back,  the  Davenport  Republican  in  1894  had  entered  the  morning 
field,  which  had  been  left  open  by  the  Democrat's  purchase  of  the  Gazette.  S.  D. 
Cook  came  to  Davenport  with  the  idea,  and  S.  F.  Smith,  Ralph  E.  Lindsay 
Horace  Birdsall  and  J.  B.  Phillips  were  his  original  associates  as  local  publishers. 
In  1904,  finding  the  morning  field  unprofitable,  it  became  the  Tri-City  Evening 
Star,  but  the  next  year  under  new  ownership  it  became  a  morning  Star,  until  it 
set  for  good  a  fortnight  later. 

The  gap  between  the  Gazette  and  the  RepubHcan  was  partially  filled  by  the 
Tribune,  first  issued  by  a  company  organized  in  1889.  For  some  time  it  had 
the  felicity  of  having  the  venerable  Add  H.  Sanders  as  its  editor.  W.  H.  Martin, 
W.  H.  Forrest  and  Joel  M.  Parker  were  connected  with  its  editorial  and  business 
management  at  various  periods. 

Not  all  the  editorial  ventures  in  Davenport  have  been  devoted  to  a  dry  chron- 
icling of  news,  however.  In  1896  Charles  Eugene  Banks  founded  the  Outlook, 
and  for  two  years  it  was  scintillant  with  social  news  and  Mr.  Banks'  choice  Eng- 
lish and  delightful  verse. 

Of  a  later  cycle  was  the  Trident,  established  by  Miss  Mary  Harrah  and  Mrs. 
Ella  G.  Bushnell-Hamlin  in  1904,  and  continuing  until  1909.  .Through  its  columns 
Mrs.  Hamlin  found  opportunity  to  advocate  many  movements  for  civic  better- 
ment, on  which  she  was  always  a  strong  writer  and  ready  speaker. 

The  Morning  News  appeared  in  1856,  and  had  as  its  editor  Mr.  Franc  B. 
Wilkie,  afterward  founder  of  the  Chicago  Press  club.  The  News  sold  out  in 
1859  to  the  Democrat.  Mr.  Wilkie  took  opportunity  in  the  midst  of  journalistic 
toil  to  write  "Davenport,  Past  and  Present." 

The  Sternen-Banner,  the  Familien  Journal,  Dania,  Dannebrog,  Der  Banner, 
and  Beobachter  am  Mississippi,  are  publications  in  German  and  Danish  that  have 
come  and  gone. 

A  long  list  of  English  dailies,  weekHes  and  periodicals  that  graced  the  Scott 
county  field  for  a  time  includes  the  Daily  Times  of  1858,  the  Daily  Anti-Know- 
nothing,  the  Temperance  Organ,  the  Davenport  Commercial,  the  Davenport  Cou- 
rier, the  Davenport  Bee,  the  Iowa  Instructor,  the  Chip  Basket,  the  Bridge  City 
Record,  the  Union,  the  Evangelist,  the  Davenport  Journal,  the  True  Radical, 
the  Sunday  Morning  Times,  the  Sunday  Morning  Star,  the  Soldiers'  Friend, 
the  Iowa  Workman,  the  Western  Weekly,  the  Blue  Ribbon  News,  the  Weekly 
Telegraph,  the  Free  Press  and  the  Star  of  Woodlawn.  All  fulfilled  their  mission 
for  a  time,  as  well  as  might  be,  and  made  way  for  some  new  group  of  journalists 
who  wanted  to  accumulate  the  experience  that  their  predecessors  had  got. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  889 

The  Walcott  News  was  published  for  some  years  and  the  LeClaire  Advance 
and  Princeton  Journal  are  filling  a  niche  in  the  county's  circle  of  weekly 
newspapers. 

THE    TRI-CITY    PRESS    CLUB. 

Davenport  newspaper  men  have  contributed  their  quota  in  recent  years  to  the 
activities  of  the  Tri-City  Press  club,  an  organization  that  grew  out  of  the  belief 
of  the  "boys"  that  their  competitors  were  not  bad  fellows  socially,  and  that  by 
pulling  together  the  newspaper  men  could  do  more  for  their  community  than 
by  pulling  apart.     So  the  Press  club  was  formed. 

The  club  has  filled  the  role  of  host,  on  behalf  of  the  three  cities  of  Davenport, 
Rock  Island  and  Moline,  to  many  distinguished  men.  Among  them  were  Presi- 
dent, then  Secretary  of  War,  William  H.  Taft;  Hon.  William  J.  Bryan;  Com- 
mander Robert  E.  Peary,  since  the  discoverer  of  the  North  Pole;  James  Whit- 
comb  Riley,  the  poet ;  Sir  Robert  Ball,  the  astronomer ;  Admiral  Robley  D.  Evans ; 
Colonel  Henry  Watterson,  editor  and  lecturer;  John  T.  McCutcheon,  the  car- 
toonist ;  George  Ade,  the  humorist ;  Richard  Henry  Little,  humorist  and  war 
correspondent;  Harry  DeWindt,  explorer;  Edward  Howard  Griggs,  lecturer; 
Henry  Barrett  Chamberlin,  war  correspondent,  and  others.  Some  have  lectured 
under  the  club's  auspices,  and  all  were  brought  here  and  sent  away  with  enlarged 
views  of  the  hospitality  and  importance  of  the  tri-cities. 

THE   CHANGES   OF   FIFTY    YEARS. 

At  this  point  there  is  an  irresistible  impulse  to  go  to  the  Half  Century  Demo- 
crat and  clip  therefrom  the  comparison  between  early  and  late  journalism 
sketched  by  the  editor  of  that  publication  J.  E.  Calkins.  The  rest  of  us  might 
easily  see  some  difiference  between  a  paper  of  1855  and  one  of  1905,  but  it  took 
a  trained  newspaper  man  to  enter  into  particulars.  As  the  matter  was  written  for 
the  anniversary  of  one  publication  constant  reference  to  that  newspaper  is  nat- 
ural. The  changes  of  fifty  years  in  the  Democrat  were  those  of  any  other  paper 
of  equal  years. 

There  is  not  more  difiference  between  the  tallow  dip  of  half  a  century  ago  and 
a  2,000  candle-power  arc  than  there  is  to  be  noted  between  The  Davenport  Dem- 
ocrat of  October  15,  1855,  and  the  same  paper  of  today.  In  fact,  the  person  of 
this  day  who  turns  the  old  files,  page  after  page,  seeking  something  in  the  form 
of  news  of  the  Davenport  of  that  earlier  day  finds  himself  wondering  why  the  sub- 
scriber paid  his  newspaper  bills  at  all — and  what  he  got  for  his  money.  The 
oldest  inhabitant  may  remember  the  paucity  that  featured  the  news  columns  of 
all  papers  of  those  days,  and  he  may  recall  the  reason  that  people  advanced  for 
paying  the  printer,  but  it  is  certain  that  no  such  paper  as  was  then  well  supported 
could  live  a  week  in  these  times.  The  deficiency  was  not  unique  with  The  Dem- 
ocrat; it  was  characteristic  of  American  newspaperdom.  The  sheets  published 
in  the  largest  cities  were  making  shift  to  escape  from  this  characterizing  defi- 
ciency, but  they  w^ere  only  a  shade  better  than  the  papers  of  Davenport,  and  far 
inferior  in  news  interest  to  the  least  pretentious  of  the  newspapers  of  this  day. 


890  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

There  was  no  thought  then  of  anything  but  the  simplest  form  of  printing  press 
except  the  largest  and  richest  offices.  The  Democrat  was  first  printed  on  a 
hand  press,  operated  by  man  power,  or  oftener,  as  being  cheaper,  by  boy  power. 
There  was  painful  reality  then  in  the  phrase  "working  ofif  the  edition,"  and  how- 
ever limited  the  circulation,  it  took  time.  Even  the  best  equipped  "country  of- 
fices," such  as  those  of  Davenport  were  in  those  days,  had  nothing  better  than  a 
hand  feed  steam  press,  usually  second-hand,  printing  from  flat  paper,  and  the  com- 
plete newspaper  was,  as  it  was  frequently  called,  a  "sheet,"  the  amplitude  of  which 
was  a  direct  index  to  the  prosperity  of  the  establishment.  There  was  no  pos- 
sibility of  enlargement  then  by  throwing  on  an  extra  two  or  four  pages,  as 
the  perfecting  presses  of  this  day  do  on  short  notice ;  it  was  four  pages  or  none. 
If  the  four  pages  would  not  hold  the  advertising,  and  the  sage  observations  of 
the  editor,  the  alternative  was  to  make  the  columns  longer,  or  add  one  or  two  col- 
umns to  a  page.  By  this  process,  in  times  of  abounding  plenty  with  the  advertiser, 
the  "sheet"  expanded  into  a  "blanket"  and  was  worthy  of  its  name.  Those  old  time 
papers  had  an  immensity  of  expanse  that  would  not  be  tolerated  today. 

PAUCITY   OF  READING    MATTER. 

Today  people  complain  that  their  papers  contain  too  much  advertising  for  the 
amount  of  reading  matter,  but  they  forget  that  there  has  been  a  steady  gain  in 
the  proportion  of  reading  matter  all  these  years.  The  first  year  of  the  Democrat's 
life  its  entire  daily  quantity  of  news  matter  ran  less  than  a  column ;  and  of  this 
column  there  was  not  a  quarter  of  a  column  that  a  well  regulated  city  or  general 
news  editor  of  today  would  call  news.  Most  of  the  matter  that  purported  to  be 
news  was  paid  puffs  or  editorial  observation  or  opinion.  The  occasional  news  item 
that  strayed  into  print  then  was  so  shorn  of  details,  so  compressed  and  so  laden 
with  wise  observation,  comment  and  advice  that  the  reader  got  only  the  barest 
glimpse  of  what  had  happened,  and  that  glimpse  was  destitute  of  all  color,  cir- 
cumstance, and  incident;  destitute  of  everything,  in  fact,  but  the  mere  statement 
that  such  and  such  a  thing  happened. 

THE  REPORTER  LACKING. 

This  lack  of  narrative  and  statement  in  the  so-called  news  of  fifty  years  ago  may 
be  accounted  for  by  several  reasons.  For  one  thing,  it  was  the  fashion  to  treat 
news  in  that  manner.  The  reportorial  art  and  knack  had  not  been  developed, 
though  it  was  coming.  For  another  thing,  the  paper  that  was  published  in  Iowa 
in  those  days  could  not  aflford  to  make  extended  mention  of  anything  that  did  not 
have  great  political  or  financial  interest,  unless  it  might  be  the  most  sensational 
of  events,  such  as  a  great  storm,  or  fire,  or  crime,  or  accident.  Again,  it  was 
the  manner  of  the  time  to  take  opinions  at  second  hand ;  very  much  more  the 
manner  of  that  time  than  it  is  of  this,  at  any  rate.  And  then  there  was  little 
display  of  that  energy  in  the  pursuit  of  news  matter  that  is  the  characteristic  of  the 
newspaper  of  today.  The  most  sensational  of  incidents  were  passed  with  the  merest 
mention.  For  example,  consider  this  item  from  the  issue  of  July  i8,  1856 — three 
days  after  the  accident  occurred : 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  891 

"Drowned — A  gentleman,  whose  name  we  did  not  learn,  formerly  from  New 
Orleans,  who  had  been  stopping  at  the  Mississippi  House,  went  in  the  river  to 
bathe  last  Wednesday  evening,  and  has  not  been  heard  from  since,  and  is  undoubt- 
edly drowned.  He  is  reported  by  those  who  knew  him  to  be  a  man  of  considerable 
wealth,  and  without  relatives." 

If  it  is  inconceivable  that  a  newspaper  of  today  could  thus  turn  away  from  a 
tragedy  of  this  character,  what  will  be  thought  of  this  item  from  the  issue  of 
The  Democrat  of  September  9,  1856? 

"Murder. — The  dead  body  of  a  murdered  man  was  found  opposite  Moline,  on 
the  Iowa  side,  by  a  boy.  The  murdered  man's  dog  was  licking  the  fresh  wounds 
of  his  master.  Much  mystery  hangs  about  the  affair.  There  were  two  men  seen 
to  fire  at  another  Sunday.  An  investigation  will  soon  be  had  before  the  cor- 
oner, when  the  mystery  will  be  solved,  it  is  hoped." 

ANONYMOUS   NEWS   ITEMS. 

There  was  a  curious  reluctance  to  mention  the  name  of  the  individual  in 
those  days.  Entire  issues  of  the  paper  about  this  period  do  not  contain  the  name 
of  a  single  person  in  the  way  of  news.  At  the  same  time  the  editorial  columns 
may  teem  with  personalities  that  verge  upon  virulence,  and  generally  do.  For 
instance,  the  town  was  a-whirl  with  runaways  in  those  days,  yet  not  a  name  ap- 
pears in  connection  with  such  an  incident  till  The  Democrat  is  at  least  three  years 
of  age.  Strangers  were  coming  by  hundreds,  and  Davenporters  were  coming  and 
going,  yet  there  are  no  "personals"  such  as  make  an  important  feature  of  the 
papers  of  today.  People  died,  and  were  married,  and  bought  and  sold  property, 
and  gave  parties,  and  suffered  good  and  evil  fortune,  and  did  no  end  of  things 
worthy  to  be  recounted  in  print,  as  they  do  now  and  always  have  done ;  yet  the 
local  columns  of  the  papers  took  practically  no  account  of  them.  Politics  and 
puffs  and  stale  generalities  made  up  the  mass  of  the  matter  pubhshed. 

PLAIN  TALK. 

On  the  other  hand  the  editor  had  a  plain  and  homely  way  of  calling  a  spade 
a  spade  in  those  days — if,  indeed,  he  did  not  go  further  than  that  and  call  it 
several  things  more — and  in  controversy  he  was  wont  to  break  out  in  language 
that  would  not  be  found  in  any  newspaper  office  of  standing  in  this  time.  The 
editor  of  those  days  had  not  the  fear  of  the  libel  law  before  his  eyes  as  now, 
for  one  thing,  and  it  was  a  plainer-spoken  and  altogether  cruder  and  rougher 
age,  for  another.  He  said  things  then  that  he  would  not  dare  to  say  today ;  he 
said  things  then  that  he  would  not  be  disposed  to  say  now.  It  was  the  fashion, 
the  thing  that  people  expected.  A  newspaper  was  accounted  without  snap  and 
vigor  and  character  if  it  did  not  pitch  into  the  other  fellow  without  fine  scruple 
touching  the  names  it  called.  Without  making  excerpts  from  the  unsigned  edi- 
torials of  The  Democrat,  the  Gazette,  or  the  News,  the  papers  that  kept  up  a 
perpetual  clapper  clawing  among  themselves  in  those  days,  we  may  offer  the 
following  communication  as  thoroughly  illustrative  of  the  way  men  bandied 
words  in  those  gentle  mannered  old  days: 


892  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

"Messrs.  Editors : — Referring  to  extremely  personal  communications  in  the 
Gazette  signed  'Blank,'  it  might  be  expected  by  strangers  to  the  man  that  I 
should  answer  his  queries.  If  any  person  of  respectability,  whether  my  political 
friend  or  enemy,  desires  me  to  answer  questions  civilly  presented,  I  shall  do  so 
with  the  greatest  of  pleasure,  but  so  far  as  'Blank'  is  known  in  this  community 
it  is  as  a  loafer  and  a  liar,  and  with  due  respect  to  myself  and  personal  friends 
I  cannot  condescend  to  discuss  a  matter  with  him  in  the  public  print,  but  shall 
hereafter  treat  his  communications  as  they  deserve,  with  silent  contempt,  con- 
sidering as  I  do,  personal  villification  at  his  hands  creditable  rather  than  other- 
wise.    Respectfully  yours,  Austin  Corbin." 

Between  the  editor  and  his  brother  editor  there  frequently  befell  passages 
at  arms  that  reeked  of  gore.  The  polite  vocabulary  was  exhausted  in  mutual 
belaborings,  and  the  language  of  Billingsgate  was  not  infrequently  drawn  upon, 
and  yet,  when  the  paper  was  out  the  principals  in  this  wordy  combat  did  not 
scruple  to  appear  in  public  in  most  brotherly  communion.  All  this  slang-whang- 
ing and  blustering  was  mere  stage  thunder,  harmless  and  part  of  the  play.  The 
people  wanted  a  gingery  paper — or  else  the  editor  sadly  misunderstood  the  tenor 
of  their  newspaper  appetite — and  he  gave  them  what  they  wanted,  but  never  at 
the  expense  of  the  fraternal  friendship. 

PAID    MATTER. 

There  is  another  reason  that  accounts  for  the  lack  of  the  personal  element 
in  the  news  columns  of  those  times,  and  that  is  one  purely  of  business.  It  is 
always  hard  to  dissociate  advertising  from  news.  Use  men's  names  in  print, 
and  a  certain  amount  of  advertising  inevitably  follows.  The  newspaper  in  those 
days  was  not  at  all  a  public  afifair,  but  a  private  enterprise.  Its  duty  was  to  its 
owner's  interest.  He  was  primarily  publishing  an  advertising  sheet,  and  by 
way  of  diversion  filling  a  small  portion  of  it  with  opinions  and  news  matter,  the 
advertising  being  all  the  time  the  prime  interest.  So  while  the  first  year  of  the 
Democrat,  with  few  exceptions,  showed  a  scant  column  of  so-called  city  news, 
and  perhaps  three  columns  of  editorial  and  miscellany,  the  rest  of  the  paper  was 
filled,  fairly  crowded,  with  advertising.  There  were  no  mentions  of  weddings 
or  funerals  or  deaths,  of  comings  or  goings,  of  buildings  and  bargains  in  real 
estate — as  a  rule — unless  the  parties  at  interest  paid  for  them.  July  31,  1856, 
The  Democrat  published  this  item,  which  gives  the  clue  to  the  situation  as 
clearly  as  anything  can : 

"Notice — Persons  getting  married,  and  sending  in  notices,  are  requested  to 
pay  for  the  insertion  of  the  same  as  for  any  other  advertisement ;  otherwise  they 
will  not  appear.  The  man  who  is  too  poor  to  pay  for  having  his  marriage  pub- 
lished, better  be  thinking  of  other  matters  than  getting  a  wife." 

There  is  the  matter  in  a  nutshell — nothing  was  used  as  news  that  could  be 
made  to  pay  the  paper  a  profit ;  and  rather  than  miss  an  occasional  profit  of  this 
sort  the  paper  would  miss  publishing  any  amount  of  matter  that  is  now  regarded 
as  vital  news.  The  half  century,  and  less,  that  has  passed  since  then  has  abso- 
lutely revolutionized  newspaper  making.  It  has  reversed  the  importance  of  the 
editorial  and  the  news  page,  and  it  has  likewise  reversed  the  relative  position 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  893 

of  proper  news  matter  and  legitimate  advertising  matter.  Then  a  newspaper 
was  essentially  an  advertising  sheet,  but  it  carried  a  little  reading  matter.  Now 
it  is  a  newspaper,  and  carries  with  the  reading  matter  some  advertising.  Then 
the  department  of  local  news  was  so  rudimentary  as  sometimes  not  to  be  visible, 
while  the  editorials  gave  character  and  standing  to  the  paper.  Now  the  editorial 
quality  of  a  paper  may  help  to  give  it  standing,  but  its  repute  as  a  purveyor  of 
fresh,  reliable,  interesting,  important  news  is  the  factor  that  counts  with  the 
public  and  determines  its  popularity.  The  newspaper  man  of  this  day  who  turns 
over  the  files  of  the  papers  of  those  days  is  apt  to  picture  the  stir  he  would 
have  been  able  to  make  if  he  could  have  been  there  then,  with  a  moderately 
good  plant  and  a  fresh  infusion  of  modern  ideas.  Hardly  any  other  well  estab- 
lished line  of  activity  in  this  country  has  undergone  as  much  change  in  the  past 
fifty  years  as  the  making  of  a  daily  paper. 

RAN  ALL  TO  POLITICS. 

The  whole  end  of  man,  in  those  days,  seemed  to  be  political  discussion,  if 
the  life  of  the  time  has  been  truly  reflected  in  the  local  journalism  of  that  day. 
Compared  with  the  same  line  of  matter  today,  it  was  decidedly  strenuous.  The 
man  on  the  other  side,  whichever  side  it  might  be,  was  seldom  accredited  with 
even  a  modicum  of  brains,  honor,  or  decency.  In  these  days  such  controversy 
is  conducted,  between  impersonal  newspapers;  then  the  editor  who  was  really 
in  earnest,  routed  his  opponent  out  of  the  defense  afforded  by  the  editorial  "we," 
and  fought  him  in  the  open  in  his  own  proper  name  and  person.  When  politics 
failed  as  a  source  of  inspiration  the  shears  were  the  main  reliance,  and  choice 
selections,  ranging  from  an  elopement  or  embezzlement  in  some  distant  state  to 
the  manners  of  the  king  of  Portugal,  were  offered  the  readers  of  the  paper.  The 
Democrat,  in  its  infancy,  kept  company  with  the  other  papers  of  the  state  in 
these  customs.  Its  old  files  show  numbers  that  are  destitute  of  anything  that 
can  be  construed  as  local  news,  and  again  there  are  others  that  tell  fairly  well 
what  happened  here  when  the  town  was  new.  But  it  did  as  well  as  its  contem- 
poraries, and  eventually  it  distanced  them  all. 

STALE   NEWS  PREFERRED. 

Another  mannerism  of  the  time  in  Davenport  journalism  was  seeming  indif- 
ference to  the  timehness  of  the  publication  of  news.  There  was  little  of  the 
present  day's  haste  to  have  a  man  on  the  spot  when  things  were  happening. 
The  news  which  did  get  into  the  paper  was  apt  to  be  at  least  one  day  older  than 
it  should  have  been,  and  it  might  be  several  days  older.  It  is  quite  usual  to 
find  a  bare  mention  of  a  ball,  a  concert,  a  lecture,  a  meeting,  or  some  such 
event,  in  the  issue  following  the  date,  with  the  promise  that  the  matter  shall  be 
taken  up  at  greater  length  in  a  future  issue.  Many  things  that  a  paper  of  today 
would  report  in  full  at  any  cost  in  the  first  succeeding  issue  were  passed  in  this 
manner. 

This  is  easily  accounted  for.  Capital  was  limited  and  later,  as  money  troubles 
multiplied  in  this  community,  receipts  were  scanty  where  they  should  have  been 


894  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

plentiful.  The  newspaper  of  those  days  was  always  shorthanded.  It  needed 
more  help  than  it  was  able  to  hire.  The  Democrat  suffered  this  limitation,  as 
did  the  other  papers  of  this  town  and  the  territory.  What  was  written  must  be 
written  by  probably  one  man,  or  at  the  most,  by  two.  It  was  a  physical  impos-- 
sibility  for  that  one  man  to  do  all  the  other  more  necessary  things  that  must  be 
done  first,  and  then  have  much  time  left  for  verbatim  reports  of  toast  programs 
and  poHtical  harangues  and  runaways.  Even  if  he  had  notes  of  the  matter,  he 
had  to  wait  for  time  to  expand  them  into  copy.  There  were  no  stenographers 
and  typewriters  in  those  days. 

A  CHANGE  OF  SPEECH. 

Again,  we  notice  the  wide  divergence  between  the  language  of  the  press  in 
those  days  and  the  speech  it  uses  now.  Then  it  was  stilted,  formal  and  stiff, 
in  many  cases,  and  at  least  it  was  always  tinctured  with  something  of  that  kind. 
It  had  the  euphemism  of  Washington  Irving,  or  Macaulay,  or  Addison,  when 
the  writer  was  in  good  humor,  and  it  thundered  with  the  artillery  of  Burke,  and 
Webster,  and  Patrick  Henry,  with  considerable  grape  and  cannister  of  the  Bil- 
lingsgate brand  when  he  wanted  to  pierce  the  armor  of  an  opponent  and  rankle 
there.  Today  no  newspaper  that  is  published  uses  such  speech.  We  use  the 
verbiage  of  the  present  time,  which  is  as  far  from  that  as  the  aphoristic  sentences 
of  Alfred  Henry  Lewis  are  from  the  careful  phrasings  of  Charles  Lamb.  How 
far  this  editorial  bombardment  overshot  the  heads  and  speech  of  the  common 
herd  who  took  the  paper,  either  by  subscribing,  borrowing  or  steahng  (paper 
thieves  were  rampant  then),  we  have  no  way  of  learning;  but  if  the  people  used 
the  speech  of  the  papers,  those  were  indeed  deliberate  old  days. 

SCANTINESS   OF   TELEGRAPH. 

Of  course  the  striking  feature  of  this  scantiness  of  news  in  the  earlier  num- 
bers of  the  paper  is  its  staleness.  Telegraph  news  service  was  just  being  begun 
in  Davenport  then,  or  began  soon  after.  It  was  limited  to  a  few  lines  a  day, 
and  these  were  as  often  trivial  as  of  value.  Very  often  it  failed  entirely,  owing 
to  frail  line  construction,  and  for  the  first  year  or  so  of  the  Democrat's  exist- 
ence it  was  a  feature  that  would  not  have  been  missed. 

General  news  came  to  the  city  by  way  of  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  road, 
which  brought  it  the  Chicago  papers,  from  which  the  Democrat  was  able  to 
make  up  a  fair  news  page,  such  as  it  was  in  those  days.  Papers  from  up  and 
down  the  river  were  highly  esteemed,  especially  those  from  down  the  river,  as 
they  brought  news  of  their  respective  sections.  These  all  came  by  boat  of 
course.  It  is  the  usual  thing  to  find  mention  of  the  thanks  of  the  editor  for 
late  papers,  handed  him  by  some  river  captain.  There  were  no  papers  from 
the  west. 

There  was  no  cable  in  those  days,  and  so  there  was  no  fresh  news  of  the 
doings  of  the  world  at  large.  Intercontinental  news  all  traveled  by  boat.  The 
best  that  Davenport  could  expect  was  about  two  weeks  from  Europe,  and  often 
was  almost  half  a  year  old  by  the  time  we  got  it.     The  credit  line  of  that  day 


HISTORY  OU  SCOTT  COUNTY  895 

did  not  mention  that  a  batch  of  news  came  through  the  special  correspondent 
of  the  paper  itself,  or  of  the  Associated  Press,  but  named  some  trans-Atlantic 
steamer  as  having  arrived  and  brought  it.  The  budget  supplied  by  each  boat  was 
a  hodge-podge  of  European,  African  and  eastern  gossip,  all  hashed  together  in 
one  column  and  under  the  single  head  announcing  the  arrival  of  that  boat.  We 
did  not  hear  of  the  bombardment  and  capture  of  the  barrier  forts  at  Canton  by 
our  navy  till  the  June  following  the  February  in  which  it  happened.  That  was 
less  than  half  a  century  ago.  A  host  of  things  have  grown  old  and  been  dis- 
carded since  then. 

THE   LACK   OF    HEADLINES. 

Another  feature  of  the  paper  of  fifty  years  ago  that  has  a  queer  look  in 
these  days,  was  its  total  absence  of  display  of  news.  The  art  of  writing  headlines 
was  a  knack  of  later  growth.  In  1855,  and  on  down  to  1865,  and  for  years  after 
that,  the  telegraph  news  of  the  paper  was  "run  in,"  the  news  from  Africa  and 
Hong  Kong  and  Cuba  and  Nicaragua  and  New  Mexico  and  London  and  Chi- 
cago and  Oregon  and  Washington,  all  solid  type,  with  hardly  more  than  a  date 
line  between  these  geographical  subdivisions,  and  no  sort  of  effort  to  bring  out 
the  tenor  of  the  news  so  that  he  who  ran  might  read.  Two  or  three  columns 
of  this  matter,  in  fine  type,  none  too  well  printed,  with  less  than  an  inch  ofl 
headline  to  all  of  it,  was  quite  usual  up  to  the  middle  '60s. 

THE   UNSEEKING  ADVERTISER. 

There  was  another  feature  of  the  papers  of  those  days,  and  it  was  as  charac- 
teristic of  the  Democrat  as  of  any  of  the  others,  and  that  was  the  moderation 
of  the  business  man  in  asking  to  have  his  advertisement  surrounded  with  read- 
ing matter,  and  given  other  exclusive  prominence  of  display.  As  the  Democrat 
began  its  life  its  first  and  its  fourth  pages  were  solid  advertisements.  Neither 
of  them  carried  a  line  of  reading  matter ;  all  was  display.  The  second  page  was 
about  half  devoted  to  editorial  and  general  news  and  miscellaneous  reading  mat- 
ter, such  as  the  very  limited  exchange  list  of  that  day  afforded,  and  of  the 
third  page  only  about  a  column,  or  at  most  two  columns,  contained  what  pur- 
ported to  be  city  news,  and  most  of  this  was  paid  reading  matter.  But  with  all 
this  great  preponderance  of  display  advertising  matter  there  seemed  to  be  only 
one  difficulty,  or  at  most  two.  The  chief  of  these  was  to  get  money  enough  out 
of  the  business  to  make  it  pay.  There  was  no  trouble  in  satisfying  the  advertiser 
in  the  matter  of  "position"  or  display.  He  seemed  to  ask  only  to  be  admitted 
to  the  paper— somewhere.  Next  to  this  was  the  difficulty  of  getting  all  the  ad- 
vertising into  the  paper.  The  requirements  of  this  day  in  these  matters  are  of 
later  growth,  mainly  since  the  Civil  war. 

The  shift  of  ground  from  that  occupied  at  first  to  the  place  where  the  Demo- 
crat stands  today  was  not  made  of  a  sudden,  but  came,  as  all  evolutionar>'  move- 
ments do  come,  gradually  and  by  degrees,  each  step  in  advance  the  outgrowth 
of  some  other  that  had  preceded.  From  a  city  department  limited  to  less  than 
half  a  column  of  actual  city  matter,  and  that  lacking  the  essential  qualities  of 


896  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

news  matter,  the  local  current  history  was  slowly  expanded  to  a  full  column, 
then  two,  and  then  occasionally,  as  upon  some  momentous  occurrence,  such  as 
the  old  settlers'  first  banquet,  to  a  full  page.  Along  in  war  days,  under  the 
impetus  of  some  stirring  political  compaign,  it  even  bloomed  with  illustrations; 
ancient  woodcuts,  the  stock  of  the  office  for  the  illustration  of  advertisements, 
or  the  remnants  of  some  other  enterprise,  being  interwoven  into  a  lampoon  at 
the  expense  of  the  other  party.  The  same  woodcuts  did  duty  in  much  the 
same  way  at  least  several  times,  decently  separated  by  sufficient  interval  to  be 
partially  forgotten.  At  the  same  time  the  editorial  began  to  be  more  fairly  criti- 
cal and  less  bitterly  partisan,  and  the  clipped  matter  began  to  acquire  some 
element  of  pertinence  and  timeliness ;  qualities  which  it  had  hitherto  lacked ;  and 
the  telegraph,  or  general  news,  began  to  expand.  After  the  Atlantic  cable  was 
fairly  set  to  working  and  the  telegraph  had  begun  to  tie  remote  sections  of  our 
country  closer  together,  the  expansion  of  the  department  of  telegraph  news 
became  much  more  evident.  The  Associated  Press  was  then  in  but  a  crudely 
formative  state,  compared  with  its  organization  of  today,  and  the  news  that 
came  by  wire  was  frequently  contradicted  a  day  or  so  after,  and  was  an  endless 
subject  of  revilement  with  the  editor  in  his  own  columns,  but  it  was  the  best 
there  was  in  those  days,  and  the  people  appeared  to  hold  no  grudges  against 
the  papers  on  these  scores.  The  younger  generation,  acquainted  only  with  news- 
papers that  handle  general  news  of  such  accuracy  that  error  is  an  infrequent  in- 
cident, have  no  conception  of  the  jumble  of  fact,  fancy,  and  fiction  that  was 
handed  to  the  reader  in  the  days  of  the  war,  and  before,  by  the  best  editors  in 
the  land,  simply  because  there  was  no  way  of  doing  any  better.  To  relate  the 
various  steps  through  which  this  shift  to  higher  ground  has  been  made  would 
be  to  tell  a  story  of  endless  length.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  the  change  came 
steadily  along — better  print,  more  news,  better  editing,  better  writing  some- 
times and  a  better  filling  of  the  newspaper's  mission  in  life  in  general,  just  as 
the  same  changes  are  going  forward  now,  from  day  to  day  and  year  to  year. 
The  Democrat,  as  one  of  the  papers  that  have  survived  the  vicissitudes  of  the 
past  half  century,  is  a  plain  ensample  of  the  evolutionary  forces  that  have  been 
working  through  that  period  to  make  the  newspapers  of  today  what  they  are. 
There  is  so  little  parallel  between  the  Democrat  of  today  and  the  Democrat 
as  it  began  its  existence  that  comparison  is  a  matter  of  difficulty.  It  is  worth 
while  to  mention  this  evolution  here,  because,  in  the  files  of  the  Democrat,  v/hich 
can  be  read  at  will  by  those  who  are  interested,  may  be  found  epitomized  the 
development  of  American  journaHsm  from  the  primitive  and  almost  childish 
beginning  of  fifty  years  ago. 

And  still,  with  all  the  crudeness  of  those  days  in  many  things,  there  were 
giants  then,  and  the  daily  press  contained  within  itself  those  stirrings  and  work- 
ings of  fermentive  force  that  could  come  to  nothing  less  than  tremendous 
growth  and  power.  The  Greeleys,  and  the  Prentices,  and  the  Bennetts  of  that 
time  led  the  way,  but  they  were  followed  by  a  host  of  humbler  knights  of  the 
quill,  and  the  word  all  along  the  line  was  "forward." 


STATTO^T  ANT3  ELEVATED  TEACKF!.  ROCK  ISLAND  SYSTEM 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
THE  RAILROADS. 

STRENUOUS   EFFORTS   TO    BUILD   RAILROADS    IN    SCOTT    COUNTy's   EARLY    YEARS — AGI- 
TATION TO  THE  EASTWARD  AND  WESTWARD THE  FIRST  RAILROAD  WEST  OF  THE 

GREAT   RIVER — A.    C.    FULTON,   A    MAN   AHEAD   OF    HIS   TIMES — HIRAM    PRICE   AS 

PROMOTER THE   M.  &   M.,   C.   &  R.   I.,  D.   &  ST.   L.,   C.   R.   I.   &  P.,   C.   B.   &   Q.,   C.   M. 

&   ST.    P.,   ALSO   THE   I.    &   I. FIFTY    YEARS   AN    ENGINEER. 

In  1842  A.  C.  Fulton  urged  the  building  of  a  railroad  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific  ocean  and  bridging  of  the  Mississippi  between  Rock  Island  and  Daven- 
port. He  had  made  soundings  and  a  measurement  of  the  river  at  Davenport 
with  this  idea  in  view.  In  1845  the  building  of  the  Rock  Island  &  LaSalle  rail- 
road was  agitated  and  the  Gazette  in  its  issue  of  December  18,  1845,  valiantly 
encouraged  those  promoting  the  scheme  and  argued  its  importance  and  the  feasi- 
bility of  connecting  the  Illinois  and  Iowa  shores  by  a  bridge  over  the  Mississippi. 
Mr.  Fulton  and  Editor  Sanders  were  far  ahead  of  their  times  but  each  lived  to 
see  their  hopes  in  this  regard  fully  realized.  In  1902  Mr.  Fulton  published  a 
pamphlet  in  which  he,  in  his  own  inimitable  way,  relates  his  experiences  as  a 
railroad  promoter.  He  says,  quoting  from  a  paper  read  before  the  Old  Settlers 
association : 

"In  the  '30s  of  the  past  century  two  lines  of  steam  railroad  were  running  out 
of  New  Orleans;  one  between  the  Mississippi  river  and  Lake  Pontchartrain.  run- 
ning through*  the  city  on  Esplanade  street.  The  steam  horse  of  that  primitive 
road  was  the  first  to  drink  the  waters  of  the  great  Mississippi  river.  The  second 
line  ran  between  New  Orleans  and  Carrollton.  in  the  parish  of  Jefferson.  And 
having  known  those  railroads  from  their  incipiency  and  gained  knowledge.  I, 
after  passing  over  the  expansive  prairies  of  the  west,  considered  the  west  to  be 
well  adapted  for  railroads  and  that  they  would  build  up  and  extend  commerce, 
upon  which  I  resolved  to  enter  into  the  undertaking  of  creating  a  line  of  railroad 
between  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific  oceans,  and  I  felt  confident  that,  if  the  un- 
dertaking was  entered  on  with  resolve,  it  could  be  accomplished. 

"In  the  last  days  of  1842,  and  the  first  day  of  1843.  after  publicly  speaking 
of  the  feasibility  of  the  work,  and  as  a  link,  I    procured  instruments  and  took 


900  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

soundings  for  the  first  bridge  erected  on  the  Mississippi  river,  and  published  my 
report  in  a  Philadelphia  journal,  which  report  I  now  have  and  which  gives  the 
nature  of  the  banks  and  bottom ;  the  width  of  the  main  channel  and  of  the  depth 
of  the  water,  and  the  nature  of  the  route  through  Illinois  to  Chicago,  and  west 
to  the  Cedar  river ;  both  of  which  I  examined.  I  wrote  and  talked  river  bridge  and 
Pacific  railroad ;  one  meeting  in  1845  I  will  name :  It  was  in  the  frame  school- 
house  that  stood  where  the  north  end  of  the  city  hall  now  stands.  I  there  told 
the  assembly,  some  of  whom  pronounced  me  visionary,  that  there  were  persons 
present  that  would  live  to  see  a  railroad  connecting  the  two  oceans.  T  see  here 
the  veteran  Jacob  Eldridge,  who  was  at  that  meeting,  I  will  ask  him  if  I  correcly 
speak.'  (Mr.  Eldridge  replied:  T  was  present  at  that  schoolhouse  and  you  cor- 
rectly speak.') 

"Without  a  doubt  I  am  the  first  person  to  ever  write  or  speak  the  word  At- 
lantic and  Pacific  railroad.  At  that  time,  now  fifty-nine  years  past,  there  was 
not  one  foot  of  railroad  west  of  the  Alleghany  mountains,  save  those  of  New 
Orleans. 

"As  a  link  in  the  undertaking  I,  in  1847,  called  on  Mr.  William  Vandever, 
of  Rock  Island,  and  proposed  to  draw  up  a  railroad  charter  and  petition  the 
Illinois  legislature  for  authority  to  build  a  railroad  between  Rock  Island  and  La 
Salle,  to  connect  the  Illinois  canal. 

"The  request  was  granted  by  an  act  passed  on  the  loth  of  April,  1847,  which 
charter  I  now  hold,  but  too  lengthy  to  here  rehearse;  work  to  commence  within 
three  years.  I  consumed  one  of  the  years  in  talking  and  writing.  Then  I  indi- 
vidually opened  a  subscription  list  for  stock,  entered  a  few  shares  for  myself  and, 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners,  prevailed  on  my  two  asso- 
ciates of  the  board  to  pass  an  order  submitting  to  the  people  the  question  of  tak- 
ing $25,000  in  stock  of  the  Illinois  railroad. 

'T  immediately  went  to  work  and  called  meetings  at  every  schoolhouse  and 
every  grove  settlement  in  the  county  to  get  a  few  shares  of  stock  here  and  there, 
and  endeavored  to  secure  votes  for  the  $25,000  county  appropriation.  In  many 
quarters  I  met  with  bitter  opposition  to  voting  money  to  go  to  Illinois.  I  found 
many  Ciceros  to  combat,  yet  the  appropriation  was  carried  and  that  now  small 
sum  of  $25,000  put  the  ball  in  motion  and  was  a  splendid  investment  for  Scott 
county  and  the  great  west,  even  to  the  shore  of  the  Pacific  ocean. 

"I  found  it  but  a  small  task  to  convince  the  majority  of  my  farmer  audience. 
I  brought  them  over  when  I  told  them  that  with  a  railroad  to  Chicago,  and  ex- 
tending to  the  east,  instead  of  getting  5  and  6  cents  per  dozen  for  their  eggs  they 
would  get  12  to  15  cents;  that  instead  of  12  to  18  cents  for  good  chickens,  they 
would  get  20  and  25  cents;  that  instead  of  getting  10  to  15  cents  for  prairie 
chickens  and  ducks,  they  would  get  15  up  to  25  cents;  that  instead  of  37  cents 
per  dozen  for  quail,  they  would  get  50  or  60  cents,  and  that  instead  of  40  to  50 
cents  for  a  fourteen-pound  turkey,  they  would  get  75  to  90  cents,  and  instead  of 
getting  30  to  40  cents  for  good  wheat,  they  would  get  70  to  80  cents  per  bushel, 
and  for  all  products  in  proportion. 

"I  told  the  farmers  that  but  yesterday  this  territory  was  untrodden  wilder- 
ness ;  that  we  had  faced  every  hardship  and  privation  to  open  and  to  plant  the 
stars  and  stripes  on  its  fertile  plains  to  stay ;  that  where  not  long  since  stood  the 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  901 

Indian  wigwam,  now  cities  rise ;  that  where  the  buffalo,  the  elk  and  deer  grazed, 
now  vast  fields  of  golden  wheat  appear  to  gladden  the  farmer's  heart  and  repay 
him  for  his  toil ;  that  we  have  here  on  these  lately  dreary  prairies  created  a  scene 
of  life  and  beauty.  The  prairie  grass  has  given  place  to  the  garden  and  the  vine- 
yard ;  the  hazel  thicket  to  the  blooming  rose ;  and  the  Indian  trail  to  the  prome- 
nade of  the  fair. 

'T  told  the  farmers  that  westward  the  star  of  empire  took  its  course;  that 
progress,  civilization  and  commerce  had  their  birth  in  India;  that  they  slowly 
rolled  into  Assyria,  Egypt,  Greece  and  Rome ;  then  more  slowly  found  their  way 
into  France  and  England ;  then  they  floated  westward  on  the  ocean's  waves  to 
Plymouth  Rock.  They  did  not  long  linger  amongst  the  scrub  oaks  and  the  bar- 
ren soil  of  New  England,  but  rolled  their  way  with  increased  momentum  west- 
ward to  Chicago,  and  now  they  have  to  leap  the  rapidly  moving  floods  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi river  and  onward  through  Iowa  to  the  Rocky  mountains,  not  to  tarry,  but 
to  leap  over  their  snow-capped  summits  to  continue  to  roll  upon  the  far  west- 
ward plains ;  to  plant  commerce  and  civilization  on  the  coast  of  the  Pacific  ocean, 
and  I  call  on  you  who  possess  the  power  to  keep  the  wave  of  progress  in  its  course 
onward.  And  the  united  county  and  Davenport  city  subscription  of  $100,000 
was  carried  by  a  large  majority  to  perfect  the  first  link  in  the  great  Pacific  rail- 
road, in  time  to  astonish  the  world. 

"Taking  the  wealth  and  population  of  that  day,  that  $100,000  was  a  larger 
sum  than  $500,000  would  be  this  year,  1901. 

"When  Iowa  had  made  good  headway,  and  I  alone  called  many  meetings  at 
Moline  and  Camden,  now  Milan,  and  worked  up  an  interest  in  the  enterprise, 
then  many  counties  in  Illinois  and  many  individuals  in  Scott  county  came  into 
the  work.  At  this  day  great  injustice  has  been  done  to  the  real  creators  of 
bridge,  railroads,  arsenal,  canals  and  edifices.  In  some  instances  big  men,  who 
opposed  them  and  other  works  of  utility,  have  been  extensively  written  as  their 
creators.  No  difficulty  in  arriving  at  the  correct  history,  as  many  journals 
have  the  facts  indelibly  stamped  within  their  columns  and  which  point  out  the 
world  builders. 

"The  thoughtless  do  not  know  that  he  who  plows  the  ground  and  sows  the 
seed  is  as  much  the  producer  as  the  man  that  reaps  and  eats  it.  I  have  ancient 
history  on  file  at  my  ofiice  including  the  railroad  creators. 

"In  a  Rock  Island  journal,  dated  October  24.  1849.  a  railroad  meeting  is  re- 
ported as  being  held  in  Rock  Island  and  Rock  Island,  Davenport.  Moline  and 
Camden  were  represented.  A  committee  of  five  on  resolutions  were  appointed 
as  follows :  H.  A.  Porter  and  C.  B.  Waite  of  Rock  Island ;  James  Thorington  and 
A.  C.  Fulton  of  Davenport;  and  W.  A.  Nourse  of  ^Moline. 

"Action  toward  vigorous  work  on  the  Rock  Island  &  Chicago  railroad  and 
on  bridging  the  Mississippi  river  at  Rock  Island,  and  extending  the  railroad  to 
the  Pacific  ocean  was  taken  up  and  discussed. 

"To  push  those  gigantic  works  to  completion  required  untiring  energy.  To 
accomplish  the  undertaking,  a  committee  of  five,  consisting  of  William  Baily  and 
Fernando  Jones,  of  Rock  Island ;  A.  C.  Fulton,  of  Davenport ;  I.  M.  Gilmore,  of 
Camden  and  W.  A.  Nourse,  of  Moline.  was  appointed  to  carry  the  three  great 
works  to  completion,  and  who  appointed  Sailor  I  as  chairman.     Two  of  my  as- 


902  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

sociates  soon  resigned  and  moved  from  that  section,  and  later  two  of  them  left 
the  lower  world.  But  I,  well  knowing  that  resolution  was  omnipotent,  continued 
to  add  to  my  stock  lists  and  worked  up  town  and  county  aid.  I  journeyed  to 
Chicago  by  stage;  put  up  at  the  ancient  Briggs  House  to  see  a  good  team  of 
horses  stall  in  the  muddy  street  with  a  cord  of  wood  a  few  rods  distant  from  my 
quarters.  I  talked  western  railroad  to  many  merchants  and  business  men;  all 
looked  me  over  with  great  astonishment  and  said :  'Best  go  and  see  long  John 
Wentworth.'  I  saw  long  John,  who  deliberately  fathomed  me,  then  exclaimed : 
'Tut,  tut,  young  man,  you  must  be  insane !  A  railroad  west  would  not  pay  for 
the  grease  for  the  wheels,'  and  I  departed  from  the  then  muddy  town,  without 
even  a  symptom  of  encouragement. 

"The  journals  of  1850,  now  in  my  possession,  report  that  on  the  21st  of 
March,  1850,  the  delegates  of  various  counties  of  Illinois  and  Scott  county,  Iowa, 
assembled  in  Rock  Island;  I,  as  chairman  of  the  Pacific  railroad  committee,  pre- 
sented to  the  assembly  the  amounts  of  the  several  subscriptions  of  shares  of  stock 
taken  in  the  Rock  Island  &  Chicago  railroad,  as  follows:  Rock  Island,  400;  Cam- 
den, 172;  Moline,  sixty-three;  F.  R.  Brunot,  twenty;  I.  Sullivan,  five;  Bureau 
county,  300 ;  Henry  county,  103 ;  Scott  county,  Iowa,  700 ;  LaSalle  county, 
(pledged)  250;  Peru  delegates  (pledged)  250.  These  2,263  shares  of  stock,  at 
$100  each,  may  appear  as  a  miserable  exhibit,  when  millions  were  required,  but 
we,  the  resolute  and  untiring,  considered  it  a  grand  entrance. 

"In  this  work,  as  is  well  known  to  all  pioneers,  I  had  no  aid  save  at  two  meet- 
ings; one  at  the  republic  of  LeClaire  (as  then  called),  where  with  Judge  Grant  I 
called  my  second  meeting;  and  one  at  Blue  Grass,  where  Hon.  Hiram  Price  went 
with  me  on  condition  that  I  paid  for  the  team.  Hon.  Price  made  a  good  talk  and 
we  got  thirteen  shares  of  stock  subscribed,  and  a  pledge  for  every  vote  in  the 
schoolhouse. 

"To  show  that  railroad  talkers  sometimes  encountered  a  rough  sea,  I  must 
state  that  on  our  way  home  to  Davenport,  under  the  light  of  a  half  moon,  I  ran 
the  larboard  wheels  of  our  buggy  into  a  deep  washout  and  also  dumped  Mr. 
Price  into  it,  but  fortune,  as  ever,  was  with  our  congressman ;  he  was  soon  out 
and  on  his  feet,  and  while  brushing  off  the  damp  clay  he,  with  energy,  exclaimed : 
'Such  an  awkward  driver  I  never  did  see.  I  would  not  go  with  you  another  night 
for  all  Iowa.  Here  it  is  near  midnight  and  I  should  be  at  home  and  blacking  my 
boots  and  shaving  for  Sunday.'  And  whilst  our  congressman  was  in  a  clay  mud 
ditch,  the  stay-at-home-do-nothings  were  snoozing  in  their  beds.  We  drove  some 
miles  home  to  Davenport  in  a  lop-sided  buggy  in  silence,  and  I  paid  James  Thomp- 
son, the  coming  banker,  for  the  team  and  for  a  new  set  of  springs  for  the  buggy. 

"I  neglected  to  say  that  at  LeGaire  we  did  not  secure  even  one  share  of  stock, 
and  but  one  vote  for  the  county  subscription.  That  republic  protested  against 
building  railroads  in  Illinois.  They  had  their  Monroe  Doctrine,  and  objected  to 
foreign  invasion,  even  to  talk  railroad. 

"I  frequently  reported  my  lone  night  meetings  as  chairman  to  the  press.  I 
name  one  here  that  you  may  have  a  knowledge  of  railroad  building  in  the  middle 
of  the  past  century— a  three  mile  walk  to  the  then  hamlet  of  Moline  and  back, 
during  a  dark  stormy  night — a  river  to  cross.  As  respects  success,  my  report  wit- 
nesses: (From  the  Gazette) 


BRIDGE  IX  CENTRA  1.   PARK 


TllK   (ItESCKNI-   I'.IMDOE 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  903 

'rock   island  and   CHICAGO   RAILROAD. 
'MOLINE    is    wide    AWAKE   TO    HER    INTERESTS    AND   TAKING    THE    LEAD. 

'Mr.  Sanders :  I  attended  a  railroad  meeting  last  night  at  Moline.  AH  present 
seemed  resolved  to  carry  out  the  grand  object  for  which  they  had  assembled.  The 
greatest  enthusiasm  prevailed;  many  of  the  old  stockholders  came  forward  and 
doubled  their  subscriptions  and  new  subscriptions  were  obtained.  Thirty-one 
shares  were  subscribed  in  a  brief  time,  and  it  was  unanimously  resolved  that  the 
town  council  take  a  subscription  of  $2,500.  Amongst  the  subscribers  were  two 
youths  of  not  over  twelve  years  of  age,  who  took  one  share  each,  and  not  only 
subscribed,  but  paid  up  their  installments.  What  a  noble  example ;  I  would 
walk  ten  miles  any  night  to  see  such  praiseworthy  actions.' 

"The  exertion  here  made  and  the  funds  raised  became  known  to  eastern  rail- 
road men  and  Messrs.  Farnam,  Walcott  and  Durant  visited  us.  The  $300,000 
required  by  charter  having  been  subscribed,  a  contract  for  the  construction  and 
equipment  of  a  railroad  between  Chicago  and  Rock  Island  was  perfected  with 
the  above  railroad  constructors  on  the  15th  day  of  October,  1851.  The  first  pay- 
ment on  work  performed  was  made  on  April  20,  1852;  then  on  February  22, 
1854,  amidst  the  waving  of  banners  and  the  thunder  of  artillery,  the  iron  horse 
of  the  Atlantic  drank  the  water  of  the  great  Mississippi  river.  The  first  link 
of  181  miles  of  the  Pacific  railroad  had  been  completed." 

THE  RAILROADS  CHARTERED. 

In  a  former  chapter  the  early  history  of  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  Railroad 
has  been  gone  into  quite  extensively,  and  in  Mr.  Barrow's  history  herein  pub- 
lished in  its  entirety,  mention  is  made  of  the  building  of  this  first  line  of  railroad 
from  Chicago  to  Rock  Island.  It  might  be  well,  however,  to  recapitulate  some 
of  the  salient  points  relating  to  the  beginnings  of  this  great  transcontinental  rail- 
road. The  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  Railroad  Company,  by  special  charter  granted 
by  the  legislature  of  Illinois  in  1851,  was  incorporated  and  a  few  months  there- 
after work  of  construction  was  begim  and  in  August.  1854.  the  road  was 
completed  and  the  event  was  made  the  occasion  of  a  grand  celebration.  The 
people  of  the  ]\Iississippi  valley  hailed  the  new  road  as  a  link  uniting  them  with 
the  outside  world.  On  every  side  settlements  at  once  began  to  spring  up  along 
the  line  and  the  tide  of  civilization  moved  steadily  westward.  Today,  with  its 
numerous  connections  cobwebbing  the  state  of  Iowa  and  other  great  common- 
wealths, the  Chicago.  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  is  a  part  and  parcel  of  one 
of  the  greatest  transportation  systems  in  the  world,  extending  from  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  to  the  Pacific  coast. 

In  1852  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri  Railroad  Company  was  incorporated  in 
Iowa  with  power  to  build  and  operate  a  railroad  from  the  eastern  line  of  the  state 
of  Iowa  by  way  of  Des  Moines  to  Council  Bluflfs  on  the  Missouri  river.  The 
Mississippi  &  Missouri  Railroad  Company  was  organized  January  i.  1853;  the 
capital  stock  was  $6,000,000.  Each  share  of  the  par  value  was  $100.  Its  fran- 
chise was  for  fifty  years.  Five  percent  of  the  stock  subscribed  was  to  be  paid 
down  and  the  remainder  in  installments  of  not  more  than  twenty  percent  of  the 


904  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

full  amount  at  intervals  of  not  less  than  three  months.  The  amount  of  the  in- 
debtedness to  be  incurred  was  limited  to  $4,000,000.  John  A.  Dix,  afterward 
the  war  governor  of  New  York,  was  elected  president.  In  September,  1853,  the 
first  ground  was  broken  for  the  road,  of  which  event  a  full  description  is  given 
on  another  page.  The  first  passenger  train  left  Davenport  on  the  22d  of  August, 
1855.  The  litigation  over  the  bridge  rolled  up  an  immense  expense  account,  to 
such  an  extent  as  tO'  involve  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri  Railroad  Company  and 
it  failed  to  meet  its  guarantees.  The  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  assumed  the  re- 
sponsibility, paying  interest  and  principal.  In  1866  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri 
Railroad  Company  failed  to  meet  the  mortgages  given  to  secure  the  payment  of 
moneys  borrowed  and  expended  in  its  construction.  Its  land  grant  also  lapsed 
through  inability  to  execute  its  provisions.  The  mortgages  were  foreclosed  and 
the  property  purchased  by  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Company,  of 
Iowa,  a  corporation  formed  under  the  organization  of  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island 
Railroad  Company.  On  the  20th  of  August,  1856,  the  Illinois  and  Iowa  com- 
panies consolidated  under  the  name  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Rail- 
road Company.  The  main  line  thus  connected  extended  from  Chicago  to  Rock 
Island  in  Illinois,  and  from  Davenport  to  Kellogg,  within  forty  miles  of  Des 
Moines,  the  former  181  >4  miles,  the  latter  131  miles.  The  Oskaloosa  branch 
extended  from  Wilton  Junction,  by  way  of  Muscatine,  to  'Muscatine,  and  was 
fifty  miles  in  length.  During  1867-9  the  main  line  was  extended  through  Des 
Moines  to  Council  Blufifs,  186  additional  miles,  the  entire  line  being  open  to 
traffic  in  June,  1869. 

FEATURES   OF   EARLY    HISTORY. 

The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company  was  one  of  the  chief 
features  in  the  upbuilding  of  this  section  of  the  country,  and  anything  relating 
to  this  great  corporation  and  public  utility  is  always  of  interest  to  Davenporters. 
Much  valuable  information  relating  to  incidents  connected  with  the  early  history 
of  the  Rock  Island  has  been  gleaned  from  the  pages  of  the  Democrat,  published 
at  the  time  they  occurred,  and  a  few  extracts  from  that  most  valuable  journal 
are  here  presented  to  the  readers  of  this  history: 

"September  i,  1853.  after  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri  Railroad  Company  had 
been  incorporated,  the  first  tie  of  what  is  now  the  western  division  of  the  Rock 
Island  system  was  laid,  with  ceremony,  on  the  corner  of  Rock  Island  and  Fifth 
streets,  in  this  city.  Rev.  A.  Louderback,  pastor  of  the  old  Trinity  church  on  the 
southeastern  corner  of  Rock  Island  and  Fifth  streets,  existing  until  a  few  years 
ago,  ofifered  prayer.  A.  C.  Fulton  was  officer  of  the  day.  Rapid  construction 
followed  and  on  July  19,  1855,  at  noon,  the  first  locomotive  reached  Iowa,  by  way 
of  the  Mississippi,  being  ferried  over  in  a  flatboat,  landing  at  Fourth  and  Front 
streets  at  a  point  almost  directly  south  of  the  Wiley  coal  office,  where  it  was 
unloaded.  This  first  locomotive  was  christened  Antoine  LeClaire,  because  of 
that  famous  pioneer's  largess  in  donating  yard  room  to  the  Mississippi  &  Mis- 
souri Company.  It  was  built  at  Paterson,  New  Jersey.  Erroneously  it  has  often 
been  stated  and  published  that  the  Antoine  LeClaire  crossed  the  river  on  the  ice. 
As  the  date  of  its  arrival  was  about  July  19,  1855,  the  mistake  is  obvious.     But 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  905 

there  was  a  locomotive  towed  across  the  ice.  One  month  before  the  French 
colony  came  across  the  bridge  on  the  first  passenger  train,  the  locomotive,  John 
A.  Dix,  arrived  at  Rock  Island.  Instead  of  waiting  for  the  completion  of  the 
bridge  the  engine  and  seven  new  freight  cars  were  towed  across  the  ice  and 
taken  north  on  Main  street  to  the  Fifth  street  tracks.  It  must  be  remembered 
that  the  John  A.  Dix  was  not  one  of  our  present  locomotives.  The  Dix  was  ill- 
starred.  Sometime  afterward  her  boilers  exploded  near  the  EHick  creek  bridge, 
killing  the  engineer.  But  previous  to  this  the  engine  was  remodeled  and  turned 
out  of  the  shops  in  April,  1863,  and  was  considered  one  of  the  gayest  little 
machines  that  ever  went  on  four  drivers.  On  the  head  lamps  were  two  splendid 
oil  portraits  of  General  Dix,  and  on  the  tender  were  painted  two  ocean  scenes 
in  medallion.  The  sand-box  supported  an  American  eagle  and  a  gay  ballet  girl. 
The  general  painting  was  considered  elegant  in  color  and  finish.  The  tender 
was  done  in  a  gold  leaf  in  the  richest  style  of  scroll  and  line  work,  all  done  by 
the  skillful  hand  of  Charlie  Fick,  the  best  painter  in  the  state.  The  General  Dix 
was  for  several  years  the  special  pet  of  Mose  Hobbs,  the  oldest  engineer  of  the 
road,  who  took  great  pride  in  bringing  out  the  General  in  the  most  imposing  style. 
He  thought  he  could  take  the  'rag'  ofif  any  machine  that  was  then  in  existence." 

STATION   NAMED  FOR   CAPITALIST. 

As  the  building  of  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri  progressed,  stations  were  created 
and  named.  On  July  19,  1855,  when  the  Antoine  LeClaire  was  brought  here, 
the  road  had  reached  a  distance  of  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  the  city,  and 
Farnam  station  was  created  and  named  after  one  of  the  eastern  capitalists  who 
put  money  into  this  pioneer  railroad.  Henry  Farnam  gave  his  name  to  the  first 
station  outside  of  Davenport  but  today  it  is  simply  Farnam  siding  in  ofiicial  dis- 
patches. The  next  station  was  Walcott  and  the  third  Durant.  While  Mr.  Far- 
nam failed  to  have  his  name  perpetuated  by  colored  porters  and  unintelligible 
brakemen  in  calling  ofif  the  railroad  stations,  he  succeeded  in  getting  it  fixed  to 
one  of  the  streets  of  Davenport,  Farnam  street,  although  this  claim  is  likely  to 
be  refuted  by  those  who  contend  that  Farnam  street  was  christened  after  Rus- 
sell Farnham,  Antoine  LeClaire's  old  traveling  partner  in  the  Indian  fur  busi- 
ness. But  it  will  be  remembered  that  Farnam  street  was  not  laid  out  until  about 
the  time  of  the  coming  of  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  and  the  Mississippi  & 
Missouri  roads,  and  that,  like  LeClaire  street,  it  had  been  vacated  to  these  roads 
first  by  gift  of  Mr.  LeClaire  and  then  by  record  of  the  city  council. 

FIRST  TRAIN  THROUGH  D.WENPORT. 

On  December  20,  1855,  the  line  of  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri  was  laid  through 
Iowa  City,  a  distance  of  fifty-five  miles,  and  only  twelve  years  afterward  did 
the  road  reach  Council  Bluffs,  314  miles  distant,  thus  traversing  the  state.  With 
the  meeting  of  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  and  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri  roads 
at  the  wooden  bridge  came  the  protest  of  the  river  interests,  followed  by  the 
destruction  of  the  draw  span  of  the  bridge  by  the  wreck  and  fire  of  the  EfTie 
Afton,  May  6,  1856,  and  the  consequent  contentions  in  the  courts  in  which  the 


906  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

immortal  Abraham  Lincoln,  then  a  Springfield  lawyer,  pleaded  so  prominently 
in  the  interests  of  the  railroad  people.  This  rivalry  of  river  and  bridge  or  the 
steamboat  and  railroad  interests,  the  accident  of  the  Effie  Afton  and  incidents  re- 
lating to  Lincoln,  is  a  story  already  told  in  this  work.  Of  the  first  engine,  "An- 
toine  LeClaire"  and  its  appearance  in  Davenport,  the  Gazette  at  the  time  had  the 
following  to  say:  "The  builders  say  it  is  the  best  locomotive  in  the  country. 
It  is  a  fitting  compliment  to  our  liberal  fellow  citizen,  Antoine  LeClaire,  Esq. 
He  was  the  first  man  to  settle  upon  this  side  of  our  noble  river;  the  first 
man  in  Iowa  who  came  forward  and  subscribed  $25,000  in  stock  in  the  Mississippi 
&  Missouri  enterprise.  About  twenty-five  of  our  fellow  citizens  were  on  the 
locomotive  and  tender  as  it  passed  through  town.  At  the  different  street  cross- 
ings they  were  received  with  cheers  and  with  smiles  and  with  waving  of  hand- 
kerchiefs from  fair  ladies.  After  passing  entirely  through  town  as  far  as  the 
deep  cut  in  the  bluff,  further  progress  was  arrested  by  a  tree  hanging  over  the 
track,  and  it  returned  to  the  depot  in  safety.  The  company  dispersed  to  their 
homes.  Probably  in  future  years,  when  the  city  shall  have  become  what  it  is 
destined  to  be,  they  will  tell  their  children's  children  with  pride  that  they  were 
of  the  small  number  who  was  on  the  first  locomotive  which  crossed  the  Missis- 
sippi river."  To  round  out  this  chapter  and  add  very  much  to  its  interesting  fea- 
tures the  following  reminiscent  articles  by  men  who  were  there  are  given  below : 

HIRAM    PRICE. 

Early  in  that  year  (1853)  there  was  a  general  awakening  as  to  the  importance 
of  and  necessity  of  some  means  of  communication  with  the  balance  of  man- 
kind. A  railroad  was  then  in  course  of  construction  from  Chicago  westward, 
and  we  hoped  to  induce  the  eastern  capitalists  who  were  building  that  road  to 
have  it  strike  the  Mississippi  river  in  Illinois  opposite  the  town  of  Davenport 
and  then,  if  possible,  have  it  continued  west  from  there  to  Council  Bluffs  on  the 
Missouri  river.  In  furtherance  of  this  plan  a  conference  was  held  at  Davenport, 
between  the  eastern  railroad  men  and  some  of  the  citizens  of  Iowa,  the  first 
week  in  August,  1853,  ^^^  I  was  persuaded  to  undertake  the  task  of  canvassing 
the  state  on  the  line  of  the  proposed  road  across  Iowa,  on  a  line  as  nearly  direct 
as  possible  from  Davenport  to  Council  Bluffs.  My  special  business  was  to  see 
the  people  at  their  homes  or  at  their  place  of  business,  and  where  practicable  call 
public  meetings  at  different  points  along  the  contemplated  line  of  the  road  and 
to  so  present  the  advantages  to  result  from  the  construction  of  a  railroad  as  to 
interest  them  in  the  enterprise.  By  agreement  I  was  to  continue  in  this  work 
along  the  line  of  the  proposed  road  for  sixty  days.  My  experience  during 
those  sixty  days  between  the  12th  of  August  and  the  12th  of  October,  was  not 
such  as  to  make  me  anxious  to  renew  it. 

One  of  the  surprises  with  which  I  met  was  the  large  number  of  people  on 
that  proposed  line  of  road  who  had  never  seen  a  railroad  and  many  of  whom  did 
not  seem  to  have  any  wish  to  see  one.  This  was  to  me  a  strange  idea,  and  one 
that  rendered  my  task  more  difficult  because  when  men  are  satisfied  with  their 
condition  and  surroundings  it  is  very  difficult  to  induce  them  to  change  them.  I 
could  only  account  for  these  strange  notions  on  the  supposition  that  this  class 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  907 

of  persons  had  read  and  were  in  sympathy  with  the  man  described  by  Pollok  in 
his  "Course  of  Time/' 

"Who  thought  the  moon  that  nightly  o'er  him  rolled 
No  larger  than  his  father's  shield; 
Lived  where  his  father  lived,  died  where  he  died; 
Lived  happy,   died   happy,   and   was   saved." 

And  inasmuch  as  this  had  been  the  result  in  his  case,  they  were  willing  to 
take  their  chances  with  him  in  this  world  and  in  the  next.  When  I  told  them 
that  with  a  railroad  the  product  of  their  farms  would  be  worth  from  fifty  to 
lOO  per  cent  more  than  without  one,  they  simply  disposed  of  the  case  in  a  sum- 
mary manner  by  informing  me  in  a  manner  more  energetic  than  polite,  that  I 
was  not  telling  the  truth.  One  case  of  this  kind  which  occurred  in  Des  Moines 
is  a  fair  sample  of  several  others.  I  had  called  a  meeting  at  the  courthouse  one 
night  to  present  the  enterprise  to  the  citizens.  The  courthouse  at  that  time  was 
not  a  palatial  structure.  The  meeting  was  held  on  the  ground  floor,  which  I 
believe  was  the  courtroom.  The  weather  was  warm,  the  windows  were  all 
raised,  and  those  who  could  not  find  room  on  the  inside  crowded  the  windows  of 
the  outside  and  were  attentive  listeners.  While  I  was  making  the  best  presenta- 
tion of  my  case  that  I  could  truthfully  do,  and  trying  to  persuade  the  people 
that  a  railroad  to  Des  Moines  would  be  a  great  benefit  to  all  concerned,  some  man 
on  the  outside  who  must  have  been  a  near  relative  of  Ananias,  crowded  his 
way  to  the  window,  listened  for  a  few  moments  and  then  turning  away  said  to 
those  on  the  outside,  "Oh,  that  is  Judge  Rice  who  is  speaking,  and  he  is  the  great- 
est liar  in  the  state  of  Iowa."  My  name  was  not  Rice,  and  the  title  of  judge  did 
not  belong  to  me,  but  it  answered  the  purpose  of  the  anti-railroad  men,  and  was 
a  "good  enough  Morgan"  for  the  time.  This  is  a  sample  of  the  manner  in 
which  my  mission  was  received  in  what  is  now  the  city  of  Des  Moines,  and  a 
great  railroad  center  for  the  state  of  Iowa  and  of  the  northwest.  The  crucial 
test  of  time  and  trial  has  relegated  the  obstructionists  and  dwellers  in  "Sleepy 
Hollow"  to  the  rear  of  the  army  of  progress.  Only  in  a  very  few  instances  did 
a  little  sunshine  of  encouragement  fleck  my  pathway  while  on  this  railroad 
mission,  but  even  a  very  little  was  gratefully  received.  I  give  one  such  case: 
I  reached  Council  Bluffs  on  Saturday,  which  I  think  was  the  20th  of  August, 
and  at  a  meeting  that  night  after  I  had  made  the  best  presentation  of  my  case  of 
which  I  was  capable,  without  the  slightest  token  of  appreciation  or  approval,  I 
sat  down,  feeling  that  (in  the  language  of  the  colored  brother  in  reference  to 
his  prayer)  I  had  "my  labor  for  my  reward."  and  that  the  people  of  Council 
Bluffs  did  not  think  a  railroad  of  much  consequence,  but  rather  an  unjustifiable 
interference  with  the  Divine  plan,  and  therefore  not  to  be  encouraged,  because 
when  the  Supreme  Architect  finished  the  work  He  pronounced  it  good  without 
a  railroad.  However,  while  such  thoughts  as  these  were  passing  rapidly  through 
my  mind  a  gentleman  in  one  of  the  back  seats  arose  and  broke  the  (to  me)  awful 
silence,  in  a  speech  not  longer  than  a  Lacedemonian  letter,  which  gave  me  some 
hope  that  possibly  all  was  not  lost.  His  speech  was  not  long,  learned  nor  classic, 
but  it  seemed  to  inspire  in  me  a  hope  that  possibly  my  mission  might  not  result 


908  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

in  a  total  failure.  Many  things  in  my  past  life  that  I  ought  to  remember  have 
been  forgotten.  But  that  speech  I  never  will  forget,  and  I  here  now  place  it 
on  record  as  some  encouragement  for  those  who  may  be  called  upon  in  the 
future  to  lead  forlorn  hopes.  It  was  as  follows :  "My  friends,  I  have  listened 
to  this  man's  railroad  speech,  and  while  I  am  free  to  confess  that  I  have  great 
doubts  as  to  the  practicability  of  the  project,  yet  it  may  be  wiser  to  give  it  a 
trial  and  possibly  some  day  we  may  see  the  locomotive  coming  across  these 
prairies  head  and  tail  up  like  a  bedbug."  That  was  his  speech,  and  it  is  very 
safe  to  say  that  it  was  original.  I  am  glad  to  say  that  I  afterward  met  this  man 
at  Council  Blufifs,  when  the  road  was  finished  to  that  place,  and  the  iron  horse 
was  -there  to  speak  for  himself. 

Men  of  intelligence  on  other  subjects  ridiculed  the  idea  because,  as  one 
prominent  lawyer  in  Muscatine  said  at  one  of  our  meetings :  "Iowa  is  an  agri- 
cultural state.  Her  principal  productions  are  wheat  and  corn,  cattle  and  hogs, 
and  livestock  cannot  be  taken  to  an  eastern  market,  because  the  distance  is  too 
great  to  carry  them  on  cars.  And  flour  cannot  be  carried  to  such  a  distance  on 
the  railroad  without  shaking  the  barrel  to  pieces  unless  the  barrels  are  strong 
and  heavy  as  pork  barrels,  and  that  would  be  so  expensive  as  to  make  it  un- 
profitable." Allow  me  to  digress  a  moment  from  the  thread  of  my  statement 
to  say  (as  Paul  said  of  Alexander  the  coppersmith)  these  lawyers  did  me  and 
my  cause  "much  evil"  because  some  people  think  that  because  a  man  is  learned 
in  the  law  he  necessarily  knows  everything  else. 

CHARLES   H.  DAVIS. 

One  of  the  deeply  interesting  articles  published  in  the  Half  Century  Democrat 
in  1905  was  written  by  Charles  H.  Davis  under  the  title,  "Fifty  Years  an  En- 
gineer." It  is  a  story  such  as  any  man  would  be  proud  to  write.  Says  Mr. 
Davis : 

I  was  born  on  a  farm  in  New  York,  and  lived  there  till  I  was  nine  years 
old,  when  we  came  west.  When  I  was  seventeen,  and  the  most  boyish  looking 
boy  you  ever  saw,  I  was  employed  as  fireman  on  the  old  Mississippi  &  Missouri 
road.  Johnny  Buswell  was  my  engineer  and  our  engine  was  the  little  Iowa, 
the  smallest  engine  that  the  company  had.  She  weighed  about  twenty-five  tons 
and  was  an  old-fashioned  wood  burner.  It  was  6  o'clock  in  the  morning  of 
July  15,  1857,  that  I  pulled  out  of  Iowa  City  on  the  left  side  of  the  Iowa,  bound 
to  Muscatine  for  wood.  Johnny  Buswell  is  not  only  living  yet  but  he  is  run- 
ning an  engine  for  the  Santa  Fe  out  of  Chanute,  Kansas.  He  must  be  every 
day  of  seventy-five  years  old,  and  one  of  the  oldest  locomotive  engineers  in  the 
United  States,  for  he  fired  the  North  Star  on  the  New  York  Central  before  he 
came  to  the  M.  &  M.,  and  he  began  with  the  M.  &  M.  almost  half  a  century  ago. 
Still  his  last  letter  to  me  was  written  without  spectacles,  as  he  reads.  Later  I 
went  to  the  78 — the  old  Davenport.  Since  then  I  have  run  various  engines. 
Now  I  have  the  honor  of  pulHng  the  fast  mail  from  Rock  Island  to  Des  Moines 
every  other  day  and  back,  a  round  trip  of  364  miles. 

Coal  burning  engines  were  not  known  in  this  country  in  those  days.  The 
engines  that  opened  this  country  were  all  wood  burners.    Green  wood  went  with 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  909 

them  the  same  as  dry.  They  used  to  bring  down  the  wood  that  had  been  cut 
up  on  the  hillside  of  Antoine  LeClaire's  place,  just  above  the  M.  &  M.  shops 
here,  probably  only  the  day  before,  and  give  it  to  us  to  fire  with,  and  we  did  it. 
But  when  we  had  work  to  do,  such  as  getting  up  the  three  per  cent  grade  that 
led  up  the  bluff  in  the  west  end  of  Davenport,  we  used  dry  wood  that  we  used 
to  get  over  in  Rock  Island.  It  used  to  take  three  and  four  engines  to  pull  sev- 
enteen loads  of  lumber  up  that  gentle  slope.  It  was  only  157  feet  to  the  mile, 
or  about  as  stiff  as  any  grade  you  find  on  a  mountain  road  today  where  the 
country  is  the  rockiest. 

After  a  tmie,  however,  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  and  the  M.  &  M.  com- 
panies began  to  seek  for  a  way  to  use  the  soft  coal  of  this  part  of  the  country. 
It  was  all  a  new  thing  to  them,  and  they  had  to  work  it  out.  The  locomotive 
builders  of  the  east  were  giving  them  no  aid,  for  they  had  no  such  fuel  back 
there,  so  they  had  to  puzzle  it  out  here,  and  they  were  years  in  doing  it.  The 
little  Iowa  was  one  of  the  first  attempts  in  this  direction.  In  1857  she  was 
equipped  with  Wright's  coal  burner.  Maiding  Wright  was  the  boss  blacksmith 
here  at  the  M.  &  M,  shops.  His  device  consisted,  broadly,  of  a  grate  space,  one 
by  two  feet,  in  the  middle  of  the  bottom  of  the  fire  box.  The  rest  of  the  bot- 
tom of  the  fire  box,  extending  from  this  central  grate  in  all  directions  to  the 
walls  of  the  fire  box,  was  solid  brick  or  iron.  All  the  draught  there  was  to  be 
had  came  through  that  small  space.  Of  course  there  wasn't  enough.  The 
device  was  expected  to  be  a  great  success,  and  the  company  oft'ered  Wright 
$20,000  for  it,  which  he  refused,  expecting  bigger  money.  But  the  thing  wouldn't 
work ;  it  was  impossible  to  keep  fire  enough  going  with  it.  After  this  he  devised 
another  form  of  coal  burner  which  was  appUed;  a  water  table  in  the  bottom  of 
the  fire  box,  connected  with  the  boiler  by  pipes.  Some  twenty-four  holes,  or 
flues,  pierced  this  water  table,  on  top  of  which  the  fire  lay.  These  flues  ad- 
mitted draught  from  the  ashpan  below,  as  the  other  had  done;  but,  like  the 
other,  this  device  did  not  give  draught  enough,  and  failed. 

After  these  efforts  the  company  and  all  the  other  roads  out  here  practically 
quit  trying  to  burn  coal  for  the  space  of  about  ten  years,  except  for  some  occa- 
sional experimenting,  and  went  back  to  wood  burning.  But  in  1868  the  com- 
pany began  to  succeed  in  burning  coal.  The  old  Davenport,  later  numbered  the 
78,  was  converted  in  that  year  and  with  some  qualifications  she  worked.  She 
had  been  built  for  the  Hudson  river  road  and  guaranteed  to  make  forty-five 
miles  an  hour  with  fifteen  cars,  but  she  had  failed  to  fill  the  bill  down  there 
and  had  been  sold  to  the  M.  &  M.  She  came  to  us  with  a  six-foot  wheel,  which 
was  too  high  for  her  on  our  grades.  These  wheels  were  taken  out  and  five- foot 
wheels  were  put  in  their  place.  The  Davenport's  old  drivers  lay  for  years  north 
of  the  roundhouse  in  Davenport.  In  this  conversion  the  Davenport  was  fitted 
out  with  a  water  table  device  of  a  Frenchman  named  Jarrett.  It  formed  a  sort 
of  pouch-like  extension  in  the  fire  box  back  of  the  flue  sheet,  and  around  this 
the  flame  was  forced  to  curl  before  it  entered  the  flues.  This  gave  great  in- 
crease of  heating  surface,  and  worked  well,  but  there  was  leakage  at  the  side 
of  the  fire  box,  and  after  a  time  it  had  to  come  out.  It  was  Superintendent 
Kimball  and  Master  Mechanic  T.  P.  Twombley  who  equipped  the  old  78  in 
this  way.     The  test  with  her  lasted  about  two  years;  then  Jarrett's  water  table 


910  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

was  thrown  out  and  they  fell  back  on  coal  burning  in  a  plain  fire  box.  They 
had  given  the  78  a  copper  fire  box,  but  it  cut  out  so  fast  under  the  wear  of  the 
coal  that  it  had  but  very  short  life,  so  they  went  back  to  the  iron  fire  box.  The 
difficulty,  in  the  main,  was  due  to  lack  of  fire  surface,  and  insufficient  heating 
surface  exposed  to  the  fire.  The  78's  fire  box  was  only  about  four  and  a  half 
feet  long,  by  three  and  one-half  feet  wide,  where  a  modern  fire  box  will  run 
from  nine  to  eleven  feet  long  and  be  proportionately  larger  in  heating  surface. 
From  the  time  that  the  company  got  to  burning  coal  in  a  plain  fire  box  on  down 
to  this  day  there  has  been  a  serial  story  of  improvement,  but  there  are  no  in- 
teresting features  in  it. 

When  I  came  here  Rock  Island  wasn't  much  of  a  town.  The  Chicago  & 
Rock  Island  road  ran  in  just  as  it  does  now,  only  it  continued  on  till  it  reached 
the  passenger  station,  at  the  foot  of  Twentieth  street,  instead  of  turning  ofif  at 
the  slough  bridge  as  it  does  now.  The  roundhouse  was  about  where  the  power 
plant  of  the  Tri-City  Railway  Company  is.  I  got  out  and  looked  around  when 
the  train  stopped  in  Rock  Island  that  day  of  my  first  visit.  All  about  the  depot, 
and  particularly  across  the  street,  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  low  ginmills.  I 
thought  if  that  was  the  character  of  the  country  I  had  come  to  I  wished  I 
was  back  home.  Davenport  was  reached  without  change  of  cars,  the  Chicago 
&  Rock  Island  cars  being  taken  by  another  engine,  after  they  came  in  from 
Chicago,  and  switched  across  the  old  slough  bridge — somewhere  near  the  loca- 
tion of  the  present  viaduct — across  the  island  and  the  Mississippi  bridge,  and  to 
the  M.  &  M.  The  old  M.  &  M.  passenger  station  stood  just  about  where  the 
present  C.  R.  I.  &  P.  freight  house  is  on  Fifth  street.  The  first  passenger  sta- 
tion of  the  road  was  the  old  homestead  of  Antoine  LeClaire,  which  stood  on 
that  very  ground. 

The  present  line  of  the  Rock  Island  road  out  of  Davenport  to  the  west  is 
the  third  that  has  been  followed.  The  first  one  left  Fifth  street  at  a  point  a 
couple  of  blocks  east  of  the  present  southwest  junction,  passed  to  the  north  of 
St.  Mary's  church,  passed  close  to  the  old  F.  H.  Griggs'  house  down  there,  and 
wound  its  way  up  the  hill  on  a  three  per  cent  grade,  by  a  double  reversed  curve 
that  crossed  the  present  line  a  couple  of  times.  The  next  one,  somewhat  gentler 
in  gradient,  was  mainly  different  in  coming  into  the  city  on  the  south  side  of 
St.  Mary's  church.  I  can  show  you  some  of  the  old  grade  there  yet,  and  not 
long  ago  some  of  the  old  ties  could  be  found  still  in  place.  That  was  an  awful 
hill ;  it  was  all  that  an  engine  could  do  to  climb  it  with  three  or  four  cars.  The 
Samson  was  an  unusually  powerful  engine  for  those  days  and  four  loads  was 
all  she  could  take  up;  and  then  she  didn't  always  make  it.  But  engines  were 
different  in  those  days,  and  so  was  steam  pressure — except  upon  occasions. 

One  of  the  occasions  arrived  on  the  day  in  1869  that  I  pulled  an  excursion 
train  carrying  a  lot  of  railroad  men  and  their  folks  out  to  Mr.  Kimball's  Cherry 
BlufY  picnic  grounds,  near  West  Liberty.  I  had  the  old  Davenport,  and  a  big 
load  for  her.  Twombley  came  to  me  before  we  started  and  said,  "Charley,  get 
up  that  hill  if  it's  in  her!"  He  also  told  me  not  to  let  anybody  ride  with  me 
on  the  engine,  knowing  that  some  of  the  boys  would  insist  on  keeping  me 
company  in  the  cab.  Just  before  we  pulled  out  an  old  acquaintance  climbed  on 
with  me.     I  told  him  to  get  off,  and  he  refused.     "Twombley  told  me  not  to  let 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  911 

anybody  ride  on  the  engine,"  I  said,  "you'll  have  to  get  off."  "I'm  going  to  ride 
right  here  with  you,"  he  answered.  "All  right."  I  said,  "but  if  you  ever  tell 
anything  that  you  see  on  this  engine  today  I'll  hit  you  with  the  coal  pick." 

Well,  we  had  steam  gauges  in  those  days  that  were  differently  rigged  from 
those  we  carry  now.  Now  the  safety  valves  are  set  with  a  wrench  and  you 
have  to  get  out  to  the  valve,  on  top  of  the  boiler,  and  make  something  of  a 
job  of  it,  to  set  one  of  them;  but  then  all  you  had  to  do  was  to  merely  slip  a 
block  under  the  end  of  the  lever  that  came  back  into  the  cab  and  let  the  pres- 
sure go  on  rising ;  and  every  one  of  us  carried  his  little  block.  I  had  mine  with 
me  that  day,  but  I  didn't  keep  it  in  my  pocket  while  we  were  approaching  and 
cHmbing  that  hill,  you  bet!  Twombley  came  to  me  afterward  and  said,  "Well, 
you  got  up  the  hill.  How  much  steam  did  you  carry?"  "I  had  enough,"  said 
I.  One  hundred  and  thirty  pounds  was  the  limit  in  those  days,  and  many  en- 
gines carried  less  than  that. 

When  I  came  here  J.  W.  Moak  was  roadmaster,  later  becoming  superin- 
tendent, and  A.  Kimball  was  master  mechanic,  and  they  were  both  good  ones. 
Moak  came  off  the  Rome  &  Watertown,  and  he  was  a  fine  man.  Mr.  Kimball 
later  succeeded  him  and  T.  P.  Twombley  left  an  engine  to  take  the  place  of 
master  mechanic  that  Mr.  Kimball  thus  vacated.  Addison  Day  was  superin- 
tendent in  1857,  when  I  began  with  the  company.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  re- 
ligious scruples,  and  wanted  no  swearing  among  his  men.  When  I  got  on  the 
payroll  there  were  about  twenty  engines,  and  we  were  running  two  passenger 
trains  a  day  each  way  between  here  and  Iowa  City.  Later,  when  the  panic 
came  on  and  times  got  hard,  these  trains  were  mixed,  to  carry  both  passengers 
and  freight. 

Those  were  not  the  palmy  days  of  railroading,  for  company  or  employe.  I 
was  too  poor  to  own  a  pair  of  overshoes  in  the  winter,  and  went  in  the  snow 
with  my  shoes  muffled  up  in  rags.  I  remember,  just  after  I  was  married,  when 
I  had  hardly  a  quarter  in  my  pocket,  trying  to  find  a  house  to  rent  in  Iowa  City. 
C.  W.  Phillips,  long  with  the  company  there  as  superintendent  of  the  water 
service,  told  me  he  had  one,  a  nice  little  one  of  three  rooms,  so  I  went  and 
looked  at  it.  There  were  four  cords  of  good  hard  wood,  all  cut  and  dry  in  the 
shed,  and  the  place  was  cosy  and  neat  and  attractive,  but  I  could  see  that  it 
was  too  rich  for  me,  and  I  went  back  and  told  him  so.  But  he  would  not 
let  go.  "You  go  back  there  and  look  it  over  again,"  he  said,  "and  I  guess  we 
can  fix  the  rent  all  right."  I  went.  Somebody  had  been  there  in  the  mean- 
time. On  the  kitchen  table  was  a  sack  of  flour,  with  popatoes,  a  ham  and  all 
the  other  necessaries  and  a  note  that  said,  "Move  in  and  make  yourself  at 
home,  and  pay  when  you  get  ready."  It  was  worth  being  poor  to  meet  such  a 
man  as  that. 

We  used  to  have  some  fun  with  the  snow  in  those  days,  too.  I  was  stuck 
once  within  four  miles  of  Grinnell  with  a  passenger  train,  four  engines  and  100 
men  shoveling  hard,  and  we  stayed  there  three  days. 

I  had  the  old  Antoine  LeClaire  one  time,  out  toward  Wilton  A.  Kimball 
dropped  off  No.  3,  westbound,  to  take  a  hand.  He  found  Jack  Tarsney  on  the 
snowplow  with  an  engine  that  wouldn't  steam,  so  he  cut  him  oflF  and  put  Walt 
Hess  on  in  his  place,    Walt  had  an  engine  that  was  no  better,  so  Mr,  Kimball 


912  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

came  to  me  and  asked  me  if  I  thought  the  'Tony  would  handle  the  snowplow. 
She  was  pretty  light,  but  I  said  I  would  do  what  I  could  with  her,  so  we  rigged 
her  and  started  on.  The  snowplow  was  mounted  on  a  frame,  the  rear  of  which 
was  attached  to  the  front  of  the  engine,  while  the  point  of  the  plow  was  carried 
on  wheels  on  a  truck.  This  side  of  Bear  creek  we  saw  a  cut  ahead  that  was 
drifted  level,  and  we  raced  at  it.  It  turned  dark  when  we  got  into  the  snow, 
there  was  so  much  of  it  in  the  air,  and  right  in  the  thick  of  things  I  heard  some- 
thing cracking.  We  didn't  get  far  after  that,  and  when  we  stopped  we  found 
that  the  snowplow  had  turned  ofif  to  one  side  and  was  at  right  angles  to  us,  and 
Mr.  Kimball  was  nowhere  in  sight.  I  was  scared  and  began  to  call,  "Kimball! 
Kimball!"  "All  right!"  he  said,  somewhere  down  in  the  snow  to  the  rear,  and 
pretty  soon  he  climbed  on.  I  told  him  I  thought  something  had  happened  to 
him.  "Oh,  no,"  he  said;  "I  got  off  when  I  heard  that  plow  going."  We  had  a 
siderod  bent  and  the  cylinder  cocks  knocked  off,  and  other  damage  on  that 
side,  and  we  had  a  hard  time  getting  out  of  there,  but  we  did  get  out,  and  that 
night  the  engine  was  safe  in  the  roundhouse  at  Brooklyn. 

It  was  about  ii  o'clock  that  night  when  I  got  there.  Old  man  Skinner  was 
in  the  office  of  the  hotel.  He  would  let  me  have  a  room,  but  he  said  I  couldn't 
have  any  supper;  girls  were  all  in  bed.  "All  right,"  I  said,  "I  guess  I  won't 
go  to  the  room  just  yet,"  so  I  sat  there  in  the  office  and  waited,  and  after  awhile 
A.  Kimball  came  in,  following  me  on  the  train  for  which  I  had  opened  the 
way.  "Had  your  supper,  Charley?"  he  asked  me,  first  thing  after  we  met. 
"No,"  I  said,  "Mr.  Skinner  says  I  can't  have  any  supper  tonight,  for  the  girls 
are  all  in  bed."  Mr.  Kimball  turned  on  Skinner  with  that  look  that  we  all 
knew  would  stand  for  no  foolishness,  and  said,  "You  get  this  man  some  sup- 
per, and  you  get  it  damn  quick."  Pretty  soon  I  had  a  hot  beefsteak,  hot  bis- 
cuits, potatoes,  honey,  coffee,  and  anything  else  there  was  in  the  house.  It 
happened  that  the  house  stood,  by  Mr.  Kimball's  permission,  on  the  company's 
ground. 

I  may  say  here  that  I  remember  only  two  occasions  on  which  Mr.  Kimball 
could  be  said  to  have  used  a  profane  word,  and  on  those  occasions  he  was  very 
much  in  earnest.  The  other  time  was  down  at  the  Davenport  shops,  when  he 
fired  Doc  Gerbert  for  lying  to  him.  Mr.  Kimball  was  the  finest  man  I  ever 
knew  in  railroad  service.  He  had  been  an  engineer,  and  he  knew  what  an  engine 
man  has  to  go  through,  and  so  he  knew  what  to  expect ;  what  he  ought  to  ask 
of  the  man,  and  what  the  man  ought  to  ask  of  him.  He  was  a  good  railroad 
man,  and  he  was  a  good  man  with  his  men;  fair  and  square,  kind  and  consid- 
erate, and  the  soul  of  honor.  A  man  could  not  lie  to  him  and  stay  on  the  road 
five  minutes.  And  there  wasn't  a  man  in  the  service  that  didn't  think  the 
world  of  him. 

I  have  had  some  narrow  escapes  but  have  never  been  hurt  in  a  wreck  in  all 
the  forty-eight  years  I  have  been  firing  and  running.  At  the  foot  of  Summit 
between  Muscatine  and  Wilton,  I  went  with  my  engine  into  a  slough  once,  and 
seven  or  eight  cars  followed.  I  stepped  out  of  my  cab  window  to  the  ground, 
which  was  level  with  it.  Among  those  ditched  cars  was  one  that  was  loaded 
with  castiron  stoves.  There  wasn't  a  wheel  left  under  that  car  and  there  wasn't 
a  stove  broken. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  913 

Out  at  Ainsworth,  one  time,  I  was  pulling  a  mixed  train,  and  just  about  cross- 
ing the  lOO-foot  Howe  truss  bridge  over  a  good  sized  creek.  The  fireman  was 
outside  oiling  the  valves.  I  thought  I  saw  the  forward  end  of  the  engine  drop- 
ping, as  it  would  if  the  bridge  was  settling  under  it.  I  jerked  her  wide  open  and 
she  gave  such  a  jump  that  she  broke  the  pin  behind  her  and  fairly  leaped  across 
to  the  other  side.  The  bridge  went  down  and  there  was  a  first  class  wreck  in 
that  creek.  The  baggage  car  turned  sidewise  and  the  first  coach  went  endwise 
into  the  middle  of  it.     Three  men  were  killed. 

In  1863  I  was  nmning  the  N.  B.  Judd,  with  George  B.  Swan,  for  years  yard- 
master  here  and  in  Rock  Island,  now  of  Des  Moines,  for  fireman.  We  had 
left  Stockton — then  Fulton — coming  east.  We  were  carrying  a  lot  of  green 
wood,  cut  about  the  day  before  in  LeClaire's  pasture,  but  on  the  back  end  of  the 
tender  we  had  some  dry  wood  that  we  carried  to  use  when  we  had  hills  ahead  of 
us.  George  was  back  after  some  of  that  dry  wood  and  down  where  he  couldn't 
see  me  or  the  engine.  I  got  down  on  the  deck  and  stood,  with  one  foot  on  the  front 
end  of  the  tender  and  the  other  on  the  sill  of  the  engine  deck,  taking  a  look  into 
the  fire,  when  just  at  that  instant  the  engine  parted  from  the  tender  and  shot 
away  ahead.  Of  course  I  went  down  between  engine  and  tender,  clear  to  the 
ground,  between  the  rails.  I  didn't  think— I  grabbed,  and  caught  the  safety 
chains  at  the  front  end  of  the  tender.  We  were  running  about  four  or  five  miles 
an  hour,  but  that  was  enough.  I  pulled  myself  up  and  climbed  up  into  the  tender, 
and  just  then  George  looked  forward  from  the  rear  end  over  the  pile  of  wood 
he  had  been  heaving  up.  "What's  the  matter?  Is  she  slipping?"  he  asked.  "Yes, 
she's  slipping."  I  said.  "There  she  goes !"  Her  smoke  was  a  mile  ahead  of  us. 
She  ran  clear  to  "the  Irishman's  farm,"  a  good  seven  miles,  and  there  we  found 
her,  without  fire,  water  or  steam.  After  she  was  on  the  pit  in  the  roundhouse 
here  we  put  a  plank  across  the  pit  in  front  of  the  tender  and  cut  her  loose  from 
it,  and  there  wasn't  a  man  in  the  house  that  could  start  oflf  that  plank,  holding  to 
those  chains,  and  climb  up  into  the  tender,  and  when  I  tried  it  myself,  there  in 
the  house,  I  couldn't  do  it  either.  George  Swan  told  that  incident  to  a  man  the 
other  day  in  Des  Moines,  and  the  man  turned  his  back  on  him  and  walked  away 
without  a  word ;  but  George  and  I  both  know  that  the  thing  happened. 

The  most  remarkable  thing  that  ever  happened  to  an  engine  in  my  hands  was 
the  throwing  of  all  four  of  the  drivers  of  the  188,  on  the  night  of  February  10, 
1883.  It  was  about  9:45  in  the  evening,  between  Midway  and  Iowa  City.  1  was 
pulling  passenger  No.  i,  and  we  were  running  up  close  to  sixty  miles  an  hour. 
Something  smashed;  I  thought  it  was  the  siderod  under  me.  and  jumped  down 
oflF  the  seat  to  the  floor  of  the  cab.  The  rear  of  the  engine  was  sagging  down  till 
the  ashpan  was  on  the  ground,  its  front  end  carried  by  the  forward  truck,  and 
the  train  was  crowding  us  along  from  the  rear  by  its  momentum,  John  N'eis- 
wanger.  the  fireman,  yelling  like  mad  to  me  to  stop  her.  It  was  1,120  feet  from 
the  first  mark  on  the  ground  to  the  point  where  the  engine  stopped.  Jim  Ray- 
ner  was  conductor.  He  came  up  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  I  told  him  a 
driver  was  gone  on  my  side,  and  supposed  that  was  all  there  was  to  it.  Later  I 
found  that,  except  the  wheels  of  the  forward  truck,  there  wasn't  a  wheel  under 
her.  Both  drivers  were  gone  on  both  sides.  It  all  happened  so  quickly  that  I 
don't  know  which  one  went  first,  or  the  order  in  w^hich  they  went,  or  whether 


914  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

they  all  went  at  once.  The  train  held  the  track  and  not  a  soul  was  hurt.  We  sent 
in  a  messenger  to  Iowa  City,  and  the  construction  train  came  out,  bringing  with 
it  a  pair  of  pony  trucks  that  they  used  about  the  roundhouse  there.  The  rear 
end  of  the  engine  was  jacked  up  and  this  pony  put  under  it,  and  the  wheels  were 
gathered  up  and  in  this  way  the  cripple  was  taken  to  the  hospital.  Drivers,  ec- 
centrics, links,  all  went  in  the  wreck;  the  right  cylinder  head  was  knocked  in 
and  the  left  main  rod  was  broken  in  the  center,  but  all  these  things  were  soon 
and  easily  mended,  and  the  i88  had  years  of  good  service  in  her  after  that. 

I  had  the  first  run  of  the  famous  Silver  engine,  the  America,  and  Al  Lund 
fired  for  me.  Grant,  her  builder,  rode  with  us,  and  the  cab  and  tender  were 
filled  with  other  persons,  both  gentlemen  and  ladies.  They  were  members  of  a 
big  party  of  railroad  people  who  came  out  here  on  that  occasion.  The  America 
ran  only  to  Council  Bluffs,  her  first  trip  a  sort  of  advertisement  of  the  road, 
but  later  she  was  in  the  passenger  service.  Jack  Williams,  now  of  Stuart,  ran 
her  for  years  on  the  west  end. 

If  there  were  room  for  it  a  good  many  old  memories  of  the  old  engineers  of 
those  first  days  might  be  aroused.  There  was  Johnny  Buswell,  whom  I  men- 
tioned ;  and  Doc  Weatherby,  who  came  off  the  Little  Aliami  and  who  started  in 
by  firing  for  A.  Kimball's  brother.  Moody  Kimball;  and  there  was  Moody  Kim- 
ball, a  natural  clown  for  fun,  always  at  some  joke  or  prank,  and  as  different  from 
A.  K.  as  one  man  could  be  from  another ;  and  John  Mousley,  who  died  here  in 
Rock  Island  last  holidays,  engineer  of  the  33,  and  the  John  A.  Dix,  and  later 
foreman  at  Brooklyn  for  years  following  1870 ;  and  there  was  J.  E.  Morrill, 
who  ran  the  A.  C.  Flagg,  the  80,  and  the  McPherson,  which  the  company  got  in 
the  days  of  the  war,  and  who  succeeded  Twombley  as  master  mechanic  at  Daven- 
port when  Twombley  went  to  Chicago  as  general  master  mechanic;  and  there 
was  Mose  Hobbs,  who  ran  the  John  A.  Dix  and  the  A.  C.  Flagg  and  the  Iowa 
City — a  generous  man  to  anybody  in  need ;  and  John  H.  Williams — Jack,  we 
called  him — who  was  running  a  stationary  engine  at  Iowa  City  when  I  first  knew 
him,  and  who  went  firing  on  the  John  A.  Dix  for  Mose  Hobbs,  and  later  became 
her  engineer — a  fine  man  whom  everybody  on  the  road  liked ;  and  Tom  Holmes, 
who  fired  and  ran  an  engine  here  for  years,  now  in  partnership  with  Jack  Wil- 
liams at  Stuart  in  the  implement  business ;  and  from  these  I  might  go  on  and 
take  up  others — Frank  Bliss  and  George  Weed  and  'Dite  Smith,  yardmaster, 
and  so  on  to  the  end  of  a  long  chapter,  but  it  would  take  me  more  than  one  day 
to  tell  it.  Very  dear  to  me  are  the  memories  of  some  of  those  men,  pioneers  in 
the  railroad  history  of  the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi,  but  I  am  not  so  sure 
that  everybody  else  is  as  much  interested  in  them  as  I  am. 

CHICAGO,   MILWAUKEE   &   ST.   PAUL  RAILROAD. 

The  Davenport  &  St.  Paul  Railroad  was  organized  in  1868  and  the  road  was 
completed  in  1870  from  Davenport  through  the  county.  Meeting  with  financial 
difificulties  in  1874,  the  road  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  receiver,  at  which  time 

Since  writing  this  account  Mr.  Davis  and  G.  B.  Swan  have  been  put  on  the  pension  list  of 
the  Rock  Island  system  and  have  retired.  Mr.  Davis  draws  the  road's  largest  pension  with 
one  exception,  that  awarded  Ex-Supt.  H.  F.  Royce. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  915 

it  was  completed  to  Fayette,  Iowa,  and  a  branch  from  Eldridge  to  Maquoketa, 
about  i6o  miles  of  road.  August  i,  1880,  it  passed  under  the  control  of  and 
is  now  operated  by  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway  Company.  The 
Davenport  &  St.  Paul  road  was  organized  by  local  capital.  In  1894  Frank  P. 
Blair  secured  control  of  a  charter  granted  twenty-two  years  previously  and  four 
years  later  succeeded  in  financing  and  promoting  the  Davenport,  Rock  Island  & 
Northwestern  Railroad  &  Bridge  Company.  A  road  was  constructed  from  Daven- 
port to  Clinton,  Iowa,  and  the  bridge  was  built  and  thrown  open  for  traffic  Jan- 
uary I,  1900.  In  1901  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  and  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul  railways  purchased  this  line,  including  the  bridge,  under  a 
joint  ninety-nine  year  lease.  This  gave  the  main  line  of  the  Burlington  between 
St.  Paul  and  St.  Louis  access  to  this  city  and  also  brought  about  the  construction 
of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  cut-ofif,  which  brings  through  Davenport 
the  main  line  of  that  road  between  Chicago  and  Kansas  City. 

THE  CHICAGO,    BURLINGTON   &   QUINCY   RAILROAD. 

In  1872  the  Rockford,  Rock  Island  &  St.  Louis  Railroad  was  constructed  into 
Rock  Island  and  within  a  few  years  became  the  property  of  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy.  This  road  enters  the  city  from  the  Illinois  side  of  the  river  by 
the  lower  bridge,  and  entering  the  Y  on  this  side,  backs  its  passenger  trains  a 
mile  east  to  the  depot.  The  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  road  is  compelled  to 
go  through  the  same  performance  with  its  west-bound  trains  to  reach  its  depot 
in  Davenport,  which  is  located  on  Front  street,  at  the  foot  of  Perry,  and  is  also 
shared  by  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  road. 

THE   IOWA    &   ILLINOIS  INTERURBAN    RAILWAY. 

In  1904  the  first  interurban  railway  leading  into  Davenport  was  completed, 
connecting  it  with  Qinton,  and  is  now  known  as  the  Iowa,  &  Illinois  Interurban 
Railway,  its  depot  being  located  at  217  Brady  street. 


>-Ml':   I'lM'.LK'  SCHOOL  BUILDINGS 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 
EDUCATION. 

THE  FOUNDATION  LAID  BY  EARLY  STATESMEN — A  LOOK  AHEAD THE  BEGINNINGS  OF 

SCHOOLS    IN    IOWA ^THOSE    WHO    TAUGHT     SCHOOL     IN     DAVENPORT     IN     THE 

THIRTIES — MANY  YEARS  OF  PRIVATE  SCHOOLS — ^ARRIVAL  OF  THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOL 
IN    THE   FIFTIES — LATTER   DAY    SCHOOLS — MAGNIFICENT     HIGH     SCHOOL — THE 

SPECIAL    BRANCHES SCHOOLS    OF    HIGHER    EDUCATION BIOGRAPHY     OF     J.     B. 

YOUNG. 

Nowhere  in  the  United  States  were  pubhc  educational  foundations  laid  with 
more  breadth  and  care  than  in  Iowa.  From  the  days  of  the  first  message  of 
Governor  Lucas,  the  first  of  the  territorial  governors,  careful  provision  was 
made  for  the  instruction  of  Iowa  youth  and  their  training  for  good  citizenship. 
The  foundations  long  preceded  the  superstructure.  In  an  article  upon  the  topic, 
"Institutional  Beginnings,"  in  the  Annals  of  Iowa,  July,  1898,  Prof.  Jesse  Macy 
of  the  chair  of  history  in  Grinnell  college,  treats  of  this  feature  of  Iowa  educa- 
tional history: 

"As  an  instance  of  discrepancy  between  statutes  and  history  the  early  school 
laws  may  be  given.  If  you  ask  an  early  settler  in  Iowa  when  this  state  intro- 
duced public  schools,  he  will  tell  you  that  the  public  school  system  did  not  become 
thoroughly  established  till  about  1854  or  1855.  But  were  there  not  schools  ear- 
lier than  that?  Yes,  but  they  were  private  schools;  or  they  were  partly  private 
and  partly  public.  In  each  neighborhood,  as  soon  as  there  were  enough  children 
of  school  age  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  \vas  called,  a  place  and  plan  for  a  school- 
house  determined  upon,  a  day  set  for  building  and  at  the  appointed  time  they  all 
came  out  and  built.  Then  they  hired  a  teacher  and  kept  up  the  school  as  best 
they  could.  From  the  earliest  territorial  statutes  one  would  infer  that  schools 
were  then  established  in  Iowa  free  to  all  white  persons  between  the  ages  of  four 
and  twenty-one.  Counties  were  organized  into  districts  on  petition  of  a  majority 
in  the  proposed  district.  School  districts  w^ere  elaborately  officered  with  seven 
officials  for  each  district,  and  there  were  minute  provisions  for  the  management 
of  schools.  According  to  the  statutes  of  Iowa,  the  territory  and  afterward  the 
state  was  abundantly  and  thoroughly  supplied  with  the  privileges  of  free  public 


920  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

schools  for  all  white  children.  The  statutes  are  abundant  and,  as  they  are  closely 
examined,  one  is  convinced  that  they  are  not  merely  formal  acts  which  had  made 
their  way  into  the  records  and  been  forgotten.  They  are  real,  living  laws,  pre- 
pared with  great  care,  and  revised  and  made  more  elaborate  at  each  session  of 
the  legislature.  Yet,  if  you  turn  from  those  records  and  study  the  actual  school 
system  of  the  territory  and  the  state,  you  will  find  that  the  free  school  was  a  plant 
of  slow  growth ;  that  for  years  there  were  no  free  schools ;  and  the  great  body 
of  our  citizens  are  under  the  impression  that  our  public  school  system  dates  back 
only  to  about  1854. 

WERE  PLANNING  AHEAD. 

"Professor  T.  S.  Parvin,  who  was  the  first  man  appointed  to  the  superinten- 
dency  of  public  instruction  in  Iowa,  states  that  those  early  law-makers  knew 
quite  well,  at  the  time  they  framed  their  laws,  that  there  were  no  public  schools, 
and  could  not  be  in  the  greater  part  of  the  state  but  they  expected  to  have  the 
schools  sometime,  and  they  believed  that  the  passing  of  good  school  laws  would 
have  the  effect  of  encouraging  immigration.  These  statutes  expressed  a  longing 
of  the  people  for  a  time  when  there  would  be  seven  persons  living  near  enough 
together  on  these  prairies  fitted  to  hold  school  offices  and  manage  a  pubhc  school 
in  their  various  neighborhoods.  In  the  meantime  such  statutes  could  be  made 
immediately  available  for  purposes  of  advertisement  in  the  East,  and  thus  assist 
in  bringing  about  the  state  of  society  desired." 

The  earliest  schools  in  Iowa  were  supported  by  the  contributions  and  tuition 
of  the  pioneer  settlers.  The  first  school  taught  within  the  present  limits  of  Iowa 
was  presided  over  by  Berryman  Jennings,  who  opened  a  school  in  October,  1830, 
at  what  is  now  known  as  Nashville,  Lee  county.  At  this  time  Iowa  was  a  por- 
tion of  Michigan  territory.  Mr.  Jennings'  school  lasted  through  November  and 
December  and  was  held  in  a  building  which  he  describes :  "This  schoolroom  was 
like  all  other  buildings  in  the  new  country,  a  log  cabin  built  of  round  logs  or  poles 
notched  close  and  mudded  for  comfort ;  logs  cut  out  for  doors  and  windows,  also 
fireplaces.  The  jamb  back  of  the  fireplace  was  of  packed  dry  dirt,  the  chimney 
topped  out  with  sticks  and  mud." 

It  was  strange  that  the  second  school  opened  in  the  state,  was  within  a  few 
miles  of  the  Jennings  school.  It  was  taught  by  I.  K.  Robinson  and  dated  from 
December  i,  1830,  but  two  months  after  the  pioneer  pedagogue  rang  his  bell  at 
Nashville. 

FIRST   LADY    TEACHER. 

The  honor  of  being  the  first  lady  teacher  in  Iowa  is  held  by  Mrs.  Rebecca 
Palmer,  who  taught  school  near  Fort  Madison  in  the  winter  of  1834  and  1835. 
The  first  schoolhouse  proper,  also  a  log  building,  was  erected  in  December,  1833, 
at  Burlington,  by  W.  R.  Ross,  the  postmister  of  the  county.  While  Davenport 
has  no  place  in  these  first  paragraphs  of  the  educational  history  of  the  state  early 
provision  was  made  for  the  instruction  of  the  small  citizens.  The  earliest  school 
in  all  this  section  was  the  one  maintained  by  the  officers  at  Fort  Armstrong,  of 
which  mention  is  made  by  Caleb  Atwater  in  his  work  dated  1829. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  921 

January,  1838,  when  Davenport  was  but  two  years  old,  the  territorial  legisla- 
ture passed  an  act  to  incorporate  the  Davenport  Manual  Labor  college.  "The 
object,"  the  act  says,  "shall  be  the  promotion  of  the  general  interests  of  education, 
and  to  qualify  young  men  to  engage  in  the  several  employments  of  society  and  to 
discharge  honorably  and  usefully  the  various  duties  of  life,"  Of  this  institution 
of  high-sounding  title  and  wide  range  of  subjects  the  historian  of  "Davenport 
Past  and  Present,"  says :  "This  scheme  was  a  fine  one,  but  it  never  amounted  to 
anything  for  two  reasons — lack  of  students  and  want  of  money."  But  the  effort 
was  commendable  and  is  worthy  of  renewal  at  the  present  time. 

THE  FIRST  DAVENPORT  TEACHER. 

The  honor  of  teaching  the  first  private  school  has  been  accorded  to  many  dif- 
ferent teachers  by  local  historians  and  those  who  have  written  reminiscences. 
Elsewhere  in  this  work  it  goes  to  Rev.  Michael  Hummer,  and  on  good  authority, 
but  there  are  those  who  should  be  competent  to  settle  the  matter  who  say  other- 
wise. In  his  address  at  the  dedication  of  the  Davenport  Free  Public  library,  May 
II,  1904,  Judge  John  F.  Dillon  said:  "The  earliest  school  was  kept  in  a  small  log 
cabin  near  the  river  below  Western  avenue  by  the  aged  father  of  Alexander  W. 
McGregor."  C.  H.  Eldridge,  who  was  a  schoolboy  in  Davenport  in  those  days, 
gave  an  address  before  the  historical  section  of  the  Davenport  Academy  of  Sci- 
ences years  ago,  and  his  signed  notes,  still  preserved,  have  these  entries:  "Miss 
Marianna  Hall,  a  niece  of  Dr.  Hall,  opened  a  school,  the  first  one  in  town,  in  the 
summer  of  1838,  in  a  little,  about  twelve  by  fourteen  log  house,  originally  built 
for  a  blacksmith  shop,  without  any  floor  but  mother  earth,  two  windows,  with 
one  slab  door  and  a  wooden  latch.  This  was  maintained  about  one  term;  but 
few  scholars, — I  think  Lafayette  Franks,  Sarah  Franks,  who  afterward  married 
Samuel  Leonard,  brother  of  our  sheriff,  Henry  Colton,  two  daughters  of  Powers, 
up  the  river,  a  nephew  of  Walter  Kelly,  I  forget  his  name,  three  children  of  Nel- 
son Powers,  who  kept  the  hotel,  Patrick  Fox,  and  one  of  Judge  Cook's  sons. 
This  house  was  near  where  Davies  &  Sons'  saw  mill  is  now  situated.  Some  of 
Dr.  Hall's  younger  sons  attended." 

To  continue  Mr.  Eldridge's  notes:  "The  next  school  was  opened  by  Rev. 
Michael  Hummer,  better  known  as  Parson  Hummer,  in  a  frame  building  on  the 
corner  of  the  alley  east  side  of  Ripley  street,  between  First  and  Second  streets, 
in  the  fall  of  1838  and  ran  through  until  the  summer  of  1839.  There  were  J.  M. 
Parker  of  our  city,  Bailey  Davenport,  ex-mayor  of  Rock  Island.  Frank  Bennett, 
editor  of  Clinton,  Henry  Colton.  Miss  Frances  Peck.  Clarence  Whiting,  now  of 
California.  Samuel  K.  Barkley.  his  sister,  two  Zeigler  boys,  and  one  of  the  Mc- 
Gregor boys. 

"The  next  school  in  order  was  opened  by  Moses  Parmele.  whose  several  sons 
are  well  known  citizens.  This  school  was  opened  up  stairs  in  a  front  room  of  a 
two  story  house  on  Front  street  near  Schricker  &  Mueller's  mill,  the  family  living 
down  stairs  and  back.  This  was  in  the  summer  of  1839.  I  think.  Here  were 
Henry  Colton  and  a  younger  brother,  the  Parmele  boys,  Sarah  Franks.  Frances 
Peck,  a  girl  whose  name  was  Fudge,  her  father  being  aftenvard  killed  by  an 
explosion  at  Burrows'  steam  mill.  Jack  Dillon,  since  J.  F.  Dillon,  his  brother 


922  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Timothy  who  was  drowned,  the  Ziegler  boys,  Whiting's  two  boys,  the  Powers 
girls. 

PERE   PELAMOURGUES'    SCHOOL. 

"About  this  time  Father  Pelamourgnes  opened  a  school  in  the  old  brick  church 
which  took  off  about  a  dozen  of  the  children.  The  next  school,  I  think  was  by 
S.  W.  Cheever,  a  young  man  from  the  New  England  states.  He  came  west  for  his 
health.  Here  was  a  good  school  of  at  least  thirty  by  this  time.  He  was  one  of 
the  most  efficient  teachers  in  the  city.  After  Cheever  came  John  Tice,  now 
Professor  Tice  of  St.  Louis,  without  exaggeration  the  laziest  man  that  ever  struck 
Davenport.  These  two  schools  were  in  the  upper  part  of  a  frame  building  on  the 
northeast  corner  of  Perry  and  Front  streets.  Next  came  J.  Atkinson,  a  splendid 
scholar,  who  had  a  school  in  a  frame  building  about  where  the  Kerker  grocery  is 
now.     This  was  a  very  large  school,  having  at  least  forty  scholars, 

"Next  came  Dr.  Brown,  in  an  old  frame  building  on  thei  west  side  of  Main 
between  Fourth  and  Fifth  streets.  And  after  him  came  C.  G.  Blood,  present 
police  justice,  in  the  same  building.  These  were  fair  schools,  but  the  boys  broke 
both  up  before  the  term  ended. 

"About  this  time  a  Miss  Bergen  opened  a  small  school  which  after  two  or 
three  years  became  a  girls'  school  only,  termed  a  young  ladies'  seminary.  Next 
in  order  was  the  academy  with  James  Thorington  as  principal  and  W.  T.  Campbell 
as  assistant.  This  opened  in  a  frame  building  yet  standing  on  the  northeast  comer 
of  Fourth  and  Harrison.  This  was  kept  up  for  several  years  and  here  Jack  Dillon 
graduated,  for  I  believe  he  did  not  go  to  school  afterward.  Among  the  scholars 
I  can  remember  John  VanPatten.  of  VanPatten  &  Marks,  'Pud,'  (M.  M.,) 
Price,  United  States  consul  at  Marseilles,  Ed.  Coombs,  an  editor  in  Boston,  Phil 
VanPatten,  a  member  of  the  Arkansas  legislature,  an  ardent  abolitionist,  but  a 
bitter  secessionist  during  the  war,  Will  Coates,  now  editor  at  Freeport,  Ills.  The 
remainder  of  the  schools  can  be  found  in  the  files  of  the  old  Gazette." 

ST.   LOUIS  LIKED  HIM. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  same  historical  section  of  the  Academy  of 
Sciences  a  letter  was  read  from  Prof.  J.  H.  Tice  of  St.  Louis,  author  of  Tice's 
Almanac  and  various  meteorological  papers,  in  which  he  said  that  he  taught  a 
private  school  for  six  months  in  Davenport  from  May  to  November,  1842.  He 
had  from  fifteen  to  thirty-two  pupils,  tuition,  $3.00  per  quarter,  or  $5.00  for  two. 
He  moved  to  St.  Louis  and  was  afterwards  for  twelve  years  superintendent  of  the 
schools  of  that  city.    This  letter  was  in  reply  to  an  inquiry. 

Of  the  later  schools  mentioned  by  Mr.  Eldridge  in  his  notes  advertisements 
appear  in  the  Sun  and  Gazette.  The  school  taught  by  Messrs.  Thorington  & 
Campbell  had  evening  as  w^ell  as  day  sessions.  The  older  citizens  well  remember 
the  schools  of  Thorington  and  Pelamourgues  on  opposite  sides  of  Fourth  street 
near  Main.  They  also  recall  the  chastisement  administered  by  the  French  pioneer 
teacher  to  any  boy  he  caught  doing  wrong  at  any  time  and  anywhere.  All  boys 
looked  alike  to  him  and  Mr.  Thorington's  boys  came  in  for  a  swift  licking  if 
Father  Pelamourgues  caught  them  in  mischief  on  the  street. 


THE  FIRST  D.AVEXPORT  IIICII  SCFfOOL 


DAVEXPORT  HIGH  SCHOOL  BUILniXO 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  925 

HE  SURELY   WAS. 

Rev.  Michael  Hummer  was  pastor  of  a  congregation  at  Iowa  City  after  leaving 
Davenport  and  thence  went  to  Keokuk.  The  incident  of  his  bell  immortalized  in 
poetry  by  Judge  Tuthill  appears  elsewhere.  The  first  verse  of  the  poem  is  said  to 
have  been  an  improvisation  of  John  P.  Cook.  Mr.  Hummer  lived  in  Lawrence, 
Kansas,  during  Ouantrell's  raid  and  escaped  with  his  life  by  headlong  flight.  He 
returned  from  hiding  after  the  guerillas  had  gone  and  helped  look  after  the 
wounded  and  bury  the  dead.    He  was  a  resident  of  Kansas  City  in  1870. 

Among  other  early  private  schools  was  that  of  Miss  Eads,  who  advertised  in 
the  Sun  as  being  late  of  St.  Louis  and  opening  a  school  for  misses  and  children, 
also  Miss  Beard,  in  the  school  room  formerly  occupied  by  William  Gahan,  who 
conducted  a  school  known  as  the  "Davenport  school."  John  C.  Holbrook  was  an 
early  teacher.  A  Mr.  Ryder  taught  a  school  in  the  '40s  on  Brady  street  between 
Second  and  Third  streets.  Another  of  these  old  schools  was  kept  by  a  Mr.  Shel- 
don on  Front  and  Main  streets.  Mr.  Weir  had  a  school  on  Main  street,  west  side, 
north  of  Fourth.  The  Misses  Lyon  and  Munn  conducted  a  school  for  young 
ladies  at  Perry  and  Fifth  streets.  Mrs.  Stephens'  select  school  was  on  Main  above 
Eighth  street,  Mrs.  Crockett's  in  Young's  block  on  Brady  street.  Herman  Ham- 
burger, "bright  young  man,  well  versed  in  the  manners  of  polite  society,"  taught  a 
school  for  the  "education  of  young  gentlemen"  on  Brady  and  Fourth  streets. 

A  notable  teacher  of  early  days  was  the  Hon.  C.  C.  Washburne,  a  native  of 
Livermore,  Maine,  who  came  to  Davenport  in  June,  1839.  when  but  twenty-one 
years  old,  having  come  west  by  Erie  canal  and  the  lakes  and  crossed  Illinois  on  a 
wagon.  In  this  little  hamlet  of  300  people  this  young  man  from  the  East  organized 
what  is  said  to  have  been  the  second  school  in  Davenport.  It  was  conducted  in  the 
second  story  of  Dillon  and  Forrest's  boarding  house,  just  west  of  Scott,  and 
between  Second  street  and  the  river.  Among  his  pupils  were  J.  Monroe  Parker, 
C.  H.  Eldridge,  Ira  Cook,  and  probably  Judge  Dillon.  There  were  but  twelve 
or  fifteen  childen  in  the  village  at  this  time.  The  subsequent  career  of  this  pioneer 
school  teacher  belongs  to  national  history.  He  moved  to  LaCrosse  in  the  '40s, 
was  elected  governor  of  that  state,  and  held  the  position  four  years.  In  1854  he 
went  to  congress,  served  until  the  war  broke  out,,  became  colonel  of  the  Second 
Wisconsin  cavalry,  and  was  promoted  until  he  became  a  major  general  in  com- 
mand of  the  department  of  Memphis.  In  1865  he  again  went  to  congress  and 
served  until  1869,  when  he  again  became  governor  for  two  years.  In  1873  he 
retired  from  public  service  and  built  the  largest  flouring  mills  in  the  world  at  Min- 
neapolis. He  also  found  time  to  inaugurate  the  Minneapolis  and  St.  Louis 
railroad  enterprise,  erect  an  observator}-  in  connection  wnth  the  university  at 
Madison,  provide  it  with  the  largest  telescope  in  the  world,  and  present  it  to  the 
state.    He  died  May  14,  1882. 

SCHOOL  DAYS. 

Consul  M.  M.  Price,  son  of  Hiram  Price,  wrote  not  long  ago  a  private  letter 
to  his  friend  of  boyhood  days,  LeClaire  Fulton,  in  which  some  lively  reminiscence 
appears.    Here  is  a  paragraph :    "Do  you  remember  Harrison  street  when  it  was 


926  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

called  Ditch  street?  It  was  simply  a  ditch,  twenty  feet  wide  and  ten  feet  deep, 
and  when  it  rained  the  water  poured  down  from  the  hills  and  through  Leonard's 
hollow,  becoming  a  mighty  torrent  and  entirely  cutting  off  intercourse,  social, 
commercial  or  religious,  between  the  inhabitants  above  and  below  Ditch  street. 
And  when  the  water  subsided  it  was  a  lovely  mudhole  for  the  boys  to  push  each 
other  into.  Thorington's  academy  of  art  and  science,  himself  guiltless  of  any  col- 
lusion with  Lindley  Murray,  was  located  on  the  'Taller  banks'  of  Harrison  street, 
and  it  was  very  convenient  to  get  mud  balls.  It  was  there  that  many  distinguished 
tramps,  lawyers  and  judges  graduated.  Among  the  most  prominent  were  Jack 
and  Jim  Fisher,  Henry  and  'Goak'  Webb,  John  Dillon,  Jim  Buford,  'Bony'  Mor- 
ton, 'Bill'  Carr,  'Frog'  Thorington,  'Billy'  McFadden,  'Pud'  Price  and  'Center's 
Daddy.'  " 

These  private  schools  served  well  the  needs  of  the  people  of  Davenport  until 
public  schools  were  established.  There  was  an  interim  of  unrecorded  length  in 
which  schools  were  maintained  in  part  by  the  public  funds  and  in  part  by  tui- 
tion, Mr.  Barrows  gives  the  date  of  the  first  district  school  as  1850,  and  James 
Thorington  as  teacher. 

SIX   INDEPENDENT  SCHOOLS. 

In  the  latter  '50s  within  the  present  limits  of  the  Independent  district  of  the 
city  of  Davenport,  there  were  six  schools,  none  of  them  occupying  the  sites  on 
which  their  successors  the  present  schools  are  located.  These  were  in  independent 
districts,  each  having  its  own  board  of  directors,  each  managing  its  own  financial 
affairs,  and  providing  for  its  own  expenses  independently  of  the  others.  This 
condition  continued  until  1858,  when  a  change  in  the  school  law  of  the 
state  made  consolidation  and  the  support  of  the  schools  by  general  taxation 
possible.  May  5,  1858,  pursuant  to  previous  notice  a  public  meeting  was  held 
at  the  courthouse  at  which  these  six  districts  of  Davenport  township  Nos.  10,  2,  7, 
17,  5  and  II,  were  formed  into  one  district,  each  subdistrict  having  its  represen- 
tative board  member  and  the  officers  of  the  combined  district  being  chosen  by 
the  electors  at  large.  On  this  same  day  at  this  meeting,  an  election  was  held  at 
which  Dr.  A.  S.  Maxwell  was  elected  president;  T.  D.  Eagal,  vice  president;  J. 
R.  Johnson,  secretary,  and  George  H.  French,  treasurer. 

In  this  consolidation  district  No.  10  became  subdistrict  No.  i,  and  was  repre- 
sented by  J.  M.  Frizzell;  district  2  continued  the  number  as  subdistrict  No.  2, 
with  Wm.  T.  Clark  on  the  board;  district  No,  7  became  district  No.  3,  Henry 
Lambach;  No.  17  became  No.  4,  with  T.  H.  Codding;  No.  5  remained  No.  5, 
with  W.  L.  Cook,  local  member;  No.  11  became  No.  6,  with  S.  G.  Mitchell  rep- 
resentative on  the  district  board, 

EARLY   SCHOOL   LOCATIONS. 

In  1859  the  school  law  was  amended  providing  for  the  election  of  three  direc- 
tors who  in  connection  with  the  president,  vice  president,  secretary  and  treasurer 
should  constitute  the  school  board.  At  the  first  election  A.  S.  Maxwell  was  elected 
president;  E.  Peck,  vice  president;  Thomas  J.  Saunders,  secretary;  George  H. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  927 

French,  treasurer;  directors,  J.  M.  Frizzell,  one  year,  Robert  Means,  two  years, 
and  Ignatius  Langer,  three  years.  The  second  director  resigned  and  Judge  Grant 
was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

The  original  location  of  School  No.  i,  now  known  as  the  Washington  school, 
was  Mound  and  Eddy  streets,  where  a  frame  building  accommodated  the  chil- 
dren of  the  village  of  East  Davenport,  until  the  erection  of  the  brick  structure 
on  its  present  location,  Fulton  and  Mississippi  avenues,  in  1865.  No.  2  school, 
now  the  Adams  school,  originally  occupied  the  lower  floor  of  a  two  story  frame 
house  on  Fourth  and  Perry.  This  building  was  erected  by  a  Mr.  Prescott  for  a 
private  school  in  1843.  He  went  to  the  timber  for  his  oak  which  was  either 
hewed  or  sawed  at  the  Duck  Creek  mill.  In  1853  and  1854  a  stone  school  house 
was  erected  at  the  corner  of  Seventh  and  Perry  streets.  It  is  still  in  good  con- 
dition, although  not  at  this  time  is  use.  This  building  cost  $8,000  and  was  con- 
sidered in  those  days  a  triumph  of  architecture.  Wilkie  in  his  "Davenport, 
Past  and  Present"  published  in  1858,  speaks  in  high  praise  of  its  power  to  ac- 
commodate pupils  and  mentions  the  commodious  living  quarters  for  the  princi- 
pal situated  in  the  basement. 

The  first  house  occupied  by  old  School  No.  3,  now  the  Jeflferson  school,  was 
a  little  frame  building  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Fifth  and  Scott  streets.  This 
was  in  1853.  There  were  probably  about  thirty  pupils.  Here  Webster's  blue 
backed  spelling  book  was  used  for  first  lessons  in  reading.  In  1855  the  school 
was  moved  to  Third  street,  south  side,  between  Gaines  and  Brown  streets.  From 
there  another  move  in  1856-57  was  made  to  Sixth  and  Warren  streets,  where  a 
brick  structure  of  six  rooms  was  in  process  of  construction.  There  was  so  much 
urgency  for  the  use  of  this  building  that  a  room  was  fitted  up  for  occupancy  in 
the  southeast  corner  before  the  remainder  of  the  building  was  completed. 

Hiram  Price,  school  fund  commissioner  for  Scott  county,  was  the  recipient 
of  a  petition  in  the  spring  of  1855,  signed  by  the  voters  of  North  Davenport  for 
the  creation  of  a  new  school  district.  District  No.  17  resulted.  A  lot  was  do- 
nated by  James  Mcintosh  situated  between  Seventeenth  and  Eighteenth  streets 
and  between  Main  and  Harrison  streets.  On  this  lot  was  built  a  one-story  brick 
building  of  small  dimensions,  but  adequate  for  the  time.  Later  an  upper  story 
was  added  and  later  still,  a  frame  building  was  purchased  by  the  board,  moved 
to  the  lot  and  attached  on  the  north  side  of  the  brick  building,  thus  arranging 
for  a  three  room  school.  Here  the  school  remained  until  a  large  brick  building 
was  erected  in  1865  just  north  of  the  old  school,  on  the  location  of  No.  4.  the 
Madison  school.  Main  and  Locust  streets. 

The  predecessor  of  School  No.  5,  the  Monroe  school,  was  a  little  stone  build- 
ing at  Second  and  Pine  streets,  built  about  1855,  where  the  school  remained  until 
the  erection  of  the  present  sightly  building  in  1868. 

The  earUest  school  in  district  No.  11.  afterwards  No.  6.  now  Jackson  school, 
was  on  the  Doser  farm,  just  west  of  the  present  Rock  Island  crossing  of  Lo- 
cust street.  It  was  a  one-room  frame  building  of  such  dilapidation  that  the 
children  were  compelled  to  crowd  into  the  corners  for  protection  from  the  ele- 
ments. Here  the  school  remained  until  1858.  when  it  was  transferred  to  a  new 
two-room  frame  building  situated  on  a  lot  which  the  board  had  purchased  on 
Union  street,  between  Mitchell  and  Washington  streets.     Later  two  rooms  were 


928  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

added,  and  still  later  two  additional  rooms,  making  it  a  six  room  building.  In 
1893  the  old  frame  building  gave  place  to  a  thoroughly  modern  brick  school- 
house  of  eight  rooms,  erected  on  the  same  lot.  In  1902  more  room  being  im- 
peratively needed,  the  school  board  purchased  another  lot  adjoining  the  property 
on  the  west  and  erected  a  four  room  addition,  making  it  a  twelve  room  building. 

ADDITIONS  NEEDED. 

In  1874  more  children  came  to  No.  i  than  could  be  cared  for  and  an  ad- 
dition was  ordered  to  contain  four  .school  rooms  and  two  recitation  rooms,  mak- 
ing it  a  ten  room  building.  The  stone  school  building  No.  2  also  suffered  en- 
largement in  1870  by  an  addition  on  the  south  side  which  doubled  its  size  and 
made  of  it  a  ten  room  building.  Subdistrict  No.  3  also  grew  in  population  and 
six  rooms  were  added  about  1870  on  the  north  side  of  the  older  building.  Later 
the  filling  of  Sixth  street  made  the  two  lower  rooms  on  the  north  unserviceable. 
The  territory  around  No.  4  grew  steadily  in  population.  In  1877-78  the  first 
addition  was  made  to  the  six  room  building.  A  wing  with  two  rooms,  one  above 
another  was  added,  forming  what  is  still  the  southeast  corner  of  the  house. 
Nine  years  later  the  old  building  having  become  untenantable,  a  similar  wing  of 
two  rooms  was  added  to  the  newer  structure  on  the  southwest  corner.  Only 
the  upper  room  was  used  for  a  schoolroom  for  some  years,  as  the  lower  one  was 
occupied  by  the  heating  plant.  Later  the  boiler  was  lowered,  and  the  room 
made  available  for  school  purposes.  In  the  summer  of  1898  the  building  was 
remodeled  and  emerged  from  the  transformation  an  eleven  room  building  with 
two  recitation  rooms  and  a  teacher's  room.  The  remodeling  brought  about  2. 
greatly  improved  arrangement  of  the  building. 

The  first  school  added  to  the  original  six  above  noted  was  No.  7,  a  one  story 
two  room  frame  building  situated  in  Black  Hawk  at  the  western  end  of  Daven- 
port. The  attendance  was  from  thirty  to  forty  pupils  and  all  the  grades  were 
taught  by  one  teacher.  When  the  scholars  reached  fifth  grade,  they  were 
transferred  to  No.  5.  This  building  was  continued  in  use  until  1897,  when  the 
new  No.  7,  now  the  Van  Buren  school,  was  opened  at  Hancock  and  Lincoln 
avenues  and  the  scholars  were  transferred  to  this  school  and  the  old  building 
fell  into  disuse. 

The  new  No.  7  is  a  handsome  up-to-date  modern  school  building  of  ten 
rooms  and  two  recitation  rooms,  a  teachers'  room  and  principal's  room,  of  which 
the  people  of  western  Davenport  are  vastly  proud. 

THE   LATER  SCHOOLS. 

School  No.  8,  Harrison  school,  was  erected  in  the  fall  of  1871  at  Fourth  and 
Ripley  streets,  an  eight  room  brick  building  with  principal's  room  and  recita- 
tion room.  As  necessity  arose  an  addition  of  two  rooms  was  made  on  the  south 
side,  thus  making  it  a  ten  room  building. 

School  No.  9,  the  Tyler  school,  is  a  handsome  building  located  on  the  east 
side  of  Grand  avenue  between  Locust  and  High  streets,  occupying  a  lot  of 
exceptional  size,  purchased  at  a  cost  of  $3,000.     The  building  was  erected  in 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  931 

1892  to  relieve  schools  Nos.  i,  2,  and  4.  It  was  a  well  arranged  eight  room  build- 
ing and  so  remained  until  1902,  when  it  was  enlarged  by  an  addition  of  four 
rooms  on  the  north  side.  The  exterior  attractiveness  of  the  building  was  not 
lessened  by  the  addition.  The  same  is  true  of  No.  6  and  its  addition  made  in 
the  same  year. 

School  No.  10,  the  Polk  school,  is  a  two  story  brick  building  with  high  stone 
basement,  containing  eight  rooms,  two  recitation  rooms,  teachers'  room  and 
principal's  office,  located  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Eighth  and  Marquette 
streets.  It  was  built  and  occupied  in  the  fall  of  1878.  A  part  of  the  land  pur- 
chased by  the  school  board  was  sold  and  is  now  occupied  by  the  adjoining  row 
of  handsome  residences  on  the  north  and  facing  Marquette  street. 

School  No.  II,  the  Taylor  school,  is  a  modern  ten  room  pressed  brick,  stone 
trimmed  building,  situated  on  the  corner  of  Fifteenth  and  Warren  streets  and 
built  in  1897  to  relieve  schools  3,  4  and  6. 

School  No.  12,  the  Fillmore  school,  is  located  at  Fourth  and  Warren  streets. 
It  is  a  ten  room  brick  building,  admirably  arranged  in  its  interior  with  fine  ex- 
terior appearance.  Its  scholars  came  from  Nos.  3,  5,  8  and  10.  It  was  built  in 
1898  and  1899.  It  occupies  the  site  of  the  old  German  Free  school.  A  portion 
of  the  lot  was  secured  by  condemnation  proceedings. 

School  No.  13,  the  Pierce  school,  is  a  building  of  ten  rooms,  a  handsome 
structure  of  Milwaukee  brick  with  a  red  tile  roof,  well  arranged  for  school  pur- 
poses. It  is  on  Fulton  avenue  and  Christie  street.  The  school  was  opened  in 
October,  1900,  the  pupils  being  taken  from  No.  i,  and  the  equilibrium  being 
there  restored  by  a  delegation  from  No.  9. 

School  No.  14,  the  Buchanan  school,  is  a  twelve  room  brick  building  sit- 
uated on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Oak  streets.  It  is  the  most  capacious  grade 
building  in  the  city  and  cost  $60,000.  There  are  many  advantageous  features  in 
this  building  not  possessed  by  the  others  used  for  grade  schools. 

School  No.  15,  the  Lincoln  school,  ccupies  the  building  situated  on  the 
block  bounded  by  Seventh,  Eighth,  Rock  Island  and  Iowa  streets,  and  occupied 
by  the  High  school.  After  the  building  was  refitted  for  a  grade  school  early  in 
1909,  the  scholars,  teachers  and  principal  transferred  from  No.  2,  the  Adams 
school,  leaving  it  vacant. 

The  newest  school,  the  Johnson,  is  now  in  process  of  construction  in  North- 
western Davenport  near  the  crossing  of  Locust  street  by  the  Rock  Island  road. 
It  will  be  a  twelve-room  building  and  arranged  to  meet  all  modern  requirements. 
It  is  expected  that  it  will  equal  or  exceed  in  its  appointments  any  other  grade 
building  in  the  city. 

About  seventeen  years  ago  Davenport  commenced  erecting  buildings  of  hand- 
some exterior  and  excellent  interior  arrangement.  All  the  newer  buildings  since 
constructed  have  carried  out  the  latest  and  best  ideas  in  school  architecture  in 
construction,  heating  and  sanitation.  They  are  buildings  of  which  any  city  might 
be  proud.  To  bring  the  older  buildings  as  near  as  possible  on  a  par  with  the 
newer  ones  the  school  board  entered  upon  a  campaign  of  remodeling  and  in 
some  instances  almost  rebuilding  the  older  buildings  of  the  city.  In  the  summers 
of  1899  and  1900,  Nos.  i,  2,  3,  4,  5  and  8,  were  turned  over  to  carpenter  and 
plumber,  painter  and  decorator  from  whose  hands  they  issued  transformed  m 


932  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

outer  appearance  and  interior  arrangement  and  finish,  so  that  they  were  almo^ 
as  attractive,  convenient  and  inviting-  as  the  new  buildings. 

THE  SCHOOLS  ARE   GRADED. 

Shortly  after  the  consolidation  in  May,  1858,  of  the  district  and  the  organization 
of  the  new  school  board,  in  July  of  that  year,  Mr.  A.  S.  Kissell  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  city  schools.  At  that  time  he  held  the  office  of  county  su- 
perintendent. He  filled  the  two  positions  for  nearly  one  year  and  a  half,  relin- 
quishing the  county  superintendency  at  the  end  of  that  time,  but  remaining  city 
superintendent.  Previous  to  holding  these  public  positions  he  taught  in  the  old 
Number  3  on  West  Third  street,  going  with  his  school  to  the  new  building  at  Sixth 
and  Warren.  Some  years  since  in  an  article  on  early  Davenport  schools  The  Dem- 
ocrat says :  "The  honor  of  organizing  the  graded  schools  of  Davenport  belongs 
to  A.  S.  Kissell,  then  a  young  teacher  of  good  education,  fine  enthusiasm  and  tire- 
less energy.  No  recipient  of  the  benefits  of  the  Davenport  schools  should  ever 
cease  to  venerate  the  memory  of  Mr.  Kissell.  He  had  his  limitations,  as  all  men 
have,  but  he  was  a  great  worker,  an  inspiring  teacher  whose  whole  life  and  pur- 
pose and  thought  went  out  to  the  upbuilding  of  our  schools  in  our  infancy." 

May  12,  1859,  the  board  on  the  recommendation  of  Superintendent  K'issell 
organized  the  public  schools  of  the  city  upon  the  following  plan : 

First — a  primary  school  in  every  subdivision  of"  the  district. 

Second — two  grammar  schools,  one  to  be  located  in  School  No.  2,  and  the 
other  in  School  No.  3. 

Third — an  intermediate  school  to  be  suitably  located  for  those  pupils  in  the  city 
who  are  qualified  to  enter. 

It  was  further  provided  that  all  these  schools  should  have  such  a  course  of 
study  as  the  board  might  hereafter  arrange. 

In  July  of  1859  Mr.  Kissell  was  made  principal  of  the  intermediate  school, 
taking  on  these  duties  as  well  as  those  of  the  superintendency.  August  13  of  that 
year  a  uniform  course  of  study  for  all  the  schools  below  the  intermediate  school 
was  devised  and  adopted.  This  course  embraced  what  are  known  as  the  common 
branches  and  has  been  the  substantial  basis  of  the  course  of  study  in  use  up  to  the 
present  time.  In  1859  provision  was  made  for  only  two  years  of  the  course  planned 
for  the  intermediate  school,  and  the  curriculum  included  Latin  grammar  and  trans- 
lations, elementary  algebra,  English  grammar,  government  and  constitution  of 
the  United  States,  physical  geography,  physiology,  book-keeping,  penmanship, 
spelling,  drawing  and  rhetoric. 

A  very  complete  set  of  rules  and  regulations  for  the  government  of  the  schools, 
defining  in  detail  the  duties  of  the  school  officers,  the  superintendent,  principals, 
teachers  and  pupils  was  drafted  at  this  time. 

The  wisdom  of  this  early  school  board  and  the  genius  of  Supt.  Kissell  show 
in  the  fact  that  the  general  plan  at  that  time  adopted  has  continued  with  little 
change  to  the  present  day.  Naturally  the  course  of  study  has  been  amplified  as 
conditions  justified  but  in  general  the  original  plan  has  been  maintained. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  933 

AN    EARLY    PAY    ROLL. 

The  personnel  of  the  earliest  teaching  force  of  the  graded  schools  of  Daven- 
port, giving  the  position  each  held  with  the  munificent  salary  received,  has  been 
preserved  in  volume  No.  I  of  the  Iowa  Instructor,  an  educational  journal  pub- 
lished by  the  Iowa  State  Teachers'  association  in  1859,  and  bearing  the  imprint 
of  the  old  Davenport  firm,  Luse,  Lane  &  Co.  This  was  the  year  the  schools 
were  graded  and  the  record  appears  in  an  article  headed  "Schools  of  Davenport." 
The  introduction  and  statistics  follow :  "The  public  schools  of  this  place  had 
never  assumed  a  definite  shape  before  the  inauguration  of  the  new  law.  Since 
then  the  schools  throughout  the  city  have  been  graded,  and  efficient  teachers  em- 
ployed. Numerous  difficulties  have  been  encountered,  but  they  have  all  been 
overcome,  and  the  schools  are  growing  daily  in  popular  favor. 

"The  following  list  of  teachers,  and  salaries  paid  them,  has  been  handed  us 
by  the  superintendent: 

A.  S.  Kissell,  Prin.  Int.  Sch.,  and  City  Supt.,  salary  per  year $1200 

Miss  M.   A.   Scofield,    ist  Assistant    400 

Miss  Anna  Reed,  2d  Assistant    250 

L.  H.  Mitchell,  Prin.  Gram.  Sch.  No.  i  and  Dist.  Sch.  No.  2 700 

Miss  M.  W.  Merrill,  ist  Asst.  Gram.  Sch.  No.  i  and  Dist.  Sch.  No.  2  ...       350 

W.  H.  V.  Raymond,  Prin.  Gram.  Sch.  No.  2  and  Dist.  Sch.  No.  3 700 

Miss  P.  W.  Sudlow,  ist  Asst.  Gram.  Sch.  No.  2  and  Dist.  Sch.  No.  3.  .  .  .       350 

Miss  M.  S.  Tripp,  Prin.  Dist.  Sch.  No.  i   350 

Miss  Julia  Humphrey,  Asst.  Dist.  Sch.  No.  i   250 

Miss  H.  T.  Phillips,  Asst.  Sch.  No.  2   250 

Miss  H.  M.  Lusk,  Asst.  Prin.  Primary  Dept.  Dist.  Sch.  No.  2 350 

Miss  E.  Kelley,  Asst.  School  No.  2   250 

Miss  A.  A.  Howland,  Asst.  School  No.  2  250 

Miss  E.  Carriel,  Asst.   School  No.  3    250 

Mrs.  M.  E.  Culbertson,  Asst.  School  No.  3  250 

Mrs.  W.  H.  V.  Raymond,  Prin.  Prim.  Dept.  School  No.  3  350 

Miss  Sarah  Christie,  Asst.  School  No.  3   250 

Miss  Emma  Metteer,  !Asst.  School  No.  3   250 

Frank  :\IcClellen,   Prin.   Dist.   School   No.   4    500 

Miss  C.  McCarn,  Asst.  Prim.  Dept.  Dist.  School  No.  4 300 

Miss  Jennie  Jenkins,  Asst.  Dist.  School  No.  4   250 

H.  M.  Hoon,  Prin.  Dist.  School  No.  5   .3.'^o 

Miss  E.  L.  Cook,  Asst.  Dist.  School  No.  5   250 

W.  G.  Fearing,  Prin.  Dist.  School  No.  6  300 

"We  may  observe  that  at  the  organization  of  these  schools  the  graded  system 
was  adopted,  and  that  it  had  been  employed  during  the  past  year  with  entire  sat- 
isfaction. No  separate  building  has  yet  been  erected  for  the  Intermediate  school. 
The  room  at  present  occupied  is  attended  with  some  inconveniences,  but  the  at- 
tendance is  good,  and  the  recitations  give  evidence  of  thorough  discipline.  Quite 
a  number  of  pupils  are  in  from  dii!^erent  portions  of  the  county,  and  some  even 
from  the  adjoining  county  of  Muscatine.  The  schools  as  a  whole  will  not  suffer 
in  comparison  with  any  in  the  West." 


934  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE  HIGH  SCHOOL, 

The  intermediate  schcx)!,  the  precursor  of  the  high  school,  established  in 
1859,  was  held  in  alternate  years  at  school  buildings  Nos.  2  and  3,  to  accommo- 
date the  pupils  as  to  distances.  In  1861  the  name  was  changed  to  the  Davenport 
City  High  school.  Such  a  name  had  been  previously  considered  ill-advised, 
owing  to  public  sentiment  against  the  propriety  of  supporting  a  high  school  by  pub- 
lic taxation.  This  sentiment  was  not  peculiarly  local,  for  all  over  the  country 
high  schools  were  struggling  for  recognition.  The  high  school  was  held  in  the 
two  grade  buildings  alternately  until  the  leasing  of  the  Baptist  church  building, 
corner  of  Sixth  and  Main  streets,  in  1863,  which  the  congregation  remodeled  for 
high  school  use  in  accordance  with  the  requirements  of  the  board.  The  next 
year  the  board  purchased  the  property  for  $4,000,  and  made  further  modifica- 
tions to  fit  the  building  for  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  purchased. 

When  the  transfer  of  the  high  school  to  Sixth  and  Main  streets  was  made  in 
1863,  Supt,  A.  S.  Kissell  was  relieved  of  the  principalship  of  the  school  and  W. 
O.  Hiskey  appointed  to  that  position.  In  this  location  the  school  remained  until 
the  completion  of  what  was  then  called  the  "new  high  school,"  a  sightly  structure 
crowning  the  blufif  upon  the  block  bounded  by  Seventh  and  Eighth,  Rock  Island 
and  Iowa  streets,  in  1875.  This  location  was  purchased  by  the  school  board  in 
1867.  The  school  grew  from  year  to  year  until  the  building  was  too  small  to 
accommodate  the  numbers. 

At  the  time  when  the  necessity  for  providing  more  room  for  the  high  school 
was  imperative  the  school  board  learned  that  the  old  Griswold  college  property 
could  be  purchased.  Negotiations  were  entered  into  with  Bishop  Morrison  of 
the  diocese  of  Iowa  and  a  price  agreed  upon, — ^$53,000.  This  was  submitted  to 
the  voters  at  the  regular  school  election  in  March,  1900,  and  also  at  a  special 
election  in  May,  and  carried.  This  site  is  an  ideal  one  for  the  high  school  of 
this  city.  The  ground  covers  a  block  in  the  central  part  of  Davenport;  it  is 
beautifully  situated,  centrally  located  and  readily  accessible. 

Before  the  erection  of  the  new  building  for  the  high  school  the  school  board 
made  extensive  examination  of  the  best  high  school  structures  in  the  Mississippi 
valley.  After  this  examination  the  submission  of  plans  was  asked  from  archi- 
tects and  a  large  number  were  ofiFered,  none  of  whom  seemed  to  be  satisfactory 
to  the  board.  Finally  an  outline  was  devised  embodying  their  ideas  and  submit- 
ted to  architects  who  put  it  into  form.  Of  the  plans  submitted  to  the  board  those 
of  Clausen  &  Burrows,  local  architects,  were  accepted.  They  drew  up  specifica- 
tions and  the  board  advertised  for  bids  for  the  erection  of  the  edifice  according  to 
the  accepted  plans. 

Numerous  bids  were  received  and  the  contract  awarded  to  the  H.  B.  Walter 
Construction  Company  of  Danville.  Illinois,  who  entered  upon  the  work  in  the 
fall  of  1904.  In  the  spring  of  1905  the  corner  stone  was  laid,  which  was  the 
occasion  of  a  great  outpouring  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  and  especially  of  the 
school  children  who  were  present  en  masse  and  took  part  in  the  exercises  by 
singing  several  appropriate  songs.  Speeches  were  made  by  several  prominent 
citizens  and  Bishop  Morrison  of  the  diocese  of  Iowa  took  an  active  part. 


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HIGH   SCHOOL,   ItAVKXl'ORT 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  937 

The  building  was  iinished  ready  for  use  in  January,  1907,  and  represented 
an  outlay,  including  all  furnishings  and  equipment,  of  i;J347,ooo.  The  size  of 
the  building  is  202  by  204  feet,  three  stories  above  a  high  basement.  The  base- 
ment contains  a  manual  training  room,  39  by  120  feet;  gymnasium,  39  by  122 
feet,  with  adjoining  locker  rooms  and  bath  rooms  for  boys  at  the  east  end  of  the 
gymnasium  and  similar  rooms  for  girls  at  the  western  end;  heating  apparatus, 
bicycle  rooms,  fuel  rooms,  and  several  rooms  which  can  be  used  as  need  may 
arise. 

The  first  floor  is  reached  by  two  main  entrances,  one  from  the  east,  and  one 
from  the  west  with  an  additional  entrance  from  the  north  side  for  the  auditorium 
which  is  a  spacious  opera  house  seating  more  than  1300,  occupying  the  center  of 
the  building  with  hght  shafts  intervening  between  the  auditorium  and  the  re- 
mainder of  the  building,  which  afford  light  for  the  auditorium  and  the  main 
corridors,  which  are  floored  with  terrazo  mosaic  and  wainscoted  with  white 
enameled  brick.  There  is  a  study  room,  40  by  120  feet,  also  fourteen  recitation 
rooms,  principal's  office,  rest  rooms  for  the  men  and  women  teachers,  hospital 
room  and  a  society  room. 

The  second  story  contains  a  library  with  separate  reading  rooms  adjoining 
for  boys  and  girls,  a  study  room,  40  feet  by  120  feet,  fifteen  recitation  rooms, 
commercial  room,  typewriting  room  and  the  gallery  of  the  auditorium. 

The  third  floor  contains  the  physical  laboratory,  consisting  of  two  rooms  and 
an  instructor's  room ;  chemical  laboratory  of  two  rooms  and  an  instructor's  room ; 
lecture  room  with  raised  seats;  geological  laboratory;  biological  laboratory,  two 
rooms  and  a  lecture  room ;  free-hand  drawing  room,  25  feet  by  62  feet ;  mechani- 
cal drawing  room,  25  feet  by  52  feet;  the  domestic  science  room,  40  feet  by  52 
feet ;  lunch  room,  24  feet  by  68  feet,  with  separate  adjoining  rest  rooms  for  boys  and 
girls. 

Four  stairways  lead  from  the  first  to  the  third  story,  two  of  each  for  boys  and 
girls.  Along  the  sides  of  the  corridors  on  the  first  two  floors  are  arranged  com- 
modious lockers,  in  number  about  1,200.  The  laboratories  are  most  abundantly 
supplied  with  the  most  modern  apparatus  and  other  means  of  successful  instruc- 
tion. The  building  is  admirably  lighted,  the  windows  being  of  the  best  French 
plate  glass.  The  heating  and  ventilation  are  in  accord  with  the  latest  advance- 
ment in  building  engineering. 

The  exterior  of  the  building  is  beautiful  in  appearance,  the  walls  constructed 
of  Marquette  rain-drop  sandstone  and  pressed  brick  of  harmonious  color,  and 
has  a  roof  of  red  tile.  The  corridors  are  floored  with  the  mineral  composite, 
terrazo  mosaic, — all  other  floors  are  of  hard  maple.  The  interior  finish  through- 
out the  building  is  of  quarter  sawed  oak.  The  walls  and  ceilings  are  all  beauti- 
fully frescoed. 

Take  it  all  in  all.  it  is  the  handsomest,  most  convenient,  most  complete,  best 
arranged  high  school  building  in  the  middle  west.  It  is  planned  to  accommo- 
date 1.600  pupils. 

The  principals  of  the  Davenport  City  High  school  from  its  founding  have 
been  as  follows : 

W.  O.  Hiskev.  1864-1866;  M.  G.  Hamill.  1866-1868;  J.  B.  Yoimg.  1868-1878; 


938  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

H.  P.  Lewis,  1878-1883;  F.  E.  Stratton,  1883-1892;  H.  H.  Roberts,  1892-1898; 
W.  D.  Wells,  1898-1906;  F.  L.  Smart,  1906-1907. 

Geo.  E.  Marshall,  the  present  principal,  began  service  in  1907. 

At  the  founding  of  the  high  school  there  was  but  one  course  of  study  of  four 
years'  length,  and  that  was  very  simple.  At  the  present  time  seven  courses  are 
offered  of  four  years  of  forty  weeks  each,  a  variety  sufficient  to  meet  the  wants 
of  all  students  of  high  school  age. 

The  Latin  course  is  arranged  for  students  who  plan  to  enter  college  or  who 
desire  a  general  course  of  cultural  value.  The  German  course  is  arranged  prac- 
tically for  the  same  purpose  as  the  Latin.  The  science  course  is  recommended 
to  those  who  desire  to  enter  a  technical  school  or  college,  or  for  those  who  wish 
full  work  in  science  and  mathematics.  The  English  course  is  provided  for  stu- 
dents who  do  not  wish  to  study  any  foreign  language.  The  commercial  course  is 
planned  for  students  intending  to  enter  upon  business  pursuits  without  further 
educational  training.  The  manual  training  course  gives  students  a  practical  and 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  care  and  use  of  tools,  mechanical  drawing  and  de- 
signing, and  is  in  the  line  of  preparation  for  admission  to  technical  schools.  The 
domestic  science  course  provides  instruction  in  sewing,  cooking  and  drawing, 
dressmaking  and  designing  and  training  in  all  the  details  of  managing  and  con- 
ducting a  home. 

THE  TRAINING  SCHOOL. 

In  1863  the  school  board  having  experienced  difficulty  in  securing  teachers 
professionally  trained  to  fill  positions  in  the  schools,  and  realizing  the  importance 
of  securing  such  teachers,  decided  to  establish  a  training  school  for  teachers.  The 
services  of  Mrs.  M.  A.  McGonegal  as  principal  and  Miss  Mary  V.  Lee  as  assistant 
were  secured.  This  was  the  first  school  for  training  teachers  established  west  of 
the  Mississippi  river,  and  from  its  founding  to  the  present  time  has  contributed 
strongly  to  successful  instruction  in  the  Davenport  schools.  Its  graduates  have 
done  splendid  service  in  the  schools  of  this  and  other  Iowa  cities  and  in  the  schools 
of  other  states,  always  reflecting  credit  on  the  Davenport  Training  school. 

The  school  was  first  located  in  the  building  of  School  Number  2,  where  it 
remained  until  1869.  At  that  time  from  the  lower  grades  of  School  No.  2  about 
100  children,  with  the  training  school  for  teachers,  were  moved  to  the  first  floor 
of  the  High  school,  corner  Sixth  and  Main  streets.  Here  the  training  school 
remained  until  187 1,  when  new  Number  8  having  been  opened  it  was  transferred  to 
that  building. 

When  the  new  High  school  building  on  Seventh  and  Eighth,  Rock  Island  and 
Iowa,  was  ready  for  occupancy,  the  Training  school  made  its  fourth  move  and 
climbed  the  hill  to  this  new  structure  of  greater  accommodations.  Here  it  stayed 
until  1892,  when  it  was  transferred  to  its  present  location  in  Tyler  school. 

The  requirements  for  admission  to  the  Training  school  are  graduation  from 
the  High  school  or  any  other  scliool  of  equal  rank.  The  course  of  instruction 
includes  a  review  of  the  common  branches,  and  in  this  connection  instruction  in 
the  best  methods  of  teaching  them,  psychology,  history  of  education,  theory  and 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  939 

practice  of  teaching,  with  actual  practice  in  the  school  room  under  critic  teachers. 
Graduation  closes  the  course  of  one  year. 

The  principals  of  the  Training  school  have  been:  Mrs.  M.  A.  McGonegal, 
1863-1870;  Aliss  Kate  S.  French,  1870-1872;  Miss  P.  W.  Sudlow,  1872-1874; 
Miss  Belle  S.  Thompson,  1874- 1892. 

Miss  A.  O.  Osborne,  now  Mrs.  A.  O.  Sheriff,  a  graduate  of  tlie  Oswego 
Normal  school,  left  training  school  work  in  Saratoga,  New  York,  to  take  charge 
of  this  school  in  1892  and  is  still  its  principal. 


Early  in  1865  after  much  discussion  the  school  board  decided  to  introduce 
instruction  in  drawing  into  the  schools.  Henry  Lambach  was  appointed  drawing 
teacher,  but  as  he  was  otherwise  engaged,  Mrs.  W.  A.  Bemis  became  the  first 
drawing  teacher  of  the  public  schools.  She  served  until  1870  and  was  succeeded 
by  Mr.  Lambach,  who  taught  drawing  until  1881.  From  that  date  until  1892 
there  was  no  special  teaching  of  drawing.  In  1892  Miss  Mary  E.  Sisson,  now 
Mrs.  C.  R.  McCandless,  came  from  Peoria  and  served  from  1892  to  1894.  Miss 
Clara  A.  Wilson  succeeded  her  in  1894  and  carried  on  this  department  of  school 
work  until  1908,  going  to  Cleveland  and  from  there  to  Des  Moines,  where  she  is 
at  the  head  of  art  instruction  in  that  city.  The  next  supervisor  was  Miss  Lillian 
Fliege,  who  came  to  Davenport  in  1908  and  is  now  in  charge  of  the  drawing  in 
the  High  school  and  in  the  graded  schools. 


Instruction  began  in  German  in  1867  and  has  continued  to  the  present  time. 
The  first  instructor  was  J.  G.  Tuerk,  a  finely  educated  man,  recently  from  southern 
battle  fields  where  he  fought  for  his  adopted  land.  He  went  from  building  to 
building  giving  instruction  in  German  on  stated  days.  As  time  passed  other 
instructors  were  added  until  finally  there  was  a  teacher  of  that  langauge  in  each 
building.  Later,  as  exigency  demanded,  two  teachers  were  employed  in  a  building. 
The  study  of  German  has  been  optional,  but  the  aim  of  the  board  has  been  to 
furnish  sufficient  force  to  meet  all  requirements.  There  are  few  cities  in  the 
United  States  where  such  ample  opportunities  have  been  provided  for  the  study 
of  German  as  in  this  city.  The  instruction  in  German  was  without  special  super- 
vision until  within  a  few  years,  when  A.  O.  Mueller  was  secured  and  was  later 
succeeded  by  Henry  H.  Jebens,  the  present  incumbent. 


In  1869  the  school  board  decided  to  furnish  special  instruction  in  writing  and 
W.  H.  Pratt,  a  specialist  in  this  line,  was  employed  and  continued  in  service  until 
1 88 1.  Special  instruction  in  writing  was  dropped  and  the  subject  taught  by  the 
room  teacher  until  recently.  Mr.  H.  C.  Walker  of  St.  Louis  was  invited  in  the 
spring  of  1908  to  instruct  the  teachers  in  his  method.    This  instruction  continued 


940  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

through  the  year  1908-1909.  In  the  spring  of  1909  he  was  assisted  by  Miss  Lydia 
Koenemann,  who  gave  some  lessons  in  'the  schools.  In  the  fall  of  1909  Miss 
Edith  Heden  was  made  supervisor  of  writing  and  the  Walker  system  is  being 
developed  in  the  school  rooms. 


The  instruction  in  this  branch  was  introduced  in  1884  and  G.  R.  Housel 
became  the  supervisor,  retiring  in  1888.  George  E.  Whitmore  was  the  next 
teacher  of  singing,  commencing  service  in  1890  and  ending  in  1893.  In  this  year 
George  R.  Housel  returned  and  continued  until  1895,  when  Ernst  Otto  succeeded 
him  and  is  the  present  instructor. 


PHYSICAL   CULTURE. 

No  systematic  drill  in  physical  culture  was  given  the  children  of  the  schools 
until  1886.  At  that  date  the  board  determined  to  employ  a  special  instructor,  and 
William  Renter,  in  charge  of  the  turning  school  of  the  Davenport  Tumgemeinde 
was  secured.  From  that  time  until  the  present  he  has  been  in  charge  of  gymnastics 
in  the  Davenport  schools. 

COOKING. 

The  practical  in  education  found  expression  in  the  Davenport  schools  in  1888 
when  cooking  was  made  an  optional  study  for  High  school  and  Ninth  grade  girls. 
Rooms  were  fitted  up  in  the  building  at  Sixth  and  Main  streets  and  Miss  Mary 
Gillette  engaged  as  teacher,  in  which  capacity  she  continued  until  1893,  when  upon 
her  voluntary  resignation  Miss  Barbara  S.  Morgan  was  chosen  to  take  her  place. 
She  has  continued  in  the  position  with  the  utmost  satisfaction  until  the  present 
time.  From  the  beginning  interest  in  this  line  of  instruction  has  been  general 
and  enthusiastic.  It  was  an  addition  to  the  course  of  study  which  the  public 
heartily  approved. 

MANUAL   TRAINING. 

The  next  year  after  cooking  was  introduced,  or  in  1889,  instruction  in  manual 
training  was  oflfered  to  the  boys.  A  room  was  fitted  up  in  the  second  story  of  the 
building  at  Sixth  and  Main  with  the  necessary  equipment.  The  course  embraced 
woodworking,  both  bench  and  lathe,  and  mechanical  drawing.  This  line  of  work 
elicited  as  much  interest  and  popular  favor  as  did  the  cooking.  From  the  estab- 
lishment of  manual  training  until  the  present  time  eight  different  teachers  have 
been  employed.  At  first  instruction  was  given  to  students  of  the  High  school 
and  those  boys  from  the  graded  school  who  were  fourteen  years  of  age  and  over. 
Later  it  was  limited  to  boys  of  the  Ninth  grade  and  the  High  school.  The  work 
broadened  as  the  years  went  by,  and  now  the  Seventh  and  Eighth  grade  boys  have 
instruction  in  Manual  training  at  centers  in  the  grade  buildings  which  it  was  nec- 
essary to  establish  through  the  inability  to  accommodate  all  the  pupils  in  one 


1 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  943 

room.  The  utilization  of  these  centers  and  the  growth  of  the  work  in  the  High 
school  made  necessary  the  employment  of  two  additional  teachers.  For  some 
years  there  has  been  instruction  in  hand  work  from  the  primary  grades  upward. 
In  both  Manual  Training  and  Cooking  Davenport  was  a  pioneer  for  all  this  region. 

EXAMINATIONS   FOR   PROMOTION. 

Previous  to  1888,  in  keeping  with  the  then  universal  practice,  a  practice  that 
prevails  yet  in  almost  all  the  schools  in  the  country,  pupils  were  promoted  from 
grade  to  grade  in  the  Davenport  schools  upon  the  standing  made  in  frequent 
formal,  written  examinations.  No  more  progressive  step  was  ever  taken  by  the 
schools  of  this  city  than  was  taken  when  the  following  rule  went  into  effect: 
■'Promotion  shall  depend  wholly  upon  the  pupil's  fitness  for  the  work  of  the  next 
grade,  as  shown  by  proficiency  in  his  present  grade,  and  by  his  habitual  diligence 
in  study.  The  teacher's  estimate  of  each  pupil's  fitness  or  unfitness  to  pass  shall, 
when  approved  by  the  Principal  and  the  Superintendent,  determine  as  to  his 
promotion. 

"There  shall  be  no  stated  examinations  for  promotion,  nor  shall  promotions 
be  determined  by  any  sets  or  series  of  examinations  held  during  the  year." 

Commenting  upon  this  topic  in  his  annual  report  in  1889,  Mr.  Young  says : 

"The  announcement  of  this  rule  to  the  pupils  was  instantly  sig-nalized  by 
increased  attention  to  study.  Forthwith  they  understood  that  their  advancement 
was  to  depend  upon  their  studiousness  and  fidelity  to  duty,  rather  than  upon  the 
per  cents  which  they  might  obtain  by  a  written  examination.  The  fear  entertained 
by  the  teachers  that  the  execution  of  the  rule  might  entail  upon  them  the  censure 
of  partiality  and  unjust  judgment,  was  not  realized  to  the  extent  anticipated. 

"The  plan  has  many  advantages.  It  relieves  the  closing  days  of  the  year  of 
much  drudgery.  It  removes  all  occasion  for  undue  anxiety,  and  ner\'Ous  strain 
and  excitement.  It  places  promotion  upon  a  just  basis,  that  of  faithful  work 
during  the  entire  year.  If  carried  out  in  the  right  spirit,  it  will  promote  rational 
and  intelligent  instruction,  and  broad  and  sound  scholarship ;  for  it  furnishes  no 
motive  to  teach  for  mere  examination  ends." 

NATURE   STUDY. 

The  matter  of  nature  study  had  received  a  good  deal  of  attention  in  the 
schools  for  several  years  previous  to  the  employment  of  a  special  teacher.  Instruc- 
tion had  been  not  only  given  in  their  respective  rooms  according  to  a  definite  plan 
by  the  teachers,  but  scholars  had  gone  in  classes  at  regular  inter^^als  to  the  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences  for  instruction  by  the  curator.  The  school  board  came  to  esti- 
mate work  in  this  line  so  highly  that  Curator  J.  H.  Paarmann  was  employed  in 
1905  to  give  lessons  one-half  of  his  time.    In  this  work  he  still  serves  the  schools. 


In  the  fall  of  1908  instruction  in  sewing  was  provided  for  the  girls  of  the 
Seventh  and  Eighth  grades,  the  classes  to  be  held  at  the  same  time  as  those  in 


944  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

manual  training  for  the  boys  of  those  grades.  Miss  Margaret  Gleason  was  given 
charge.  In  the  fall  of  1909  when  the  domestic  science  course  was  inaugurated  in 
the  High  school  and  Miss  Gleason's  responsibilities  increased  she  was  given 
assistance  in  teaching  sewing  in  the  grades. 

THE    SUPERINTENDENTS. 

Those  who  have  guided  the  destinies  of  the  Davenport  city  public  schools  from 
the  beginning  were:  A.  S.  Kissell,  1858-1864;  Dr.  C.  C.  Parry,  1864-1865 ;  W.  O. 
Hiskey,  1865-1867;  W.  A.  Bemis,  1867-1869;  W.  E.  Crosby,  1869-1874;  Miss 
P.  W.  Sudlow,  1874-1878;  J.  B.  Young,  1878-1907.  F.  L.  Smart,  at  present 
superintendent,  assumed  control  of  the  schools  in  1907, 

IN   GENERAL. 

A  marked  feature  of  the  public  schools  from  the  beginning  has  been  the  high 
character  and  substantial  qualities  of  the  men  who  have  been  called  upon  to  serve 
on  the  school  board.  They  have  been  selected  from  our  foremost  citizens  and  they 
have  given  freely  of  their  time  and  energy  to  the  public  service. 

The  people  of  Davenport  have  been  uniformly  liberal  in  the  financial  support 
of  the  schools.  Every  movement  for  the  improvement  of  school  buildings  and 
broadening  of  the  course  of  study  entered  upon  by  school  authorities  has  met 
with  their  approval.  From  the  beginning  the  Davenport  public  schools  have  been 
of  high  rank,  and  have  served  as  an  inspiration  and  stimulus  to  the  surrounding 
region  in  the  line  of  educational  eflFort. 

Among  the  names  of  the  superintendents  of  the  city  schools  appears  that  of 
Miss  P.  W.  Sudlow,  the  first  lady  to  hold  such  a  position  in  the  state.  At  the 
time  of  her  appointment  to  the  principalship  of  No.  3,  the  matter  of  equal  salaries 
for  men  and  women  arose.  Miss  Sudlow  took  the  ground  that  women  doing  equal 
work  with  men  should  receive  an  equal  salary.  The  school  board  for  a  time 
demurred,  but  on  Miss  Sudlow's  insistence  acquiesced,  thus  setting  a  precedent 
which  has  had  its  influence  not  only  in  Davenport,  but  in  the  middle  west. 

The  following  have  served  as  principals  of  the  grammar  schools  of  the  city 
from  1858  to  the  present  time: 

Washington  school — Samuel  Noyes,  Miss  Marion  S.  Tripp,  Miss  Julia  E.  Hum- 
phrey, George  W.  Tallman,  D.  L.  Gorton,  Roderick  Rose,  Rush  Emery,  J.  P. 
Lyman,  L.  A.  Rose,  S.  C.  Higgins,  J.  R.  Bowman,  Miss  P.  W.  Sudlow,  H.  E. 
Downer,  W.  E.  Hocking. 

Adams  School— "Prof."  Griffith,  L.  H.  Mitchell,  Miss  Lizzie  Gregg,  F.  M. 
Witter,  W.  A.  Bemis,  J.  P.  Lyman,  H.  Tourtellotte.  M.  T.  Brown,  G.  W.  Hay- 
wood, H.  P.  Lewis,  J.  R.  Bowman,  J.  N.  Greer,  J.  W.  McBride. 

Jefferson  school— Samuel  H.  Weller,  L.  H.  Mitchell,  Miss  P.  W.  Sudlow, 
Mrs.  M.  B.  Severance,  W.  C.  Preston,  J.  M.  DeArmond,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Melville, 
W.  D.  Wells,  J.  H.  Browning,  F.  J.  Walker. 

Madison  school— Frank  McClellen,  W.  O.  Hiskey,  A.  H.  Brooks,  W.  L.  Ken- 
worthy,  Mrs.  T.  F.  M.  Curry,  J.  J.  Nagel,  R.  P.  Redfield. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  945 

Monroe  school — L.  M.  Mitchell,  H.  M.  lioon,  Miss  Lizzie  Gregg,  Mrs.  Re- 
becca Hackey,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Culbertson,  J.  A.  Ryan,  Simon  Shoecraft,  M.  G.  Hamill, 
H.  Tourtellotte,  Roderick  Rose,  J.  M.  DeArmond.  W.  J.  Bartholf.  C.  E.  Birchard. 

Jackson  school — T.  H.  Codding,  W.  G.  Fearing,  W.  Geerdts,  J.  A.  Ryan,  Miss 
H.  A.  Connell,  J.  M.  Williams,  J.  A.  McClellan,  L.  A.  Rose,  J.  M.  DeArmond, 
H.  T.  Bushnell,  J.  R.  Bowman,  T.  G.  Milsted,  J.  W.  McBride,  E.  J.  Mittelbuscher. 

Van  Buren  school — Miss  Mary  Wagner,  Miss  Mary  Willrodt,  Henry  Lambach, 
Jr.,  Mrs.  Cornelia  James,  Ed  J.  Mittelbuscher,  Miss  Louisa  M.  Tuerk,  Miss  Bertha 
Roddewig,  J.  A.  Hornby,  R.  P.  Redfield,  A.  L  Naumann. 

Harrison  school — Miss  P.  W.  Sudlow,  H.  T.  Bushnell,  J.  A.  Hornby. 

Tyler  school — Miss  Belle  S.  Thompson,  Miss  A.  O.  Osborne,  who  became 
through  marriage  Mrs.  A.  O.  Sheriff. 

Polk  school — Miss  Mary  Middleton,  Miss  M.  A.  Griswold,  R.  P.  Redfield, 
J.  A.  Hornby,  F.  J.  Walker,  J.  L  Lynch. 

Taylor  school— C.  L.  Suksdorf,  F.  J.  Walker. 

Fillmore  school — Joseph  Allen,  A.  A.  Miller. 

Pierce  school — T.  J.  Evans,  T.  J.  Cowen. 

Buchanan  school — Miss  Grace  Creswell. 

Lincoln  school — J.  W.  McBride. 

THE    PARISH    SCHOOLS. 

Back  from  the  street  in  St.  Anthony's  church  yard  near  the  alley  in  the  "church 
square"  given  by  the  ever  generous  Antoine  LeClaire  for  the  first  church  location 
in  Davenport,  stands  the  first  school  building  erected  in  Davenport.  This  monu- 
ment to  the  good  old  Abbe  Pelamourgues  has  a  wealth  of  local  histor}^  clustering 
roundabout.  The  structure  was  built  in  1838  from  brick  manufactured  here.  It 
was  preceded  by  a  few  weeks  only  in  construction  by  the  brick  residence  on  the 
site  of  the  Masonic  temple,  the  first  brick  building  in  the  city.  In  the  early  days 
of  the  community  this  plain  brick  structure  was  religious  temple,  city  hall,  seat 
of  justice,  school  house,  public  forum,  the  gathering  place  for  the  populace 
whether  their  assembling  was  for  church,  school,  court  trial,  public  meeting  or 
literary  exercises.  Its  bell  became  a  municipal  feature,  sounding  the  alarm  of 
fire,  summoning  to  church  or  school  and  calling  together  the  aldermen  of  the  city 
for  their  sessions.  It  still  does  service  in  the  north  vestry  wing  of  the  present 
church  building.    It  is  the  oldest  bell  in  Davenport  if  not  in  the  state  of  Iowa. 

Since  the  founding  of  the  school  by  Pere  Pelamourgues  it  has  been  steadily 
maintained  and  still  does  it  daily  work  in  education.  This  is  a  down-town  parish 
and  the  children  are  fewer  than  in  older  days.  The  teaching  is  done  by  a  com- 
pany of  sisters  under  the  direction  of  Father  Flannery. 

There  are  also  other  parish  schools,  one  with  a  curriculum  covering  primary, 
intermediate  and  high  school  branches  on  the  square  where  is  located  the  cathedral 
of  the  Sacred  Heart.  The  attendance  is  large,  the  children  coming  from  the 
great  cathedral  parish  and  also  from  St.  Paul's  parish  where  there  is  no  school. 
The  sisters  who  conduct  the  school  have  their  home  in  a  comfortable  new  build- 
ing adjacent  to  the  school. 


948  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

now  bounded  by  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  streets,  Brady  and  Harrison  streets.  Here 
was  constructed  a  stone  college  building  at  an  expense  of  $22,000.  The  structure 
was  built  of  native  limestone,  three  stories  and  a  basement,  and  contained  a  large 
room  for  the  preparatory  and  English  departments,  a  laboratory,  a  library  of  1,800 
volumes,  a  cabinet  of  apparatus,  literary  society  and  recitation  rooms,  and  on  the 
third  floor  a  dormitory  of  twelve  rooms.  This  edifice  stood  on  the  site  of  Daven- 
port's present  magnificent  high  school,  and  was  razed  when  that  building  was 
commenced. 

In  1859  the  city  opened  Main  street  through  the  college  grounds  and  in  des- 
pair of  peace  and  quiet  in  the  growing  city  of  Davenport  the  trustees  sold  the 
plant  to  the  Episcopal  diocese  of  Iowa  and  moved  to  Grinnell,  where  Iowa  college 
was  incorporated  with  a  budding  and  promising  Congregational  school  known  as 
Grinnell  university.  A  college  historian  enumerates  the  material  wealth  which 
went  therewith:  "That  which  was  visible  which  was  brought  to  Grinnell  con- 
sisted of  heterogeneous  fragments  of  pioneer  libraries,  a  $9,000  endowment, 
and  the  proceeds  of  the  property  sold  in  Davenport  amounting  to  about  $36,000." 

So  ended  the  life  of  Iowa  college  in  Davenport,  but  local  interest  in  this 
oldest  college  in  the  state  has  never  waned.  At  Grinnell,  Iowa  college,  now  known 
by  a  vote  of  the  trustees  as  Grinnell  college  to  avoid  constant  confusion  with 
other  schools  of  similar  name,  has  prospered.  The  work  done  is  thorough  and 
of  high  grade.  Graduates  of  the  college  have  "made  good"  the  world  around. 
The  atmosphere  of  Grinnell  is  ideal  in  fostering  scholarship  and  the  "Grinnell 
spirit"  is  a  powerful  influence  in  the  intellectual  life  of  Iowa  and  the  west. 

GRISWOLD    COLLEGE. 

The  removal  of  Iowa  college  to  Grinnell,  made  it  possible  for  the  leading 
spirits  in  the  Episcopal  diocese  of  Iowa  to  carry  out  plans  which  had  been  made 
some  years  previous  to  establish  an  educational  institution  under  the  auspices 
of  their  church,  which  should  serve  not  only  this  diocese,  but  the  northwest,-  as 
well.  The  bishop  of  the  diocese  of  Iowa,  Dr.  Henry  W.  Lee  gave  to  the  found- 
ing and  nurture  of  Griswold  college  his  best  thought  and  effort  during  the  best 
years  of  his  life. 

Prominent  clergy,  laity  and  citizens  of  Davenport  met  in  St.  Luke's  church  in 
this  city,  December  7,  1859,  by  invitation  of  Bishop  Lee  to  organize  a  corpora- 
tion "to  hold  and  control  the  recently  purchased  property  situated  in  Davenport 
and  known  as  Iowa  college,  with  reference  to  the  establishment  of  a  literary  and 
theological  institution  under  the  auspices  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church." 
At  this  meeting  the  name  of  Griswold  was  chosen  in  honor  of  Bishop  Lee's  dear- 
est friend.  Right  Reverend  Alexander  Griswold,  D.  D.,  the  second  presiding 
bishop  of  the  Episcopal  church  in  the  United  States. 

At  the  first  meeting  after  the  incorporation,  F.  Emerson  Judd  was  chosen 
principal  of  the  preparatory  department,  and  shortly  after  Prof.  D.  S.  Shel- 
don formerly  a  professor  in  Iowa  college  was  secured  for  the  Griswold  faculty. 
Here  Prof.  Sheldon  spent  many  useful,  self  sacrificing,  arduous  years.  His 
residence  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Twelfth  and  Main  streets  now  holds  the 


ACADEMY  OF  SCIENCE  AND  SCIENCE  IIAI.L 


ST.  AilBROSE  COLLEGE 


i^ijuii' 


i 


FIRST  HOME  OF  IOWA  COLLEGE  TOWA  COLLEGE— LATER  GRTSWOLD 

Xow   residence   of  Oswald   Schmidt.   517   West  COLLEGE 

Seventh   Street  Site   now   occupied   by  Davenport  High  School 


, 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  951 

rooms  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  pubhc  schools,  the  superintendent's  and 
secretary's  offices. 

The  financial  obligation  Bishop  Lee  incurred  in  the  purchase  of  ground  and 
buildings  from  Iowa  college  he  discharged  to  the  penny,  almost  altogether  by 
funds  secured  from  wealthy  eastern  friends.  It  was  in  1861  that  the  convention 
voted  to  open  a  theological  department  and  to  request  the  two  Davenport  rectors 
to  give  instruction  therein.  The  number  of  pupils  this  year  was  sixty-two  and  this 
department  became  self  sustaining.  In  1864  all  debts  had  been  paid  and  the  school 
was  prospering  and  meeting  expenses.  Rev.  Horatio  Powers  was  president  of  the 
collegiate  department,  and  the  board  of  trustees  contained  such  influential  Daven- 
port citizens  as  Ebenezer  Cook,  John  P.  Cook,  John  E.  Henry,  and  Rev.  Alfred 
Louderback. 

The  next  year  107  students  were  in  attendance.  A  beautiful  and  commodious 
chapel  was  erected  on  the  west  block,  costing  $4,000.  Lee  hall  was  also  erected 
and  became  the  home  of  the  bishop  until  his  residence  on  the  Brady  street  side 
of  the  cathedral  close  was  ready  for  occupancy. 

Endowments  were  being  constantly  secured  from  eastern  friends  of  Bishop 
Lee.  David  J.  Ely  gave  $20,000,  and  other  gifts  followed.  The  Crocker  endow- 
ment reached  $22,500,  the  Anthon  fund,  $11,500.  Catharine  Lorillard  Wolfe 
was  munificent  in  her  benefactions  and  in  her  honor  the  stone  building  was  named 
Wolfe  hall. 

In  1867  Rev.  S.  R.  J.  Hoyt  was  chosen  principal  of  the  primary  department  and 
the  trustees  set  aside  a  strip  of  land  100  feet  wide  in  the  east  block  for  the  build- 
ing of  the  edifice  first  known  as  the  bishop's  church,  then  Grace  cathedral  and 
now  Trinity  cathedral. 

In  1868  President  Powers  resigned  and  Prof.  Sheldon  assumed  control  tem- 
porarily, to  be  succeeded  by  Prof.  Edward  Lounsberry.  The  students  numbered 
108.  The  library  boasted  4,000  volumes.  That  year  the  first  class  graduated 
from  the  theological  department  and  were  ordained  deacons  by  Bishop  Lee. 

Four  years  later  a  fund  of  $100,000  had  been  collected  for  the  cathedral  and 
an  additional  $20,000  for  a  residence  for  the  bishop  which  was  erected  on  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  cathedral  close.  In  his  annual  address  for  1873  Bishop 
Lee  said,  "The  new  and  beautiful  diocesan  church  is  now  nearly  completed  and 
will  soon  be  consecrated  to  the  worship  and  service  of  the  Triune  God.  The 
church  was  commenced  six  years  ago,  and  its  erection  has  involved  more  labor 
and  expense  than  was  originally  anticipated,  though  it  has  been  a  slight  burden 
on  the  diocese  itself,  less  than  $10,000  having  been  contributed  in  Iowa  for  this 
object." 

In  1872  financial  difficulties  necessitated  the  temporary  suspension  of  the  col- 
legiate department.  Bishop  Lee  died  September  26,  1874.  and  for  the  next  two 
years  Griswold  college  had  no  episcopal  head.  Then  came  Rev.  William  Stevens 
Perry,  president  of  Hobart  college,  Geneva.  New  York,  consecrated  to  the  epis- 
copate in  September,  1876. 

During  the  existence  of  this  college  begun  in  promise  which  ran  its  course 
and  is  now  but  a  memory  permanent  property  to  the  amount  of  $200,000  was 
secured,  more  than  half  coming  from  the  east ;  the  graduates  from  the  collegiate 
department  were  counted  by  scores,  pupils  numbering  into  the  thousands  took 


952  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

advantag-e  of  the  instruction  in  the  preparatory  department  and  the  graduates 
of  the  theological  department  were  at  one  time  laboring  in  thirteen  American 
dioceses  and  as  missionaries  in  foreign  lands.  The  good  accomplished  by  this  in- 
stitution fully  repaid  the  toil  and  investment.  It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  its 
usefulness  could  not  have  been  continued.  The  scholastic  spirit  and  devotion  to 
educational  ideals  which  characterized  Iowa  college  and  Griswold  colleg-e  have 
descended  as  a  heritage  of  priceless  value  to  the  people's  colleg-e,  the  new  public 
high  school  which  occupies  the  site  of  Wolfe  hall.  For  over  half  a  century  this 
spot  has  been  set  apart  and  consecrated  to  education,  and  has  been  preserved  for 
future  generations,  for  their  culture  and  improvement. 

KEMPER    HALL. 

It  was  about  1884  that  the  trustees  of  Griswold  college  planned  a  school  for 
boys.  It  was  to  be  a  military  school  of  high  grade  and  was  to  be  for  the  boys 
of  the  Episcopal  diocese  a  place  of  instruction  and  training  for  useful  citizenship. 
Plans  were  prepared  by  E.  S.  Hammatt,  architect,  and  a  contract  let  for  a  three 
story  building  of  red  sandstone  and  pressed  brick.  The  comer  stone  was  laid 
in  1885  by  the  Masonic  grand  lodge  of  Iowa. 

When  the  building  was  completed  it  was  opened  by  exercises  of  formal  dedi- 
cation and  reception.  The  school  which  was  successfully  launched  in  September, 
1886,  was  named  Kemper  hall,  in  honor  of  Jackson  Kemper,  the  missionary  bishop 
of  this  jurisdiction.  The  school  attracted  many  students  and  the  neat  cadet  gray 
Kemper  uniforms  were  a  feature  of  younger  Davenport  social  life.  The  school 
continued  with  varying  success  and  occasional  changes  under  the  direction  of 
the  board  of  trustees  until  1893.  At  the  July  meeting  of  the  trustees  of  that  year 
both  Kemper  and  Wolfe  halls  were  leased  to  Messrs.  Hamilton  and  Von  Binzer. 
The  financial  condition  of  the  school  did  not  improve  and  in  June,  1894,  the  build- 
ings were  leased  to  Prof.  H.  K.  Coleman,  who  conducted  the  school  for  a  year. 
In  December,  1895,  Kemper  hall  closed  as  a  diocesan  school.  At  the  transfer 
of  the  Griswold  property  to  the  school  district  of  Davenport  the  Kemper  hall 
property  representing  an  investment  of  not  less  than  $65,000  went  with  the  re- 
mainder and  now  is  used  as  a  private  hotel,  primarily  for  instructors  in  the  schools 
and  incidentally  for  others. 

SCHOOLS  FOR  GIRLS. 

The  American  ambition  to  render  cultured  and  accomplished  the  daughters  of 
the  home  is  nothing  of  recent  birth.  Early  in  the  history  of  this  city  it  made  pos- 
sible the  establishing  for  girls  of  educational  institutions  of  greater  or  less  pre- 
tensions. There  was  the  school  of  the  Misses  O'Hara,  that  of  the  Misses  Lyons, 
and  Mrs.  Lindley's  school ;  the  Davenport  Female  college,  opened  at  Front  and 
Brady  streets  in  1857  by  Z.  M.  Smith,  president,  the  Ladies  college  on  Mt.  Ida 
and  the  Davenport  Female  university.  To  this  latter  school  much  space  is  given 
in  the  eariiest  Davenport  directory,  that  of  1855.  And  no  wonder.  Its  three  de- 
partments already  opened  are  noted,  its  sixteen  professorships — contemplated — 
the  eighteen  varieties  of  diploma  which  were  in  reach  of  the  industrious.     It  was 


HISTORY  OF  Sc:OTT  COUNTY  953 

a  promising-  school,  for  "the  sciences  and  letters,  the  principal  professions  of  the 
sex  and  several  trades  are  embraced  in  the  scheme."  The  scheme  was  all  right, 
but  where  is  that  university  now  ?  In  the  words  of  Hans  Breitmann,  it  has  glim- 
mered away  into  the  ewigkeit. 

The  ladies  colleg-e  situated  on  Alt.  Ida  and  founded  by  T.  H.  Codding  and 
Mrs.  M.  A.  Codding  reached  a  greater  fame.  The  building  was  erected  by  the 
tireless  A.  C.  Fulton,  "wizard  of  East  Davenport,"  in  his  territory  east  of  Bridge 
avenue  from  brick  burned  on  the  spot.  The  handsome  structure,  remodeled,  is 
now  the  residence  of  A.  J.  Preston.  This  institution  gave  the  name  of  College 
avenue  to  the  thoroughfare  immediately  on  the  east. 

In  1857  the  Coddings  relinquished  the  school  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tooke  who  were 
the  "principal  and  adj.  principal."  Miss  Matie  Tooke  was  the  teacher  of  music. 
A  May,  1858,  issue  of  the  Davenport  Weekly  News  contains  a  commencement 
program  of  this  school  which  is  entirely  modern  in  arrangement  and  scope.  At 
this  time  the  school  was  prosperous  with  three  score  of  young  women  from 
Iowa  and  neighboring  states  receiving  the  best  instruction.  In  1859  the  demon 
of  debt  which  had  clouded  the  classic  portals  with  its  shadow  entered  into  its  own. 
and  another  Davenport  school  founded  in  the  rainbow  hues  of  hope  went  down 
in  the  darkness  of  disappointment. 

EARLY   EDUCATION    IN    BUSINESS. 

W.  V.  Barr  was  the  pioneer  in  the  commercial  field  in  Davenport.  He  came 
from  Cincinnati  and  opened  Barr's  Commercial  college  in  1855.  A  year  later 
Joseph  C.  Lopez,  of  Alabama,  a  civil  engineer,  became  a  partner.  January. 
1857,  Mr.  Barr  died  and  the  school  of  twenty  students  passed  under  Mr.  Lopez' 
control.  A  month  after  Mr.  Barr's  death  W.  H.  Pratt  came  to  Davenport  to  open 
a  business  college,  having  experience  in  teaching  writing  and  book-keeping.  He 
found  the  opportunity  ready  to  join  with  Mr.  Lopez  and  did  so,  buying  a  half 
interest  The  school  was  then  incorporated  as  the  Davenport  Commercial  college. 
In  1859  Mr.  Pratt  became  sole  proprietor  and  incorporated  with  his  school  by 
purchase  Davis  &  Tipton's  Commercial  college  which  had  been  founded  a  year 
and  a  half  previously.  By  1864  the  school  had  grown  to  an  attendance  of  seventy- 
five  pupils.  The  teaching  and  business  management  was  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Pratt 
and  his  daughter.  In  1865  Mr.  Pratt  entered  into  an  arrangement  with  Wor- 
thington  &  V/arner  by  which  the  school  became  one  of  a  chain  of  colleges  under 
one  management.  In  the  fall  of  1865  the  fixtures  and  good  will  were  sold  to 
Bryant,  Stratton  &  Merrill,  and  was  conducted  under  the  management  of  Mr. 
Merrill. 

In  1867  the  institution  was  purchased  by  lies  &  Montague.  After  the  death 
of  Mr.  lies,  Mr.  Curtis  then  of  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  college  at  Burlington  joined 
Mr.  Montague.  Soon  after,  this  pioneer  business  college  changed  hands  and 
finally  closed  its  doors. 

ST.    AMBROSE    COLLEGE. 

This  institution  was  founded  in  1882  by  Rt.  Rev.  John  McMullen.  D.  D.,  first 
bishop  of  Davenport,  and  was  incorporated  October  6,  1885,  under  the  laws  of  the 


954  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

state  of  Iowa,  and  is  empowered  to  confer  the  usual  academic  honors.  This  in- 
stitution prepares  for  professional  schools  and  fits  for  business  life.  The  college 
is  located  in  the  northern  part  of  the  city,  on  Locust  street,  between  Scott  street 
and  Western  avenue.  Although  within  the  corporate  limits  the  college  is  so  far 
removed  from  the  noise  and  bustle  of  business  life  that  studies  are  uninterrupted. 

The  first  three  years  of  its  life  St.  Ambrose  was  located  in  a  portion  of  the 
cathedral  school  buildings  at  Twelfth  and  Iowa  streets.  It  has  occupied  its  present 
site  since  1885,  when  the  main  or  central  part  of  the  present  building  was  first 
completed.  The  growth  which  the  college  has  enjoyed  from  the  beginning  has 
necessitated  the  erection  of  three  additions,  the  first  costing  $20,000,  the  second 
$30,000,  the  third,  $60,000.  The  entire  building  is  four  stories  in  height  and  has 
a  frontage  of  300  feet.  It  contains  class  rooms,  laboratories,  an  auditorium,  gym- 
nasium, dormitories,  and  has  a  library  of  5,000  volumes,  and  a  museum  contain- 
ing many  geological  and  botanical  specimens.  In  short,  the  building  is  well  sup- 
plied with  everything  necessary  for  thorough  and  successful  study  and  instruction 
in  the  different  courses  of  study  which  receive  attention. 

The  building  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  beautiful  ten-acre  grove  of  majestic 
oaks.  The  grounds  are  well  laid  out  and  afford  ample  opportunity  for  outdoor 
sports  and  athletics. 

There  are  three  courses  of  study,  the  academic,  the  collegiate  and  the  com- 
mercial. These  attract  students  in  goodly  number  and  from  a  wide  territory. 
Literary  societies,  dramatic  societies,  with  the  college  band  and  orchestra  add 
to  the  enjoyment  of  the  student  body. 

The  presidents  of  St.  Ambrose  college  have  been  as  follows:  Very  Rev.  A. 
J.  Schulte,  V.  F.,  1882  to  1891 ;  Very  Rev.  J.  T.  A.  Flannagan,  V.  G.,  from  1891 
to  1907;  Very  Rev.  William  P.  Shannahan,  from  1907  to  the  present  time. 

IMMACULATE   CONCEPTION   ACADEMY. 

The  first  school  for  the  higher  instruction  of  girls  to  be  opened  in  Davenport 
under  the  auspices  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  was  St.  Philomena's  academy, 
dating  back  to  1845,  ^^d  opened  in  connection  with  Father  Pelamourgues'  school 
at  St.  Anthony's  church,  corner  of  Fourth  and  Main  streets,  by  the  Sisters  of 
Charity  of  the  B.  V.  M.  The  patrons  of  the  school  were  in  humble  circum- 
stances and  through  lack  of  financial  support  the  school  was  discontinued  in 
1847. 

In  1855  five  sisters  returned  to  Father  Pelamourgues,  among  them  Sister 
M.  Agatha,  the  present  superior  at  St.  Anthony's  school.  The  same  year  Judge 
G.  C.  R.  Mitchell  offered  the  Rev.  T.  J.  Donoghoe  ten  acres  of  land  in  North- 
west Davenport  as  a  site  for  a  boarding  academy.  The  gift  was  accepted  the 
following  year  and  it  was  agreed  to  erect  an  academy  upon  the  land  and  to 
call  the  school  the  Immaculate  Conception  academy. 

Circumstances  beyond  his  control  prevented  Father  Donoghoe  from  erect- 
ing the  building  until  two  years  had  passed.  Then  a  two  story  brick  building 
with  a  one  story  chapel  wing  was  built  and  the  sisters  opened  the-  school,  July 
15,  1859,  on  the  present  site  of  Mercy  hospital.  When  the  location  was  utilized 
for  hospital  purposes,   the   academy   building  built  upon  and  added   to   became 


ACADE^rV  OF  THE  ni^IAClLATK  (OXCErTloN 


ST.   KATHAIMXE'S    IlAl.L.    1)A\  KM'(  >i;|- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  957 

the  nucleus  of  the  present  handsome  array  of  buildings  of  Mercy  hospital.  The 
sister  superior  of  the  school,  Sister  Mary  Margaret  with  thirteen  sisters  assist- 
ing, constituted  the  first  faculty,  of  which  three  are  still  living. 

After  two  years  of  hardship  in  this  location  the  institution  was  moved  into 
the  city  that  it  might  be  of  more  ready  access  to  the  day  pupils.  The  former 
residence  of  Mayor  George  B.  Sargent,  now  the  home  of  E.  H.  Ryan,  on  Brady 
street,  near  Eighth,  was  rented  and  the  school  transferred  thereto  in  1861. 
Here  it  remained  until  1866,  when  the  residence  of  R.  B.  Hill,  Main  and  Eighth 
streets  was  purchased  and  the  school  brought  to  this  new  and  handsome  loca- 
tion.    Here  it  has  remained  and  grown  and  prospered  until  the  present  time. 

The  earliest  additional  building  was  a  frame  structure,  which  provided  music 
studios  and  an  auditorium.  In  1884  the  present  main  school  building  was 
erected.  In  1906  a  new  and  handsome  edifice  joining  the  main  building  on  the 
north  replaced  the  old  frame  conservatory  building,  giving  additional  room  for 
instruction  in  science  and  a  modern  gymnasium.  In  1909,  jubilee  year,  the  old 
R.  B,  Hill  residence  went  into  the  hands  of  the  builders  and  will  emerge  from 
the  transformation  a  handsome  addition  to  the  architectural  group  of  structures, 
being  connected  with  the  main  building  on  the  south.  The  present  sister  supe- 
rior is  Sister  Mary  Editha. 

The  buildings  are  elegant  and  commodious  and  were  designed  with  especial 
view  to  the  health,  comfort  and  pleasure  of  the  pupils.  Though  in  the  heart 
of  the  city  the  location  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  academy  is  retired  and 
beautiful. 

The  course  of  study  very  full  and  complete,  is  planned  for  twelve  years,  if 
the  pupils  begin  in  the  primary  department,  and  four  years  if  they  begin  in  the 
academic  department.  There  is  the  full  complement  of  the  practical  and  cul- 
tural studies  and  especial  attention  is  given  to  art  and  music. 

While  there  is  systematic  religious  instruction  in  the  school,  no  undue  in- 
fluence is  exercised  over  the  religious  opinions  of  non-Catholic  pupils. 

The  school  has  a  large  patronage,  not  only  from  the  city,  but  also  from  this 
and  neighboring  states. 

ST.  Katharine's  hall. 

It  was  in  the  summer  of  1883  when  Bishop  William  Stephens  Perry  of  the 
diocese  of  Iowa  met  a  number  of  representative  citizens  at  the  Board  of  Trade 
rooms  on  Second  street  to  lay  before  them  his  plans  for  the  founding  of  a  school 
for  young-  ladies.  Other  meetings  were  held  and  in  1884  the  matter  had  prog- 
ressed to  the  selection  of  a  location,  the  beautiful  home  of  Mrs.  John  L.  Davies. 
Cambria  place,  on  the  eminence  known  in  early  days  as  Plynlimmon  heights,  this 
being  considered  the  ideal  place  for  the  school.  A  committee  of  the  Griswold 
college  trustees,  consisting  of  the  bishop.  J.  J.  Richardson.  D.  B.  Nash  and  N. 
P.  Richardson,  was  appointed  and  the  property  secured.  St.  Kathanne's  hall 
began  to  have  a  distinct  entity. 

The  purchase  of  this  property  anticipated  the  receipt  of  some  $40,000  the 
beque^^  of  :Miss  Sarah  Burr  of  New  York  for  the  foundmg  of  a  .girls 
school  in  the  diocese  of  Iowa.     After  Miss  Burr's  death  the  estate  became  m- 


958  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

volved  in  litigation  and  it  was  not  until  1889  that  the  legacy  became  available 
by  which  time  it  had  grown  to  $50,400. 

From  its  foundation  the  progress  of  the  diocesan  school,  St.  Katharine's  hall, 
has  been  steady  and  sure.  Every  year  has  shown  a  gain  in  some  respect.  The 
school  was  peculiarly  forunate  in  early  years  in  having  at  his  head  a  woman 
of  rare  ability,  of  exceptional  educational  preparation,  personal  influence  and 
business  sagacity.  Given  large  discretion  by  the  trustees  she  was  for  years  not 
only  the  principal  teacher,  but  the  executive  head  and  guarded  the  material  in- 
terests of  this  school  with  the  same  thoroughness  that  she  planned  the  course  of 
study.  September  24,  1884,  St.  Katharine's  hall  was  formally  opened.  June 
19,  1888,  the  first  commencement  exercises  were  held.  March  29,  1888,  the 
new  telescope  was  installed  and  the  Belle  Richardson  observatory  added  to  the 
school  plant.  The  corner  stone  of  the  beautiful  school  chapel  bearing  the  name 
St.  Mary's  was  laid  in  October,  1902  and  the  following  February,  the  chapel 
was  dedicated.  At  the  same  time  the  fine  gymnasium  building  was  completed 
and  added  to  the  group  of  edifices,  which  now  bear  the  name  of  St.  Katharine's. 
In  1907,  October  31,  Mrs.  Helen  G.  Renwick  transferred  to  the  school  her  hand- 
some stone  residence  and  five  acres  adjoining.  By  this  purchase  the  grounds  of  the 
school  were  greatly  enlarged  and  given  ample  frontage  on  Tremont  avenue. 

Miss  Rice  resigned  the  principalship  in  1899  and  became  Mrs.  J.  J.  Richard- 
son. She  was  succeeded  by  Miss  Mar>'  Frances  Buffington,  B.  A.,  Vassar,  who 
resigned  after  three  years  of  faithful  and  successful  work.  In  the  spring  of 
1902,  the  trustees  on  the  advice  of  Bishop  Morrison  transferred  the  manage- 
ment of  the  school  to  the  Sisters  of  St.  Mary,  who  were  successfully  conducting 
four  other  schools  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  They  are  now  in  charge 
and  it  is  the  intention  that  they  shall  so  continue. 

From  the  beginning  the  school  has  aimed  at  a  high  standard  of  scholarship. 
The  course  of  study  is  broad  and  prepares  for  the  institutions  of  high  grade. 
The  graduates  are  accredited  to  such  schools  for  girls  as  Smith,  Wellesley,  Vas- 
sar and  Bryn  Mawr.     Much  attention  is  given  in  the  school  to  art  and  music. 

SCHOOLS  IN  SCOTT  COUNTY. 

The  county  of  Scott  has  always  had  reason  to  be  proud  of  her  schools.  They 
have  been  well  provided  with  suitable  buildings,  with  the  best  teachers  that  good 
salaries  could  attract,  and  have  been  held  for  more  months  in  the  year  than  is 
the  average  in  Iowa.  Scott  county  has  been  among  those  Iowa  counties  that  pay 
the  best  salaries  to  teachers. 

In  Scott  county  there  are  seventy-seven  subdistricts,  thirteen  school  town- 
ships, nineteen  rural  independent  districts  and  ten  city,  town  and  village  inde- 
pendent districts.  The  number  of  rooms  in  the  rural  schools  is  lOi,  the  number  of 
rooms  in  the  graded  schools  229.  The  average  number  of  months  Scott  county 
schools  are  kept  open  is  nine  and  eight-tenths. 

At  the  latest  date  when  information  could  be  secured  the  total  enrollment 
was  11,038.  The  number  of  schoolhouses  in  the  county  is  125,  having  a  value 
of  $1,039,868.  The  value  of  school  apparatus  is  $15,904;  the  number  of  vol- 
umes in  the  libraries  15,408.     In  the  school  year  of  1906-7,  the  money  received 


958  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

volved  in  litigation  and  it  was  not  until  1889  that  the  legacy  became  available 
by  which  time  it  had  grown  to  $50,400. 

From  its  foundation  the  progress  of  the  diocesan  school,  St.  Katharine's  hall, 
has  been  steady  and  sure.  Every  year  has  shown  a  gain  in  some  respect.  The 
school  was  peculiarly  forunate  in  early  years  in  having  at  his  head  a  woman 
of  rare  ability,  of  exceptional  educational  preparation,  personal  influence  and 
business  sagacity.  Given  large  discretion  by  the  trustees  she  was  for  years  not 
only  the  principal  teacher,  but  the  executive  head  and  guarded  the  material  in- 
terests of  this  school  with  the  same  thoroughness  that  she  planned  the  course  of 
study.  September  24,  1884,  St.  Katharine's  hall  was  formally  opened.  June 
19,  1888,  the  first  commencement  exercises  were  held.  March  29,  1888,  the 
new  telescope  was  installed  and  the  Belle  Richardson  observatory  added  to  the 
school  plant.  The  corner  stone  of  the  beautiful  school  chapel  bearing  the  name 
St.  Mary's  was  laid  in  October,  1902  and  the  following  February,  the  chapel 
was  dedicated.  At  the  same  time  the  fine  gymnasium  building  was  completed 
and  added  to  the  group  of  edifices,  which  now  bear  the  name  of  St.  Katharine's. 
In  1907,  October  31,  Mrs.  Helen  G.  Renwick  transferred  to  the  school  her  hand- 
some stone  residence  and  five  acres  adjoining.  By  this  purchase  the  grounds  of  the 
school  were  greatly  enlarged  and  given  ample  frontage  on  Tremont  avenue. 

Miss  Rice  resigned  the  principalship  in  1899  and  became  Mrs.  J.  J.  Richard- 
son. She  was  succeeded  by  Miss  Mary  Frances  Buffington,  B.  A.,  Vassar,  who 
resigned  after  three  years  of  faithful  and  successful  work.  In  the  spring  of 
1902,  the  trustees  on  the  advice  of  Bishop  Morrison  transferred  the  manage- 
ment of  the  school  to  the  Sisters  of  St.  Mary,  who  were  successfully  conducting 
four  other  schools  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  They  are  now  in  charge 
and  it  is  the  intention  that  they  shall  so  continue. 

From  the  beginning  the  school  has  aimed  at  a  high  standard  of  scholarship. 
The  course  of  study  is  broad  and  prepares  for  the  institutions  of  high  grade. 
The  graduates  are  accredited  to  such  schools  for  girls  as  Smith,  Wellesley,  Vas- 
sar and  Bryn  Mawr.     Much  attention  is  given  in  the  school  to  art  and  music. 

SCHOOLS  IN  SCOTT  COUNTY. 

The  county  of  Scott  has  always  had  reason  to  be  proud  of  her  schools.  They 
have  been  well  provided  with  suitable  buildings,  with  the  best  teachers  that  good 
salaries  could  attract,  and  have  been  held  for  more  months  in  the  year  than  is 
the  average  in  Iowa.  Scott  county  has  been  among  those  Iowa  counties  that  pay 
the  best  salaries  to  teachers. 

In  Scott  county  there  are  seventy-seven  subdistricts,  thirteen  school  town- 
ships, nineteen  rural  independent  districts  and  ten  city,  town  and  village  inde- 
pendent districts.  The  number  of  rooms  in  the  rural  schools  is  lOi,  the  number  of 
rooms  in  the  graded  schools  229.  The  average  number  of  months  Scott  county 
schools  are  kept  open  is  nine  and  eight-tenths. 

At  the  latest  date  when  information  could  be  secured  the  total  enrollment 
was  11,038.  The  number  of  schoolhouses  in  the  county  is  125,  having  a  value 
of  $1,039,868.  The  value  of  school  apparatus  is  $15,904;  the  number  of  vol- 
umes in  the  libraries  15,408.     In  the  school  year  of  1906-7,  the  money  received 


J.  B.  YOUNG 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  959 

from  all  sources  for  the  support  of  the  Scott  county  schools  totals  $259,913.08, 
a  goodly  investment  in  good  citizenship  for  the  future. 

J.    B.   YOUNG,    FOR   THIRTY-NINE    CONSECUTIVE    YEARS    CONNECTED    WITH    THE    PUB- 
LIC SCHOOLS  OF  DAVENPORT. 

J.  B.  Young  was  born  in  the  town  of  Duane.  F"ranklin  county,  New  York, 
July  15,  1833.  Both  of  his  parents  were  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  The  town  was 
an  unbroken  wilderness,  situated  in  the  northern  foothills  of  the  Adirondack 
mountains.  It  was  a  bleak  and  inhospitable  land.  His  father  was  among 
the  first  settlers.  Owing  to  the  sparseness  of  population  and  the  remoteness  of 
dwellings  from  each  other,  no  public  schools  were  established  or  maintained  for 
several  years.  The  only  schooling  the  boy  had  until  he  was  in  his  twenty-first 
year  was  a  term  of  four  months  in  a  country  school  in  another  town,  when 
he  was  in  his  seventh  year.  All  the  intervening  years  were  spent  in  hard  work 
on  the  farm.  The  last  four  winters  of  his  stay  at  home  he  spent  in  buying  hay, 
grain  and  other  supplies  and  hauling  them  by  team  to  iron  works  and  lumber 
shanties  in  the  mountains,  forty  to  sixty  miles  distant.  In  this  traffic  he  was  led 
to  realize  the  need  of  more  education  than  he  then  had  in  order  to  do  business 
understandingly.  Consequently,  in  the  fall  of  his  twenty-first  year,  after  havmg 
secured  the  consent  of  his  parents,  he  bade  goodby  to  the  old  home  and  obtained 
a  place  with  a  farmer  twelve  miles  distant  and  near  the  village  of  Malone,  to  do 
chores  for  his  board  and  attend  the  school  in  the  district  the  following  winter. 
At  the  end  of  a  four  months'  term  he  made  agreement  with  another  farmer  near 
by  to  work  for  him  on  his  farm  for  the  ensuing  eight  months,  at  $12.50  a  month, 
the  purpose  in  mind  being  to  do  chores  for  his  board  the  next  winter  and  go  to 
school,  and  then  perhaps  spend  some  time  in  study  at  the  academy,  which  was 
situated  in  the  village  near  by.  When  half  the  time  of  his  farm  engagement  had 
expired  his  employer,  knowing  his  intentions  for  the  next  winter,  proposed  to  him 
that  he  discontinue  work  for  him,  hire  a  room  in  the  village  for  lodging  and  self- 
boarding,  attend  the  fall  term  of  the  academy  and  thus  teach  school  the  next 
winter,  instead  of  spending  it  in  another  term  in  the  district  school,  and  so  save 
time.  Mr.  Young  hesitated  as  to  his  ability  to  teach  on  account  of  so  limited 
knowledge,  but  finally  accepted  and  acted  upon  the  proposition.  At  the  close 
of  the  term  he  secured  the  position  of  teacher  of  a  small  school  in  an  adjoining 
town  for  three  months,  at  a  salary  of  $13  a  month  and  board  round.  He  had  good 
success,  notwithstanding  his  fears  as  to  his  insufficient  education. 

Returning  to  Malone  after  the  close  of  the  school.  Mr.  Young  met  Mr.  Gor- 
ham,  the  principal  of  the  academy,  on  the  street,  and  asked  him,  in  case  he  should 
decide  to  return  to  school,  what  he  would  advise  him  to  study.  Mr.  Gorham  re- 
plied:  "Latin,  algebra  and  natural  philosophy."  Mr.  Young  asked  why  he 
should  be  advised  to  study  Latin,  inasmuch  as  he  was  not  intending  to  go  to  col- 
lege, and  even  if  he  did  so  intend,  he  had  no  money  with  which  to  defray  the  ex- 
penses of  a  college  course.  Mr.  Gorham  said  pretty  forcibly,  "You  are  going  to 
college,  and  you  do  not  need  any  money  therefor.  You  can  work  your  way 
through,  as  I  did,  and  as  many  others  have  done."  This  was  the  turning  point 
in  Mr.  Young's  life.     Up  to  that  time  he  had  intended  to  go  to  school  only  long 


960  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

enough  to  acquire  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  common  branches  and  then  engage  in 
business  of  some  kind,  he  had  not  decided  what.  In  two  years'  time  he  was  fit- 
ted for  admission  to  college.  He  immediately  entered  Aliddlebury  college,  Mid- 
dlebury,  Vermont,  and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  the  full  four  years'  classical 
course  in  i86i.  By  teaching  school  winters  and  working  on  farms  summer  va- 
cations he  earned  money  enough  to  defray  all  expenses  of  his  preparatory  and 
college  courses  up  to  the  last  term  of  his  junior  year.  At  this  point  his  funds 
were  exhausted  and  he  must  either  raise  some  money  or  relinquish  his  college 
course.  He  went  to  Malone,  asked  several  wealthy  men  whom  he  knew  well  for 
the  loan  of  the  little  money  he  needed,  but  nobody  had  any  money  to  loan  a 
young  man  who  had  no  security  to  give,  and  especially  if  he  were  going  to 
squander  it  in  getting  an  education.  Finally  through  the  insistence  of  a  friend 
he  called  on  William  A.  Wheeler,  then  president  of  the  only  bank  in  the  town, 
though  he  hesitated  to  do  so,  for  he  felt  he  was  not  well  enough  known  to  Mr. 
Wheeler  to  ask  any  such  favor  from  him.  Mr.  Wheeler  kindly  listened  to  his 
story,  willingly  loaned  him  the  amount  asked  for  on  his  individual  note,  and  vol- 
untarily offered  further  assistance  in  case  of  need.  Thus  the  way  to  the  com- 
pletion of  his  course  was  now  clear.  This  Mr.  Wheeler  was  afterwards  member 
of  congress  for  several  terms  and  later  vice  president  under  Hayes. 

Immediately  after  graduation  Mr.  Young  was  chosen  principal  of  Lawrence- 
ville  academy,  St.  Lawrence  county.  New  York.  He  occupied  this  position  until 
1864,  when  he  was  invited  to  the  principalship  of  Fort  Covington  academy  and 
the  supervision  of  the  Union  schools  of  that  village.  He  remained  in  that  work 
for  four  years.  In  the  fall  of  1868  he  came  to  Davenport,  Iowa,  having  been 
elected  principal  of  its  high  school.  This  position  he  held  for  ten  years.  In 
1878  he  was  appointed  superintendent  of  the  city  schools.  He  served  in  this  posi- 
tion until  the  summer  of  1907,  when  he  was  obliged  to  resign  on  account  of  old 
age  and  failing  health.  It  was  with  no  little  sadness  that  he  left  the  work  he  had 
been  in  so  long  and  which  he  enjoyed  and  loved  so  well.  It  had  been  his  aim 
during  all  his  time  of  service  to  keep  himself  and  the  schools  abreast  of  the 
times  in  all  the  best  means  and  methods  known  to  the  profession.  Thorough, 
substantial  work  in  all  that  goes  to  develop  power  and  build  up  character  in  the 
pupils  was  a  ruling  purpose.  During  his  superintendency  the  schools  more  than 
tripled  in  number  of  buildings,  number  of  pupils  and  in  teaching  force.  The 
severance  of  his  official  relations  with  the  school  board,  principals  and  teachers 
was  very  pleasant  and  gracious,  marked  by  resolutions  of  esteem  and  respect,  a 
great  gratification  to  him  at  the  end  of  his  educational  labors  in  the  city 


CHAPTER  XXXVL 
THE  SALAD  COURSE. 

IN  THIS  CHAPTER  MAY  BE  FOUND  ALMOST  EVERYTHING  ASIDE  FROM  THE  ITEM  THE 
READER  IS  SEARCHING  FOR THERE  ARE  SOME  THINGS  THAT  WILL  PROVE  OF  IN- 
TEREST TO  SOMEBODY OTHER  THINGS  THAT  EVERYBODY  KNOWS SOME  IN- 
CIDENTS ARE  UNUSUAL  AND  OTHERS  JUST  SO-SO THERE  SEEMED  TO  BE  A  NECES- 
SITY FOR  THIS  SORT  OF  CHAPTER. 

Washington  Irving  saw  Black  Hawk  at  Jefferson  Barracks  in  1832  and 
wrote  of  him:  "He  has  a  fine  head,  a  Roman  style  of  face,  and  a  prepossessing 
countenance." 

THE    PIONEER    BALL. 

Franc  Wilkie  has  written  of  the  pioneer  ball  of  Davenport  which  took  place 
January  8,  1836,  at  Antoine  LeClaire's  "big  house,"  which  had  been  built  on 
the  treaty  site, — "Some  forty  couples  were  present  consisting  of  frontiersmen, 
officers  from  the  Island  and  others.  The  music  was  furnished  by  fiddles,  from 
which  no  contemptible  strains  were  occasionally  drawn  by  Mr.  LeClaire  him- 
self. Prominent  among  the  merry  dancers  were  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell,  A.  Mc- 
Gregor, G.  L.  Davenport.  Joe  Conway  and  last  but  not  least,  and  by  far  the 
lightest  dancer  in  the  room,  the  now  portly  figure  of  A.  LeClaire.  Most  of  the 
frontiersmen  wore  the  coarsest  species  of  'stogy  boots.'  'making.'  as  our  informant 
says,  'a.  most  infernal  clatter.'  The  dresses  of  the  ladies  were  generally  rather 
more  calculated  to  promote  comfort  than  ostentation.  The  party  danced  till 
sunrise,  and  then  broke  up — the  gentlemen  being,  as  a  general  thing,  as  genial 
as  all  the  'punches'  they  could  possibly  contain  could  make  them.  Joe  Conway, 
eccentric  in  his  cups  as  well  as  in  his  actions,  upon  reaching  the  ice  to  cross  the 
river,  found  himself  unable  either  to  stand  still  or  walk — he  very  ingeniously 
therefore  compromised  the  matter  by  striking  a  sinuous  and  uncertain  'dog- 
trot' and  heading  for  all  points  of  the  Island,  miscellaneously.  It  is  mistily  be- 
lieved by  his  companions  that  he  succeeded  in  reaching  it.  although  somewhat 
out  of  his  original  bearings." 


964  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

THE    BOOMER. 

In  the  Sun,  Andrew  Logan,  the  pioneer  printer,  told  of  Scott  county's  fer- 
tility to  induce  immigration.  Here  is  a  sample :  "We  yesterday  saw  a  water- 
melon, raised  about  one  and  a  half  miles  west  of  the  village  which  measured 
four  feet  one  way  and  three  and  a  half  the  other,  and  weighed  forty,  and  a  half 
pounds.  Another  gentleman  has  a  pumpkin  vine  on  which,  he  says,  he  counted 
sixty-eight  good  sized  pumpkins." 

The  bluff  near  Farnam  and  Sixth  streets  was  the  target  for  the  soldiers  at 
Fort  Armstrong  when  they  wished  to  test  the  artillery.  The  iron  mine  so 
planted  has  probably  turned  to  rust  by  this  time. 

TIMOTHY   WEBSTER. 

In  1868  Allan  Pinkerton,  the  well  known  detective,  published  a  pamphlet  in 
New  York  city  in  which  he  gives  great  credit  to  Timothy  Webster  for  discov- 
ering and  making  known  to  the  proper  authorities  the  plot  to  assassinate  Abraham 
Lincoln  when  on  his  way  to  Washington  in  1861.  Many  old  Davenport  citizens 
knew  Timothy  Webster  as  J.  R.  Reed  when  he  was  engaged  as  a  detective  in 
ferreting  out  the  perpetrators  of  the  attempts  to  burn  the  first  railroad  bridge. 
So  well  did  he  recommend  himself  to  his  fellow^  townsmen  that  J.  R.  Reed  was 
elected  alderman  of  the  Fifth  ward  in  i860,  but  for  obvious  reasons  failed  to 
qualify  for  the  office.  Allen  Pinkerton  has  this  to  say  of  his  friend  Timothy 
Webster  in  the  pamphlet  referred  to  above:  "Timothy  Webster,  one  of  my  de- 
tective force,  accompanied  me  upon  this  eventful  occasion.  He  served  faithfully  as 
a  detective  among  the  secessionists  of  Maryland  and  acquired  many  valuable  and 
important  secrets.  He  among  all  the  force  who  went  with  me  deserves  the 
credit  of  saving  the  life  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  even  more  than  I  do.  He  was  a  native 
of  Princeton,  N.  J.,  a  life-long  democrat,  but  he  felt  and  realized  with  Jackson 
that  the  Union  must  and  should  be  preserved.  He  continued  in  my  detective 
service  and  after  I  assumed  charge  of  the  secret  service  of  the  army  of  the 
Potomac  under  Major  General  McClellan  Mr.  Webster  was  most  of  the  time 
within  the  rebel  lines.  True  he  was  called  a  spy,  and  martial  law  says  that  a 
spy  when  convicted  must  die.  Still  spies  are  necessary  in  war,  ever  have  been 
and  ever  will  be.  Timothy  Webster  was  arrested  in  Richmond  and  upon  the 
testimony  of  members  of  a  secesh  family  in  Washington  named  Levi,  for  whom 
I  had  done  some  acts  of  kindness.  He  was  convicted  as  a  spy  and  executed  by 
Jefferson  Davis,  April  30,  1862.  His  name  is  unknown  to  fame,  but  few  were 
truer  or  more  devoted  to  the  Union  cause  than  was  Timothy  Webster." 

In  1856  the  Gazette  notes  that  in  one  week  the  sales  of  one  real  estate  agent 
were  $118,450. 

In  the  Gazette  of  October  18,  1853,  appeared  an  editorial  advocating  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  plant  here  for  the  fabrication  of  locomotives.  At  that  time  the 
suggestion  fell  on  deaf  ears,  but  fifty  years  later  Davenport  had  the  factory. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  965 

THE    SECOND    BUILDING. 

The  second  building  to  be  erected  in  Davenport  was  razed  in  1885.  It  was 
made  of  oak,  sleepers,  rafters,  beams,  joists  and  lath.  It  was  a  forge  shop 
built  for  the  repair  of  arms  when  General  Scott's  soldiers  were  encamped  here, 
treaty  times.  It  stood  near  the  LeClaire  ferry  long  after  Indians  and  soldiers 
had  gone.  When  the  ferry  was  moved  to  Ripley  street  the  old  oaken  house  went 
too  and  was  planted  near  that  triumph  of  architecture,  the  Davenport  hotel,  on 
Ripley  street.  After  it  stayed  there  ten  or  fifteen  years  somebody  put  it  on  roll- 
ers and  numbered  516  West  Second  street  it  did  duty  as  a  dweUing  until  it  was 
destroyed  to  make  room  for  a  better  structure. 

In  an  address,  February  24,  i860,  before  the  Pioneer  Settlers'  association 
Alfred  Sanders  told  of  a  transient  Yankee  who  bluffed  an  early  Davenport 
crowd  by  offering  to  back  himself  for  $ICK)  for  a  foot  race  with  any  one  in  the 
city,  until  Antoine  LeClaire  appeared  and  covered  the  money  and  later  ran  off 
the  stakes,  handily. 

In  the  pubhshed  assessments  for  taxation,  August  8,  1855,  these  names  ap- 
pear: A.  LeClaire,  $335,634;  Cook  &  Sargent  and  Cook,  Sargent  &  Co.,  $228,- 
967;  G.  C.  R.  Mitchell,  $88,840;  G.  L.  Davenport,  $88,320;  J.  M.  D.  Burrows 
and  Burrows  &  Prettyman,  $87,790;  A.  C.  Fulton,  $83,870;  N.  Fejervary,  $69,- 
938;  A.  Churchill,  $47,270.  The  explanation  follows  that  property  was  taxed 
on  about  three-fourths  of  true  valuation,  so  that  the  foregoing  figures  are  a 
fraction  of  the  real  values.  In  commenting  on  the  list  the  newspaper  man  says 
that  Messrs.  Burrows,  Fulton  and  Fejervary  were  heavy  owners  of  land  in  Mus- 
catine county.  He  considered  it  also  interesting  to  note  that  Mr.  Fulton  four 
years  before  had  been  rated  as  worth  nothing,  and  in  1855  easily  $100,000. 

THE    OXFORD    FLATS. 

"The  work  on  the  new  engine  house  on  Brady  street  above  Fifth  street  is 
progressing  finely,  and  it  will  be  a  remarkably  good  institution.  The  cistern 
which  is  underneath  it  is  capable  of  holding  hundreds  of  barrels  of  water.  The 
roof  is  to  be  surmounted  wath  a  cupola  and  bell.  It  will  be  completed  next 
month."     From  the  Democrat,  July  25,  1857. 

Jefferson  Davis  was  a  lieutenant  in  a  cavalry  regiment  at  Fort  Crawford  in 
1828.  He  was  a  lieutenant  of  an  infantry  regiment  in  the  Black  Hawk  war. 
After  the  war  he  was  sent  with  a  detachment  of  soldiers  to  Dubuque  to  re- 
move squatters  who  were  occupying  land  belonging  to  the  Indians.  He  was  also 
sent  against  squatters  at  Flint  Hills  now  Burlington  and  burned  their  cabins, 
under  orders  from  his  superior  officers. 

THE    PENNSYLVANIA    HOUSES. 

The  multiplicity  of  hotels  bearing  the  name  of  the  Keystone  state  has  been 
puzzling  to  late  comers  to  Davenport.  The  first  Pennsylvania  house,  which 
was  opened  in  1850,  was  situated  on  Second  street  west  of  Main  and  was  fairly 
popular  in  early  days,  suffering  several  enlargements.  The  next  Pennsylvania 
house  was  a  much  more  pretentious  affair  and  was  located  on  the  corner  of 


966  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Fourth  and  Iowa  streets  near  the  Burtis  house.  This  Pennsylvania  house  was 
of  stone  and  five  stories  high,  had  a  frontage  of  64  feet  and  a  depth  of 
130  feet,  boasting  120  rooms.  One  of  the  features  of  this  hotel  was  a  well,  150 
feet  in  the  solid  rock  which  cost  $1,000.  The  third  Pennsylvania  house  was  on 
Iowa  and  Third  streets,  northeast  corner,  an  unpretentious  affair  which  was 
razed  to  make  way  for  the  Y  of  the  elevated  road.  Another  early  hotel  on 
Third  street  east  of  Perry  street  had  a  curious  history.  It  was  first  a  convent, 
then  a  dwelling,  then  a  hotel,  the  Worden  house,  afterward  the  Ackley  house, 
and  the  American  house,  and  finally  was  incorporated  with  the  Central  house 
to  make  the  Downs  hotel,  now  the  Saratoga. 

STATE  OFFICERS. 

Among  the  officials  of  the  state  government  who  have  resided  in  Scott  county 
have  been  Ansel  Briggs,  the  first  governor,  Nicholas  J.  Rusch,  Matt  Parrott 
and  Benjamin  F.  Gue  who  have  served  in  the  chair  of  lieutenant  governor.  W. 
C.  Hayward  is  the  present  secretary  of  state,  and  there  never  was  a  better  one. 
John  Herriott  was  treasurer  of  state  and  A.  S.  Kissell  superintendent  of  public 
instruction.  Judge  James  Grant  served  as  speaker  of  the  house  of  representa- 
tives in  1852,  William  S.  Coles  was  the  first  state  binder,  and  later  Mr.  Par- 
rott held  that  office.  J.  H.  Harrison  served  on  the  state  pharmacy  board. 
George  Metzgar  was  custodian  of  public  buildings  and  property.  Drs.  Henry 
Hatthey  and  George  E.  Decker  have  been  members  of  the  state  board  of  health. 
Charles  Francis  is  engineer  to  the  board  of  health.  Dr.  R.  J.  Farquharson  was 
secretary  of  that  body  from  1881  to  1885. 

The  first  temperance  society  was  organized  in  1838  after  a  series  of  addresses 
by  Rev.  Asa  Turner.  Rodolphus  Bennett,  the  first  mayor  of  Davenport,  was 
its  first  president. 

The  Davenport  Lyceum  which  met  in  Pere  Pelamourgues'  church  was  an 
important  factor  in  the  social  life  of  early  days.  The  critical  editor  of  the  Sun 
deplores  the  level  of  its  divinations  and  comments :  "Our  Lyceum  is  becoming 
the  subject  of  ridicule  to  rnany  persons  in  our  village.  No  subject,  they  say, 
can  be  discussed  but  such  as  will  tickle  the  fancy  of  weak  females.  Our  Ly- 
ceum, it  is  true,  converts  what  should  be  a  hall  of  science  into  a  room  to  pane- 
gyrize the  ladies;  and  indeed,  we  have  heard  the  most  fulsome  eulogies  passed 
upon  their  character  in  order  to  acquire  the  approving  smiles  of  those  present. 
If  courtship  is  a  science,  then  indeed  is  our  Lyceum  a  most  excellent  school." 

A.  H.  Davenport  of  LeClaire  used  to  tell  of  calling  upon  Major  Gordon,  one 
of  the  incorporators  of  Davenport,  to  borrow  some  money.  "Help  yourself,* 
said  the  major,  pointing  to  an  inverted  tub  in  the  corner  of  the  room.  Mr.  Daven- 
port lifted  the  tub  and  found  his  friend's  available  wealth,  some  fifty  or  sixtt 
dollars. 

In  1849  a  river  improvement  convention  was  held  in  Davenport  in  which 
four  states  and  one  territory  were   represented.     One   resolution   recommended 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  967 

a  plan  of  improvement  devised  by  Major  Robert  E.  Lee,  and  asked  that  he  be 
given  charge  of  the  work  on  the  rapids. 

From  August  i,  1856,  to  the  close  of  the  year  1857  over  1,300  houses  were 
erected  in  Davenport;  two  miles  of  street  were  macadamized,  four  and  a  half 
miles  of  gas  main  laid,  250  street  lamps  erected  and  twenty  miles  of  sidewalk 
laid. 

An  unpleasant  condition  occurred  in  1858  when  the  city  council  provided  by 
ordinance  that  certain  offices  in  the  fire  department  be  filled  without  direct  vote 
of  the  firemen.  The  latter  rebelled,  refused  to  attend  fires  and  held  meetings 
of  protest.  The  council  was  firm.  Mayor  Sargent  was  almost  mobbed  when 
he  appeared  at  a  fire  but  was  protected  by  the  same  firemen  who  had  been  un- 
friendly.    After  that  matters  quieted  down  and  peace  reigned. 

Scott  county  was  constituted  December  21,  1837,  from  the  counties  of  Du- 
buque and  Cook,  with  a  little  from  Aluscatine  county. 

STRONG   TEACHING. 

"We  understand  that  there  was  a  row  in  the  Sixth  ward  day  before  yester- 
day which  was  occasioned  by  the  teacher  punishing  a  scholar.  The  enraged 
parent  proceeded  to  the  schoolhouse  and  a  hand-to-hand,  fisticuff,  rough  and 
tumble  performance  took  place."     From  the  Democrat,  of  January  22,  1859. 

EARLY    SCHOOL. 

A  man  named  Prescott  built  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Perry  streets  an 
edifice  to  be  used  for  a  school.  It  was  built  to  stand  with  oak  taken  from  the 
near-by  timber.  When  in  1903  J.  L.  Mason  remodeled  the  building  for  a  gar- 
age he  found  the  floors  packed  with  sawdust  to  mellow  the  noise  of  the  school 
below  for  the  inhabitants  above. 

THE   FIRST   COLORED   SCHOOL. 

In  December,  1859,  before  Abraham  Lincoln  had  declared  that  the  colored 
man  was  a  man  and  a  brother  the  school  board  of  Davenport  moved  thereto  by 
the  petitions  of  residents  established  a  separate  school  for  colored  children.  A 
room  w-as  set  apart  at  No.  3,  Sixth  and  Warren  streets,  and  there  the  school 
was  taught.  It  did  not  succeed  and  another  trial  was  made  in  some  rooms  in 
the  basement  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Fourth  and  Perry  streets,  but  this  school, 
also,  was  short-lived. 

THE   FIRST    WHITE    CHILD. 

Uncle  Joe  Mounts,  who  died  in  1882  at  Blue  Grass,  always  claimed  that  his 
daughter  Harriet,  later  Mrs.  Harriet  Fridley.  who  was  born  September  2,  1835, 
should  have  been  accorded  the  honor  of  being  the  first  white  child  born  in  Scott 
county.  Mr.  Mounts  helped  set  out  the  first  orchard  in  Scott  county  on  what 
IS  know'n  as  the  Moorehead  farm  in  Buffalo  township. 


968  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

D.  A.  Burrows,  an  early  miller,  used  to  tell  of  hauling  bran  by  the  ton  out 
on  the  ice  in  the  winter  and  dumping  it  to  go  down  stream  in  the  spring.  There 
was  sale  for  flour,  and  the  better  grades  of  feed,  but  bran  was  a  drug  on  the 
market.  The  boilers  would  not  burn  it;  nobody  wanted  it,  and  so  it  went  to  the 
finish. 

NOT    NECESSARY    TO    MOVE. 

Captain  W.  L.  Clark  has  this  to  say  of  his  residence:  "Since  boyhood  I  have 
lived  in  the  territory  known  as  the  Louisiana  Purchase,  state  of  Illinois,  Michi- 
gan territory,  Wisconsin  territory,  Minnesota  territory.  Black  Hawk  Purchase, 
Iowa  territory,  and  the  state  of  Iowa,  and  all  this  time  only  moved  one  mile.  I 
might  add  that  I  have  a  friend,  'Timber  Woods,'  of  Burlington,  Iowa,  whose 
oldest  son  was  born  in  Michigan  territory,  his  second  son  in  Wisconsin  territory, 
his  third  son  in  Iowa  territory  and  his  fourth  son  in  the  state  of  Iowa,  and  all 
were  born  in  the  same  log  cabin,  standing  all  the  time  on  the  same  spot. 

JUST    HALF    MARRIED. 

Captain  W.  L.  Clark  tells  a  story  of  a  wedding  party  in  early  days  who  crossed 
the  river  from  Buffalo  to  Andalusia  in  Illinois  to  be  married  by  the  late  Daniel 
Edgington,  at  that  time  a  justice  of  the  peace  and  a  bashful  one.  John  Cooper 
and  Jane  Fay  were  the  young  couple  matrimonially  inclined.  The  young  justice 
was  completely  stampeded  by  the  novelty  of  his  first  ceremony  and  after  putting 
a  few  questions  to  the  bride  pronounced  them  husband  and  wife.  Mr.  Cooper 
who  lived  many  years  in  Bufifalo  always  claimed  he  was  only  half  married.  The 
story  is  also  told  of  a  young  pair  of  pioneers  who  in  default  of  any  other  author- 
ity persuaded  Colonel  Davenport  to  make  them  one  through  virtue  of  his  post- 
master's commission. 

LIKED  THE  STARLIGHT. 

The  first  ordinance  regulating  street  lamps  was  adopted  at  the  council  meeting 
of  April  2,  1857.  It  specified  that  the  lamps  were  not  to  be  lighted  on  "clear  nights." 
Starlight  was  plenty  good  in  those  days.  In  1855  Antoine  LeClaire  erected  street 
lights  as  a  public  benefaction  at  an  expense  of  from  $35  to  $40  apiece.  J.  M.  D. 
Burrows,  and  perhaps  others,  did  the  same  later. 

THE   NEW   FAIR  GROUND. 

"The  best  way  to  reach  the  fair  ground  is  to  go  out  Brady  street  to  Locust, 
and  proceed  up  the  latter  about  a  mile  till  the  Bird  farm  is  passed,  when  a  board 
enclosure  and  road  leading  to  it  may  be  seen." 

TRI-CITY    AMENITIES. 

The  firemen  of  Davenport,  Rock  Island  and  Moline  assembled  for  a  trial  of 
the  fire  fighting  machinery  November  14,  1857.  Moline  threw  first  water,  at 
the  Presbyterian  church,  167  feet  high.  Davenport  came  next,  but  a  large  nozzle 
and  a  fateful  wind  kept  them  from  scoring,  while  Rock  Island  won  the  match. 
There  was  a  spread  afterward  at  the  Rock  Island  engine  house  and  R.  M.  Lit- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  969 

tier  presented  a  new  broom  to  be  again  competed  for.     The  Davenport  company 
was  escorted  to  the  ferry  and  the  affair  ended  in  many  hurrahs. 

HALLET    KILBOURNE. 

When  the  railroad  had  been  completed  to  Walcott  from  Davenport  an  ex- 
cursion was  run  by  capitalists  who  owned  property  there  August  22,  1855.  Those 
who  attended  were  sanguine  and  the  sale  was  a  success,  nearly  $12,000  being 
realized.  The  auctioneer  was  a  young  Davenporter  named  Hallet  Kilbourne. 
Years  afterward  he  proved  a  most  contumacious  witness  before  a  congressional 
investigating  committee  and  his  name  went  the  country  over. 

In  185 1  a  Mr.  Russell  purchased  the  245  acres  known  as  the  McClellan  Heights 
tract  for  $2,500.  The  land  is  worth  more  now.  A  year  later  A.  C.  Fulton  bought 
the  200  acres  of  which  he  made  many  additions  for  $10,000. 

PRESIDENT    FILLMORE. 

President  Fillmore  just  out  of  office  was  one  of  the  large  excursion  party 
who  came  from  Chicago  to  celebrate  the  completion  of  the  Chicago  and  Rock 
Island  road.  Davenport  laid  out  a  new  street  that  year  and  called  it  Fillmore 
street.  The  six  steamboats  on  which  the  distinguished  company  of  excursionists 
left  for  St.  Paul  came  to  the  Iowa  shore,  made  a  landing,  and  the  ex-president 
made  an  address.  He  was  accompanied  to  the  boat  Golden  Era  by  Ebenezer  Cook. 
On  the  return  from  up  the  river  there  was  a  reception  at  the  Davenport  hotel  at 
Front  and  Ripley  streets.  Judge  James  Grant  was  mayor  of  the  city  at  that 
time  and  introduced  to  President  Fillmore  Col.  George  Davenport  as  the  man 
after  whom  the  city  was  named. 

VAGRANT    HOGS. 

The  people  of  Davenport  were  sure  in  early  days  that  the  place  could  not  be 
considered  metropolitan  until  the  stray  hogs  could  be  corralled.  In  the  first  direc- 
tory which  bears  date  of  1855  the  public  spirited  publisher  says:  "Something 
should  be  done  to  rid  our  streets  of  the  multitudinous  throngs  of  dogs  and  swine 
which  infest  our  city."  Two  years  later  the  editor  of  the  Democrat  talks  to  the 
point:  "If  the  city  marshal  will  take  up  two  vicious  spotted  hogs  that  are  annoy- 
ing the  citizens  on  Iowa  street  and  LeClaire  street  above  Sixth  he  will  confer 
a  favor." 

THE   BURTIS  OPERA   HOUSE. 

After  Dr.  J.  J.  Burtis  had  created  a  hotel  which  was  the  equal  of  anything 
in  the  west  he  turned  his  attention  to  a  playhouse  and  made  something  as  fine 
for  those  days.  Indeed  it  has  served  the  people  of  the  city  from  that  day  to  this. 
It  was  December  2'],  1867,  that  the  new  theater  was  opened.  There  was  an 
address  by  Hon.  A.  H.  Bennett,  a  reply  by  Dr.  Burtis,  music  by  Strasser's  or- 
chestra and  the  Silver  band,  the  Mendelssohn  society.  Miss  Belle  Hart,  the  Turner 
society,  Miss  Maggie  Rowse,  now  ]\Irs.  G.  M.  Christian  of  Grinnell,  Mrs.  Jo- 
hanna Claussen,  Mrs.  J.  S.  Altman  and  J.  C.  Wallace.  The  house  was  crowdea 
and  all  the  performers  came  in  for  a  share  of  the  honors.    The  Davenporters  who 


970  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

attended  were  sure  that  there  was  no  playhouse  Uke  theirs  and  those  present 
from  Peoria  and  other  neigboring  cities  wished  that  this  temple  of  amusement 
could  be  duplicated  in  their  locations. 

DAVENPORTS   FRENCH    SETTLERS. 

Davenport  was  first  settled  by  people  from  St.  Louis  and  Cincinnati.  For 
some  years  the  settlers  came  in  such  numbers  from  the  latter  city  that  Daven- 
port was  known  as  a  Cincinnati  colony.  Then  came  the  Germans,  and  in  1854- 
56  the  French.  They  received  a  warm  welcome  from  Antoine  LeClaire,  himself 
a  French-Canadian,  and  he  saw  that  they  were  comfortably  located  near  the 
parish  churches  of  Pere  Pelamourgues  and  Pere  Trevis.  Some  of  the  French 
contingent  tarried  at  Nauvoo  on  their  way  to  Davenport,  where  M.  Cabet  had 
established  an  Icarian  colony  three  years  after  Joseph  Smith  and  his  followers 
had  made  their  hegira  to  the  westward.  In  1856  another  French  contingent  came 
direct  from  France  by  way  of  New  Orleans  and  the  Mississippi  river.  By  some 
slight  detour  they  reached  Davenport  by  way  of  the  railroad  and  were  upon  the 
first  train  that  crossed  the  new  bridge  in  April,  1856.  These  families  settled  in 
this  city,  some  remaining,  others  later  dispersing  to  various  Iowa  settlements  of 
promise.  The  French  aided  in  the  city's  prosperity,  showing  adaptation  to  con- 
ditions and  turning  a  hand  readily  to  any  line  of  eflfort  that  promised  reward. 

Fort  Armstrong  was  named  for  President  Madison's  secretary  of  war. 

Bailey  Davenport  used  to  say  that  Black  Hawk's  trip  to  Maiden  to  confer 
with  his  British  patrons  was  an  annual  event,  dating  back  to  the  war  of  1812, 
and  along  down  to  the  Black  Hawk  war.  The  British  purpose  was  to  retain  the 
Indians  as  bloody  allies.  The  annual  British  gifts  were  munificent.  Black  Hawk 
called  his  tribe  the  British  band. 

The  John  A.  Dix  was  the  engine  which  was  brought  across  the  Mississippi 
river  on  the  ice,  the  wheels  being  removed  and  the  engine  placed  on  a  large  sled 
which  was  drawn  by  oxen  over  the  river  up  Main  street  to  Fifth,  where  it  was 
placed  upon  the  track.  It  was  the  seventh  M.  &  M.  engine  to  reach  Davenport, 
not  the  first,  as  is  so  often  said. 

The  first  locomotive  to  haul  a  train  in  Iowa  was  named  the  Antoine  LeClaire. 
When  the  Rock  Island  commenced  numbering  its  engines  the  "Tony"  became  No. 
79.  It  was  landed  from  a  flatboat  at  the  foot  of  Brady  street,  in  July,  1855, 
and  ran  on  a  temporary  track  to  Fifth.  First  in  the  passenger  service  of  the 
road  the  old  machine  was  afterward  put  to  pulling  freight.  In  April,  1882,  this 
good  old  Paterson  locomotive  was  sold  to  the  St.  Louis,  Ft.  Scott  &  Wichita  road 
and  sent  to  Kansas.  When  the  engineer  turned  to  the  southwest  leaving  the  city 
he  turned  on  the  whistle  that  the  pioneer  locomotive  could  bid  farewell  to  the 
scenes  of  twenty-seven  years  before.  Some  of  those  who  saw  the  "Tony"  land 
place  the  location  as  the  end  of  Fourth  street,  where  the  fill  for  the  first  bridge 
can  be  seen. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  971 

Rather  a  neat  little  speech  that  President  Fillmore  made  when  the  six  boat- 
loads of  excursionists  reached  Davenport.  The  Gazette  of  June  lo,  1854,  quotes 
him:  "In  this  excursion  I  have  visited  many  beautiful  scenes  on  the  Mississippi 
river,  which  have  excited  my  admiration  and  surprise,  but  after  having  taken  a 
view  from  one  of  your  beautiful  hills  of  the  river  and  surrounding  scenery,  I 
must  say  that  if  there  is  a  paradise  on  earth,  it  is  here."  Fellow  passengers  on 
the  trip  were  Senator  John  A.  Dix,  Epes  Sargent,  Col.  William  Davenport, 
Bancroft,  the  historian,  and  other  notable  people. 

The  hrst  cars  reached  Iowa  City  over  the  M.  &  M.  at  11  p.  m.,  on  the  night 
of  January  i,  1856,  after  a  tremendous  effort  in  very  cold  weather  and  night  work 
to  save  the  $60,000  subscription  of  stock.  It  was  intensely  cold.  Men  worked 
all  night  of  December  31st. 

The  early  editor  was  a  little  particular.  After  a  Sunday  stroll  he  remarks  in 
his  paper  of  November  13,  1855  '•  "The  locomotive  was  running  on  Sunday.  We 
are  not  advised  of  any  particular  necessity  to  call  it  forth  that  day.  We  hope 
Mr.  C.  may  be  enabled  to  finish  his  contract  without  infringing  on  the  day." 

Byron  S.  Hall,  who  grew  to  manhood  in  Davenport  is  quoted  as  follows  : 
"After  the  M.  &  M.  was  built  and  before  the  bridge  was  built  cars  were  trans- 
ferred on  flatboats  with  tracks.  Tracks  were  laid  to  the  river  at  Fourth  and 
Front,  also  on  the  Rock  Island  side.  The  flats  were  towed  across  the  river  by  a 
steamboat.  This  was  done  for  a  year,  and  was  resumed  at  the  time  the  bridge 
was  burned  by  the  Effie  Afton.  There  was  an  incident  of  a  runaway  car  which 
broke  from  a  train  at  the  top  of  the  grade  out  of  West  Davenport  which  at 
that  time  had  not  been  lowered,  and  the  track  was  the  height  of  the  bridge  on 
West  Locust  street.  This  car  got  away,  and  as  the  people  saw  it  coming  they  got 
out  of  the  way.  and  the  car  ran  clear  into  the  river."  Byron  was  the  right  size 
to  take  the  trip  to  Walcott  when  the  lots  were  auctioned  by  Hallet  Kilbourne.  He 
ate  roasting  ears  out  of  a  field  to  keep  alive  until  the  returning  train  should 
bring  him  within  hailing  distance  of  the  maternal  cupboard. 

What  a  Davenporter  Secretary  W.  B.  Conway  would  have  made  had  death 
spared  him.  The  Sun  tells  us  that  in  1838  this  enthusiastic  citizen  wrote  several 
letters  to  the  secretary  of  war  urging  the  establishment  of  an  armory  and  arsenal 
on  Rock  island.  He  received  assurance  that  the  island  v.ould  be  retained  for 
national  purposes. 

THE    MEANING    OF    IOWA. 

T.  S.  Parvin  quotes  Antoine  LeClaire  as  to  the  meaning  of  the  word  Iowa  in 
an  article  in  the  Annals  of  Iowa.  April,  1864 — "This  is  the  place."  And  the 
meaning  is  derived  as  follows :  A  tribe  of  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  wandering  or 
hunting  were  in  search  of  a  home,  and  when  they  crossed  the  Mississippi,  not 
the  Iowa,  they  reached  a  point  they  admired,  and  finding  all  they  wished   they 


972  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

exclaimed,  "Iowa — this  is  the  place."     No  man  had  better  knowledge  of  Indian 
dialects  than  Antoine  LeClaire,  and  his  translation  is  authoritative. 

THE   FIRST   COUNTIES. 

The  Black  Hawk  Purchase  was  divided  into  two  counties,  a  line  extending 
west  from  the  Mississippi  river  opposite  the  lower  end  of  Rock  island  dividing 
them.  The  north  side  of  this  line  was  called  Julian  township  and  Dubuque 
county,  the  south  side,  Flint  Hills  township  and  Des  Moines  county.  The  then 
small  village,  now  the  city  of  Davenport,  was  in  the  latter  jurisdiction. 

EARLY    TRANSFERS, 

The  first  piece  of  land  sold  in  Scott  county  of  which  there  is  any  record  was 
a  quarter  section  sold  by  Joseph  M.  Robertson,  and  filed  for  record  June  2,  1838. 
Thirteen  days  later  D.  C.  Eldridge  sold  some  fractions  of  lots  and  the  buildings 
at  Front  and  Ripley  streets  to  a  St.  Louis  firm.  The  third  transfer  was  that 
of  a  quarter  section  now  located  in  Blue  Grass  township,  George  B.  Sargent  to 
James  Grant.  The  consideration  was  $100.  That  sum  does  not  buy  an  acre  of 
Blue  Grass  land  these  days. 

The  papers  of  1861  note  that  each  officer  and  private  leaving  Camp  McClel- 
lan  for  the  front  was  presented  wnth  a  neatly  bound  copy  of  the  scriptures  by 
Willard  Barrows,  president  of  the  Scott  County  Bible  society. 

CALHOUN   OUTWITTED. 

When  it  w^as  proposed  to  separate  Iowa  territory  from  the  remainder  of 
Wisconsin  territory  the  plan  was  strongly  opposed  by  that  forceful  southern 
statesman  John  C.  Calhoun,  and  the  friends  of  the  measure  feared  that  his  oppo- 
sition would  defeat  their  plans.  Gen.  George  W.  Jones  is  credited  with  block- 
ing the  Calhoun  opposition  at  the  right  time.  The  General  at  that  time  was  a 
great  ladies'  man  and  in  setting  his  wits  to  work  to  prevent  a  speech  from  Mr. 
Calhoun  when  the  bill  should  come  up  for  passage  he  hit  upon  his  acquaintance 
with  a  young  lady  relative  of  the  South  Carolina  champion  of  states  rights.  To 
this  young  lady,  then  on  a  visit  to  the  national  capital  Gen.  Jones  paid  marked 
and  ardent  attention,  and  in  return  for  his  chivalrous  efforts  in  her  behalf  she 
expressed  the  wish  that  she  might  at  some  time  reciprocate  in  friendly  sort.  That 
was  the  opportunity  the  general  had  been  seeking,  and  he  said :  "You  can,  if  you 
will,  do  me  the  greatest  favor  in  the  world,"  and  went  on  to  explain  the  terri- 
torial bill  and  the  opposition  of  Mr.  Calhoun  thereto.  "Now,"  said  the  general, 
"It  will  come  up  on  such  a  day.  You  be  in  the  gallery,  and  when  I  send  you  my 
card,  call  out  Mr.  Calhoun,  and  on  some  pretext  keep  him  out  an  hour  or  so." 
She  consented,  and  carried  out  the  arrangement,  and  during  that  absence  the  bill 
was  passed,  and  Mr.  Calhoun's  opportunity  to  oppose  was  gone.  At  that  time 
General  Jones  was  representing  the  territory  of  Wisconsin  of  which  he  secured 
the  organization  when  he  was  a  delegate  in  congress  representing  Michigan  ter- 
ritory.   Later  he  served  the  state  of  Ipwa  for  many  years  as  senator. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  973 

THE  PRISONERS. 

During  the  time  when  thousands  of  captured  confederate  soldiers  were  con- 
fined on  Rock  island  rumors  of  an  uprising  and  raid  were  not  infrequent.  At  one 
time  the  military  authorities  on  the  island  apprised  Gen.  N.  B.  Baker  of  a  plot 
which  comprised  the  seizing  of  the  railroad  bridge  and  ferry,  and  a  descent  upon 
Davenport  to  seize  the  military  stores  there  and  weapons  in  magazine.  Gen. 
Baker  ordered  out  the  militia,  and  the  companies  of  Capts.  Mueller,  Peters, 
Frazier  and  Eldridge  responded,  and  Company  A  of  the  Fourteenth  regiment 
was  sent  down  town  from  Camp  McClellan.  The  draw  was  opened  and  the 
bridge  guarded.  Detachments  were  stationed  at  the  National  bank,  the  State 
bank,  the  United  States  express  office,  and  the  remainder  of  the  troops  kept 
under  orders.    Excitement  was  intense  and  many  did  not  sleep  all  night. 

CROSSING   THE  RIVERS. 

Before  1842  there  were  no  less  than  twelve  ferries  chartered  in  Scott  county, 
the  most  important  one  as  shown  by  its  longevity  and  volume  of  business  being 
the  Wilson  ferry  between  Davenport  and  Rock  Island.  In  a  chapter  of  ferry 
history  written  by  the  late  D.  N.  Richardson  are  these  paragraphs :  Among  the 
improvements  instituted  by  Mr.  Wilson  was  the  ferry  alarm.  In  very  primitive 
times  in  order  to  arouse  the  night  ferryman  on  the  opposite  shore,  benighted 
Stephensonites  who  had  been  over  here  to  attend  evening  service  and  overstayed 
their  time,  or  zealous  Davenporters  who  after  dark  had  occasion  to  visit  Stephen- 
son in  the  missionary  cause  had  raised  the  war  whoop.  In  order  to  discourage 
this  relic  of  barbarism  Mr.  Wilson  introduced  the  ferry  triangle,  an  ungainly 
piece  of  triangular  steel  which  when  vigorously  pounded  with  a  club,  sent  forth 
from  its  gallows  tree  a  most  wretched  clanging  noise.  But  it  brought  the  skiff, 
though  it  waked  the  whole  town.  That  triangle  was  immortalized  by  Daven- 
port's local  bard — the  same  who  is  now  grilling  beneath  a  torrid  sun  in  a  far  off 
consulate.  In  an  inspired  moment  he  ground  out  an  epic  or  a  lyric  or  some- 
thing, in  seven  stanzas  and  from  seven  to  seventeen  poetic  feet,  from  which  we 
select  as  follows.  We  would  produce  it  all,  if  we  were  quite  certain  that  our 
readers  were  all  prepared  to  die.    Thus  sang  the  bard : 

Melodious  and  sweet  instrument  of  sound, 
Your  tinkling  notes  are  heard  all  over  town. 
There's  various  ways  to  give  you  the  alarm. 
Some  gently;  some  by  the  full  strength  of  the  arm. 

Once  late  at  night  I  thought  it  was  your  last. 
You  were  cut  loose  and  thrown  amongst  the  grass. 
Ah,  the  ways  of  the  wicked  are  hard ;  you  were  found. 
And  straight  to  the  gallows  again  you  were  bound. 

Great  men  live  for  honor,  preferment  and  fame. 
With  Davenport  you're  sure  to  have  a  name. 
Whether  in  or  out,  'tis  said  labor's  no  sin. 
And  you  will  find  a  trusty  friend  in  Jim. 


974  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

The  old  Davenport  mansion  on  the  island  was  overhauled  and  repaired  in 
1863  to  accommodate  the  officers  connected  with  the  military  prison.  It  fur- 
nished commodious  office  accommodations. 

FACETIOUS    SOLDIERS. 

It  required  a  fine  brand  of  Davenport  patriotic  patience  to  excuse  the  pranks 
of  the  citizens  who  were  being  turned  into  soldiers  at  the  various  Davenport 
camps  during  the  war  of  the  rebellion.  Considering  the  number  of  men  who 
went  to  the  front  from  these  camps  the  mischief  was  slight,  but  at  times  it  was 
annoying.  When  the  soldiers  on  leave  had  taken  on  what  is  lately  known  as  a 
goodly  package  their  homeward  route  to  the  camp  was  likely  to  be  illuminated 
by  fireworks  more  or  less  vivid.  The  street  lights  suffered  from  good  mark- 
manship  later  to  be  utilized  in  the  service  of  the  country.  Much  noise  was  in 
order  and  an  occasional  shot  through  some  slumbering  residence  was  proof  of 
complete  absendmindedness  on  the  part  of  some  bibulous  warrior.  The  people 
on  upper  Harrison  street  were  especially  grateful  when  the  troopers  of  the  cav- 
alry at  Camp  Hendershott  were  moved  to  the  suburban  location  now  occupied  by 
the  Iowa  Soldiers'  Orphans'  home.  Good  and  brave  men  they  were — let  nothing 
be  said  against  their  service  to  their  country,  but  their  Davenport  days  of  ap- 
prenticeship made  life  in  a  college  town  seem  like  a  sound  nap. 

IMPULSIVE   JUVENILE. 

"Among  the  brave  soldiers  at  Camp  McClellan  awaiting  transportation  to 
their  regiments  is  a  youth  of  only  eighty-two  years  of  age,  a  private  in  the  Grey 
Beards.  He  is  very  anxious  to  join  his  regiment,  which,  he  understands,  has 
left  St.  Louis  for  the  seat  of  war.  So  restless  is  this  juvenile  that  it  is  with  some 
difficulty  that  he  can  be  kept  in  camp.  He  says  that  'if  the  cars  ain't  ready,  he 
will  walk  down.'  "     The  Democrat.  January   12,   1863. 

A  tinners'  strike. 
Walter  Hender  used  to  have  a  story  of  how  he  lost  his  roofing  force  when 
the  Eighth  regiment  marched  down  the  street  on  the  way  to  the  front  to  the  se- 
ductive rhythm  of  their  martial  band.  "At  the  time  of  their  departure,"  said 
Mr.  Hender,  "we  were  puting  a  new  tin  roof  on  the  Hiram  Price  house,  situated 
on  the  southeast  corner  of  Seventh  and  Brady  streets,  now  the  Berryhill  property. 
As  the  regiment  came  marching  down  Brady  street  headed  by  their  band,  the 
men  on  the  roof  were,  filled  with  enthusiasm  and  the  spirit  of  the  hour.  Drop- 
ping their  tools  they  left  the  roof  unfinished,  hurried  down  the  street,  and  joined 
the  marching  men.  and  marched  with  them  down  to  the  boat  landing  where  they 
boarded  the  boat  which  carried  them  to  Keokuk,  at  which  place  they  enlisted. 
My  brother  Matthew  who  was  in  charge  of  the  workmen  on  the  roof  went 
with  them." 

J.  S.  Drake,  a  newspaper  man  and  therefore  supposed  to  be  on  the  inside, 
says  that  the  first  $25  which  was  contributed  to  found  the  first  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  975 

Davenport  was  a  pot  made  up  by  five  young  men  who  were  far  from  being  in 
sympathy  with  the  purposes  and  objects  of  that  association. 

TO   AID  THE   POOR. 

Back  in  the  times  when  Davenport  was  young,  men  had  an  idea  that  the 
work  of  reHef  should  be  administered  by  them.  Later  the  idea  got  about  that 
it  was  better  to  let  the  women  do  the  work.  The  first  meeting  of  the  Davenport 
Relief  association  was  held  in  November,  1857.  at  the  office  of  Justice  Eagal. 
Austin  Corbin  was  president  and  donated  his  salary  as  alderman  to  the  fund. 
John  Johns  was  secretary  and  T.  D.  Eagal  secretary.  At  this  meeting  it  was 
reported  that  $700  had  been  expended  during  the  year  closing.  Ward  commit- 
tees were  named — First  ward.  Edward  Jennings,  John  O'Brien,  John  Schutt ; 
Second  ward,  A.  Dohrmann,  George  Scheible.  Adolphus  Smallfield ;  Third  ward, 
Harvey  Leonard,  H.  W.  Mitchell,  F.  X.  Fitzpatrick;  Fourth  ward,  R.  M.  Lit- 
tler, Dr.  John  M.  Adler;  Fifth  ward,  Peter  Kerker,  John  LiUis.  Louis  Hebert ; 
Sixth  ward.  L  H.  Sears,  John  Guy,  W.  H.  Hildreth. 

FOUND  BLANKETS. 

In  1861  the  soldiers  quartered  in  the  city  needed  bedding.  Of  course  it  was 
somebody's  business  to  see  that  the  men  slept  warm,  but  there  was  a  hitch  some- 
where. A  committee  appointed  procured  donations  of  over  300  blankets  and 
comforters.  One  old  lady  told  them  she  had  but  two  comforts  in  the  house, 
but  warm  weather  was  coming  on  and  before  next  winter  she  could  probably  get 
some  more.    Let  it  be  hoped  that  her  trust  in  Providence  was  not  misplaced. 

October  13.  1855,  the  Young  Men's  Literary  association  announced  a  course 
of  lectures  through  its  secretary,  J.  W.  Guiteau.  The  lecturers  were  R.  W. 
Emerson,  Parke  Godwin.  J.  G.  Saxe  and  others. 

At  a  meeting  held  at  the  home  of  Willard  Barrows  February  i.  1859,  an  or- 
ganization known  as  the  Young  Settlers'  association  was  formed.  Edward  E. 
Cook  was  its  first  president  and  David  L.  LeClaire  its  secretary.  Among  those 
participating  were  Byron  Hall.  B.  H.  Barrows,  F.  H.  LeClaire.  Edward  Finley 
and  George  C.  Sanders. 

GREAT  ARGUMENT. 

The  Davenport  Literary  society  met  October  14.  1848,  at  the  school  room  of 
W.  P.  Campbell  and  elected  officers — Alfred  Sanders,  president;  William  Guy. 
vice  president;  \.  M.  Firor.  secretary;  Wm.  S.  Collins,  curator.  The  debate  was 
on  the  question:  'Tn  organizing  the  territories  ought  the  Wilmot  proviso  to  be 
incorporated?"  D.  P.  McKown  and  W.  P.  Campbell  upheld  the  affirmative  and 
J.  F.  Dillon  and  \'.  M.  Firor  the  negative.  At  the  meetings  of  the  Davenport 
Lyceum  which  met  in  Pere  Pelamourgues  church  in  1840  a  range  of  topics  came 
up  for  consideration.  November  i6th  it  was  "Is  love  or  revenge  the  stronger 
passion?"  December  7th  they  wrestled  with  the  query.  "Has  civilization  tended 
to  increase  the  general  happiness  of  mankind"" 


976  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

Judge  John  F.  Dillon  is  quoted :  "In  the  campaign  of  1840,  Tippecanoe  and 
Tyler,  too,'  General  Harrison  was  elected  president  on  the  alluring  cry  of  'two 
dollars  and  roast  beef.'  Davenport  thrilled  with  the  excitement  of  the  hard 
cider  campaign,  built  a  log  cabin  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Harrison  and  Third 
streets,  which  was  afterward  used  as  a  schoolhouse  and  where  I  attended  school." 

In  the  Gazette  of  July  31,  1845,  there  appeared  a  notice  inviting  all  Odd  Fel- 
lows living  in  Davenport,  Rock  Island  or  vicinity  to  meet  at  Mr.  Brooks'  store 
in  Rock  Island  to  consider  the  propriety  of  establishing  a  lodge. 

STRONG  FOR  TEMPERANCE. 

Davenport  was  early  a  stronghold  of  temperance.  The  Scott  County  Tem- 
perance society  was  organized  February  15,  1842.  The  first  prohibitory  liquor 
law  in  Iowa,  passed  by  a  democratic  legislature,  by  the  way,  was  conceived  and 
put  in  legal  form  here  in  Davenport  by  Hiram  Price,  David  S.  True  and  John 
L.  Davies.  The  Gazette  of  September  7,  1855,  tells  of  the  seizure  of  wine  and 
beer  in  the  shop  of  A.  Oflfergeld  and  in  the  evening  a  demonstration  which  was 
dispersed  by  Marshal  Parmele.  Strange  weapons  ranging  from  pitchforks  to 
ancient  muskets  made  their  appearance  on  this  occasion.  Later  in  making  the 
arrest  of  the  leader  of  this  company  Sheriff  Leonard  received  a  severe  blow 
on  the  head  from  a  club. 

FULFILLMENT   LONG   DELAYED. 

In  view  of  the  recent  incorporation  of  the  Davenport  Water  Power  Company 
and  the  efforts  to  finance  this  new  project  which  seem  to  have  been  crowned  with 
success  this  newspaper  article  is  timely.  It  appeared  in  the  Davenport  Gazette 
issue  of  March  27,  1845 : 

"There  is  one  advantage  possessed  by  Davenport  that  must  ultimately  rank 
it  among  the  most  prosperous  business  places  of  the  West.,  This  is  found  in 
the  almost  illimitable  water  power  furnished  by  the  upper  rapids  which  terminate 
at  this  place.  It  is  remarkable  that  while  so  many  water  privileges  of  less  avail- 
ability situated  in  districts  of  country  abounding  in  manufactures  of  every  de- 
scription are  invested  with  so  much  importance  and  are  the  fruitful  sources  of 
expensive  outlays,  that  a  privilege  of  this  character  should  be  allowed  to  remain 
inactive  and  that  too  in  a  country  the  best  adapted  in  the  world  for  the  rearing 
of  sheep  and  the  producing  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  bushels  of  wheat  with 
an  ill  supply  of  grist  mills.  *  *  *  ^Yhe  upper  rapids  are  about  18  miles  in 
length  with  a  fall  of  more  than  23  feet.  Four  miles  below  the  head  of  the  rap- 
ids is  situated  Vanosdel's  island,  which  rises  above  high-water  mark,  and  has  a 
foundation  of  solid  rock.  Between  this  island  and  the  Iowa  shore  runs  a  branch 
of  the  Mississippi  river  about  100  yards  in  width.  It  is  proposed  to  throw  a 
dam  across  this  branch  near  the  foot  of  the  island  which  will  obtain  a  head  of 
two  feet  of  water  at  low  tide,  cut  a  canal  race  from  this  point  to  within  a  mile 
of  Davenport  where  it  can  debouch  into  a  large  reservoir  formed  by  nature  to 
receive  it  where  but  a  short  dam  will  be  required  to  retain  it  for  hydraulic  pur- 
poses. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  977 

"This,  it  is  thought,  will  obtain  a  fall  of  15  feet  in  descent  of  the  race,  or 
17  feet,  altogether.  The  land  on  which  it  is  proposed  to  cut  the  race  is  very 
favorable,  and  will  require  but  little  deep  cutting.  Several  small  streams  will 
have  to  be  crossed  and  a  few  light  veins  of  limestone  cut  through.  From  the 
contemplated  reservoir  to  the  town  of  Davenport  the  land  rises  from  15  feet 
to  20  feet  above  low  water  mark  over  a  bed  of  limestone  rock,  adapted  and 
now  used  for  all  the  purposes  of  building.  Along  this  bank,  secure  from  high 
water  a  line  of  factories  might  be  erected  fed  by  a  never-failing  supply  of  water. 
Eligible  mill-seats  with  a  sufficiency  of  water  are  very  scarce  in  this  part  of  the 
country." 

Colonel  T.  N.  Hooper  has  the  honor  of  building  the  first  street  car  that  nego- 
tiated the  Brady  street  hill.  It  was  in  1870  and  Mr.  Hooper  was  not  at  that 
time  the  superintendent  of  the  Davenport  Water  Company,  but  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  Hooper  &  Smith  in  Rock  Island. 

PIONEER   PRESIDENTS. 

In  the  Barrows  history  is  recounted  the  organization  of  the  Pioneer  Settlers' 
association  and  mention  is  made  of  the  hickory  cane  which  was  presented  to  the 
society  by  the  sons  of  Ira  Cook  a  pioneer  of  1835,  W.  L.  Cook,  Ebenezer  Cook, 
John  P.  Cook  and  Ira  Cook.  This  cane  has  been  the  badge  of  the  presidency 
for  over  fifty  years  and  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  president  for  1910,  O.  P. 
Nichols.  The  cane  has  a  gold  head  with  a  suitable  inscription  and  a  gold  band 
two  inches  in  width  encircled  the  wood  at  the  presentation  which  was  to  receive 
the  names  of  the  presidents.  This  band  has  been  filled  with  inscriptions,  also  a 
second,  and  now  a  third  has  been  added.  These  are  the  names  of  the  presidents 
inscribed:  Antoine  LeClaire,  first  president;  Antoine  LeClaire,  second  president; 
Ebenezer  Cook,  third  president,  i860;  D.  C.  Eldridge,  fourth  president,  1861 ; 
Willard  Barrows,  fifth  president,  1862;  John  Owens,  J.  M.  Bowling,  Harvey 
Leonard,  James  McCosh,  Israel  Hall,  James  Grant,  J.  Parker,  Charles  Metteer, 
Dr.  E.  S.  Barrows,  William  L.  Cook,  Dr.  James  Hall,  C.  G.  Blood,  Philip  Suiter, 
W.  S.  Collins,  Wm.  VanTuyl,  Horace  Bradley,  J.  E.  Burnside,  Enoch  Mead, 
Johnson  Maw,  Daniel  Moore,  John  Evans,  Jared  D.  Hitchcock,  Alfred  C.  Billon, 
Backus  Birchard,  twenty-ninth  president,  1886,  James  Thorington,  Gen.  Add  H. 
Sanders,  D.  C.  McKown,  John  Lambert,  Captain  W.  L.  Clark,  Wm.  M.  Suiter, 
John  Littig,  Jacob  M.  Eldridge,  John  M.  Lyter,  George  J.  Hyde,  Andrew  Jack, 
A.  C.  Fulton,  Henry  Parmele,  L.  W,  Clemons,  Jesse  L.  Armil,  James  Dyer, 
Henry  Karwath,  James  H.  Davenport,  J.  H.  Wilson,  W.  H.  Gabbert,  John  F. 
Kelly,  J.  W.  Olds,  fifty-first  president,  Hugh  Briceland,  O.  P.  Nichols,  fifty-third 
president,  1910. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
CHRONOLOGY. 

THIS  IS   SOMETHING  OF  A   RECORD  OF  THE  YEARS   IN    SCOTT   COUNTY    FROM    1832   TO 

I9IO OTHER  THINGS    HAVE   HAPPENED   BUT   THESE  APPEAR   NOTABLE,   AS   THE 

LIST  IS  SCANNED  FOR  ITEMS  THAT  LOOK  WORTHY  OF  TYPE — IT  IS  A  COLLECTION 
OF  SHORT  STORIES  SOMEWHAT  LACKING  IN  DESCRIPTION  BUT  GOOD  WHAT  THERE 
IS  OF  THEM. 

The  following  chapter  is  devoted  to  the  more  important  things  that  have  oc- 
curred in  Scott  county  from  1832  up  to  the  present  time.  It  was  in  1832  that  a 
treaty  was  entered  into  and  completed  by  and  between  General  Scott  and  the 
Indians  under  which  the  title  to  the  lands  in  Scott  county  became  vested  in  the 
United  States.  George  L.  Davenport,  son  of  Colonel  George  Davenport,  made 
the  first  claim  of  land  in  Scott  county.  Taking  the  years  in  their  order  from 
1833  on  down,  the  salient  events  relating  to  the  county  and  Davenport  are  here 
given  : 

1833. — First  settlement  in  the  county  made  by  Captain  Benjamin  W.  Clark, 
near  the  present  village  of  Buffalo.  Antoine  LeClaire  received  a  commission 
as  justice  of  the  peace  from  the  governor  of  the  territory. 

1834. — Antoine  LeClaire  established  a  ferry  between  Stephenson,  now  Rock 
Island,  and  Davenport. 

1836. — Davenport  laid  out. — First  hotel,  built  by  Antoine  LeClaire  and  Col- 
onel George  Davenport.  First  public  sale  of  lots  in  May.  Governor  Dodge,  of 
Wisconsin,  held  another  treaty  with  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indians  by  which  the 
tract  of  land  reserved  by  the  Indians  in  previous  treaty  was  ceded  to  the  United 
States.  First  law  offices  opened  in  Davenport  by  Alexander  McGregor  and 
G.  C.  R.  Mitchell.  First  marriage  in  Davenport  occurred  this  year,  the  contract- 
ing parties  being  William  B.  Watts  and  a  niece  of  Antoine  LeClaire.  The 
first  surveyor,  William  Gordon.  The  first  plasterer,  William  B.  Watts.  The 
first  white  child  born  in  Davenport,  a  son  of  Levi  G.  Colton ;  it  died  in  1840. 
Dr.  E.  S.  Barrows  settled  in  Rockingham,  being  the  first  physician  in  the  county 
and  second  one  in  the  territory. 


980  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

1837. — Rev.  Elnathan  C.  Gavit,  Methodist  Episcopal;  Rev.  Enoch  Mead, 
Presbyterian,  and  Bishop  Chase,  Episcopal,  preached  a  sermon  in  Davenport, 
in  the  order  named,  Mr.  Gavit's  being  the  first  ever  preached  in  the  village. 
D.  C.  Eldridge  built  a  grist-mill  run  by  horse-power.  First  blacksmith  shop, 
by  Louis  LePage.  First  shoemaker,  David  Miller.  First  tailor,  James  O. 
Kelley. 

1838. — The  Presbyterians  effected  the  first  church  organization.  G.  L.  Daven- 
port &  Company  opened  the  first  lumber  yard.  Harvey  Leonard  made  the  first 
brick  and  erected  the  first  brick  house,  on  the  northeast  comer  of  Third  and 
Main  streets,  on  the  site  of  the  Masonic  temple.  The  Catholics  erected  the  first 
church  edifice  in  Davenport,  St.  Anthony's.  The  Iowa  Sun  started  by  Andrew 
Logan. 

1839. — City  charter  granted  the  town  of  Davenport.  Davenport  had  its 
first  physician  in  the  person  of  Dr.  A.  C.  Donaldson.  First  drug  store,  by 
Charles  Lesslie.  First  wagon-maker,  Seth  F.  Whiting.  First  school  by  Rev. 
Hummer.  Catholic  school,  by  Rev.  J.  A.  M,  Pelamourgues.  First  paint  shop  by 
Riddle  &  Morton. 

1840. — First  agricultural  society  in  Scott  county  organized,  with  A.  W.  Mc- 
Gregor, president,  and  John  Forrest,  secretary.  County  seat  removed  from 
Rockingham  to  Davenport.  LeClaire  House  completed  and  opened  by  Mr. 
Hulse,  of  Cincinnati,  and  the  White  Hall  Temperance  House,  on  the  site  of 
The  Democrat,  by  D,  C.  Eldridge.  The  first  pork  packed  by  Shays  &  Gano,  Dav- 
enport. First  stove,  tin  and  sheet-iron  store  in  Davenport  opened  by  R.  T. 
Craig. 

1 841. — Courthouse  and  jail  built  by  the  citizens  of  Davenport,  and  presented 
to  the  county.  The  first  shoe  store  opened  in  Davenport  by  L.  B.  Collamer. 
Mr.  Armitage  and  Captain  Nichols  started  the  first  butcher  stall.  The  first 
shipment  of  wheat  made  by  John  Owens  to  Cincinnati ;  price  50  to  56  cents  per 
bushel.  First  watch  repairer  and  goldsmith  in  Davenport,  R.  L.  Linbaugh. 
Newspaper,  now  merged  with  The  Democrat,  commenced  by  Sanders  &  Davis 
as  a  weekly,  under  the  name  of  Davenport  Gazette.  October  14th,  first  regular 
service  of  the  Episcopal  church  in  Davenport,  the  Rev.  Z.  H.  Goldsmith  offici- 
ating. November  4th,  Trinity  church  parish  of  Davenport  was  organized.  The 
first  harness  shop  in  Davenport  was  opened  by  Jacob  Sailor,  but  soon  after 
removed  to  Rock  Island.  Flour  this  year  was  sold  at  $5.00  a  barrel  and  wheat 
50  cents  a  bushel.    Pork  was  worth  but  i^^  to  2  cents  a  pound. 

1842. — Protestant  Episcopal  church  organized  on  the  4th  of  November  in 
Davenport.  Steam  ferry-boat  built  by  J.  Wilson,  but  abandoned  the  same  year. 
Bakery  opened  in  Davenport  by  Daniel  Moore,  Stephen  Lindley  started  his 
harness  shop  in  Davenport.  The  Iowa  Sun  discontinued.  Good  winter  wheat 
sold  at  37  and  40  cents  per  bushel.  The  best  flour  sold  for  $4.50  a  barrel,  and 
the  same  autumn  sold  in  Chicago  at  $3.00  and  in  St.  Louis  at  $2.50  per  barrel. 
There  was  no  money;  everything  was  barter  in  trade;  pork  sold  at  $1.00  and 
$1.50  per  hundred. 

1843. — New  city  charter  granted  Davenport.  Horse  ferry-boat  started  by  John 
Wilson.  Iowa  House  opened  in  Davenport  by  D.  B.  Shaw,  afterward  called  the 
Ohio  House.     Scott  County  Bible  society  organized.     Ice  in  the  river  two  feet 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  981 

thick.  A  Dubuque  paper  stated  that  for  nearly  four  months  the  mercury  stood 
at  twenty,  thirty-five  and  thirty-nine  degrees  below  zero.  Although  the  crops 
were  abundant,  yet  on  account  of  the  intense  cold  and  want  of  sufficient  hay 
and  shelter  a  great  many  cattle  died.     Seven  churches  in  Davenport 

1844. — Iowa  College  association  formed  in  April.  Stage  office  opened  by  Ben- 
nett &  Lyter,  and  lines  of  stages  to  Dubuque  and  Burlington  established,  Bennett 
&  Lyter  having  obtained  the  contract  to  carry  the  mail  on  their  routes.  By 
census  taken  of  the  county  in  June  it  was  found  to  contain  1,750  inhabitants. 
Financial  condition  of  the  county  at  the  end  of  the  year  flattering.  Expendi- 
tures, $1,757.80,  and  the  receipts  in  treasury,  $2,503.80.  The  wheat  raised  es- 
timated at  100,000  bushels  and  no  flouring  mills  in  Davenport.  A  son  of  Ben- 
jamin W.  Clark  was  drowned  in  the  Mississippi  near  Buffalo.  A  child  of  Mr. 
Winfield,  near  Rockingham,  was  burned  to  death  by  its  clothes  taking  fire. 
Ephraim  Jenny  died  suddenly,  January  i6th. 

1845. — First  fire  in  Davenport ;  burned  the  building  in  which  Mr.  Eldridge 
had  opened  his  store  in  1837,  situated  on  the  corner  of  Ripley  and  Front  streets, 
at  the  time  occupied  as  a  residence  by  three  or  more  German  families.  On  the 
4th  of  July  Colonel  George  Davenport  was  foully  murdered  in  his  house  on 
the  island  by  desperadoes.  River  within  one  foot  of  the  rise  of  1844,  May, 
1845.  A  Swiss  man  and  his  wife  poisoned  by  drinking  tea  made  out  of  jimson 
weed.  Peaches  raised  in  the  county  were  sold  at  37^  cents  per  bushel.  Arrest  of 
Birch,  Fox,  Long,  Baxter,  Aaron  Long  and  Young,  murderers  of  George  Dav- 
enport. Grand  jury  at  Rock  Island  found  bill  of  indictment  against  Robert 
Birch,  John  Long,  Aaron  Long,  Granville  Young,  William  Fox,  John  Baxter; 
Birch,  the  brothers  Long  and  Fox  as  principals,  Baxter  and  Young  as  accessories 
before  the  act.  Asahel  Hubbard,  one  of  the  county  commissioners,  died  in 
Nebraska  in  September.  Charles,  infant  son  of  William  Inslee,  of  Davenport,  fell 
into  a  kettle  of  hot  water  and  was  scalded  to  death.  John  and  Aaron  Long 
and  Granville  Young  hung  at  Rock  Island,  Wednesday,  October  24th. 

1846. — The  first  plow  factory  was  started  in  Davenport  by  John  Bechtel. 
Aetna  Flour  Mill  (the  first  steam  mill  in  Davenport)  finished,  and  business  com- 
menced by  A.  C.  Fulton.  Burrows  and  Prettyman  started  their  mill  about  the 
same  time.     First  board  of  trustees  of  Iowa  college  chosen. 

1847. — First  banking  house  in  Davenport  established  by  Cook  &  Sargent, 
who  also  opened  the  first  land  agency.  April  23d,  first  Odd  Fellows'  lodge  in 
Davenport  instituted.  First  clothing  store  in  Davenport  started  by  Powers  & 
Jordan.  The  Democratic  Banner  first  published  by  T.  D.  Eagal.  Preparatory 
department  of  Iowa  college  opened.  Rev.  Erastus  Ripley,  teacher.  Albion  Mills 
started,  J.  ]\I.  D.  Burrows,  proprietor.  The  German  immigration  was  large 
this  year ;  100  landed  in  Davenport  on  the  22d  of  June,  nearly  all  of  whom  settled 
in  the  county ;  3,652  white  inhabitants  in  county,  and  two  negroes. 

1849. — First  jewelry  store  in  Davenport  started  by  A.  C.  Billon.  Ehiring 
July  and  August  many  died  of  cholera.  There  were  now  4,873  inhabitants  in 
the  county.  There  were  at  this  time  in  the  city  of  Davenport  twenty-two  car- 
penters, nine  stone-masons,  two  stone  cutters,  five  brick  makers,  six  brick  layers, 
five  plasterers,  six  printers,  ten  cabinet-makers,  five  chair  makers,  seven  wheel- 
wrights, two  coach  makers,   twelve  blacksmiths,  fifteen  coopers,  five  saddlers 


982  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

and  harness  makers,  one  trunk  maker,  eight  shoemakers,  three  tin  and  copper- 
smiths, seven  tailors,  four  engineers,  three  millers,  two  sawyers,  eight  draymen, 
nine  teamsters,  three  butchers,  one  dyer  and  scourer,  one  gunsmith,  one  watch-  . 
maker,  one  turner,  one  baker,  one  upholsterer,  one  barber,  nine  ministers,  four 
physicians,  two  lawyers,  two  weekly  papers.  The  public  buildings  were:  two 
steam  flouring  mills,  one  steam  sawmill,  the  Iowa  College,  the  Medical  college, 
five  schoolhouses,  three  hotels,  two  billiard  rooms,  two  coffee  houses,  nineteen 
stores,  one  public  hall,  one  exchange  office,  two  pork  houses,  one  livery  stable  and 
one  plow  factory.  A  full  grown  bear  was  killed  in  the  neighborhood  of  Blue 
Grass.  The  Gazette  urgently  advocated  the  building  of  the  Rock  Island  & 
LaSalle  railroad,  and  asked  the  citizens  of  Scott  county  to  subscribe  liberally  to 
its  stock.     A  medical  institute  established  in  Davenport. 

1850. — First  exclusive  book  store  in  Davenport  opened  by  W.  H.  Holmes, 
who  bought  out  D.  C.  Eldridge's  stock,  he  having  kept  a  book  and  drug  store. 
Der  Demokrat,  a  German  newspaper  commenced  in  Davenport  by  Theo.  Guelich. 
Pennsylvania  House,  Davenport,  opened  by  M.  C.  Davis,  on  Second  street,  be- 
tween Main  and  Harrison.  The  fir^t  district  school  in  Davenport,  James  Thor- 
ington,  teacher,  Mr.  Thorington  having  taught  private  or  select  schools  for 
some  five  or  six  years  previous.  Charter  of  Davenport  City  amended.  First 
collegiate  class  formed  in  Iowa  college.  Population  of  Davenport,  1,848.  First 
picture  framing  and  gilding  establishment  opened  by  Frederick  H.  Weiss,  in 
Davenport.  Sash,  door  and  blind  factory  and  sawmill  opened  by  Burnett,  Gil- 
lett  &  Company,  corner  of  Scott  and  Front  streets,  Davenport;  capital  $125,000; 
employed  ninety  hands ;  manufactured  annually,  $160,000.  One  hundred  new 
houses  erected  in  Davenport  during  the  year.  Twenty-two  thousand  and  forty- 
one  acres  of  land  entered  in  the  county.  Plenty  of  prairie  land  to  be  had  for 
$1.25  per  acre.  On  Monday,  April  5th,  the  county  subscribed  $25,000  in  aid  of 
the  Rock  Island  &  La  Salle  railroad.  Postoffice  established  at  Allen's  Grove,  in 
August,  with  George  Frederick  as  first  postmaster. 

185 1. — The  foundry,  machine  and  finishing  shops  in  Davenport  started  by 
LeClaire,  Davenport  &  Company,  employing  twelve  hands  the  first  season.  Coates 
&  Davies'  planing  mill  built  in  Davenport;  capital  $75,000;  employed  thirty  hands. 
The  first  daguerrean  artist  who  opened  permanently  in  Davenport  was  O.  L. 
Burdick,  although  some  had  practiced  the  art  previously.  In  x^pril  Judge  Grant 
was  chosen  first  president  of  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  railroad.  Robert  Chris- 
tie's mill  was  erected  at  East  Davenport.  First  wholesale  grocery  in  Daven- 
port, established  by  S.  Hirschl.  June  ist,  Stephenson  &  Camahan  opened  a 
new  drug  store  in  Davenport.  New  city  charter  granted  Davenport.  In  Febru- 
ary Charles  Weston  was  elected  mayor  of  Davenport,  and  H.  Leonard,  A. 
Wygant.  Dr.  Barrows.  N.  Squires,  H.  Price,  aldermen.  In  the  August  election 
William  Burris  was  chosen  judge,  and  Harvey  Leonard,  sheriff.  Second  Baptist 
church  of  Davenport  was  organized.  October  7th,  S.  Burnell's  steam  sawmill 
was  built.  Three  hundred  immigrants  landed  at  one  time  from  the  Wyoming 
settlers  for  Scott  county.  Cholera  very  bad.  Over  300  houses  built  in  Daven- 
port. Gazette  enlarged  to  a  seven-column  folio.  May  22d.  German  Lutheran 
church  erected.  Heavy  rain  storm  occurred  May  21,  which  destroyed  a  large 
amount  of  property.     Forty-five  buildings  were  in  process  of  erection  in  Daven- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  983 

port  in  May.  The  river  was  hig-her  than  any  year  since  1844.  Amity  post- 
office.  Hickory  Grove  township,  estabhshed  in  July,  with  PhiHp  Baker,  post- 
master.    Davenport  &  Rogers'  grist  and  sawmill  burned  September  9th. 

1852. — First  exclusive  tobacco  store  and  cigar  manufactory  opened  in  Dav- 
enport by  James  Burge.  although  H.  Wagener  was  the  first  person  who  manu- 
factured cigars  in  the  place.  Steam  ferry  boat  started  by  John  Wilson.  J.  M. 
Cannon's  steam  sawmill  was  built.  First  tombstone  and  marble  manufactory 
in  Davenport  started  by  W.  W.  Kennedy.     Population  3,500. 

1853. — LeClaire  foundry  burned  August  20th.  First  music  store  opened  in 
Davenport  by  J.  A.  Crandall.  Mississippi  &  Missouri  Railroad  Company  organ- 
ized. September  ist.  ground  first  broken  by  Mr.  LeClaire.  East  end  of  LeClaire's 
row  (in  Davenport)  completed,  the  fourth  story  being  LeClaire's  hall.  First 
express  office  started  in  Davenport,  Renwick  &  Son,  agents.  Telegraph  office 
opened  in  Davenport.  Population  of  Davenport,  4,500.  August  ist,  tri- weekly 
Gazette  started  in  Davenport.  December  21st,  remarkable;  river  not  closed. 
Steamer  "Jenny  Lind"  arrived  from  LeClaire  and  left  next  day  for  Galena  with 
a  load  of  goods.  On  Thursday,  July  7,  1853,  vote  was  taken  for  or  against  city 
of  Davenport's  subscribing  $85,000  in  aid  of  the  Mississippi  &  Missouri  railroad — 
242  for  and  one  against.  Previously  a  vote  was  taken  for  or  against  county 
subscribing  $50,000,  Chicago  &  Rock  Island — 298  for  and  ten  against.  Wednes- 
day, October  26th,  first  snow  of  the  season.  Antoine  LeClaire  was  oflfered 
$130,000  for  100  acres  of  land  near  Davenport.  Davenport  Weekb^  Bee  bemg 
published. 

1854. — February  22d,  completion  of  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  Railroad;  the 
Atlantic  and  Mississippi  united.  On  the  20th  of  July,  a  most  terrible  and  de- 
structive tornado  passed  over  Davenport,  the  most  severe  ever  known  in  this 
region.  Trees  were  torn  up  and  houses  unroofed  and  blown  down.  The  Le- 
Claire foundry  w^as  partially  demolished,  the  walls  of  the  building  falling  in  on 
some  of  the  workmen,  killing  William  Overton  and  injuring  his  son.  Mr. 
Wickersham's  store,  a  new  three-story  brick  building,  was  completely  demolished. 
In  June  of  this  year  the  Rev.  Henry  W.  Lee,  D.  D..  was  elected  first  bishop  of 
Iowa.  Central  part  of  LeClaire's  row,  now  North  Putnam  building,  finished, 
which  completed  the  block  from  Brady  to  Main  streets.  Witherwax's  block 
and  Orr's  building  completed.  Third  floor  of  the  latter  fitted  up  and  occupied 
as  Odd  Fellows  and  Sons  of  Temperance  hall.  A  portion  of  third  loft  of  With- 
erwax's block  named  Literary  hall.  The  Davenport  Commercial  was  started  in 
the  spring  by  N.  H.  Parker;  W^  Atwill  purchased  it  in  December  and  changed 
the  name  to  Davenport  Courier.  An  extensive  wholesale  iron  and  hardware 
store  was  opened  in  Davenport  in  the  fall  by  T.  Close  &  Company.  Daily  line 
of  stages  established  to  Iowa  City,  Tipton  and  Cedar  Rapids.  First  stove  and 
hollow  ware  foundry  in  Davenport  established  by  Davis,  Boyd  &  Company. 
Renwick  &  Sons'  steam  sawmill  was  built  during  this  year;  capital.  $50,000;  they 
employed  thirty  hands.  First  buckskin  mitten  manufactory  in  Davenport  was 
established  by  Keith  &  Lewis.  Davenport  Gas.  Light  &  Coke  Company  organ- 
ized. The  first  exclusive  crockery-  store  in  Davenport  was  China  hall,  opened  by 
L.  S.  Webb  &  Company.  First  exclusive  book  and  job  printing  office  in  Daven- 
port established  by  Luse  &  Coles.     September  ist  cornerstone  of  the  bridge  laid. 


984  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

October  i6th,  the  first  daily  paper  in  Davenport,  the  Daily  Gazette,  issued  by 
Sanders  &  Davis.  October  31st,  LeClaire  House,  Davenport,  sold  to  Dr.  J,  J. 
Burtis.  Xovember  25th,  Scott  House  opened  by  R.  Benton.  First  (German) 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church  organized.  Allen  &  Bosworth's  steam  sawmill 
built  in  Davenport.  Hildreth  &  Dallam's  steam  flour  mill  at  East  Davenport  fin- 
ished and  put  in  operation.  Population  of  Davenport,  6,000.  Scott  County 
Agricultural  society  held  their  first  annual  fair,  October  4th ;  $400  paid  in 
premiums.  June  5th,  ex-President  Fillmore  visited  Davenport.  June  24th,  a 
public  sale  of  lots  was  made  on  the  bluff  one  mile  below  Davenport,  at  which 
unimproved  lots  sold  at  from  $150  to  $290.  William  Herrick  &  Company,  of 
Cincinnati,  commenced  preparations  to  light  the  city  of  Davenport  with  gas,  Sep- 
tember.   Public  school  building  dedicated  in  Davenport,  Saturday,  September  30th. 

1855. — January  2d,  frost  out  of  the  ground  and  farmers  plowing.  Banking 
house  pf  Yerberg  &  Barrows  opened  at  Davenport.  January  13th,  Commercial 
Writing  academy  opened  by  C.  Parker  in  Davenport.  Steamboat  "Alinnesota 
Belle"  arrived  in  port,  the  first  arrival  from  the  upper  ^Mississippi  for  many  years. 
January  26th,  new  city  charter  for  Davenport.  March  31st,  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tion  association  organized.  May  15th,  new  ferry  boat,  "Davenport"  established 
between  Rock  Island  and  Davenport.  July  20th,  first  locomotive  ever  seen  in 
Iowa  arrived  in  Davenport,  called  the  "Antoine  LeClaire."  Track  laid  two  and 
a  half  miles  west  of  city.  August  23d,  city  of  Davenport  first  lighted  by  gas. 
Banner  of  Davenport  changed  hands,  T.  D.  Eagal  disposing  of  his  interest  to 
Dalrymple  &  Richardson.  Enos  Tichenor  elected  mayor  of  Davenport;  William 
Burris,  judge;  Flarvey  Leonard,  sheriff;  and  James  McCosh,  recorder.  Novem- 
ber 28th,  the  first  steam  power  printing  press  introduced  in  Iowa  by  Sanders  & 
Davis,  proprietors  of  the  Gazette. 

1856. — January  ist,  ^Mississippi  measured  by  IMr.  Hogan  at  low  water  mark; 
found  to  be  2,580  feet  wide,  and  at  high  water,  2,700  feet  wide.  January  5th, 
first  number  of  the  Daily  Democrat  of  Davenport  issued.  January  20th,  mer- 
cury down  to  twenty  degrees  below  zero.  February  8th,  arrivals  at  the  three 
hotels,  LeClaire  House  and  the  old  and  new  Pennsylvania  House,  during  the 
past  year  amounted  to  50,000,  as  per  the  registers  in  the  hotels  named.  Febru- 
ary 28th,  last  span  of  the  Mississippi  bridge  completed.  March  6th,  bold  rob- 
bery of  boots  and  shoes  from  the  store  of  Moore  &  Brown,  of  Davenport.  July 
i6th,  the  most  destructive  and  extensive  fire  by  which  Davenport  had  ever  been 
visited,  broke  out  on  Monday  night  in  a  frame  building  on  Front  street,  near  the 
corner  of  Rock  Island,  occupied  as  a  warehouse  by  Hull,  Allen  &  Company ;  D. 
Moore's  bakery,  a  two  story  brick  building  and  a  frame  dwelling  house  occupied 
by  Mr.  Shields  were  also  consumed;  total  loss,  $15,000.  September  9th,  bridge 
over  the  Mississippi  completed.  Cars  commenced  crossing  on  schedule  time.  Oc- 
tober 3d,  an  ordinance  passed  by  the  city  council  of  Davenport  for  the  purchase 
of  two  fire  engines,  two  hose  carts  and  1.500  feet  of  hose.'  First  permanent  or- 
ganization of  a  fire  company.  October  21st,  dedication  of  St.  Marguerite's  church 
of  Davenport.  December  5th,  the  first  concert  given  by  the  Philharmonic  society. 
December  9th,  ice  bridge  formed  over  the  Mississippi.  Davenport  iron  works 
established  on  Rock  Island  street,  near  Second,  by  Jemme,  Donnelly  &  Lea; 
capital,  $18,000.     \^alue  of  manufactures,  $100,000;  employing  fifty-five  hands. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  985 

County  jail  erected,  under  the  superintendence  of  Hon.  W.  L.  Cook,  then  county 
judge.  LeClaire  machine  works  bought  by  M.  Donahue;  capital,  $50,000;  em- 
ploy forty  hands;  manufactures,  $150,000  for  the  year. 

1857. — January  ist,  dissolution  of  Sanders  &  Davis,  publishers  of  the  daily 
and  weekly  Gazette  of  Davenport,  and  partnership  entered  of  Alfred  and  Add. 
H.  Sanders.  January  9th,  Second  Presbyterian  church  of  Davenport  destroyed 
by  fire.  January  21st,  bill  passed  to  amend  the  city  charter  of  Davenport.  Feb- 
ruary i6th,  board  of  trade  organized,  and  its  officers  elected.  February  17th, 
sixteen  persons  baptized  in  the  river  by  the  pastor  of  Second  Baptist  church  of 
Davenport.  March  17th,  Dr.  Burtis  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  LeClaire 
House,  Davenport,  to  Mr.  Schuyler.  March  9th,  a  lire  broke  out  in  a  store  on 
Brady  street,  Davenport,  occupied  by  Mr.  Meyers  as  a  cigar  store.  The  fire 
spread  to  a  two  story  frame,  owned  by  George  L.  Davenport,  arid  occupied  by 
Dr.  W.  W.  Parker  as  a  hardware  store.  Both  buildings  were  consumed.  Mr. 
Meyers'  loss,  $500,  and  Mr.  Parker's  $8,700.  April  i6th,  Davenport  furniture 
factory  organized.  May  ist,  opening  of  Cook  &  Sargent's  new  banking  house 
in  Davenport,  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Second  streets.  May  19th,  $70  asked 
for  a  ton  of  hay.  May  29th,  arrival  of  the  two  fire  engines  for  Davenport,  the 
"Pilot"  and  the  "Witch,"  from  Boston,  Massachusetts,  costing  $3,400,  throwing 
streams  200  feet  from  an  inch  and  a  quarter  nozzle;  "Pilot"  weighing  3,670 
pounds,  and  the  "Witch,"  3,610  pounds.  The  "Rover"  reel,  with  her  hose,  weighs 
2,080  pounds.  June  15th,  lively  encounter  between  steamboat  men  and  the 
bridge  tenders,  in  which  several  were  injured  by  stones  being  thrown  from  the 
steamer  "William  H.  Nelson."  July  6th,  great  fire  broke  out  on  Brady  street, 
between  Fourth  and  Fifth  streets,  in  Davenport,  destroying  thirteen  frame 
houses,  used  as  stores  and  dwellings,  and  a  large  amount  of  household  furni- 
ture. July  31st,  a  boiler  explosion  in  the  M.  &  M.  workshops,  opposite  the  depot 
in  Davenport.  Two  boilers  were  blown  to  pieces,  the  engines  and  brick  work 
being  scattered  in  all  directions;  but  few  lives  were  lost.  Damage  to  property 
estimated  to  reach  $5,000.  August  25th,  gas  cut  off  for  two  weeks  in  Daven- 
port during  necessary  repairs,  and  for  new  improvements  and  additions  to  the 
works.  September  4th,  a  boiler  explosion  at  Renwick's  mill ;  no  one  hurt.  Sep- 
tember 28th,  first  town  clock  in  Davenport;  put  up  by  Cook  &  Sargent  in  front 
of  their  banking  house,  on  the  corner  of  Second  and  Main  streets.  October  ist, 
Trinity  church,  Davenport,  first  lighted  with  gas.  October  19th,  the  Independent 
Fire  Engine  and  Hose  Company  took  possession  of  their  new  engine  room. 

1858.— January,  organization  of  the  Pioneer  Settlers'  association  of  Scott 
county.  February  22d,  Burtis  House,  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Iowa  streets, 
Davenport,  opened  to  the  public  and  the  first  annual  festival  of  the  Pioneer  Set- 
tlers' society.  May  3d,  German  Fire  Company,  No.  3,  organized  in  Davenport. 
August  4th,  Cook  &  Sargent's  bank  refused  to  receive  Burrows  &  Prettyman's 
currency,  except  on  special  deposit.  August  nth,  trial  of  Thomas  Cellian  for 
the  murder  of  his  wife.  August  19th,  the  Buckholter  arson  case  on  trial.  Au- 
gust 29th,  a  disgraceful  Sunday  riot.  Fight  between  the  police  and  ferry  boat 
hands.  Two  poHcemen  wounded  and  several  other  parties  injured.  September 
1st,  first  edition  of  the  Davenport  Daily  Times.  On  the  morning  of  the  6th  at 
12:15  o'clock,  a  destructive  fire  broke  out  in  the  old  Bazaar  building,  at  the 


986  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

foot  of  Brady  street,  in  Davenport.  It  started  in  one  of  the  saloons  in  the  base- 
ment. The  building  was  erected  in  1852  and  was  worth  $30,000.  Cook  &  Sar- 
gent burned  200,000  of  Florence  currency  in  the  furnace  of  their  new  building. 
September  28th,  the  steamer  "Fannie  Harris"  sunk  and  two  lives  were  lost. 
Two  firemen  were  knocked  off  the  boat  by  the  force  of  the  collision  with  the 
bridge  piers.  Damages  to  the  boat  amounted  to  about  $2,000.  October  17th,  the 
Denton  House  caught  on  fire,  destroying  all  the  furniture;  loss,  $10,000.  No- 
vember 6th,  a  burglar  effected  an  entrance  into  the  postoffice  by  cutting  out  a 
panel  in  the  rear  door.  About  $12  were  stolen.  Arrest  of  two  counterfeiters  in 
Meyers'  saloon  on  Brady  street,  with  over  $2,000  of  the  "queer"  in  their  posses- 
sion. November  22d,  a  bold  but  unsuccessful  attempt  to  set  fire  to  the  new 
bank  of  Cook  &  Sargent,  in  Davenport.  December  14th,  two  children  burned 
10  death,  and  one  child  severely  injured,  belonging  to  the  family  of  Richard  Dut- 
ton,  who  lived  on  Harrison,  between  Ninth  and  Tenth  streets,  Davenport. 

1859. — February  22d,  second  annual  festival  of  the  Old  Settlers'  society  at 
the  Burtis  House.  March  20th,  the  steamer  "Aunt  Letty"  blown  against  one  of 
the  bridge  piers  and  about  forty  feet  of  her  hull  stove  in.  May  12th,  the  Pike's 
Peak  excitement  in  full  bloom.  Grand  review  of  the  fire  companies  of  Davenport 
and  Rock  Island.  May  30th,  the  Pike's  Peak  bubble  bursts  and  a  large  number 
of  our  citizens  are  daily  returning.  Several  attempts  at  burglary  and  robbery 
from  buildings  and  persons  recorded  on  the  30th.  June  6th,  daring  but  unsuc- 
cessful attempt  to  destroy  the  Rock  Island  Railroad  bridge  over  the  Mississippi 
river.  October  24th,  two  persons  stabbed  in  Weideman's  beer  garden,  on  the 
bluff,  by  cabin  boys  from  the  steamer  "Fred  Lorenz."  October  30th,  death  of 
William  Herrig,  one  of  the  young  men  stabbed  in  Weideman's  beer  garden,  Dav- 
enport. November  14th,  daring  but  unsuccessful  attempt  to  break  jail  frustrated 
by  the  plucky  conduct  of  Jailer  Graham's  wife,  of  Davenport.  November  8th, 
Sunday  laws,  a  special  ordinance  passed  by  the  city  council  of  Davenport,  that 
the  city  marshal  be  hereby  ordered  to  prevent  the  unlawful  assemblage  on  the 
Sabbath  day  at  dance  houses,  beer  houses,  grog  shops  and  drinking  saloons, 
etc.  November  21st,  first  malt  house  in  Davenport  started  by  Mr.  Decker,  corner 
of  Fourth  and  Scott  streets.  The  first  operation  in  trachaeotomy,  in  Davenport, 
successfully  performed  by  Dr.  Adler,  assisted  by  Drs.  Fountain  and  Maxwell, 
on  a  little  son  of  D.  B.  Shelley.  November  26th,  the  Andalusia  packet  "Comet" 
met  with  an  accident  during  the  storm.  While  coming  up  the  river  under  a  heavy 
press  of  canvas,  when  a  short  distance  above  Credit  island,  was  struck  by  a 
squall,  and  her  mainmast,  and  rigging  were  carried  overboard,  and  encountering 
a  heavy  sea,  sunk  in  five  feet  of  water.  The  crew  safely  swam  ashore.  Old  John 
Brown  was  publicly  executed  at  11  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  December  2d,  at 
Charleston,  Virginia.  A  number  of  the  German  citizens  of  Davenport  showed 
their  sympathy  for  him  by  lowering  the  flag  to  half  mast  on  Lahrmann's  hall, 
and  draped  it  in  mourning;  a  number  of  stores  had  crape  attached  to  the  doors, 
and  some  Germans  wore  crape  on  their  hats.  December  i6th,  the  Odd  Fellows  of 
Davenport  dedicated  their  new  hall  on  Brady  above  Fifth  street.  December 
1 6th,  suspension  of  Cook  &  Sargent's  banking  house  of  Davenport. 

i860. — January  ist,  Hon.  Hiram  Price  elected  mayor  of  Davenport  with  a 
majority  of  268  votes  over  Judge  Grant.    January  23d,  destructive  fire  broke  out 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  987 

at  90  Brady  street,  Davenport,  occupied  by  Miss  Renwick  as  a  millinery  store ; 
loss  nearly  $3,000.  January  28th,  Horace  Greeley  lectured  on  Northwestern 
America,  and  had  the  largest  audience  that  had  ever  assembled  for  a  similar  oc- 
casion in  Davenport.  February  22d,  grand  military  display  to  celebrate  the  an- 
niversary of  George  Washington's  birthday.  February  27th,  first  annual  festival 
of  the  Scott  County  "New  England  Society,"  held  in  the  Burtis  House,  Daven- 
port. March  21st,  the  city  hospital,  situated  about  one  mile  from  the  city  of 
Davenport,  on  Locust  street,  destroyed  by  fire;  work  of  an  incendiary.  March 
22d,  Messrs.  J.  C.  Mathes  &  A.  Winert  erected  a  soap,  candle  factory  and  tannery 
in  Davenport.  Mr.  Stroh  also  erected  a  fine  two  story  brick  store  on  Harrison, 
above  Second  street,  and  Richard  B.  Hill  erected  a  block  of  fi\ie  warehouses  on 
Front  street,  corner  of  Brady.  April  21st,  Robert  E.  Campbell,  of  Davenport,  a 
banker,  committed  suicide.  June  ist,  a  brush  manufactory  was  started  in  Dav- 
enport by  Joseph  Whisler,  on  Ripley  street.  Marble  works  opened  by  McCosh 
&  Donahue.  June  3d,  the  large  ice  house,  100  by  30  feet,  belonging  to  E. 
Peck,  blown  down.  June  25th,  riotous  and  disgraceful  proceedings  at  the  elec- 
tion polls  in  the  sixth  ward  of  Davenport  during  the  election  for  alderman.  July 
4th,  an  immense  crowd  of  the  citizens  of  Davenport  turn  out  and  enjoy  the  day. 
Splendid  parade  made  by  the  military  and  other  civic  societies.  July  19th,  new 
grocery  house  opened  in  Davenport  by  A.  J.  Preston.  John  Rowe  starts  in  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account,  in  the  gas  and  steam  fitting  and  plumbing  line. 
July  22d,  a  very  narrow  escape  of  Dr.  J.  A.  Reid,  of  Davenport,  from  drowning. 
July  26th,  completion  of  several  of  the  fine  stores  in  R.  B.  Hill's  block  on  Second 
street.  Kehoe  &  Carhart  opened  a  dry  goods  store.  August  9th,  several  new 
warehouses  completed  and  opened  by  Charles  Glassman,  grocer,  on  Third,  below 
Gaines  street.  William  Dalzell  put  up  a  frame  eighty  by  twenty-five  feet  on  Harri- 
son street,  above  Fifth.  J.  S.  Coates  erected  a  stone  building  seventy-five  by  thirty, 
of  one  and  a  half  stories,  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Perry  and  Front  streets, 
Davenport.  August  12th,  extensive  improvements  made  in  the  Great  Western 
brewery ;  the  amount  of  capital  invested  is  about  $16,000.  August  15th,  Young 
Men's  Associated  Congress  organized.  September  9th,  farewell  sermon  preached 
by  Rev.  George  F.  Magoun,  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  of  Davenport. 
September  12th,  Mayor  Caldwell,  of  Davenport,  forfeited  his  position  as  mayor 
by  moving  outside  of  the  city  limits.  September  i6th,  the  Reform.ed  Dutch 
church  was  dedicated  at  10  a.  m.,  and  the  Rev.  C.  G.  Vanderveer  was  installed 
as  pastor.  The  edifice  located  on  the  corner  of  Eleventh  and  Brady  streets,  Daven- 
port, is  now  Temple  Emanuel.  September  i8th  spinning  mill  opened.  October 
3d,  the  Davenport  Gazette  took  the  diploma  and  a  $10  premium  at  the  state  fair 
for  the  best  looking  paper  in  the  state  of  Iowa. 

1861. — February  24th,  an  attempt  was  made  to  assassinate  President  Lincoln, 
while  traveling  from  Harrisburg  to  Baltimore.  March  29th,  sudden  death  of  Dr. 
E.  J.  Fountain.  Six  attempts  at  incendiarism  in  one  night.  April  7th,  election 
day ;  republicans  carry  the  day  by  a  large  majority.  G.  H.  French  elected  mayor ; 
O.  S.  McNeil,  marshal.  Charles  H.  Eldridge  succeeded  A.  F.  Mast  as  post- 
master. Mr.  Mast  had  held  the  office  for  eight  years.  April  15th.  great  excite- 
ment in  Davenport  over  the  reported  surrender  of  Fort  Sumter  by  Major  Ander- 
son.   April  24th,  Governor  Kirkwood's  arrival  at  Davenport,  and  the  acceptance 


988  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

of  Captains  Littler's  and  Wentz's  companies  for  the  Second  regiment.  May 
loth,  collision  with  the  bridge  by  the  steamer  "Gray  Eagle,"  which  sunk  a  few 
minutes  afterward;  total  loss  of  boat  and  cargo  valued  at  $50,000.  May  loth, 
A.  F.  Mast,  ex-postmaster  of  Davenport,  opened  a  grocery  store  on  the  corner  of 
Third  and  Harrison  streets.  May  20th,  Captain  R.  M.  Littler  and  his  company, 
the  Davenport  City  Guards,  ordered  to  Keokuk.  May  22d,  sword  presentation  to 
Captain  R.  M.  Littler  by  the  Davenport  Guards.  July  ist,  appointment  of  Add. 
Sanders  to  the  position  of  staff  officer  to  the  governor.  July  29th,  Colonel  Hoff- 
man appointed  to  take  charge  of  a  regiment.  August  12th,  appointment  of  Dr. 
M.  B.  Cochran  as  surgeon  to  the  First  regiment  of  Iowa  cavalry.  August  13th, 
terrible  fight  in  Missouri.  The  rebels  repulsed  with  tremendous  loss.  The  rebel 
depot  on  the  Potomac  cleaned  out.  Captain  Littler  promoted  to  lieutenant-colonelcy 
of  his  regiment.  August  17th,  Edwards  Congregational  church  of  Davenport 
reorganized.  A'ugust  27th,  grand  reception  to  Captain  Wentz's  company,  First 
regiment  of  Iowa  volunteers.  September  6th,  Company  C,  Second  regiment  of 
Iowa  cavalry,  organized  with  Henry  Egbert  as  captain.  .  September  8th,  Colonel 
Hoffman  resigns  his  commission  as  colonel  of  the  Eighth  regiment.  September 
25th,  death  of  Antoine  LeClaire,  aged  sixty-three  years,  nine  months  and  ten 
days.  Mr.  LeClaire  was  struck  with  paralysis  about  nine  days  before  his  death. 
October  nth,  election  delayed  on  account  of  war  excitement.  Resulted  as  fol- 
lows: James  Thorington,  sheriff;  August  F.  Mast,  recorder.  November  9th, 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Wentz  killed  in  an  engagement  at  Belmont.  November  12th, 
arrival  of  the  body  of  the  late  gallant  Colonel  Wentz,  and  the  same  lying  in  state 
in  Metropolitan  hall.  November  13th,  funeral  of  the  late  Colonel  Wentz;  grand 
military  display,  in  which  all  the  public  schools,  civic  societies  and  citizens  take 
part.  Business  generally  suspended  and  the  houses  on  the  route  draped  in  mourn- 
ing for  one  of  Iowa's  most  gallant  dead.  Add.  H.  Sanders  appointed  lieutenant 
colonel  of  the  Sixteenth  regiment  Iowa  infantry,  quartered  at  Camp  McClellan. 
December  5th,  presentation  of  a  sword  and  revolvers  to  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Sanders  by  Colonel  Hill.  December  17th,  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  flames. 
1862. — February  7th,  Fort  Henry  taken  by  the  Union  army.  February  17th, 
Fort  Donelson  and  15,000  prisoners  surrendered  to  General  Grant.  February 
26th,  arrival  at  Davenport  of  the  late  Captain  Slaymaker's  body,  who  was  killed 
before  Fort  Donelson;  impressive  funeral  services  held  in  St.  Luke's  church. 
April  6th,  election  day;  Hon.  G.  H.  French  reelected  mayor;  Harvey  Leonard, 
marshal.  April  nth,  the  Eighth,  Twelfth,  and  Fourteenth  regiments  of  Iowa 
infantry  taken  prisoners.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Littler  lost  his  left  arm  in  the 
attack  before  Pittsburg  Landing.  April  29th,  capture  of  New  Orleans  and  oc- 
cupation by  the  Federal  forces.  May  6th,  disastrous  fire  in  Davenport,  destroy- 
ing the  grain  elevator  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Fifth  and  Harrison  streets ; 
loss,  $12,000.  May  12th,  Norfolk  in  possession  of  the  Federals.  May  19th, 
suicide  in  the  Burtis  House  of  Jennett  Dutton.  May  25th,  dissolution  of  part- 
nership existing  between  Alfred  and  Add.  H.  Sanders,  of  the  Davenport  Gazette ; 
the  business  was  continued  by  Alfred  Sanders.  July  21st,  Burrows  &  Pretty- 
man's  mill  and  block  destroyed  by  fire;  loss,  $60,000.  September  8th,  Alfred 
Sanders  disposed  of  his  interest  in  the  Davenport  Gazette  to  James  McCosh, 
Edward  Russell,  Fred  Koops  and  Levi  Davis,  the  same  entering  into  a  copart- 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  989 

nership  to  be  known  as  the  "Gazette  Company."  October  14th,  Colonel  Sanders 
returns  home  badly  wounded  by  a  minie  ball  in  his  right  leg,  which  he  received 
while  leading  his  regiment  against  the  enemy,  his  horse  being  shot  from  under 
him.  The  Colonel  procured  another  horse  and  remained  with  his  men  till  dark. 
December  ist,  dedication  of  the  new  German  theater  of  Davenport,  corner  of 
Scott  and  Third  streets,  by  a  grand  ball. 

1863. — January  6th,  sword  presented  to  Major  William  Penn  Clark.  Janu- 
ary 13th,  Old  Settlers  reunion.  February  17th,  a  new  bakery  opened  by  Matthes 
&  Berkel  in  Davenport.  February  21st,  Davenport  starch  factory  started  by 
George  A.  Baker  &  Brother.  March  7th,  new  banking  house  opened  in  Daven- 
port by  Corbin  &  Dow.  March  26th,  LeClaire  row,  Davenport,  on  Second  street, 
from  Main  to  Brady,  sold  to  Charles  Viele,  of  Evansville,  Indiana,  for  $60,000. 
April  4th,  John  E.  Henry  elected  mayor  of  Davenport.  April  27th,  Democrat 
issued  as  an  evening  instead  of  morning  paper.  May  nth,  J.  J.  Richardson  be- 
came associated  with  his  brother  in  the  proprietorship  of  the  Democrat  of  Daven- 
port. May  i8th,  Schricker  &  Dessaint  purchased  the  mill  property  of  Burnell, 
Gillette  &  Company,  for  $9,000.  June  29th,  the  First  National  bank  opened  with 
Austin  Corbin,  president,  and  Ira  M.  Gifford,  cashier,  and  secured  the  first  certifi- 
cate issued  under  the  new  banking  law  in  the  United  States.  August  31st,  tlie 
Davenport  City  Relief  society  organized  with  Mayor  John  E.  Henry  as  president; 
G.  L.  Davenport,  treasurer,  and  F.  H.  Griggs,  secretary.  September  21st,  ten 
candidates  admitted  to  the  ministry  by  Bishop  Ames,  of  the  Alethodist  Episcopal 
church.  September  23d,  Robert  Sickels,  who  had  been  in  business  in  Davenport 
many  years,  formed  a  copartnership  with  A.  J.  Preston,  in  the  hardware  and 
iron  trade.  November  nth.  Twin  City  Mills  destroyed  by  fire;  loss,  $15,000. 
Shields'  woolen  mill  in  operation  for  the  first  time. 

1864. — January  ist.  Young  Men's  library,  connected  with  the  Associated 
Congress  of  Davenport,  organized  with  a  library  of  1,200  volumes.  June  ist, 
Forty-fourth  Iowa  regiment  mustered  into  government  service,  with  S.  H.  Hen- 
derson, colonel;  Henry  Egbert,  lieutenant  colonel,  and  E.  F.  Richman,  adjutant. 
July  nth,  gold  closed  in  New  York  on  Saturday  at  $2.86.  August  i8th,  a  load 
of  barley  sold  on  the  streets  of  Davenport  for  $1.81  per  bushel.  August  29th, 
Bryant  &  Company,  of  Davenport,  establish  a  jobbing-house  for  boots  and  shoes. 
August  31st,  corner-stone  of  Griswold  college  chapel.  Terrible  fight  between  rafts- 
men in  Hartel's  saloon,  on  Second  street,  between  Perry  and  Rock  Island  streets, 
Davenport;  one  man  dangerously  stabbed.  September  22d,  General  Sheridan 
routs  the  enemy  at  Harper's  Ferry;  over  5,000  prisoners  taken;  great  public 
demonstration  and  rejoicing  at  the  favorable  tidings.  November  24th,  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Robert  M.  Littler  appointed  acting  assistant  provost  marshal  general 
for  the  state  of  Maine,  with  headquarters  at  Augusta.  December  25th,  General 
Sherman  captures  Savannah,  including  150  guns  and  33,000  bales  of  cotton. 
December  29th,  Griswold  college  chapel  consecrated  by  Bishop  Lee,  assisted  by 
Bishop  Vail,  of  Kansas. 

1865.— January  i8th.  Fort  Fisher  captured  by  the  Union  army;  great  rejoic- 
ings at  Davenport ;  a  salute  of  100  guns  fired  in  honor  of  the  victory.  March 
14th,  opening  of  Bryant  &  Stratton  Commercial  Business  college  in  Nichols' 
block,  corner  of  Brady  and  Second  streets,  Davenport.     April  ist,  John  L.  Davies 


990  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

elected  mayor ;  William  Pool,  marshal ;  W.  A.  Remington,  treasurer ;  Francis 
Ochs,  assessor,  of  Davenport.  April  3d,  Lee  surrendered,  with  his  entire  army, 
to  General  Grant.  Extensive  conflagration  in  dwellings  in  rear  of  St.  Louis 
Hotel,  Davenport;  stables  and  numerous  dwellings  destroyed;  loss  $8,000.  An- 
other fire  broke  out  in  a  frame  building  used  for  storage  of  hay  and  feed  for 
horses  and  mules  in  the  government  stables,  on  Second  street,  between  Perry 
and  Rock  Island,  Davenport;  loss,  $1,000.  Still  another  fire  broke  out  in 
stable  in  the  alley  between  Perry  and  Brady,  used  by  Dr.  Carpenter.  April 
lOth,  grand  gala  day  in  Davenport,  and  great  rejoicings;  immense  procession; 
grand  illumination  in  the  evening.  April  nth,  Major  R.  M.  Littler  promoted  to 
lieutenant  colonel  of  United  States  volunteers,  by  President  Lincoln,  for  faithful 
and  meritorious  service.  April  15th,  President  Lincoln  shot  dead;  J.  Wilkes 
Booth  the  assassin.  Secretary  Seward  also  assailed  by  a  murderer;  he  survives 
the  wounds  inflicted  upon  him ;  the  would-be  assassin  escaped.  April  25th,  death 
of  Alfred  Sanders,  former  proprietor  of  the  Gazette.  April  28th,  Booth,  the 
assassin  of  President  Lincoln,  was  shot  dead  and  his  accomplice,  Harold,  was 
taken  prisoner  about  three  miles  from  Port  Royal.  April  29th,  terrible  accident 
on  the  Mississippi,  a  few  miles  above  Cairo,  by  the  explosion  of  the  steamer 
"Sultana;'"  over  1,000  lives  were  lost  and  the  boat  burned  to  the  water's  edge. 
May  14th,  Jefif  Davis,  the  rebel  president,  captured  in  Irwinville,  Georgia.  July 
13th,  hoop-skirt  manufactory  established  in  Davenport  by  Winter,  Grouse  &: 
Company,  at  No.  23  East  Second  street.  August  20th,  a  man  shot  dead  while 
assaulting  a  returned  soldier  with  an  ax,  in  Davenport ;  verdict  rendered,  justifi- 
able homicide.  October  loth,  removal  of  Mr.  Russell  as  postmaster  and  General 
Sanders  appointed  to  the  position.  October  31st,  postoffice  removed  to  the 
corner  of  Third  and  Perry  streets. 

1866. — April  8th,  election  day  in  Davenport;  John  L.  Davies  was  elected 
mayor;  W.  A.  Remington,  treasurer;  Francis  Ochs,  assessor;  William  Pool, 
marshal.  May  7th,  collision,  the  steamer  "Enterprise"  sunk  by  striking  the  large 
pier  of  the  bridge;  loss  $40,000,  insurance  $12,000.  May  15th,  arrival  of  the 
new  steam  fire  engine  for  the  Fire  Kings  of  Davenport.  May  i6th,  firemen's 
annual  review  of  Davenport ;  grand  display  of  the  department ;  after  the  in- 
spection by  the  city  council  was  concluded  the  engines  were  tried  and  worked 
satisfactorily.  May  25th,  Davenport  rope  factory  started.  August  ist,  the  At- 
lantic cable  laid,  and  in  good  working  order.  August  21st,  the  roof  of  the  Con- 
gregational church  fell  in  while  undergoing  repairs ;  no  one  injured.  October 
6th,  survey  commenced  for  the  railroad  bridge  and  carriage  drive  over  the  Mis- 
sissippi, under  the  supervision  of  E.  H.  Johnson.  October  9th,  Hiram  Price,  of 
Davenport,  elected  member  of  congress.  October  i8th,  improvements  and  en- 
largement of  St.  Marguerite's  church  completed.  December  9th,  lamentable 
occurrence ;  an  elderly  woman,  Mrs.  Julia  Ann  Cahill,  aged  seventy  years,  and 
two  grandchildren  burned  to  death,  and  a  boy  fatally  injured  by  the  burning  of 
their  house  on  Locust  street  road.  December  28th,  incendiarism  ;  burning  of  bam, 
horses,  cattle,  hay,  etc.,  belonging  to  Judge  W.  L.  Cook;  loss,  $4,000.  The  num- 
ber of  suicides,  burglaries,  fires,  etc.,  during  the  last  two  months,  exceeds  any- 
thing that  has  ever  occurred  in  Davenport  during  any  six  months  from  the  time 
of  its  earliest  settlement. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  991 

1867. — January  24th,  a  new  grocery  establishment  opened  in  Davenport  on 
Brady  street  by  Price  &  Conner.  A  new  hardware  house  opened  at  No.  50 
Brady  street,  by  Goodwill  &  Bissell.  February  4th,  re-opening  of  the  new 
Young  Men's  Christian  association  rooms  in  LeClaire  block,  Davenport,  J.  S. 
Conner,  president.  March  17th,  six  prisoners  broke  jail  and  after  a  lively  chase 
three  were  captured  by  the  sheriff  and  aids.  April  6th,  election  day;  Michael 
Donahue,  mayor;  J.  W.  Moore,  marshal;  Otto  Klug,  treasurer;  T.  J.  Saunders, 
assessor.  June  nth,  ceremony  of  breaking  the  ground  for  the  Episcopal  cathe- 
dral. June  23d,  first  annual  commencement  of  exercises  of  Griswold  college; 
sermon  preached  by  the  Rev.  Chester  S.  Percival,  of  Cedar  Rapids.  June  29th, 
permanent  location  in  Davenport  of  Dr.  E.  H.  Flazen,  oculist  and  aurist.  The 
corner-stone  of  St.  Mary's  church,  of  Davenport,  laid,  July  21st.  Over  200  build- 
ings have  been  erected  and  more  than  $500,000  invested  within  the  last  seven 
months  in  improvements  and  addition  to  business  and  private  houses  in  Daven- 
port. September  3d,  another  destructive  conflagration  in  Davenport ;  seven  busi- 
ness houses  on  Brady  street  in  ruins;  loss,  $160,000.  Levi  Davis  sold  his  interest 
in  the  Gazette  Company  to  J.  S.  Conner.  September  loth,  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  railroad  open  to  Des  Moines ;  the  first  train  from  Davenport 
through  to  the  capital  celebrated  with  especial  interest.  September  30th,  five 
buildings  burned  on  East  Second  street,  Davenport,  between  Perry  and  Brady 
streets;  loss,  $5,000.  November  nth,  Burrows'  flour  mill  burned;  loss,  $15,000. 
November  25th,  return  of  Bishop  Lee  from  the  Lambeth  conference,  to  Daven- 
port. December  29th,  opening  of  the  Burtis  Opera  I  Itnise,  Davenport,  a  grand 
success. 

1868. — January  i6th,  subscription  books  opened  for  a  street  railway  in  Daven- 
port. February  12th,  great  damage  done  to  the  bridge  by  the  ice  gorge;  one  span 
moved  off  the  pier ;  five  steamboats  and  barges  wrecked ;  the  water  up  to  Second 
street;  the  river  rose  eight  feet  in  two  hours;  damages,  $150,000.  March  i6th, 
a  tornado  on  the  river;  the  railroad  bridge  in  ruins;  entire  destruction  of  the 
draw.  April  4th,  election  day  in  Davenport,  Mr.  Donahue  elected  mayor;  John 
Kaufmann,  marshal;  Otto  Klug,  treasurer;  Francis  Ochs,  assessor.  May  23d, 
new  grocery  store  opened  by  Risley  &  Bawden,  on  the  corner  of  Third  and 
Harrison  streets,  Davenport.  July  i6th,  A  L.  Mossman  swam  from  the  foot  of 
Perry  street,  Davenport,  to  the  ferry  landing  at  Rock  Island  in  seventeen  min- 
utes.    December  7th,  Sickles  &  Preston  opened  a  hardware  store  in  Davenport. 

1869. — January  15th,  a  woman  arrested  in  Davenport  with  $3,000  counter- 
feit money  in  her  possession.  January  31st,  the  jewelry  store  of  Archibald 
Corken  entered  by  burglars;  money  and  jewelry  to  the  value  of  $1,600  taken. 
March  2d,  Third  street  railroad  opened.  March  13th.  estimated  population  of 
Davenport,  according  to  the  assessor's  books,  20.063.  April  4th.  election  day  in 
Davenport;  James  Renwick  elected  mayor;  John  Kaufmann,  marshal;  Francis 
Ochs,  assessor;  W.  A.  Remington,  treasurer.  April  9th,  incendiary  work;  de- 
struction of  John  L.  Davies'  planing  mill ;  loss  $20.000 ;  no  insurance.  November 
nth,  the  Democrat  building  fired,  narrow  escape  of  the  stnicture;  loss  about 
$1,600.  December  20th,  Simonson's  clothing  store  on  Second  .street,  Davenport, 
burned;  loss,  $25,000. 


992  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

1870. — February  26th,  $10,000  worth  of  beer  destroyed  belonging  to  Knepper 
&  Schlapp,  in  East  Davenport,  by  parties  drilling  holes  in  the  large  casks  and 
vats,  and  letting  all  the  beer  out;  over  700  barrels  of  lager  were  destroyed. 
April  2d,  republican  victory  at  the  polls  in  Davenport;  John  M.  Lyter,  mayor; 
John  Kaufmann,  marshal;  F.  Ochs,  assessor;  W.  A.  Remington,  treasurer. 
April  4th,  extensive  fire  in  Davenport;  Pennsylvania  House  burned;  also  three 
residences;  loss,  $75,000.  April  15th,  bold  attempt  to  destroy  the  City  Flour 
Mills,  of  Davenport;  loss  $1,100.  April  25th,  Garrett's  shoe  factory,  two  dwell- 
ing houses,  Knostman  &  Petersen's  furniture  factory  and  lumber  yard  burned; 
k)ss,  $30,000;  all  in  Davenport.  May  19th,  D.  A.  Burrows'  mill  of  Davenport 
burned;  loss,  $10,000.  August  22d,  a  mother  and  her  two  children  foully  mur- 
dered, near  Second  and  Warren  streets,  in  Davenport.  August  29th,  a  man's 
arm  torn  out  of  the  socket  at  Renwick's  mill  in  Davenport ;  he  died  thirty  minutes 
afterward.  September  4th,  J.  C.  Bills  elected  mayor  of  Davenport.  A  new 
wholesale  store  for  hats,  caps,  furs  and  straw  goods  opened  by  J.  A.  Solomon 
&  Company,  at  No.  10,  Viele's  block,  Davenport.  September  19th,  new  trunk 
factory  started  in  Davenport  by  William  McKay  &  Son.  September  20th,  Hos- 
ford  &  Nutting  opened  a  new  hardware  store  in  Davenport.  October  6th,  first 
train  on  the  Davenport  &  St.  Paul  railroad  over  the  Wapsie.  October  23d,  two 
passenger  trains  each  way  daily  from  Davenport  to  De  Witt.  November  20th, 
the  firm  of  Charles  Knell  &  G.  R.  Marvin  opened  a  new  furniture  establishment 
in  Davenport.  November  21st,  first  regular  through  passenger  train  to  St. 
Louis ;  248  miles  in  eleven  hours  to  the  Mound  city  from  Davenport.  December 
15th,  installation  of  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Stewart  as  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
church  of  Davenport. 

1871. — January  28th,  A.  S.  Alston's  store  on  Second  street,  Davenport,  was 
robbed  of  $2,000  worth  of  silks  and  velvets.  February  5th,  first  marriage  in 
Davenport  according  to  the  rites  of  the  Jewish  faith,  the  contracting  parties 
being  Mr.  E.  Rothschild,  of  the  city,  and  Miss  C.  Lazare,  of  Rock  Island,  Illi- 
nois. April  I  St,  election  day  in  Davenport;  J.  C.  Bills  elected  mayor;  J.  A.  Le- 
Claire,  marshal.  Thompson  &  Bahls  opened  a  new  merchant  tailoring  establish- 
ment. October  5th,  heavy  fire  in  Davenport,  the  iron  elevator  destroyed,  50,000 
bushels  of  grain  burned ;  loss,  $62,000.  Opening  of  R.  Clayton's  plumbing,  gas 
and  steam-fitting  establishment  on  Second  street.  October  14th,  cold-blooded 
stabbing  of  Dr.  G.  W.  Lyon,  while  standing  in  his  own  dooryard,  by  Michael 
Delaney.  December  17th,  Hon.  John  L.  Davies'  stable  on  Harrison  street  burned; 
loss,  $4,000. 

1872. — The  Rev.  J.  G.  Merrill  succeeds  the  Rev.  J.  A.  Hamilton  as  pastor 
of  the  Edwards  Congregational  church,  Davenport.  March  ist,  glue  factory 
started  by  Mason  &  Company  on  Second  street,  foot  of  Ainsworth,  102x62  feet; 
costing  $13,000.  H.  C.  Marsh,  of  Gorton,  New  York,  succeeds  Levi  Davis  as 
one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  "Gazette" ;  estimated  value  of  the  "Gazette"  prop- 
erty, $55,000.  March  28th,  death  of  the  Hon.  John  L.  Davies,  of  Davenport. 
April  4th,  a  fine  retail  cap  and  men's  furnishing  store  opened  on  Third  street, 
near  the  postoffice,  by  W.  S.  Cameron.  August  22d,  heavy  fire  in  Davenport; 
destruction  of  Kirk's  planing  mill  and  other  property;  loss,  $21,000.     November 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  993 

2ist,  government  bridge  opened.  December  31st,  completion  of  the  new  gas 
works  of  Davenport,  at  a  cost  of  $50,000. 

1873.— January  23d,  destruction  of  the  old  city  market  house  of  Davenport, 
on  Western  avenue;  "Rescue"  and  "Pioneer"  hook  and  ladder  truck  burned; 
loss,  $4,700.  Bridge  completed;  length,  including  shore  spans,  1,848  feet;  five 
spans  and  one  draw.  February  loth,  dedication,  by  Bishop  Andrews,  of  the 
new  Methodist  church  of  Davenport,  on  Brady  street,  now  The  Hastings,  an 
apartment  house.  March  loth,  reappointment  of  Postmaster  Russell.  April  5th, 
J.  H.  Murphy  elected  mayor  of  Davenport;  J.  A.  LeClaire,  city  marshal;  B. 
Finger,  assessor.  May  5th,  completion  of  the  fine  organ  in  the  Episcopal  cathe- 
dral at  a  cost  of  $5,000.  May  26th,  organization  of  the  Davenport  Glucose 
Company;  capital  stock,  $50,000.  June  i8th,  consecration  of  the  Episcopal  cathe- 
dral ;  sermon  by  Bishop  Whipple,  of  Minnesota,  in  the  forenoon,  and  by  Bishop 
Clarkson,  of  Nebraska,  in  the  evening.  June  22d,  death  of  Dr.  White,  late 
business  manager  of  the  Gazette  Company.  August  26th,  corner  stone  of  the 
new  Trinity  church  laid,  on  the  corner  of  Brady  and  Seventh  streets.  October 
14th  election,  M.  J.  Rohlfs,  treasurer;  H.  Leonard,  sheriflf ;  L.  Robeson,  assessor. 
December  26th,  dedication  of  the  new  Congregational  church,  corner  of  Ninth 
and  Perry  streets.  December  30th,  opening  of  new  waterworks  at  a  cost  of 
$512,000. 

1874. — Fire  pressure;  official  test  of  the  waterworks;  the  pumps  can  furnish 
9,610,200  gallons  in  twenty-four  hours,  supplied  by  two  engines,  each  of  125 
horse  power.  February  5th,  swindling  venture  of  T.  S.  Egglesht  &  Company  to 
steal  $15,000  from  three  banks;  capture  of  Egglesht  after  a  smart  chase.  April 
4th,  election  returns  are:  J.  W.  Stewart,  mayor;  B.  Finger,  assessor;  J.  A.  Le- 
Claire, marshal.  April  27th,  Fritz  Dinkel  kills  his  wife  with  a  butcher  knife. 
September  27th,  death  of  Bishop  Lee  from  the  effects  of  serious  injuries  received 
from  falling  down  stairs.  December  25th,  opening  of  the  new  Trinity  church 
of  Davenport  on  the  corner  of  Seventh  and  Brady. 

1875. — January  3d,  Renwick  Memorial,  now  the  Mt.  Ida  Presbyterian  church, 
dedicated.  January  9th,  remarkable  change  in  tlie  weather;  at  11  a.  m.,  twenty-one 
degrees  above  zero ;  at  2  p.  m.,  four  degrees  below,  and  at  10  p.  m.,  twenty-one  de- 
grees below  zero  in  Davenport.  March  29th,  disastrous  fire  in  Davenport ;  Shields' 
woolen  mill  partially  destroyed ;  heavy  loss  of  machinery,  wool  and  cloth ;  loss, 
$30,000  to  $40,000.  April  3d,  election  day  in  Davenport ;  Roderick  Rose,  elected 
mayor ;  E.  H.  Jennings,  marshal ;  B.  Finger,  assessor.  Alay  8th.  great  mourning  in 
Davenport;  the  loss  of  the  steamship  "Schiller,"  sixteen  residents  of  Daven- 
port being  among  the  lost,  namely:  Charles  F.  Haase,  wife  and  two  children; 
P.  A.  Paulsen,  William  Frahm,  Mrs.  Margaretta  Klemme,  Otto  Kircher,  P.  C. 
Roschmann,  Mrs.  Emma  Hansen  and  child ;  Henry  Goettsch,  G.  W.  Gutsche  and 
wife;  John  Nissen,  and  John  Bohnsack.  May  12th,  consecration  of  Trinity 
church,  of  Davenport;  sermon  by  Bishop  Talbot.  August  28th,  Sieg  &  Williams 
entered  their  new  warehouse;  a  fine  three-story  brick,  43x150  feet,  on  the  south- 
east corner  of  Third  and  Main  streets,  Davenport.  September  4th,  M.  Weide- 
mann  opens  a  new  dry  goods,  notions  and  millinery  establishment  on  the  corner 
of  Second  and  Harrison  streets,  Davenport.  September  14th,  Beiderbecke  & 
Miller  take  possession  of  their  fine  new  building  on  West  Second  street,  Daven- 


994  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

port;  its  size  is  150x70  feet  and  three  stories  high,  with  all  the  latest  interior 
improvements ;  it  is  now  the  home  of  the  Davenport  Savings  Bank.  November 
4th,  Edward  Russell  again  assumes  the  chair  as  editor-in-chief  of  the  "Gazette," 
by  purchasing  the  interest  of  W.  M.  Potter. 

1876. — January  i,  "Gazette"  annual  review  shows  the  following  building 
improvements  during  1875 :  Charles  Hill's  furniture  store  on  Second  street,  four 
stories,  21x80  feet;  cost,  $6,000;  a  three-story  brick  on  Second  street  between 
Ripley  and  Scott,  40x75  feet,  erected  by  August  Steffen  and  H.  Dohlman,  cost, 
$10,000;  Reupke,  Schmidt  &  Company,  cracker  factory,  corner  Iowa  and  Fourth 
street,  43x150  feet,  two  story,  cost,  $5,000;  Schauder's  hotel.  Front  street,  three- 
story  brick,  20x70  feet,  cost,  $6,000;  Steffen's  block,  corner  Harrison  and  Sec- 
ond, 87x77  feet,  three-story  brick  and  iron,  cost,  $25,000 ;  Grant's  hotel,  now  the 
St.  James,  corner  of  Main  and  Front  streets,  three-story  brick,  55x150  feet, 
seventy-three  rooms,  and  cost  $21,000.  February  22d,  great  fire  in  Davenport; 
destruction  of  Hill's  block  and  several  stores  and  offices;  loss  over  $50,000. 
April  I  St,  election  day;  Roderick  Rose,  mayor;  Edward  Jennings,  marshal.  April 
3d,  U.  N.  Roberts  &  Company  took  possession  of  their  fine  new  three-story 
brick,  corner  of  Harrison  and  Fourth;  size  63x105  feet.  May  15th,  heavy 
fire  broke  out  in  Renwick,  Shaw  &  Crossett's  mill ;  lumber  and  machinery  de- 
stroyed valued  at  $10,000.  September  loth.  Rev.  William  Stevens  Perry, 
D.  D.  (Trinity  church,  Geneva,  New  York),  consecrated  bishop  of  the  Epis- 
copal church  for  the  diocese  of  Iowa.  October  4th,  first  issue  of  the  new  Ger- 
man paper,  "Der  Sternen  Banner." 

1877. — January  ist,  annual  review  of  the  Gazette,  1876,  shows  building  im- 
provements $214,250;  total  amount  of  manufactures,  $11,302,902.07;  goods  sold 
at  wholesale,  $5,397,000;  grain  receipts,  5.380,000  bushels.  January  i8th,  arrival 
at  the  waterworks,  Davenport,  of  the  new  engines.  April  7th,  election  day  in 
Davenport ;  T.  T.  Dow  elected  mayor ;  E.  J.  Jennings,  marshal ;  E.  H.  Schmidt, 
assessor.  August  12th,  completion  of  the  new  Board  of  Trade  rooms,  of  Daven- 
port. August  20th,  Der  Demokrat  moves  into  its  new  quarters ;  fine  three  story 
brick,  cut  stone  front,  on  Third  street,  near  Main.  September  15th,  Whitaker's 
mill  destroyed  by  fire;  loss,  $10,000.  October  4th,  cornerstone  laid  of  the  new 
building  for  the  Academy  of  Sciences.  November  6th,  the  cornerstone  of  the  new 
library  building.  Sixth  and  Brady  streets,  with  impressive  ceremonies  by  the 
Masonic  order.  November  20th,  new  book  store  opened  on  Brady  street,  by 
Gartside  &  Piatt.  December  i6th,  the  100  foot  single  deck  span  on  the  island  side 
of  government  bridge  broken  down  by  a  derrick  attached  to  a  freight  train  and 
Conductor  McFarland  seriously  injured.  December  30th,  dedication  of  the 
Fire  King's  new  engine  house  on  Perry  street.  Ashtabula  bridge  disaster,  De- 
cember 28,  1876. 

Captain  Haupt,  proprietor  of  the  Mississippi  House,  Davenport,  died  Janu- 
ary 6th,  in  the  fifty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  He  had  run  the  house  for  twenty 
years.  March  6,  1877,  George  Mordaunt  arrested  for  forgery  on  several  parties 
in  Davenport.  June  25th.  severe  storm  throughout  the  county ;  great  damage  to 
crops.  July  26th,  big  strike  of  railroad  employes.  September  8th,  old  settlers 
had  a  barbecue  at  Blue  Grass. 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  9i)5 

1878. — January  3d,  Der  Demokrat  appears  enlarged  from  six  to  seven  col- 
umn paper.  January  ist,  a  steamboat,  the  "McDonald,"  landed  from  LeClaire; 
something  that  is  almost  unknown.  January  5th,  death  of  Fred  O.  Parker. 
March  30th,  dastardly  attempt  of  two  masked  men  to  kill  and  rob  Father  Cos- 
grove.  April  8th,  Major  Gustavus  Schnitger  received  a  telegram  from  Hon. 
Hiram  Price,  at  Washington,  that  he  was  appointed  United  States  marshal  for 
Wyoming  territory.  April  6th,  Charles  Hagerty,  arrested  for  the  attempted  mur- 
der of  Father  Cosgrove.  May  22d,  state  homeopathic  convention  met  at  Burtis 
House.  December  9th,  snow  storm  lasting  part  of  three  days ;  snow  about  three 
feet  deep. 

1879. — The  Gazette  shows  a  record  of  1878  of  the  business  interests  of  Daven- 
port; total  value  of  manufactures,  $4,458,908;  amount  of  wholesale  and  jobbing 
trade  as  $5,048,500;  building  improvements,  $160,000.  During  the  year  1878, 
29,189  passengers  were  ticketed  from  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  rail- 
road ticket  office  at  Davenport.  January  7th,  a  Mrs.  Hogan  living  about  three 
miles  from  Davenport,  burned  to  death ;  caught  her  clothing  afire  while  warming 
herself.  January  4th,  quite  a  serious  fire  at  Princeton,  sweeping  away  an  entire 
row  of  substantial  brick  buildings,  the  worst  loss  this  place  has  ever  had,  being 
about  $9,500.  January  12th,  John  McManus  and  wife  had  gone  to  church  and 
left  their  five  children;  the  oldest  boy,  Frank,  had  the  day  before  bought  a 
pistol,  and  he  got  it  out,  and  supposing  it  to  be  unloaded,  pointed  it  at  his  sister 
Mary  and  pulled  the  trigger ;  the  pistol  was  discharged,  the  ball  entering  her 
brain;  she  died  in  a  short  time.  January  15th,  corn  blockade  at  Chicago.  Jan- 
uary 30th,  General  Sigel  was  in  Davenport  on  a  short  visit  to  his  friends.  Feb- 
ruary 9th,  quite  a  fire  on  the  corner  of  Second  and  Brady  streets;  loss,  about 
$3,000.  February  15th,  James  McManus  died  at  his  residence  at  the  west  end  of 
Third  street.  February  20th,  death  of  Mrs.  Clarissa  C.  Cook.  March  29th, 
death  of  N.  M.  Rambo.  April  4th,  double  death  by  suicide,  of  Harry  Watt  and 
Louisa  Filter.  April  15th,  William  Smith  crushed  to  death  by  a  boiler  falling 
on  him  while  helping  to  move  it  at  the  rear  end  of  the  roundhouse  in  Davenport. 
April  2ist,  Mrs.  Schaumberg's  and  Mr.  Becker's  houses  on  West  Ninth  street 
were  burned.  May  2d,  Frederick  Winters  committed  suicide  by  jumping  into 
the  river.  May  6th,  Warren  Chase  fell  from  the  top  of  Mr.  Ballard's  house  in 
Davenport,  where  he  was  painting.  His  neck  was  nearly  broken  and  spinal  col- 
umn so  injured  that  the  whole  body  was  paralyzed.  May  nth,  thirty-six  girls 
and  boys  took  their  first  communion  at  St.  Anthony's  church,  Davenport.  May 
20th,  Judge  Dillon  tendered  the  position  of  professor  of  municipal  and  real 
estate  law  in  Columbia  Law  school.  New  York,  at  a  salar)^  of  $7,000.  May  22d, 
total  destruction  of  H.  P.  Beattie's  flouring  mill  by  fire ;  loss,  $100,000.  May  28th, 
telegram  received  by  Charles  E.  Putnam  that  his  son,  John  C,  was  drowned  at 
Hoboken,  New  Jersey,  while  attending  school.  ]\Iay  31st.  government  bridge 
opened  permanently  after  being  closed  for  repairs.  Mrs.  Dr.  Keck  bought  the 
John  P.  Cook  residence  at  the  cost  of  $12,000.  June  2d,  the  "Sirs.  Ebenezer  Cook 
will  case  settled. 

On  the  4th  of  July  a  lad  named  Henry  Gaston  acted  the  part  of  a  genuine 
hero  in  saving  the  life  of  James  Collins,  a  boy  of  thirteen  years,  who  was  drown- 
ing in  the  river.    A  burglary  was  perpetrated  at  the  residence  of  G.  P.  Knostman, 


996  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

on  the  night  of  the  3d  of  July,  1879;  several  valuable  articles  were  stolen.  One 
of  the  most  furious  storms  of  wind  and  rain  that  ever  visited  this  locality  occurred 
on  the  morning  of  the  9th  of  July;  not  much  damage  was  done  to  buildings;  but 
the  injury  to  the  crops  was  enormous,  whole  fields  of  com  and  oats  being  pros- 
trated. On  Thursday  afternoon,  July  12th,  a  fatal  accident  occurred  to  one  of 
Davenport's  old  and  established  citizens.  Christian  Rusch.  He  was  carrying  some 
shingles  to  the  carpenters  on  a  scaffolding  just  beneath  the  eaves  of  a  barn 
Ihey  were  building,  when  the  scaffolding  fell  with  him  to  the  ground.  He  was 
taken  up  senseless  and  died  from  the  effects  of  his  injuries  Friday-noon.  He 
had  been  a  resident  of  Scott  county  since  1857,  and  had  always  been  a  quiet 
man,  honest  and  highly  esteemed  by  his  acquaintances.  Jacob  Breis,  who  was 
in  his  ninetieth  year,  died  July  i6th,  at  the  residence  of  his  son-in-law,  Lucas 
Ruhl.  The  deceased  had  been  a  resident  of  Davenport  for  thirty  years.  At 
10:00  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  July  19th,  the  body  of  an  unknown  man  was 
found  in  the  river  at  the  foot  of  Harrison  street;  an  inquest  was  held,  the  jury's 
verdict  being  "death  from  accidental  drowning."  The  glucose  company  had 
$7,000  worth  of  machinery  under  contract  for  their  works,  much  of  it  nearly 
completed,  when  the  works  were  totally  destroyed  by  fire  July  19th.  The  body 
of  George  Westphal,  of  Davenport,  who  was  drowned  off  a  government  dredge 
boat,  above  Hampton,  on  Monday  afternoon,  July  28th,  was  recovered  above 
Hampton,  two  days  later.  He  had  been  a  resident  of  Davenport  twenty-two 
years.  An  attempt  was  made  to  rob  the  drugstore  of  J.  F.  Koch,  on  the  night 
of  August  5th,  which  came  near  resulting  in  the  death  of  ]\Ir.  Koch;  two  shots 
were  fired  by  the  burglars  which  missed  their  mark.  B.  B.  Woodward,  for 
many  years  one  of  Davenport's  most  prominent  citizens,  died  at  his  residence 
in  that  city  August  19th,  after  a  long  and  painful  illness.  Nathaniel  Wilson 
died  of  old  age  in  LeClaire  township,  August  19th.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
pioneers  in  that  township  and  had  resided  in  Scott  county  forty-two  years.  On 
Thursday  morning,  August  28th,  the  most  costly,  the  finest,  and  one  of  the 
largest  barns  in  Scott  county,  belonging  to  E.  W.  Gilbert,  of  New  York,  and 
occupied  by  C.  Druehl,  was  struck  by  lightning  and  completely  demolished.  A 
shocking  outrage  was  perpetrated  in  Winfield  township  on  Friday  night,  Sep- 
tember 26th.  Near  midnight  three  masked  men  forced  an  entrance  into  the 
house  of  Farmer  Flanery.  dragged  him  from  his  bed,  then,  in  spite  of  all  resist- 
ance from  him  and  pleadings  from  his  wife,  they  took  him  out  of  doors  and 
kicked  and  beat  him  in  the  most  brutal  manner  and  ended  their  infamous  work 
by  throwing  him  in  a  pond.  His  injuries  were  very  severe.  A  shocking  accident 
occurred  on  October  20th.  The  victim  was  Edward  Fleming,  son  of  James 
Fleming,  No.  522  West  Fifth  street.  He  had  been  put  to  work  by  his  employer 
to  melt  zinc  to  galvanize  telephone  wire.  Following  instructions  he  poured  a 
composition  of  some  kind  into  a  kettle  of  boiling  zinc,  causing  an  instantaneous 
explosion  which  covered  his  face  and  neck  with  the  scalding  stuff,  which  sank 
deep  in  the  flesh.  He  presented  a  horrible  spectacle,  both  eyes  being  burned  out. 
The  burning  of  the  Chicago.  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  round-house  occurred  on 
October  30th,  two  engines  being  badly  damaged.  The  death  of  John  Bumside 
occurred  at  his  home  in  Blue  Grass  township,  November  8th.  He  was  a  true, 
upright  and  honest  man,  respected  by  all  who  knew  him.    On  December  12th  the 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  997 

livery  stable  of  Judson  Parcell  was  almost  completely  destroyed  by  fire.  The  live 
stock  and  portable  property  were  all  saved,  but  the  buildings  were  almost  totally 
demolished.  After  several  months  of  illness  Hon.  Eugene  Birchard  died  at 
home,  in  Pleasant  Valley  township,  December  13th. 

1880. — January  28th  and  29th,  conference  of  bishops  at  Grace  cathedral 
church,  Bishops  Whipple,  of  Minnesota,  Spaulding,  of  Colorado,  Clarkson,  Hare 
and  Perry  present.  February  28th,  Charles  Stewart  Parnell,  the  great  Irish 
patriot,  received  with  enthusiasm.  Speeches  at  the  Burtis.  March  nth,  Howard 
Burtis,  new  landlord  of  the  Burtis.  The  hotel  renamed  tlie  Kimball  House.  July 
1st,  the  Kimball  house,  evolved  from  the  new  Burtis  by  Howard  Burtis,  its 
purchaser,  ready  for  guests.  October  8th,  work  begun  on  the  soldiers'  monument 
site. 

1881. — March  21st,  Grace  cathedral  receives  from  Mrs.  D.  J.  Ely,  of  New 
York,  a  gift  for  the  erection  of  a  house  in  cathedral  close  for  Rev.  Dr.  Barris ; 
incumbent  of  the  Ely  professorship  of  Griswold  College.  May  8th,  Pope  Leo 
formally  ratifies  division  of  diocese  of  Dubuque  and  creates  the  diocese  of  Daven- 
port; Very  Rev.  John  McMullen  appointed  first  bishop  of  Davenport.  June  20th, 
the  old  Burtis  House,  corner  of  Iowa  and  Fifth  streets,  sold  by  Superintendent 
A.  Kimball  to  Davenport  Oatmeal  Company,  $10,000.  July  31st,  Bishop 
McMullen's  first  service  at  St.  Marguerite's.  August  3d,  death  of  Peter 
Littig,  a  veteran  of  Waterloo,  aged  eighty-seven  years.  September  17th,  Trinity 
chimes  played  the  first  time  by  Walter  A.  Marsh,  of  New  York,  "Old  Hundred." 
September  20th,  Davenport  draped  in  mourning  upon  the  news  of  Garfield's 
death  at  midnight.    November  9th,  the  council  discusses  paid  fire  department. 

1882.— April  28th,  first  run  of  paid  fire  department.  May  ist,  an  electric 
light  company  organized  in  this  city.  July  7th,  the  first  street  car  built  in  Daven- 
port, turned  out  by  Henry  Thuenen.  August  29th,  death  of  Hon.  Hugh  M. 
Martin  at  Crested  Butte,  Colorado,  from  injuries  received  on  a  mountain  several 
days  before  from  a  rolling  boulder.  October  3d,  death  of  D.  C.  Eldridge,  aged 
eighty-one.  October  17th,  fortieth  annual  convention  of  the  Iowa  Baptist  State 
Association,  held  in  Calvary  church. 

1883.— May  29th,  General  Sheridan  visits  Rock  Island  Arsenal.  July  4th, 
death  of  Bishop  John  IMcMullen.  July  8th,  the  raising  of  silk  worms  begim  in 
Davenport.  September  i6th,  dedication  of  St.  Joseph's  church,  northeast  comer 
of  Marquette  and  Sixth  streets.  September  29th,  incorporation  of  the  Hebrew 
Ladies  Aid  Society.  October  28th,  dedication  of  the  United  Presbyterian  church, 
corner  of  Eleventh  and  Brady  streets.  November  nth,  dedication  of  Swedish 
Baptist  church,  on  East  Sixth  street.  November  i8th,  new  standard  time  adopted 
throughout  the  United  States.  November  19th,  Young  Peoples'  Guild  organized 
in  Edwards  Congregational  church. 

1884.— April  8th,  opening  of  supreme  court  at  Kimball  House.  September 
14th,  consecration  of  Father  Cosgrove  as  bishop  at  St.  Marguerite's  cathedral. 
Sermon  preached  by  Bishop  Ireland  of  St.  Paul.  September  24th,  formal  opening 
of  St.  Katherine's  Hall.  December  i  ith,  first  meeting  of  Scott  County  Democratic 
Club  held  at  Turner  hall. 

i885.~February  9th,  fifteen  inches  of  snow  in  twenty-four  hours,  followed 
bv  severe  cold  weather.     February  28th,  George  L.  Davenport  dies  at  St.  Au- 


998  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

gustine,  Florida,  aged  sixty-seven  years.  Born  at  Fort  Armstrong,  on  Rock 
Island,  November  17,  1817 ;  the  first  white  child  bom  in  this  entire  region. 
March  4th,  Davenport  democrats  have  an  "inaugural  banquet,"  the  first  since 
Buchanan's  inauguration  in  1857.  May  20th,  the  city  council  adopts  the  eight- 
hour  day  for  city  work.  June  2d,  Smith  Allen  dies;  was  Davenport's  oldest 
living  grain  dealer.  July  4th,  laying  of  corner  stone  of  St.  Ambrose  College. 
The  park  commission  organized.  August  3d,  eight  mules  and  two  horses  bought 
for  the  Central  Street  Railway.  August  8th,  business  suspended  in  honor  of 
funeral  of  General  Grant.  August  27th,  special  delivery  stamps  introduced. 
November  13th,  first  barrel  factory  in  Davenport  under  construction. 

1886. — October  ist,  special  delivery  of  mail  matter  other  than  letters  begun. 
October  30th,  Captain  James  May,  one  of  the  town  lot  incorporators  of  Daven- 
port, dies.  November  26th,  end  of  a  causeless  run  on  the  German  Savings 
Bank. 

1887. — January  i8th,  first  examining  board  meets  at  the  arsenal  for  the  pur- 
pose of  examining  ordnance  officers  in  line  of  promotion.  Opening  of  office 
of  Associated  Charities  in  basement  of  old  high  school  building,  corner  of  Sixth 
and  Main  street,  Mrs.  Nettie  F.  Howard  in  charge.  March  lOth,  death  of  James 
B.  Eads,  of  St.  Louis  bridge  and  jetty  fame.  May  loth,  on  account  of  the  cap- 
tured Confederate  powder  being  exhausted,  salutes  of  sunrise  and  sunset  guns 
discontinued  at  the  arsenal.  June  5th,  the  Democrat  absorbs  the  Gazette.  No- 
vember 6th,  Rev.  Elnathan  C.  Gavit,  who  preached  the  first  sermon  ever  de- 
livered in  Davenport,  deHvers  an  address  at  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
November  9th,  the  main  building  of  the  Orphans  Home  is  destroyed  by  light- 
ning; loss,  $50,000.  November  29th,  steam-heated  passenger  trains  come  into 
fashion.  December  i8th,  the  G-Whizz,  the  Rock  Island's  new  limited  from 
Kansas  City  to  Chicago,  makes  its  first  run. 

1888. — April  20th,  the  Davenport  Business  Men's  Association  throws  open 
its  new  rooms  in  the  Masonic  Temple.  April  25th,  grand  opening  reception  of 
Masonic  Temple.  May  nth,  destruction  of  water  power  dam  at  Rock  Island 
by  flood;  loss,  about  $100,000.  May  i6th,  Mississippi  river  reaches  highest 
mark  on  record — eighteen  feet,  seven  inches  above  low  water  mark.  May  17th, 
opening  of  three  days'  festival  in  honor  of  the  completion  of  the  new  Turner 
hall.  August  8th,  Chicago  syndicate  buys  all  the  street  car  property  in  three 
cities,  except  the  Central  and  Brady  street  line,  in  Davenport.  August  nth, 
electric  cars  tested  on  Brady  street  hill;  cars  loaded  with  forty  or  fifty  persons 
climbed  the  grade  with  ease;  general  rejoicing.  August  28th,  the  first  electric 
car  accident;  three-year  old  child  of  W.  B.  Wiley  run  over  at  Fifteenth  and 
Rock  Island  streets  and  killed.  November  7th,  police  patrol  system  in  opera- 
tion. November  i8th,  the  Rock  Island  starts  vestibule  trains  between  Chicago 
and  Denver.  December  i6th,  street  car  line  being  laid  across  the  island.  De- 
cember 24th,  Davenport,  Rock  Island  and  Moline  united  by  street  car  lines.  De- 
cember 25th,  cars  begin  running  across  the  bridge. 

1889. — January  28th,  inspection  of  new  courthouse  by  board  of  supervisors. 
February  8th,  the  first  call  for  police  was  sounded  from  box  No.  3,  on  Front 
street,  under  new  telephone  patrol  system.  March  28th,  the  Hibernian  hall  as- 
sociation buys  the  Christian  church  property  on  east  side  of  Brady  street.    May 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  999 

7th,  death  of  Dan  Renssellaer  Rowe.  Mr.  Rowe  built  the  first  elevator  in  Daven- 
port. May  29th,  a  very  fine  portrait  of  Judge  James  Grant,  the  first  judge  of 
this  district,  painted  by  Miss  Mamie  Leonard,  his  niece,  is  presented  to  the 
Scott  county  bar.  July  3d,  contract  let  for  Christian  church  building  at  Fif- 
teenth and  LeClaire  streets.  August  19th,  laying  of  corner-stone  of  the  new 
Christian  church.  August  23d,  Methodists  of  Davenport  celebrate  the  fiftieth 
anniversary  of  the  church's  work.  September  7th,  death  of  Jacob  Orth,  aged 
ninety-nine  years.  September  21st,  corner-stone  of  Calvary  Baptist  church, 
Fourteenth  and  Ferry,  laid  by  the  pastor.  Rev.  F.  L.  Wilkins.  November  15th, 
Davenport  Art  Association  organized  at  the  studio  of  Miss  Bianca  Wheeler.  De- 
cember 8th,  the  Christian  church  is  dedicated. 

1 8c,o.— January  9th,  death  of  Bailey  Davenport  in  Rock  Island.  February 
i8th,  German  Free  School  association  files  articles  of  incorporation.  Betten- 
dorf  Wheel  Works  incorporated,  authorized  capital  $1,000,000;  incorporators, 
W.  M.  Bettendorf,  G.  Watson  French  and  Nathaniel  French.  March  ist,  wide 
wheel  tire  ordinance  goes  into  effect.  April  27th,  cornerstone  of  the  Sacred 
Heart  cathedral  laid.  May  25th,  dedication  of  the  Calvary  Baptist  church,  corner 
of  Perry  and  Fourteenth  streets.  September  2d,  first  regular  Labor  Day  celebra- 
tion in  Davenport.  Governor  Boies  speaks  at  Schuetzen  park.  October  ist,  an 
ordinance  is  passed  permitting  electric  power  to  be  used  by  Holmes  City  railways. 
1 8g I. —February  13th,  death  of  John  M.  Eldridge,  the  first  tailor  in  Daven- 
port. March  14th,  Judge  James  Grant  dies  at  Oakland,  California,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine.  March  15th,  the  Davenport  crematorium  is  formally  opened  by  the 
incineration  of  the  body  of  Otto  Kochert.  July  18th,  money  is  subscribed  for 
the  Outing  Club.  August  29th,  first  work  begun  on  viaduct  to  Rock  Island. 
September  19th,  the  Davenport  Gas  Company's  plant  electrically  lights  city  for 
first  time. 

1892.— June  27th,  the  Mississippi  reaches  the  highest  gauge  ever  known  ex- 
cept the  flood  of  1 85 1.  Much  damage  and  inconvenience  in  the  tri-cities.  Sep- 
tember 2d,  incorporation  of  the  Farmers  &  Mechanics  Savings  Bank  of  Daven- 
port. December  14th,  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  organization  of  the  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences  is  celebrated. 

i8c,3._july  2d,  the  newly  remodeled  Second  Presbyterian  church  dedicated. 
December  nth,  death  in  Washington,  D.  C,  of  Jeremiah  H.  Murphy,  ex-con- 

^^^'18^4— January  i8th,  thirty-two  trades  unions  notify  Mayor  \-ollmer  that 
they  will  call  upon  him  to  demand  work.  February  3d,  Bethlehem  Congrega- 
tional church  organized.  April  19th,  Iowa  Sons  of  the  Revolution  held  their 
first  banquet  May  5th,  electric  cars  cross  the  bridge.  August  26th,  forty-sec- 
ond anniversary  of  the  Davenport  Turner  Society  is  celebrated.  November 
6th,  first  chrysanthemum  show  at  Library  hall.  November  30th,  water  ad- 
mitted to  first  section  of  the  Hennepin  canal.  , .      ,      ,   . 

189;  -February  14th.  first  use  in  Davenport  of  anti-toxin.  March  2.1,  trans- 
fers introduced  on  street  cars  of  Mount  Ida  and  Third  street  lines.  Apnl  9th 
purchase  of  residence  of  Uriah  Roraback  for  Catholic  orphanage,  by  Sons  of 
the  Sacred  Heart.  April  17th,  Hennepin  canal  opens  locks  to  receive  the  first 
boat      April  28th,  St.  Luke's  Hospital  is  opened.     August  nth,  announcement 


1000  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

of  a  new  government  bridge.  August  15th,  the  Davenport  clearing  house  as- 
sociation is  organized.  September  19th,  Nicholas  Fejervary  dies  at  the  age  of 
eighty-four.  September  30th,  St.  Luke's  training  school  for  nurses  is  opened. 
November  14th,  the  steamer  Belcher  brings  the  first  cargo  of  coal  out  of  the 
Hennepin  canal.  December  6th,  the  Citizens  National  and  the  German  Sav- 
ings banks  begin  business  in  the  new  McManus  block,  December  27th,  Kemper 
hall  closed  as  a  diocesan  school. 

1896. — Alay  31st,  the  bicycle  craze  takes  possession  of  Davenport  and  the  coun- 
try at  large.  September  14th,  the  city  hall  clock  bell  strikes  for  the  first  time  at 
12:30.     December  ist,  bridge  opened  to  the  general  public. 

1897. — February  23d,  opening  at  the  armory  of  the  first  bicycle  show  in  Daven- 
port. March  31st,  long  distance  telephone  lines  opened.  July  i8th,  corner-stone 
of  Roman  Catholic  orphanage  of  St.  Vincent's  home  laid.  August  2d,  the  old  John 
P.  Cook  home,  converted  into  a  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  building,  is 
dedicated.  August  12th,  the  glucose  works  sold  to  glucose  sugar  refining  company 
for  $700,0(X).  October  ist.  Rock  Island  secures  the  seal,  records  and  complete 
head  office  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  from  Fulton,  Illinois. 

1898. — March  27th,  the  Schleswig-Holstein  veterans  held  their  fiftieth  anni- 
versary reunion.  July  20th,  the  corner-stone  of  the  new  Presbyterian  church, 
corner  Kirkwood  boulevard  and  Iowa  street,  is  laid.  September  13th,  the  Tri-City 
Press  club  is  organized.  September  20th,  Company  B  returns  home  from  the 
Spanish-American  war. 

1899. — March  loth,  congress  passes  a  bill  establishing  a  gun  factory  at  the  Rock 
Island  Arsenal.  May  21st,  the  corner-stone  of  the  German  Free  school  laid  on 
Western  avenue.  October  15th,  the  two  Methodist  churches  merge  and  have  their 
first  joint  service  as  the  Central  Methodist  church.  October  23d,  the  first  rural 
free  mail  delivery  in  Scott  county  is  inaugurated  by  Carrier  Henry  Ade,  by  way 
of  the  Utica  Ridge  road. 

1900. — The  first  passenger  train  from  Clinton  over  the  D.  R.  I.  &  X.  W.  ar- 
rives at  the  Perry  street  station.  February  21st,  Governor  Larrabee  presents 
the  Orphans'  Home  with  $3,000  pipe  organ.  ISIarch  12th,  citizens  of  Davenport 
vote  to  buy  the  Griswold  college  property  at  $53,000  for  a  high  school  site.  Tlie 
women  vote  for  the  first  time.  May  ist,  Baron  Otto  \^on  Schaezler  brings  the 
first  automobile  to  Davenport.  August  ist,  the  pink  eye,  an  epidemic  among 
horses,  reaches  Davenport.  August  22d,  a  kindergarten  organization  comes  into 
being  in  Davenport.  November  4th,  the  remodeled  Edwards  Congregational 
church  building  is  dedicated. 

1901. — March  8th,  Andrew  Carnegie  adds  $25,000  to  his  gift  of  $50,000  .for 
the  public  library.  April  ist,  the  chief  of  police  enforces  the  curfew  ordinance. 
May  26th.  Davenport  Maennerchor  celebrates  its  fiftieth  birthday."  May  30th, 
Hon.  Hiram  Price  dies  in  Washington  at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  June 
loth.  Professor  Willis  H.  Barris  dies  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine.  July  25th, 
Davenport  in  danger  of  destruction  by  fire.  The  worst  conflagration  in  this  ter- 
ritory. Eight  blocks  and  Weyerhauser  &  Denkmann's  sawmill  and  yards  swept 
by  flames.  More  than  200  people  lose  their  homes.  Rock  Island  and  Moline  send 
help  and  save  the  city  from  greater  loss.  Damages,  about  $1,000,000.  August  24th, 
McCowen  hall,  hotel  for  working  women,  is  formally  opened.     October  26th, 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  1001 

Davenport  National  Bank  goes  into  liquidation.  Xovember  i8th,  the  public  kin- 
derg:arten  started  in  the  old  Methodist  Episcopal  church  on  Fourteenth  street. 
December  7th,  spitting  in  cars  is  prohibited  by  the  street  railway  company. 

1902. — January  28th,  the  wagon  shop  of  the  Bettendorf  Axle  Company 
is  burned  at  a  loss  of  $200,000.  March  ist,  the  Rock  Island  Company  puts 
on  a  through  service  to  California.  March  4th,  the  ^Milwaukee  Railroad  Com- 
pany purchases  thirty  acres  of  ground  in  West  Davenport  for  shops.  March  nth, 
a  pioneer,  Ira  Cook,  dies  in  Des  Moines.  May  ist,  the  bolster  works  of  the 
Bettendorf  Axle  Company  is  burned,  at  a  loss  of  $250,000.  July  30th,  plat  of 
new  town  of  Bettendorf,  nee  Gilberttown,  filed  on  record.  August  3d,  St.  John's 
chapel.,  the  new  German  Lutheran  church  on  Lincoln  avenue  and  Rockingham 
road,  dedicated.  August  24th,  the  Turngemeinde  has  its  golden  jubilee  parade. 
October  2d,  the  cornerstone  of  St.  Mary's  chapel,  St.  Katherine's  school,  is  laid. 
December  21st,  the  German  Congregational  church  at  Fourth  and  Pine  streets, 
is  dedicated. 

1903. — January  30th,  Mrs.  Henry  W.  Lee,  widow  of  the  late  Bishop  Henry 
W.  Lee,  dies  at  Salt  Lake  City  at  the  age  of  ninety  years.  March  9th,  the  Bene- 
volent Order  of  Eagles  is  incorporated.  March  20th,  Mrs.  R.  R.  Roraback  dies 
at  the  age  of  ninety-four  years.  June  ist,  the  Davenport  free  public  library  is 
opened  in  Cook  Memorial  building  at  Sixth  and  Brady  streets.  June  28th,  orders 
received  by  Major  Blunt  for  the  installation  of  a  small  arms  plant  at  the  arsenal. 
June  29th,  the  First  National  Bank  celebrates  its  fortieth  birthday.  December 
13th,  St.  John's  ]\Iethodist  Episcopal  church,  Brady  and  Fourteenth  streets,  is 
dedicated. 

ic)04. — January  19th,  the  Sisters  of  the  Good  Shepherd  arrive  from  Buffalo. 
New  York,  and  establish  a  home  here.  March  ist,  the  Security  Savings  Bank  be- 
gins operations.  March  13th,  the  Danish  Lutheran  church  is  organized.  April  ist, 
taptain  W.  P.  Hall,  "the  old  man  of  the  skiff,"  dies  at  Alton.  Illinois.  April  6th.  the 
first  contract  for  paving  with  asphalt  is  let  by  the  city  council.  May  15th.  the 
Church  of  Our  Lady  of  Lourdes  at  Bettendorf  is  dedicated.  August  27th,  the 
new  ferry  boat  Davenport  went  into  commission  to  ply  between  Rock  Island  and 
Davenport.  October  4th,  the  first  session  of  the  federal  court  opens.  The  con- 
tract for  a  new  high  school  building  is  let  for  $198,358.  November  20th.  the  I.  &  I. 
Interurban  Company  commences  regular  service  between  Davenport  and  Clinton, 

igo5. — June  i8th,  the  rapid  rise  of  the  river  over  the  dam  imprisons  several 
thousand  picnickers  on  Suburban  island  until  taken  off  by  boats.  June  20th,  the 
corner-stone  of  the  new  high  school  building.  Main  and  Harrison.  Eleventh  and 
Twelfth  streets,  is  laid.  July  i8th,  the  Davenport  Commercial  Club  is  incorporated. 
September  17th,  Fejervary  park  is  formally  opened  by  a  concert.  October  19th, 
the  B'nai  Israel  congregation,  incorporated  in  1868  and  organized  in  1861,  is  re- 
incorporated. October  22d,  the  Democrat  publishes  its  Half  Century  Democrat, 
an  illustrated  paper  giving  the  histor}'  of  the  county  for  the  preceding  fifty  years. 
November  5th,  3,000  chrysanthemums  are  placed  on  view  at  Central  park.  Xo- 
vember 2 1  St.  St.  :\Iary's  Home,  Eighth  and  Fillmore,  is  opened.  November  24th, 
the  American  Can  Company  lays  plans  to  increase  its  plant  to  a  daily  capacity 
of  1.440,000  cans.  December  17th.  the  announcement  is  made  that  the  mortgage 
of  $7,200  on  the  Peoples'  Mission  building  is  canceled.    December  28th.  announce- 


1002  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

ment  is  made  that  thirty  cremations  took  place  at  the  Davenport  crematorium 
during  the  year  1905.  December  31st,  the  Rummelpott  Club  closes  twenty-five 
years  of  charitable  work. 

igo6. — January  nth,  the  Academy  of  Sciences  pays  off  the  last  of  its  debt. 
January  30th,  the  Good  Samaritan  Society  is  org-anized,  which  provides  free 
wards  for  the  poor  at  the  Mercy  Hospital.  April  4th,  Odd  Fellows  dedicated 
Prosperity  hall.  April  21st,  800  children  sing  at  the  benevolent  concert  for  kin- 
dergartens under  the  direction  of  Professor  Otto.  June  13th,  the  interests  of  the 
German  Savings  and  the  Citizens  National  Banks  are  merged.  August  23d,  a 
band  concert  at  Fejervary  park  in  honor  of  Miss  Celestine  Fejervary.  October 
14th,  the  German  Savings  Bank,  after  its  merger  with  the  Citizens  National  Bank, 
opens  its  doors  for  business.  October  30th,  the  Citizens  Trust  &  Savings  Bank 
is  incorporated.  November  20th,  Elks  at  Davenport  organize  a  state  association. 
December  22d,  Bishop  Cosgrove  dies.  , 

1907. — January  isth,  the  Davenport  Commercial  Club  house  is  dedicated  by 
an  elaborate  banquet.  January  22d,  the  lola  Cement  Company  of  Davenport 
disposes  of  its  interests  to  a  trust  for  $5,000,000.  February  13th,  E.  S.  Crossett 
offers  $50,000  for  a  new  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  building.  February 
14th,  Peter  Willi,  on  his  eightieth  birthday,  walks  from  Buffalo  to  Davenport. 
May  2d,  the  furnishings  of  the  Kimball  House  are  sold  at  auction  and  the  hostelry 
closed  for  remodeling  at  a  cost  of  $40,000.  May  nth,  the  traveling  men  of  Daven- 
port secure  removal  of  the  state  headquarters  of  the  Traveling  Men's  Protective 
Association  to  Davenport.  May  19th,  the  Iowa  branch  of  the  American  Folk 
Lore  Society  organized  here.  June  23d,  the  Arbeiter  Sangerbund  convention  in 
Davenport  voted  to  admit  women  to  membership  and  to  meet  in  Chicago  in  1910. 
June  28th,  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  canvass  for  subscription  reaches 
successful  end  with  over  $101,000.  July  15th,  Charles  H.  Davis  celebrates 
the  close  of  fifty  years'  service  on  the  Rock  Island  road.  July  23d,  Jens  Lorenzen 
sells  crockery  business  established  fifty  years.  July  29th,  the  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  building  site  is  purchased  at  Fourth  and  Harrison  streets.  July 
30th,  Aunt  Lucy  Williams,  Scott  county's  oldest  inhabitant,  dies  at  the  age  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-three  years.  August  20th,  Dan  Patch  paced  a  mile  in  i  :585^ 
seconds  at  mile  track,  giving  the  track  a  new  record.  August  25th,  Barney  Old- 
field  gave  the  track  its  auto  record  of  i  :oo-i/5  seconds.  September  8th,  German 
veterans  dedicated  a  monument  in  Washington  Square.  November  2d,  Conrad 
Dietz  and  wife  hold  the  distinction  of  having  the  largest  family  in  Scott  county; 
their  children  number  fifteen.  November  4th.  the  magnificent  new  Hotel  Daven- 
port is  opened.  December  loth,  the  town  of  Bettendorf  dedicates  its  new  town 
hall.  December  13th,  the  glucose  plant's  capacity  being  increased  to  grind  14,000 
bushels  of  grain  daily.  December  15th,  first  dry  Sunday  in  the  history  of  Daven- 
port. December  30th,  public  reception  of  the  new  Home  Savings  Bank  in  West 
Davenport. 

1908. — January  nth,  the  commission  plan  of  municipal  government  defeated 
at  special  election.  The  vote  was  3,111  to  2,713.  January  i8th,  the  big  new 
machine  shop  of  the  Bettendorf  Axle  Company  was  opened  at  Bettendorf  with  a 
luncheon  and  dance  which  were  attended  by  1,200  people.  January  24th,  the 
Bums  Club  celebrated  its  fiftieth  anniversary.     February  ist,  the  new  Kimball 


HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY  1003 

Hotel  was  opened.  Februar}^  4th,  the  Outing  Club  free  from  debt.  February 
loth,  the  Davenport  Motor  Boat  Club  was  organized.  February  28th,  the  Daven- 
port Elks  approved  plans  for  a  magnificent  new  home.  March  15th,  the  Daven- 
port Trades  assembly  declared  against  Taft's  candidacy  for  president.  April 
28th,  Bleik  Peters  dies.  May  17th,  Judge  J.  Scott  Richman  dies  at  Muscatine. 
May  30th,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  C.  Condon  found  a  two  days'  old  baby  on  their  door- 
step. June  19th,  Redemptorist  Fathers  let  contract  for  new  church  in  West  Daven- 
port. June  28th,  the  Christian  Scientist  church  was  dedicated.  July  7th,  thirty 
boys  arrived  from  Chicago  to  enjoy  fresh  air  camp  which  Davenportites  had  ready 
for  them  in  McClellan  Heights.  July  27th,  by  computation  postmaster  Lon  Bry- 
son  finds  that  he  sold  over  6,000,000  stamps  in  Davenport  in  the  past  year.  July 
28th,  the  "onion  king"  of  Pleasant  Valley,  Henry  Schutter,  dies.  September  23d, 
the  Spanish  war  veterans  held  their  first  reunion  in  Davenport.  September  26th, 
the  Elks'  new  home  was  dedicated.  October  4th,  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone 
of  the  new  Holy  Family  church  took  place.  October  29th,  Nathan  Van  Tuyl 
dies  at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years.  December  3d,  the  Lend  a  Hand  Club  moved 
into  its  new  home  on  Second  street.  December  17th,  grocery  clerks  and  team- 
sters organized  a  union.  December  20th,  St.  Alphonsus  chapel  founded  by  Re- 
deptorist  Fathers.  December  24th,  Ladies  Industrial  Relief  Society  sent  out 
225  Christmas  dinners. 

1909. — ^January  ist,  German  Savings  bank  purchases  Lischer  property  at 
Third  and  Main  streets  for  $70,000.  January  15th,  Scott  County  Soldiers' 
Monument  association  give  monument  and  grounds  to  the  city  of  Davenport. 
February  9th,  Bettendorf  Axle  company  announce  contracts  for  $3,000,000  for 
current  year.  February  17th,  city  council  voted  to  refund  all  bonded  and  float- 
ing indebtedness  by  issue  of  $450,000  in  bonds.  March  ist,  Bettendorf  bank 
opens.  March  19th,  Buffalo  Savings  bank  organized.  March  31st,  Automobile 
club  organized.  April  i6th,  city  teachers  give  reception  at  the  Commercial  club 
for  Dr.  J.  A.  De  Armand,  their  champion  in  the  Iowa  legislature.  May  3d,  Dav- 
enport Playgrounds  association  formed ;  Charles  Francis,  president,  Rev.  R.  K. 
Atkinson,  secretary.  May  9th,  Bettendorf-Moline  ferry  started.  Carried  2,500 
passengers  first  day.  June  6th,  board  of  supervisors  put  county  prisoners  at 
work  on  the  levee.  June  9th,  State  Manufacturers'  association  in  session  at 
Davenport.  June  19th,  Sunday  school  rally  day  marked  by  parade  and  picnic  of 
4,000  persons.  July  3d,  Attorney  W.  M.  Chamberlin  and  Jim  Flem.ing  rescue 
party  from  burning  launch  on  Mississippi.  July  19th,  Bettendorf  Metal  Wheel 
company  becomes  French  &  Hecht.  August  31st.  Davenport  August  building 
record  was  $184,420  in  permits.  September  i8th,  Mrs.  Isabella  Peaslee.  pioneer 
resident  of  LeClaire  dies,  aged  seventy-five  years.  September  22d.  the  limit  in 
deeds  recorded.  Strip  of  land  two  inches  wide  on  West  Third  street  transferred 
for  $100.  October  nth,  eighteenth  annual  convention  of  Master  Horseshoers' 
National  Protective  association  in  session  in  Davenport.  October  15th,  German 
and  Bethlehem  Congregational  congregations  unite  in  the  Berea  Congregational 
church.  October  17th,  week  of  dedication  of  new  $100,000  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
building  opens.  October  31st,  Visiting  Nurses'  association  clears  $2,541.76  as  re- 
sult of  Tag  day  efforts.  November  ist,  announced  that  Santa  Fe  and  Iowa  Cen- 
tral would  enter  Tri-cities  over  the  Rock  Island  Southern.     November  8th,  Iowa 


1004  HISTORY  OF  SCOTT  COUNTY 

State  Conference  of  Charities  and  Corrections  opens  session  in  Davenport.  No- 
vember 1 8th,  Brady  street  merchants  give  celebration  in  honor  of  the  super-light- 
ing of  that  street.  November  27th,  fire  at  U.  N.  Roberts  company  plant  entails 
loss  of  $250,000.  November  30th,  Mrs.  'Anna  B.  Amhof,  living  near  Eldridge, 
celebrates  94th  birthday  anniversary.  December  12th,  opening  service  in  the 
new  St.  Paul's  church  in  North  Davenport  conducted  by  Rev.  C.  J.  Donahoe, 
pastor.     December  21st,  Trinity  and  Grace  cathedral  parishes  vote  to  consolidate. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

H.   E.   Downer 4 

Refectory  in  Central   Park 16 

Lake  in  Central  Park 21 

Mound  Pottery    30 

Mound  Builder  Relics    33 

Mound  Builder  Pipes    37 

Mound  Builder  Tablets   41 

Mound  Pottery   45 

Keokuk— Black   Hawk   50 

Black  Hawk  Watch  Tower 60 

Elk  in  Fejervary  Park 68 

Fort  Armstrong   83 

Entrance  to  Oakdale  Cemetery 92 

General    View    of    Davenport   from   the 

Rock  Island  Shore 92 

Island  Abutment,  First  Railroad  Bridge.  92 

Willard  Barrows   106 

Buffalo   Public  School 114 

Postoffice,  Buffalo   114 

Driveway  in  Fejervary  Park 130 

Davenport  from  the  Mississippi  River..  137 

Early  Home  of  J.  M.  D.  Burrows 145 

Residence  of  Dr.  Barrows 145 

Old  Fort  Armstrong  When  First  Built . .  153 

Second  Street,  Taken  in  1858 163 

Davenport  about  1S62 163 

Home  of  Colonel  George  Davenport. ..  .175 

J.  M.  D.  Burrows 183 

Prospect  Terrace  191 

First  National  Bank 201 

The  Well,  Central  Park 211 

Le  Claire  House 221 

Pennsylvania  House  221 

Burtis  House   221 

Kemper  Hall  221 

Father  Pelamourgues  229 

The  Webb   Home 239 

Old  Methodist  Church 239 

Fourteenth  Street  M.  E.  Church 2.39 

Old  Trinity  Church 239 

Street  View  of  Princeton 250 

Pleasant     Valley,     from     Pope's     Bluff, 

Looking  East 250 

Street  Scene,  Le  Claire 256 

Presbyterian  Church.  Le  Claire 260 

Main  Street.  Le  Claire 264 

Main  Street.  Princeton 264 

Long  Grove 270 

Christian  Church.  Long  Grove 270 

Blue  Grass  Savings  Bank 276 

Campbell's  Hotel.  Blue  Grass 276 

Keppy's  Store,  Donahue  284 

Henry  Klindt's  Store.  Maysville 284 

Fort  Armstrong 288 


PACK 

Old  Davenport  House,  Rock  Island  Ar- 
senal     2f>3 

Old    Prison    Hospital,   Rock    Island   Ar- 
senal     293 

View  of  Rock  Island  Arsenal  299 

Row  of  Shops.  Rock  Island  Arsenal  .  . .  .305 

Power  Plant,  Rock  Island  Arsenal 305 

Main  Entrance  to  the  Rock  Island  Ar- 
senal     311 

Sun    Dial    and   Saluting   Battery,    Rock 

Island  Arsenal   311 

Old  Mill,  Rock  Island  Arsenal 319 

Arsenal,  Rock  Island 319 

First   Bridge  that   Spanned  the  Missis- 
sippi River 324 

Present  Government  Bridge  324 

Davenport  in  1856 329 

Old  Bridge  in  Early  Days 335 

W.  L.  Clark 344 

Teddy  and  Carrie,  the  Cinnamon  Bears 

at   Fejervary  Park 351 

Typical  Farm  Scene  3(X> 

Le  Claire  Depot  363 

Presbyterian  Church,  Princeton 363 

St.  Anne's  Catholic  Church,  Long  Grove. 367 

Big  Rock  Public  School  373 

Turner  Hall,  Eldridge .373 

Residence  of  Capt,  W.  L.  Clark.  Buffalo. 373 

German  Savings  Bank,  New  Liberty 377 

New  Liberty  School   377 

New  Libertv    377 

Buffalo  Town  Hall   3.si 

Main  Street,   Buffalo    381 

Catholic  Church.   Buffalo 387 

Antoine  Le  Claire 394 

Antoine  Le  Claire's  Treaty  House 397 

Marguerite  Le  Claire  401 

Antoine  Le  Claire's  Old  Residence 405 

Third  Home  of  Antoine  Le  Claire 405 

Riverview   Terrace    41S 

The  Ferry  "Daveniwrt" 428 

Davenport     Waterworks     and     Settling 

Basin     428 

A  Short  Line  Packet 435 

John  Wilson's  Ferry 441 

Entrance  to  Fejervary  Park 446 

I'ioneer  Settlers  of  Scott  County 474 

View  in  Central  Park  485 

1.  James  Thorington.  2.  Harvey  Leonard. 
3.  Dr.  E.  S.  Barrows,  4.  Judge  W.  L. 

Cook    494 

Green  House.  Central  Park 509 

Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home.  1805 546 

Soldiers'  Orphans'  Home 546 


1006 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Buildings  at  Scott  County  Poor  Farm. .  .546 

Central  Fire  Station,  Davenport 557 

Scott  County  Jail  557 

St.  Marguerite's  Church 570 

St.  Anthony's  Church 579 

Sacred  Heart  Cathedral 579 

Trinity  Cathedral    587 

First  Christian  Church   587 

First  Presbyterian  Church  587 

Calvary  Baptist  Church 593 

St.  John's  M.  E.  Church 593 

Edwards  Congregational  Church 599 

English    Evangelical    Lutheran    Church, 

Davenport    605 

Fountain  in  Central  Park 618 

Soldiers'  Monument,  Davenport 618 

Main  Building — Iowa  Soldiers'  Orphans' 

Home 661 

Clarissa  C.  Cook's  Home  for  the  Friend- 
less     661 

Rock  Island  Barracks  in  1864 668 

Company   B    Starting  for   the   Spanish- 
American  War  679 

The  Armory,  Davenport   679 

City  Hall,  Davenport   684 

Davenport  Mayors    687 

Davenport  Mayors 691 

Davenport  Mayors 695 

Davenport  Mayors 699 

Nicholas  Fejervary   703 

Street  Scenes 710 

Burtis  Opera  House  in  Late  '60s 713 

Young      Men's     Christian      Association 

Building    713 

Davenport  Hotel 719 

Davenport  Hotel,  Later  U.  P.  Hotel 719 

Scott  House 719 

New  Kimball  Hotel 719 

Commercial  Club  723 

Elks'  Building,  Davenport   723 

St.  Luke's  Hospital,  Davenport 729 

Mercy   Hospital    729 

Fejervary  Home  for  Old  Men 733 

Bishop  Davis'  Residence 733 

Masonic  Temple,  Davenport 738 

Inn  at  Fejervary  Park  741 

Outing  Club  Inn 741 

Buffalo  in  Fejervary  Park 752 

Scott  County's  First  Courthouse 768 

Scott  County  Courthouse 768 

Public  Library,  Davenport  782 

Postoffice — Government    Building 782 

The   Reading   Room,   Davenport   Public 
Library  785 


The  Lesk,  Davenport  Public  Library  . .  .791 
Children's  Room,  Davenport  Public  Li- 
brary    795 

The  Claim  House 800 

Home  of  John  L.  Da  vies 800 

House  Built  by  Dr.  John  Emerson 800 

The  Thorington  Home  on  Site  of  Public 

Library   800 

Home  of  Willard  Barrows,  Historian  . .  800 

Home  of  D.  C.  Eldridge 800 

Home  of  Hon.  Hiram  Price  in  1843 803 

Homes  of  Hiram  Price  and  Judge  John 

F.   Dillon   803 

The  Ebenezer  Cook  Home 803 

Residence  of  John  P.  Cook 803 

Home  of  James  Grant 803 

Home  of  John  Mullen 803 

Old  Turner  Hall,  Northwest,  Davenport 

812 

Turner  Hall,  Davenport 812 

Music  Pavilion  in  Schuetzen  Park 817 

Schuetzen  Park  Club  House 817 

German  Pioneers  of  Scott  County 822 

Memorial   Shaft  of  the  Kampfgenossen 

Verein   827 

The    Free    German    School 831 

Memorial  of  Kampfgenossen  Verein 835 

Entrance  to  Oakdale  Cemetery 848 

General    View    of   Davenport    from   the 

Rock  Island  Shore 848 

Island  Abutment,  First  Railroad  Bridge. 848 

Colonel  George  Davenport 857 

High  Water  of  March  10,  1886 876 

Station     and     Elevated     Tracks,     Rock 

Island  System 898 

Br"Tdge  in  Central  Park 902 

The  Crescent  Bridge 902 

Some  Public  School  Buildings 918 

The  First  Davenport  High  School 923 

Davenport  High  School  Building 923 

Jefferson  School 929 

Central  Park,  Davenport 935 

High  School,  Davenport 935 

Adams  School    (Number  2) 941 

Academy  of  Science  and  Science  Hall. .  .949 

St.  Ambrose  College 949 

First  Home  of  Iowa  College 949 

Iowa  College — Later  Griswold  College.. 949 
Academy  of  the  Immaculate  Conception . 955 

St.  Katharine's  Hall.  Davenport. 955 

J.  B.  Young 959 

A  View  from  Prospect  Terrace 962 


INDEX 


PAGE 

The  Story  of  the  Rocks 17 

Strange  Climatic  Changes 18 

Constructive  and  Erosive  Forces 19 

An  Ancient  Pre-Glacial  River 23 

When  the  Glaciers  Came 23 

The  Rocky  Substructure 25 

Rocks  Crowded  -with  Fossils 2(i 

Some  Deep  Wells 27 

The  Earliest  Dwellers 31 

The  Challenge  of  the  Mounds 32 

Had  Time  to  Be  Sick 35 

Local  Amateur  Scientists 36 

Pipes  and  Tablets  Discredited 39 

Probable  Acquaintance  of  Man  and  Mas- 
todon     40 

Professor  Seyffarth's  Reliable  Results..  43 

Indian  Occupancy 47 

Towns  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 48 

Agricultural  Indians 51 

Quasquawma's  Mansion 51 

Atwood  Found  Artistic  Qualities 52 

Black  Hawk  Tells  of  Indian  Customs.  .  54 

Fine    Sense    of    Honor 5G 

An  Indian  Duel  of  Long  Ago 56 

Antoine  Le  Claire's  Indian  Friends 57 

The  White  Man  Comes 61 

Marquette  and  Joliet 62 

Ideal  Address  of  Welcome 63 

Pike's  Visit  to  Davenport 64 

Camped  on  Rock  Island 64 

The  White  Potato  River 65 

Davenport  in  1824 66 

Wars  and  Treaties 69 

An  Irishman  Full  of  Fight 69 

Brave  Even  in  Orthography 70 

Proceeded  to  the  Business 71 

The  First  of  Many  Treaties 72 

The  First  Flag 72 

War  of  1812 73 

Fort  Shelby  Is  Built 73 

Battle  of  Campbell's  Island 74 

Wounded  Men  Are  Rescued 78 

To  Davenport  for  Distribution 78 

Battle  of  Credit  Island 79 

St.  Louis  Treaty  Reaffirmed 79 

Credit   Island 81 

The  British  Account 82 

Governor   Reynold's  Narration 86 

St.  Louis  Treaty  Reaffirmed 87 

The  Black  Hawk  Purchase 88 

Iowa   Reserve  Purchased 88 

Distinguished  Red  Men 89 

White  People  in  Undisturbed  Possession.  90 
The  Barrows   History 93 


PAon 

Verification  and  Correction 93 

Other   Comments 94 

Tils   Own  Estimate 94 

The  Glory  of  the  West 95 

A  Future  State  Capital 96 

Suel  Foster's  Peflfstrian  Trij> 97 

The  Naming  of  Davenport 98 

Daveni)ort  Entertains  a  Bishop 99 

First  Death  in  Davenport 100 

A  Sunmier  Resort 100 

Unique  Celebration 100 

Royalty  Visits  the  City 101 

The  First  Duel  on  Iowa  Soil 101 

Newhall's  Immigrant  Picture 102 

Biography  of  Willard  Barrows 103 

Barrows  History  of  Scott  County 107 

Introductory    107 

General    Remarks 109 

First  Settlement  of  Buffalo  Township.  .115 

Rockingham    Township 121 

Davenport    Township 131 

1849.   General   History 190 

Bridge  Across  the  Mississippi  River. . .  .210 

East    Davenport 214 

Agricultural   Society 216 

Horticultural  Society 216 

Fire  Department ,.  .217 

Military    Companies 218 

Public    Buildings 219 

Public    Schools 224 

Scott  County  Bible  Society 224 

Cemeteries   225 

Religious    226 

Roman  Catholic  Church 226 

Presbyterian    Church 228 

The  Christian  Church,  or  Disciples 234 

Congregational    Church 235 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church 238 

Trinity  Church 238 

St.    Luke's   Church 242 

First  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 243 

First  Baptist  Church 245 

Second  Baptist  Church 245 

First     English     Evangelical     Lutheran 

Church    246 

Second  Presbyterian  Church,  N.  S 246 

First   Associate  Reformed  Presbyterian 

Church    247 

The  Reformed  Protesbuit  Dutch  Church. 247 

Pleasant  Valley  Township 251 

I>e  Claire  Township 257 

Princeton  Township 2(>5 

Winfield  or  Ix)ng  Grove  Township 271 


1008 


INDEX 


Blue  Grass   Township 277 

Aliens  Grove  Township 285 

Hickory   Grove 286 

Sloperville    286 

Liberty   Township 286 

The  Island  of  Rock  Island 289 

The  St.  Louis  Treaty  of  1804 289 

War  History  Begins 291 

Expedition  from  St.  Louis  to  the  Island 

to  Establish  a  Fort 295 

Indians   are  Apprehensive 296 

Description  of  the  Fort 296 

An  Attempted  Massacre 297 

Island  Mentioned  as  Armory  Site 298 

The  Board  Favors  Fort  Massac 301 

Water  Power  Furnishes  Strong  Claim.  .302 

A  Strong  Local  Committee 303 

Joint    Resolutions    of    the    Iowa    Legis- 
lature     304 

Certificate  from  the  Government  Agent. 304 

General  Rodman's  Plans 307 

The  Plans  Developed  by  General  Flagler. 308 

Great  Fabrication  Is  Possible  309 

Various  Items  Made  at  the  Arsenal 310 

The  Armory  Makes  Many  Rifles 313 

General  Crozier  Appreciates  the  Arsenal. 314 

A  New  Viaduct  Is  Built 314 

Jefferson  Davis  Writes  of  This  Location. 316 
Squatters'  Attempt  to  Gain  Foothold. .  .316 
Colonel   George   Davenport's   Claim   Al- 
lowed   317 

The  Government  Enters  into  Full  Pos- 
session     321 

Three  Bridges  to  the  Island 325 

Building  of  Bridge  Impeded 326 

Guarantee  by  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island 

&    Pacific   Railroad  Company 327 

Three  Government  Bridges 333 

Description  of  the  First  Bridge 334 

Abraham  Lincoln  and  the  First  Bridge.  .337 

A  Lincoln  Story 338 

Plot  to  Burn  the  Bridge 339 

George   E.   Hubbell   Lincoln's   Associate 

Counsel   341 

Iowa's  Earliest  Living  Resident 345 

Knew  Antoine  Le  Claire 346 

Knew  Stephen  A.  Douglas 347 

Written  by  Captain  W.  L.  Clark 347 

Early  History 348 

Customs  of  the  Pioneers 349 

Buffalo  First  Town  Platted 349 

Buffalo's  First  Postmaster 350 

A  Beautiful   Country 350 

The  Pioneer  Cabin 350 

Indian  Customs 355 

Hiding  Winter  Supplies  of  Corn 356 

Telephoning  the  News 356 

Farming    356 

Sinking  Canoes    357 

Mode  of  Burial 357 

How    the    Indians    Were    Swindled    by 

Traders  357 

Why  Buffalo  Fell  Behind 358 

Townships  and  Towns 361 

Le  Claire  Township 361 

Princeton  Township 302 

Winfield   Township 386 

Lincoln  Township 369 

Pleasant  Valley  Township 370 

Cleona  Township 370 


Butler  Township 371 

Sheridan    Township 372 

Hickory  Grove  Township 375 

Blue  Grass  Township 376 

Aliens  Grove  Township 376 

Liberty   Township 379 

Bettendorf    380 

±:suftalo    380 

New  Liberty   380 

Big  Rock 380 

Dixon    380 

New    Dixon 380 

McCausland   380 

Donahue   384 

Eldridge   384 

Le  Claire   384 

Long    Grove 384 

Princeton    385 

Blue  Grass 385 

Walcott 385 

Le  Claire  Village 386 

Davenport's  First  Citizen 395 

Antoine  Le  Claire 395 

Enters   Government   Service 396 

Founder  of  Davenport 399 

From  Block  House  to  Mansion 399 

Marguerite  Le  Claire 400 

A  Picturesque  Personality 403 

A  Tribute  by  Father  Pelamourgues 403 

Pioneer   Life 407 

The   Log   Cabin 407 

Sleeping  Accommodations 409 

Cooking    409 

Women's   Work    410 

Hospitality    410 

Prairie  Fires    411 

Wolf    Hunts 412 

Spelling    Schools 412  . 

The  Bright  Side 414 

What  the  Pioneers  Have  Done 414 

Territorial    Days 419 

Conway  an  Enthusiast 420 

Unkindly  Feelings  Never  Healed 420 

Conway's  Remarkable  Letter 421 

Report     423 

T.  S.  Parvin  Governor's  Secretary 425 

Conway's    Death 425 

The  Great  River 429 

An  Early  River  Panorama 430 

The  Boats  of  Other  Days 431 

Great  River  Stories 432 

Rafting   Days 434 

The  Clinton  "Nigger" 434 

The  First  Raft  Pilot 437 

Ferries  Crossing  the  Mississippi 438 

The  Hennepin  Canal 440 

History  of  a  Noted  Picture 444 

Life  on  the  Frontier 447 

Looking   Backward 475 

Hummer's  Bell 481 

Rev.  John  O.  Foster  on  Early  Days...  .489 

The  Medical  Profession 495 

Dr.  E.  S.  Barrows  Writes 495 

Antoine  Le  Claire  a  Patient 497 

Early  Physicians 498 

Scott  County  Medical  Society 500 

lOxtracts  from  Minutes 501 

The  Rights  of  Medical  Experts 503 

The  Restricted  Schools 504 

First    Telephone 507 


INDEX 


1009 


Early    Members 507 

Other    Members 514 

Altered    Conditions 515 

The  Scott  County  Bar 517 

The  Early  Bar 519 

Present  Bar  of  Davenport 530 

Incidents  Amusing  and  Otherwise  Rela- 
ting to  the  Early  Bar  and  Courts  of 

Scott    County 531 

Judge  Grant's  Knife 532 

Some    Early    History    of    the    District 

Court    534 

Nothing  Came  of  It 541 

Circuit    Court 543 

Probate    Courts 544 

County   Court 544 

Administration  of  the  County 547 

Present   Time 547 

First  County  Commissioners'  Court 547 

County  Divided  into  Road  Districts 548 

The  Board  Comes  to  Davenport 540 

County   Judges 550 

Board  of  Supervisors 550 

County   Officials 554 

Growth   of   the  County  in   Wealth  and 

Population    564 

Abstract  of  Valuations  and  Taxes  Levied, 

1909   565 

Abstract  of  Taxes  by  Towns  and  Town- 
ships, 1909. 560 

Itemized  Report  of  Assessment  of  Per- 
sonal Property.  1909 567 

Growth   in  Population 567 

Churches  and  Parishes 571 

Early  Catholic  History 571 

Bishops  McMullen  and  Cosgrove 572 

St.    Anthony's 576 

Sacred  Heart  Cathedral 578 

The  Diocese  of  Davenport 581 

Very  Rev.  A.  Trevis,  V.  G 582 

Bishop    Davis 582 

St.   Mary's 583 

St.  Joseph's  583 

Holy  Family 584 

St.    Alphonsus 584 

St.  Paul's 584 

Our  Lady  of  Lourdes 584 

The  Diocese  of  Iowa 585 

Bishop  Henry  W.  Lee 59<3 

St.  John's  Methodist  Episcopal 590 

The  Christian  Church 597 

Membership  by  Periods 603 

Charter  Members  of  First  Church 603 

Pastors  of  First  Church 603 

Edwards  Congregational 601 

St.  Paul's  English  Evangelical  Lutheran. 604 

First  Presbyterian  Church 607 

McClellan  Heights  Fnited  Presbyterian.  .608 

First  T'nitarian  Church 609 

First  Church  of  Christ,  Scientist 610 

Mount  Ida  Presbyterian 611 

Calvary  Baptist 612 

Berea    Congregational 614 

Trinity  German  Evangelical  Lutheran.  .614 

Holy  Cross  Evangelical  Lutheran 614 

The"  German  Methodist  Episcopal 615 

Temple  Emanuel .615 

Swed'-'i  Lutheran 615 

Thiiu    r.aptist    (Colored) 616 

The  African  Methodist  Episcopal  616 


The   First   German    Evangelioai    Luther 

Zion's  Churcii 616 

The  Civil  War 019 

Dred  Scott  the  Slave 619 

The  Emerson  Claim 620 

John  Brown's  Visit 621 

Coppoc  the  Refugee (522 

The  Rebellion  or  the  War  Between  the 

States    622 

The  Call  for  Troops 623 

The  President's  Proclamation 62;i 

Iowa  Rallies  to  (he  Colors 025 

Iowa's  Borders  Threateiie<l <i2i; 

Iowa   Troops   RtH"nliste<l 627 

Iowa  Paid  No  Bounty 628 

Public  Meeting  and  Resolutions 628 

First    Infantry 029 

Second  Infantry  0.30 

Second   Veteran    Infantry 031 

Eighth  Infantry 0.32 

Veteran    Infantry 032 

The  Eighth  at  Shiloh 633 

To  Hold  the  Position 634 

The  Campaign  in  Mississippi 6.34 

Eleventh  Infantry 0,^5 

Thirtt^'nth    Infantry «30 

The  Thirteenth  at  Shiloh 036 

I^ngagement  Before  Atlanta 6.38 

Fourteenth  Infantry 638 

Sixteentli   Infantry 639 

Sixteenth  Always  on  Duty 641 

Twentieth    Infantry 643 

Twentieth  Infantry  Veterans 643 

Twenty-Sixth    Infantry 644 

Thirty-Seventh    Infantry 644 

Forty-Fourth  Infantry (544 

First  Cavalry 64.'i 

Second   Cavalry 646 

Third    Cavalrv 048 

Sixth  Cavalry  MS 

Eighth   Cavalry    <"»49 

Ninth    Cavalry '.  .(549 

First  African  Cavalry 040 

Twelfth  Missouri  Infantry 6.50 

Second   Missouri   Artillery (J50 

Third  and  Other  Regiments 6.'0 

Roll  of  Honor 0.53 

A  Hungry  Audience 057 

Astonished  Keokukian 057 

The  Ladies  Made  Them 658 

Oration  at  the  Dedication 659 

Veterans'  Association  Antedating  G.  A.  R.660 

The  Orphans  Reach.  Davenport 664 

Under  State  Control 665 

Cares  for  Children  of  Broken  Homes 665 

Patriotic   Davenport 669 

Davenport  Military  Organizations 669 

Military  Camps  in  Daveuiwrt 670 

General  B.  S.  Roberts 671 

Indian  Murderers  at  Camp  McClellan. .  .671 
The  Island  Becomes  a  Military  Prison.. 672 
Reminiscences     of     an     ex -CVin  federate 

Prisoner  on  the  Island 673 

Pri.son   Life 674 

Word  from  Home 674 

August  Wentz  Post  No.  1.  Grand  Army 

of  the  Republic 675 

Soldiers'    Monument 677 

Company  B  of  Davenport  in  the  Spanish- 
American   War 678 


1010 


INDEX 


Mustered  into  Service 681 

Roll   of  Honor 681 

Personnel  of  Company  B 682 

City  of  Davenport 685 

Civilization's  Added  Beauty 686 

Newhall's    Description 686 

The  Most  Charming 689 

In  the  Beginning 690 

Mayors  of  the  City 690 

The  City  Hall 693 

The  Police  Department 693 

Fire  Department 694 

Davenport's  Park  System .694 

Central    Park 694 

Fejervary   Park 697 

Prospect  and  Riverview  Terraces 697 

Lafayette  and  Washington  Squares 697 

City's  Assets  and  Liabilities  in  1909 698 

Street  Railways 702 

The  Merging  of  Utilities 705 

Electricity  from  Water  Power 706 

Davenport  Water  Company 70ti 

A  Good  Place  to  Live 711 

The  Academy  of  Sciences 712 

Young  Men's  Christian  Association 715 

Commercial  Club 716 

The  Outing  Club 717 

Davenport    Hotel 717 

The  Burtis  House 717 

The  Kimball 718 

Le  Claire  House 718 

The  New  Davenport 721 

Public  School  Buildings 721 

Places  of  Amusement 721 

The    Postoffice 722 

Latest  Yearly  Statement 722 

Mail  from  the  East 722 

Out  in  the  Country 726 

A  Building  Provided 727 

To  Third  and  Perry 727 

The  Present  Postoffice 728 

Mercy    Hospital 731 

St.  Luke's  Hospital 731 

The    Clarissa    C.    Cook    Home   for    the 

Friendless 731 

The  N.  Fejervary  Home  for  Aged  and 

Homeless   Men 732 

The  Industrial  Llome 732 

The  People's  Union  Mission 735 

St.  Vincent's  Orphans'  Home 735 

Fraternal  Orders  and  Other  Societies  of 

Davenport    735 

Colored  Fraternal  Orders 737 

Other  Societies 737 

Labor    Organizations 737 

Clubs,  Debating  Societies  and  Others... 738 
Women  of  Davenport  and  Their  Clubs.  .739 

Davenport  D.  A.  R 739 

Iowa  Society  of  Colonial  Dames 739 

The  Clionian  Club  740 

The  Parliamentary  Club 740 

The  Lend-A-Hand  Club 740 

The  Tuesday  Club 743 

Davenport  Kindergarten  Association 743 

West  End  Mothers'  Club 743 

The  S.  L.  A.  Club 744 

Arlington  Club 744 

United  States  History  Club 744 

Dickens  Reading  Circle 745 

Club  of  Eighty-Nine 745 


Cuisine  Club 745 

Chemaun   Club 746 

Tri-City  Kindergarten  Club 746 

Davenport  Music  Clubs 747 

Music   Students  Club 747 

Harmonic  Society    747 

Music  Lovers  Club 748 

The  Etude  Club 748 

Chaminade  Music  Club 749 

The  Amateur  Musical  Club 749 

The  Commercial  Side 753 

Begins  with  the  Mills 753 

Sugar  from   Corn 754 

Varied  Manufactures 754 

Davenport  Locomotive  Works 755 

Great  Factories  at  Bettendorf 757 

Davenport's  Clearing  House  and  Banking 

Institutions    758 

First  National  Bank 758 

German  Savings  Bank 759 

Davenport   Savings  Bank 760 

Scott  County  Savings  Bank 760 

Iowa  National  Bank 761 

Union   Savings  Bank 761 

Farmers  &  Mechanics  Savings  Bank 762 

Citizens  Trust  &  Savings  Bank 762 

Davenport's  Trust  Companies 763 

Davenport  Trust  Company 764 

Buffalo  Savings  Bank 764 

Blue  Grass  Savings  Bank 764 

Dixon  Savings  Bank 764 

Donahue  Savings  Bank 764 

New  Liberty  Bank 764 

Eldridge  Savings  Bank 765 

M'Causland  Savings  Bank 765 

Le  Claire  Savings  Bank 765 

Walcott    765 

Princeton    705 

Bettendorf  Savings  Bank 765 

At  the  Court  House 769 

Memorial  Tablet  Dedicated  to  the  Pio- 
neers     769 

The    Jail 774 

Scott  County  Agricultural  Society 775 

The  First  Fair 775 

Baseball  in  Davenport  in  the  Sixties 776 

The  Davenport  Union  Baseball  Club 777 

The  Pestiferous  Wapellos 778 

Cleaned  Up  Peoria 778 

Played  in  Uniform 779 

Public  Libraries,  Old  and  New 783 

Some  Old  Houses 801 

The  Claim  House 802 

Houses  Here  or  Easily  Remembered 805 

The  Emerson  Residence 807 

Along  the  Rockingham  Road 807 

The  German  Impress 813 

A  Brief  Foreword 813 

The  German  Spirit  in  the  United  States 

in  General   814 

The  Population  of  German  Descent   in 

Davenport  and  Scott  County 821 

A  Short  Trip  Cross-Country 823 

German-Americans  Successful  in  Varied 

Callings    824 

The  Germans  of  Scott  County  in  Public 

Life    826 

In  the  Musical  World 830 

The  Freie  Deutsche  Schulgemeinde 833 

German  Organizations  in  Davenport. .  .834 


INDEX 


lull 


A  Few  Words  in  Conclusion 837 

A  Forceful  Influence 839 

Davenport's    Baptism 849 

A  Dream  City 849 

In  the  Legislature 850 

How  Davenport  Got  Its  Name 851 

J.  A.  Le  Claire's  Affidavit 853 

Wilkie  Adds  a  Word 854 

More  Incontestable  Proof 855 

More  Living  Witnesses 855 

A  Portrait  in  Evidence 855 

Colonel   Ceorge  Davenport,   One  of  the 
Original  Proprietors  of  Davenport  and 

After  Whom  the  City  Was  Named 856 

An  Indian  Ceremony 875 

Climatological  Conditions 877 

Climatological    Notes 878 

Changes  in  Climate 879 

The    Press 885 

The  Gazette 885 

The    Democrat 886 

The    Times 887 

Der    Demokrat 887 

The  Iowa  Reform 887 

The  Catholic  Messenger 887 

Many  Other  Papers 888 

The  Tri-City  Press  Club 889 

The  Changes  of  Fifty  Years 889 

Paucity  of  Reading  Matter 890 

The  Reporter  Lacking 890 

Anonymous  News  Items 891 

Plain  Talk 891 

Paid   Matter 892 

Ran  All  to  Politics 893 

Stale  News  Preferred 893 

A  Change  of  Speech 894 

Scantiness  of  Telegraph 894 

The  Lack  of  Headlines 895 

The  Unseeking  Advertiser 895 

The    Railroads 899 

Rock  Island  and  Chicago  Railroad 903 

The  Railroads  Chartered 903 

Features  of  Early  History 904 

Station  Named  for  Capitalist 905 

First  Train  Through  Davenport 905 

Hiram   Price 906 

Charles  H.  Davis 90S 

Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railroad. 914 
The  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Rail- 
road     915 

The  Iowa  and  Illinois  Interurban  Rail- 
way     915 

Education    919 

Were  Planning  Ahead 920 

First  Lady  Teacher 920 

The  First  Davenport  Teacher 921 

Pere  Pelamourgues'   School 922 

St.  Louis  Liked  Him 922 

He  Surely  Was 925 

School    Days 925 

Six  Independent  Schools 926 

Earlv  School  Locations 926 

Additions    Needed 928 

The  Later  Schools 928 

The  Schools  Are  Graded 932 

^  An  Early  Payroll 933 


The  High  School 934 

The  Training  School 938 

Drawing     939 

f^-erman    939 

Writing 939 

Music    940 

Physical  Culture .940 

Cooking    1940 

Manual  Training  940 

Examinations  for  Promotion .943 

Nature  Study   943 

Sewing    '943 

The    Superintendents 944 

In    General 944 

The  Parish   Schools 945 

Medical    Institute ,  [946 

Iowa    (Now  Grinnell)    College 94*^ 

Griswold  College 943 

Kemper  Hall [952 

Schools  for  Girls 952 

Early  Education  in  Business 953 

St.  Ambrose  College 953 

Immaculate  Conception  Academy 954 

St.  Katharine's  Hall 957 

J.  B.  ioung,  for  Thirty-Nine  Consecutive 
Tears     Connected     with     the     Public 

Schools  of  Davenport 959 

The  Salad  Course 963 

The   Pioneer   Ball 963 

The  Boomer   9^4 

Timothy    Webster 904 

The  Second  Building 9U5 

The  Oxford  Flats 965 

The  Pennsylvania  Houses 965 

State    Officers 9G6 

Strong    Teaching 967 

Early  School 967 

The  First  Colored  School   967 

The  First  White  Child 967 

Not  Necessary  to  Move .968 

Just    Half   Married 968 

Liked  the  Starlight 968 

The  New  Fair  Ground 96S 

Tri-City    Amenities 9(38 

Hallet  Kilbourue 969 

President    Fillmore 969 

Vagrant  Hogs  969 

The  Burtis  Opera  House 969 

Davenport's  French  Settlers 970 

The  Meaning  of  Iowa 971 

The  First  Counties 972 

Early  Transfers  972 

Calhoun   Outwitted 972 

The    Prisoners 973 

Crossing  the  Rivers 973 

Facetious    Soldiers 974 

Impulsive  Juvenile 974 

A  Tinner's  Strike 974 

To  Aid  the  Poor 975 

Found  Blankets 975 

Gr&at    Arguments 975 

Strong  for  Temperance 970 

Fulfillment  Long  Delayed 976 

Pioneer   Presidents 977 

Chfonology    979 


9912 


'3